GERALD CANNON Plays in a Remarkable Variety of Combinations on his Long-Awaited Sophomore Release - COMBINATIONS

The veteran bassist returns as a leader for the first time in more than a decade, mixing with Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron, Jeremy Pelt, Russell Malone and more

"It has been wonderful working with Gerald, I'm sure he will remain a force in the jazz world for years to come." - McCoy Tyner

"Gerald is dedicated to perfection in expressing his art. I have the greatest admiration and respect for him because every time I hear him, I hear something new." - Buster Williams

14 years after releasing his self-titled debut as a leader, bassist Gerald Cannon makes his long-overdue return with Combinations. Due out July 14 on Cannon's own Woodneck Records, the album makes up for lost time by mixing and matching a range of styles, moods and collaborators from across the spectrum of Cannon's far-reaching career.

In Cannon's virtuosic hands, Combinations carries a multitude of meanings. There's the obvious fact, first of all, that no two tracks on the album feature the same line-up of musicians, juggling ten of the bassist's closest collaborators in a variety of combinations. Then there's the diversity of sounds represented by the compositions (almost half of which were penned by Cannon himself): everything from simmering post-bop to boisterous funk, frantic modern jazz to elegant ballads, gospel to bossa nova. Then, as legendary bassist and Cannon's mentor Ron Carter points out in his liner notes, there's the many hats that Cannon wears, making him a combination of bassist, composer, arranger and producer.

"Not only did I want to do a record with a combination of my favorite musicians," Cannon explains, "but I wanted to do a record with a combination of different styles."

Cannon assembled the perfect line-up of musicians with which to realize that goal. The pool of artists from which he drew for the session includes saxophonists Gary Bartz, Sherman Irby and Steve Slagle, trumpeters Jeremy Pelt and Duane Eubanks, pianists Kenny Barron and Rick Germanson, guitarist Russell Malone and drummers Willie Jones III (who also co-produced the album) and Will Calhoun. Together with Cannon they combine and recombine in quintet, quartet, trio, duo and - in the bassist's memorable, heartfelt closing rendition of "Darn That Dream" - solo configurations.

"Everybody on this record is an honest musician," Cannon says. "They play their personalities."

The same could be said for Cannon, who has played with an impressive list of legendary musicians since arriving in New York City from his native Wisconsin more than thirty years ago. That encyclopedic lists includes his longtime tenure in the Roy Hargrove Group and the McCoy Tyner Trio, along with stints with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Cedar Walton Trio, and bands led by Elvin Jones, Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Smith, Joe Lovano, Monty Alexander and Stanley Turrentine, as well as playing with a host of legendary Cuban musicians.

Combinations comes out of the gate robustly swinging, with a tune by another early mentor, Slide Hampton. "Every Man is a King," which Cannon learned from a version by one of his bass heroes, Sam Jones, features a bold quintet with Gary Bartz and Jeremy Pelt out front, anchored by Cannon and his regular trio of Rick Germanson and Willie Jones III. That trio gets to shine on the classic ballad "How My Heart Sings," revealing fragility reminiscent of the classic Bill Evans Trio. Cannon's own ballad "A Thought" is highlighted by the sensitive touch of Kenny Barron, which sounds gorgeous in conversation with Sherman Irby's lithe alto.

Steve Slagle makes the most of his sole appearance with an unaccompanied intro to Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," which is immediately contrasted by the frantic rhythms of Cannon's ode to his usually-packed home subway station, "Columbus Circle Stop." Cannon fell in love with authentic bossa nova while touring Brazil, and offers his own version in dedication to his late mother, "Amanda's Bossa." Sam Jones' influence returns with his composition "One for Amos," a feature for Cannon's thick, woody tone, while Bartz is the subject of the tribute "Gary's Tune." Also featuring Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun, with whom Cannon plays in a band honoring his former boss Elvin Jones, the tune is built on a soulful groove that Cannon wrote while reminiscing about his teenage years playing R&B in his parents' basement.

"Gary is a good friend and big brother," Cannon says. "The melody that I wrote for that tune had to do with a lot of things I hear him play with McCoy Tyner. Gary's a groovy cat, so soulful and complex at the same time. He's the consummate musician, and I like the fact that he's very true to his feelings about life and the world."

Growing up in the church, Cannon says that it was a rare Sunday that he wasn't either playing or hearing "How Great Thou Art." He recorded this captivating duo version with Russell Malone in honor of his later father, who led his own gospel group during Cannon's childhood. The title tune returns to a blistering quintet format, this time pairing Duane Eubanks with Bartz on the frontline.

That's a lot of combinations, but Cannon can add one more to his resumé: he is renowned as both a jazz bassist and a visual artist. Though he's long kept the two pursuits separate, not wanting to be thought of as a musician who dabbles in painting on the side, he's recently allowed his dual passions to cross paths more often. One of his colorful abstracts graces the inner sleeve of Combinations (alongside one by his gifted son, Gerald Cannon II), and he's begun to recognize how much influence each of the arts has on the other.

"Painting is like a bass solo," he says. "You start at one spot but you don't really know where it's going to end up. All you know is, on a canvas or on a chart, you've got four corners to finish it and at some point you've got to say who you are or what your emotions are at that particular time."

www.cannonmusicnart.com

Vocalist Dominique Eade and pianist Ran Blake take a stark, mesmerizing journey through the American folk tradition on their second duo collaboration with Town and Country

Plainspoken but poetic, timely and timeless, poignant yet pointed: the American folk song tradition has a long history of confronting specific injustices while embracing a universal humanity. On the starkly moving Town and Country (out June 9 on Sunnyside), vocalist Dominique Eade and pianist Ran Blake take the long view of our own tumultuous moment in history with a wide-ranging collection of folk tunes that examine the travails of Americans from Main Street to the mountains. 

With the varied repertoire on Town and Country, Eade and Blake – long-time colleagues both on the stage and as educators at Boston’s New England Conservatory – present a broad notion of folk song that’s as diverse as the nation itself. There are the expected classic tunes and country ballads, the ill-fated coalminers, the tragic romantics grasping out their last breaths, the cries of faith and determination sent heavenward. But in the agile imaginations of these two inventive artists, who share a love for skewing the traditional through a modernist lens, the folk idea is broad enough to include film noir laments and TV-scaled road songs, moonlit love and Third Stream austerity. 

“During the election season I was thinking a lot about the planet,” Eade explains. “Usually Ran and I draw material from the Great American Songbook because we both have a love for that, but in this case I really wanted to say something different. Many of these folk songs deal with things like the prison system and poverty and wealth disparity, different parts of our country coming through this music. The nature of folk music is that there’s a lot of history in the words, but that history felt very relevant to making a statement in and of our time.” 

The material here ranges from Bob Dylan’s scathing attack on consumer culture, “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” to “Give My Love to Rose,” Johnny Cash’s bitter ode to those abandoned by the prison system; Charles Ives’ poetic portrait of “Thoreau,” the founding father of the New England Transcendentalists, to a pair of shadow-shrouded nursery rhymes (“Lullaby” and “Pretty Fly”) from Charles Laughton’s children-in-peril noir classic The Night of the Hunter; the English lynching protest “The Easter Tree,” which presages Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” to the gospel plea of “Elijah Rock,” best known from Mahalia Jackson’s unforgettable rendition. 

All these songs are unified and transformed by Eade and Blake’s stunning treatments, which render them all with unvarnished lyrical force combined with strikingly unique harmonies, unpredictable phrasing and evocative atmospheres. Though Town and Country is only the duo’s second recording together – following Whirlpool from 2011 – it reveals a singular, focused chemistry forged over decades of playing together. 

The two met in 1978 when Eade arrived in Boston to study at Berklee – until she heard Blake, then the chair of the Contemporary Improvisation Department (known at the time as the Third Stream Department) at New England Conservatory where he’s still on faculty. The encounter proved life-changing for the young singer. “Ran’s solo playing seemed to me like an inevitable extension of Thelonious Monk, who I adored,” Eade recalls. “That’s when I decided to switch and study at NEC.” 

Blake was equally impressed with Eade’s expansive talents. “Dominique is one of our great singers, composers and teachers,” he says. “Her range is fabulous and her ears pick up amazing subtleties. Her repertoire ranges from Stan Kenton to coal miner songs to English folk songs, and she has a keen sense of pulse with bebop scat, political protest, and the forgotten standards. It felt so natural performing with her.” 

Gunther Schuller, then president of NEC, founded the school’s Jazz Studies Department in 1967 and invited Ran to chair the new Third Stream Department two years later, passing the great composer’s teachings regarding the merger between classical and jazz on to students like Eade. The duo pays tribute to Blake’s, and by extension Eade’s, mentor on “Gunther,” which is an improvisation on a 12-tone row composed by Schuller. Blake takes solo turns with “Moti” and the two versions of “Harvest at Massachusetts General Hospital,” representing his distinctly acute harmonic approach.

Much of the repertoire was suggested by Eade, who began her life in music as a singer-songwriter, only shifting her focus to jazz in her early college years at Vassar. “I was looking for a way to connect the music that I was performing in high school to modern jazz, which I was quickly falling I love with,” she says. “Everything changed when I heard Miles Davis’ Nefertiti for the first time, or whatever the other soundtracks to my college years: Keith Jarrett’s Belonging, or Roland Kirk’s Rip, Rig and Panic. It’s a tall order to meld that with all the other things I was into, but I guess that’s why I’m still at it.” 

Blake made key additions to the program, however: the two Night of the Hunter songs continue his long-running dedication to film noir (his department at NEC presents an annual live soundtrack to a noir film), the three “moon” standards (“Moonlight in Vermont,” “Moon River” and “Moonglow,” the latter paired with the theme from Picnic, in which it appears) were his suggestion, as was the Dylan song, its verbal avalanche given a tour de force performance brimming with urgency and righteous anger. 

“This music feels like a journey through different parts of U.S. history and geography,” Eade says. “I felt more like Ran and I were a couple of vagabonds rummaging through a shared history, both of our own and of wherever we happened to be in the world.”

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

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, released 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

Legacy Recordings and Rockingale Records Set to Release Carole King - Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park

Recorded on July 3, 2016, in front of a rapturous audience of more than 65,000 fans, Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park celebrates the 45th anniversary of a zeitgeist-shifting touchstone album that established Carole King as the quintessential singer-songwriter, a "Natural Woman" who gave voice to the emotions and experiences of millions of listeners around the world. With songs that are literally woven into the fabric of pop culture, Tapestry struck a universal chord, topping the Billboard 200 for 15 weeks and staying on the chart for six years. King took home four Grammy Awards for the album, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. And the songs, including "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," "I Feel The Earth Move," "You've Got a Friend" and others remain timeless standards and radio staples.

The artist's largest concert since her legendary 1973 show in Central Park, Carole King's historic Hyde Park performance marked her first British concert since 1989 and the first time she'd performed Tapestry on stage in its entirety. The album showcases Carole leading a full band (including guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, who played on the original Tapestry album) through the album with the bonus addition of some of her personal favorite compositions from her formidable songbook. Guest performers include her daughter, Louise Goffin, who joins Carole on several tracks including "Where You Lead" (which the duo re-recorded as the theme song to the popular television series "Gilmore Girls") plus the Laurence Olivier Award-winning West End cast of "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical."

Originally released in 1971, Tapestry established Carole King--already a noted songwriter of smash hits for Aretha Franklin, The Everly Brothers, The Monkees, The Drifters and many others--as an extraordinary performer who defines the singer-songwriter genre from the 1970s onward.

The Carole King - Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park package includes the full concert on CD/DVD and is rounded out with insightful recollections from Carole about the making of Tapestry.

Leading up to the home release of the CD/DVD, "Carole King: Tapestry – Captured Live at Hyde Park London" will be broadcast to U.S. movie theaters on Tuesday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. (local time). In addition to the full-length concert, this special one-night cinema event includes an interview with King herself, special introduction by the iconic WCBS-FM radio host Scott Shannon, star-studded appearances from Tom Hanks, Elton John, Graham Nash, Lou Adler, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, James Taylor, David Crosby, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and includes several timeless Goffin/King compositions. Tickets and more information available at FathomEvents.com

A special television broadcast edition of Carole King - Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park, distributed by American Public Television, will begin airing on public television stations in September 2017.

Additional performances on Live at Hyde Park include a Gerry Goffin/Carole King medley featuring "Take Good Care of My Baby," "It Might As Well Rain Until September," "Go Away Little Girl," "I'm Into Something Good," "One Fine Day" and more.

Guitarist Brian Tarquin Releases “Orlando In Heaven” in Support of Orlando's Pulse Nightclub Tragedy Feat. Larry Coryell, Mike Stern, Chris Poland and Others

Multi-Emmy award winning guitarist, producer, and composer Brian Tarquin presents “Orlando In Heaven”; a very special project featuring an incredible cast of musical virtuosos playing their hearts out for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida!

Tarquin composed and produced each of these tracks and displays his own guitar prowess alongside such world-class players as guitar icon Larry Coryell (his final recordings before his passing earlier this year), vocalist Phil Naro (Talas, Julian Lennon), Grammy jazz guitarist Mike Stern, fretless bass extraordinaire Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page/Blue Murder), Chris Poland (Megadeth), Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), Will Ray (The Hellecasters), jazz keyboardist Bobby Baldwin & Grammy nominee Denny Jiosa. The album features exclusively released tracks inspired by victims of the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Partial Proceeds donated to Catholic Charities of Central Florida. They provide case management and supportive services for victims and family members of the Pulse shooting in Orlando.

Says Brian, “Being a Floridian I was moved so much by the Orlando Pulse Shooting, in fact my family and I were in Orlando at the time of the shooting. When I found out that Catholic Charities of central Florida was helping out survivors, I immediately went into action to compose and produce an album to benefit the victims and was very fortunate to work with Larry Coryell on the release before he passed!”

“Brian is a very good guitar player, the 'Godfather of Fusion' gives him an A plus and his musicians too. The song that I played on, 'Pulse 49' is a beautiful piece of music We artists have to do everything we can to educate, enlighten and inspire the world in which we live.” - Larry Coryell

June 12th  marks the one year anniversary of this tragedy, and a portion of the proceeds from this release will go to Catholic Charities who provide case management and support services for victims and family members!

“While dangerous and difficult to musically express tragedies such as the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, producer/guitarist Brian Tarquin's deft casting (guest stars include the late Larry Coryell and Mike Stern), buoyant yet reverential jazz-pop-fusion songs, and emotional guitar playing make Orlando in Heaven a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives for merely being themselves.” - Michael Molenda, Editor in Chief, Guitar Player magazine

Says Multi-Grammy Nominated Guitarist Mike Stern, “Brian is a really good cat! I really enjoyed and had fun playing on the track 'Kinda, Sorta' which is very well done. The whole project is for great cause!” Renowned vocalist Phil Naro adds, “I'm always willing to help out for a great cause without the expectation of receiving anything in return. I'm hoping for this release 'Orlando In Heaven' to touch the hearts of millions people and heal the family and friend who have lost love one's in this tragic situation.”

Multi-Emmy Award winning Brian Tarquin is an established top rate composer/guitarist. He has won 3 Emmy's for “Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series” and has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times. In 2016, Tarquin's release “Guitars For Wounded Warriors” was nominated for Best Album by the Independent Music Awards, which showcases Tarquin's guitar prowess along side such world-class shredders as Steve Morse, Billy Sheehan, Gary Hoey, Bumblefoot (Gun n Roses), Reb Beach (Whitesnake), Hal Lindes (Dire Straits), Chris Poland (Megadeth) and Chuck Loeb (FourPlay). In 2006 SESAC honored him with the Network Television Performance Award. Tarquin has graced the Top Billboard Charts with such commercial releases as: “This is Acid Jazz,” “Vol. 2,” “Sweet Emotions,” and “Bossa Brava: Caliente” on Instinct Records, followed by several solo jazz albums, which charted Top 10 at Smooth Jazz Radio. Brian has appeared on 36 releases, selling over 140,000 records in his career.

In 2006, Tarquin opened his own boutique record label called BHP MUSIC/GUITAR TRAX, specializing in instrumental guitar music. The label releases the Guitar Master Series featuring guitar legends: Jeff Beck, BB King, Santana, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, Zakk Wylde, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan to name a few. The releases, which were composed, compiled and produced by Tarquin, received rave reviews from Guitar Player, Guitar World and Vintage Guitar Magazines. Tarquin also produced and engineered bassist Randy Coven’s last record, Nu School featuring Leslie West in 2010. And if that's not enough Tarquin has a radio show called “Guitar Trax” on WFIT 89.5FM on the Florida Space Coast. He hosts in depth interviews with world-renowned guitarists weekly. The show can also be heard on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brian-tarquins-guitar-trax/id1015196859?mt=2

“Brian Tarquin is back with a vengeance and a hunger to  help the victims of the most heartless and deadliest  shooting attack in America. Employing his blisteringly superb fretwork as a call to love and service, Brian once again has assembled a crack ‘seal team like' army of the finest pickers and singers to produce a sublime collection of heaviest sonic healing and hope songs you’ll ever be likely to hear.” - Hal Lindes (Dire Straits)

Guitarist Alex Goodman Opens a New Chapter Featuring a Stellar Band of Next-Generation Jazz Voices on Second Act

After five years in New York City, Alex Goodman has not only established himself as a rising star and significant voice in the jazz mecca, but has gathered together a gifted group of peers, each of whom are quickly forging a path forward for the music's next generation. The guitarist/composer began his career in his native Toronto, becoming an integral part of the scene in the Canadian city and receiving a wealth of accolades across the country. The CBC News hailed him as having "taken the jazz world by storm [and] attained a level of fame and success in the insular jazz community that few other Canadian guitarists can match." In 2014 he received international recognition winning both first prize and the Public's Choice Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival International Guitar Competition in Switzerland.

Goodman's last release, Border Crossing, documented his initial reactions to his move to NYC and his acclimation to a new setting. With his fifth album, Second Act, Goodman looks poised to make a similar impact in his adopted home, revealing a vision shaped by the Big Apple's thriving modern jazz scene and by the dedicated and accomplished group of musicians with which he has surrounded himself.

As the title implies, Second Act (out June 23rd via Lyte records) signals a new beginning as much as the closing of a particular period, and the album's eleven striking compositions more than live up to that promise. A stunning departure from the chamber-jazz style of Border Crossing, the music on Second Act balances inventive composition and thrilling improvisation, with pieces that boast exhilarating, fluidly angular melodies and intricate architecture but which spark electrifying spontaneity from Goodman and his deft quintet.

"Second Act is my first CD comprised of a New York City based band that was assembled around the member's similar artistic vision," Goodman says. "All the music was written while I've been living here, and it all relates to the things that happen in the life of a musician living in New York City."

Given the agility of the playing and the depth of communication throughout the album, Second Act features a band that has obviously spent a good deal of time getting to know each other's sonic personalities. Goodman is joined by four peers who have also come to the city from a variety of disparate places and experiences: saxophonist Matt Marantz (Texas), pianist Eden Ladin (born in NYC but raised in Israel), bassist Rick Rosato (Montreal) and drummer Jimmy Macbride (Connecticut). They've each formed relationships with such envelope-pushing artists as Avishai Cohen, Will Vinson, Lage Lund, Nir Felder, Terence Blanchard and Jonathan Batiste, while working together in a variety of settings, spurring each other onward into exciting new territory.

"Everybody in the band is on the same wavelength both musically and personally," Goodman says. "I think we all share the same creative mindset, where everybody has a very firm foundation in the tradition of jazz but is also very creative and adventurous. Each one of them brings some of their own personality and identity to their playing, which I really value, but they're also very well rounded musicians who can do a lot of different things."

To enhance the music's already wide-ranging palette, Goodman added layers of human voice to the pieces after the initial studio sessions, writing new parts for the wordless vocals that interweave with not only his originally written material, but also the band's in-the-moment interpretations. He enlisted a talented pair of fellow Canadians to sing the parts: Felicity Williams, a longtime collaborator who also appears in a similar role on Border Crossing, and Alex Samaras, a key contributor to the Canadian jazz and new music scenes. Goodman often layers the two vocalists' contributions, offering him the option of employing sinuous lines or lush, swelling choruses as desired.

Rosato's knotty bass initiates "Questions," the album's brisk opening track, highlighted by the sauntering swing of Ladin's piano solo. "The First Break" is fueled by Macbride's intense, mechanistic rhythms and the composer's serrated guitar, while the infectious "Departure" gradually accumulates from a tenuous solo intro passed off from Goodman to Ladin, which finally unfurl into the piece's memorable melody. The leader's ringing, resonant solo playing provides an extended overture for the exultant "Losing Cool," a showcase for Goodman's alluring vocal writing.

"Empty" erupts from the outset with an overdriven rock urgency, contrasted by the mysterious, ethereal hush of "Heightened," before that piece gives way to sheer, joyous swing. Marantz wends a boldly eloquent solo through the bustling "Sharon," while Goodman's fleet fretwork and Ladin's burbling Rhodes intermingle rapturously on "Welcome To New York." "Apprehension" adds soaring vocals to an already lyrical melodic cascade before "Acrobat" closes the album on a wistful, free-floating note.

The bliss and brusqueness that Goodman balances throughout Second Act are an apt portrait of life in the jazz metropolis, reflecting what the composer calls "a tension that exists in living and being a musician in New York City. It's difficult and crazy and sometimes out of control, but at the same time there's something fulfilling and exuberant about it. It's so inspiring to see the level at which everything is happening all around you. Just to be a part of that has been really powerful and life affirming."

Alex Goodman has been hailed as "a definite musical voice" (Guitar International), "a jazz phenomenon the world over" (Birmingham Times), "genius" (La Presse) and "among the best in jazz today" (Improvijazzation). The Toronto native released his leader debut, Roots, in 2007 and his 2013 album Bridges was nominated for a JUNO, Canada's highest musical honor, as Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year.

Since moving to New York in 2012, Goodman has recorded with artists including John Patitucci, Dick Oatts, Kevin Hays and Rich Perry and performed with a variety of notable jazz musicians including Charles Lloyd, Eric Harland, Ari Hoenig, Jane Monheit, Ben Wolfe, John Ellis and John Riley. He was awarded a 2013 ASCAP Herb Alpert Jazz Composer Award, has written a book of solo guitar etudes and has composed extensively for jazz groups, chamber groups, orchestras, big bands, and string quartets. Along with performing at top New York City jazz clubs such as Smalls, the Appel Room at Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, 55 Bar, Smoke, National Sawdust and Cornelia Street Cafe, Goodman has toured the world, playing prestigious international venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Massey Hall in Toronto and Club Unterfahrt in Munich. He's also performed on the stages of prestigious international jazz festivals including Winter Jazz Fest in New York, the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival. He is a graduate of the Master's Program in Jazz Performance at the Manhattan School of Music.

www.alexgoodmanmusic.com

Renowned Composer, Producer and Performer GAUDI at the Crux of Electronica, Rock, Jazz and Ambient Music on MAGNETIC

Magnetic is the exciting new album by London based music producer / musician GAUDI, which features a choice selection of sounds from the catalog of internationally respected experimental label RareNoiseRecords, as well as direct contributions by several top caliber musicians from the worlds of rock, jazz and electronica.

The making of Magnetic truly was a creational challenge, even for a man who has been working to dissolve musical boundaries for over 35 years. The initial idea of the project was to compose an album of entirely new music using sounds from the RareNoise catalog as his 'orchestra of musicians'; over the course of its development it grew though into a full spectrum artistic interaction with a further array of international music giants, some of which GAUDI has worked with in the past.

Best loved and noted to date for his genre blending and high quality dub-centric productions, in Magnetic, GAUDI has shown us another aspect of his musical self, other ranges in his musical landscape and he has done it with an all-star cast of supporting musicians.

The list of artists whose sounds were initially chosen by GAUDI from the RareNoise catalog of releases or who successively added their sounds and skills to the overall project reads like a 'who's who' of musical talent and gives warranted indication as to the quality of the ingredients; They include bass legend and producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell, psychedelic prog-rock bassist Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree fame, drummer Steve Jansen (of Japan fame), Ted Parsons, the drummer from cult band Killing Joke, Roger Eno on piano, Grammy award winning Eric Mouquet (aka Deep Forest) on grand piano, drummer extraordinaire Pat Mastelotto (known for his work with XTC, King Crimson and David Sylvian), innovatory avant-guarde guitarist Eraldo Bernocchi, post-punk experimental guitarist Buckethead

(collaborator with Guns 'n' Roses, Bootsy Collins, Iggy Pop), drummer Nikolaj Bjerre from Lamb, multi-instrumentalist Jamie Saft on bass...to name a few! (For the full list of featured artists please see below). GAUDI, alongside programming and production, returns to his roots as a pianist / keyboard and theremin player, playing here his full arsenal of vintage analog synthesizers.

  

Magnetic is like a tour around the other side of GAUDI, who always had the off-beat of reggae in his step, but since his teenage years also had music from experimental electronica, new wave, Krautrock and proto-punk flowing through his veins. Bands like Bauhaus, Tuxedomoon, Yello, Cabaret Voltaire, Devo, Killing Joke, Talking Heads and The Residents informed his early years. For those familiar with GAUDI's work these influences can be heard in a myriad of different ways in most of his 15 albums to date, but predominantly as flavors amongst the dub textures. In Magnetic, however, he has reversed the polarity, north has become south, there is dub seasoning to be found within, but the body, tone and flavor of this album are another beast altogether. Magnetic is a contemporary tribute to the darker side of the 80's; to psychedelic rock and an era when Sigue Sigue Sputnik dropped proto-punk on the world!

It is not a departure from the GAUDI we know and love, however... Magnetic is a celebration of bass in all its guises - there are six world class bass players featured in the album - and GAUDI's roots as a pianist and self confessed lifelong synth junkie, come up fairly center stage. His use throughout the album of original, modular and analog synths, from his big guns: the ARP 2600, Fender Rhodes, Minimoog, Korg MS20 and ARP Odyssey, to the diminutive but no less iconic Casio VL Tone, to his trusty vintage tape echoes and the 24 track analog tape machine it was recorded on, give the sound an authenticity and integrity right down from the musicians to the mechanics.

Magnetic is a both a visual journey of great, but hidden, complexity and richness, which yearns to be listened to with closed eyes, but also a voyage across a full spectrum of tempos, from near ambient soundscapes to rocky up-tempos with seamless bridges in between.

Magnetic is an album of polarities, spacious yet introspective, dark yet with a hint whimsy, deep and soothing yet fundamentally groovy; it was created both as a homage to the joy music brings and as an act of appreciation for great musicians.

Why 'MAGNETIC'? From the far reaches of the universe to our solar system and the planets within it, it is the force that keeps everything together. Magnetism moves us, pulls us toward each other, keeps the particles together.

Magnetic is the unseen in music, the intangible that draws and holds the notes and the musicians together, and it is, in the end, how the recording of this album ended up: on a magnetic tape.

Magnetic will be available on June 30th on a limited edition transparent vinyl LP, CD and Digital download.

NEIL COWLEY TRIO Announce North American Tour In Support of New Album, Spacebound Apes

Widely acclaimed as a composer of dynamic, cinematic music and having "genuine vision" (The Sunday Times), pianist Neil Cowley presents his latest creation, a bold exercise in atmosphere and emotion; an ambitious multi layered outing that's quite possibly his most musically confident statement to date.

'Spacebound Apes' - Cowley's 6th studio album with his trio - is a concept album; a glorious, hypnotic  soundtrack to an out-of-the ordinary, thought-provoking tale of one man- Lincoln- an everyday kind of guy whose unfolding blog reveals a bizarre story that culminates with the album release and show.  This intriguing and inspiring story is woven together with some of the most impassioned music that Neil has created. 

Spacebound Apes Live sees Neil Cowley Trio perform the album in its entirety. As on the album, Cowley is joined by long-time band mates, Evan Jenkins on drums and Rex Horan on bass.  Together, they present a powerful, atmospheric and captivating musical tale ensuring that Spacebound Apes Live in North America is a rare treat and one of the must-see shows this summer!

On bringing the Trio back to North America, Cowley said, "well it's been a while since we flew across the Atlantic but 'Lincoln' our main character from our new album 'Spacebound Apes' is finally putting his feet down on American and Canadian soil. We'll be presenting a lot of the new album, which includes a fair few electronic components; a departure for us... as well as some of our more familiar high energy material. Montreal and Vancouver are extremely vivid and fond memories for us, and we're dead excited about creating new ones in places we've longed to visit such as Nashville and Chicago." 

"This is a project 'I've been working towards for a long time" Cowley says. "It takes in themes of guilt, fear, loss and longing with a few twists along the way.  It's been utterly immersive yet incredibly exciting. And yes, I'm not ashamed to say it, it's a concept album!"  He continues, "It sounds a bit cryptic, but hopefully everyone will come along for the ride".  Catch up with the story so far. www.spaceboundapes.com

Spacebound Apes musically charts Lincoln's journey.  Hypnotic passages create heart-pounding suspense while sweet, whispered themes create heart-shattering empathy.  Bold, bombastic tunes create drama, and in a departure from Cowley and his trio's more usual acoustic setting, electronics orchestrate desolation and despair.   And while the inclusion of a choir brings an emotional depth of mammoth proportions, it's the epic finale, The Return of Lincoln, that stuns and silences.

 

By his mid-teens, Neil Cowley had given up a promising classical music career (having performed a Shostakovich piano concerto at the age of ten to a full house at London's Queen Elizabeth Hal) in favour of his true passion - old school RnB, soul and funk.  He went on to tour and record with some of the most successful bands of the day including Brand New Heavies and Zero 7 alongside his own chill-out band Fragile State.  Since then, Cowley has become the go-to pianist lending his golden touch to many chart smashing hits including contributions to Adele's global chart toppers, 19 and 21 making him quite literally 2011's most listened to pianist on the planet!

In 2005 Cowley returned to his first love, the piano, and formed the Neil Cowley Trio with whom he has released five highly acclaimed studio albums; Displaced (2006) winner of the BBC Jazz Award for Best Album; Loud Louder Stop (2008), hailed by Mojo as a "Modern Classic"; Radio Silence (2010), The Face of Mount Molehill (2012), arranged for a string ensemble that earned them the a Jazz Fm award for Best UK Jazz Act and Touch and Flee (2014)that cemented his credentials as a brilliant, dazzling composer.

The trio's new album Spacebound Apes could quite possibly be Neil's crowning glory.

 

June 24th: Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival

June 25th: Nashville City Winery

June 26th: Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL

June 27th: TD Toronto Jazz Festival

June 29th: TD Ottawa Jazz Festival

June 30th: TD Victoria International Jazz Fest

July 1st: TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival

July 4th: Festival International De Jazz De Montreal

www.neilcowleytrio.com

 

Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture Acquires Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins's Personal Archive

Sonny Rollins The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at The New York Public Library announced the acquisition of American tenor saxophonist and jazz legend Sonny Rollins's personal archive. The robust collection includes more than 150 linear feet of material that document Rollins's life and career from the 1950s to the present.

This acquisition also marks the Harlem native's "return" to the neighborhood of his youth. Rollins was profoundly influenced and inspired by the sights and sounds of the Harlem Renaissance and its pioneers, including Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan, who shaped modern music and Rollins's creative life.

"Well, I'm home again," Rollins said. "Home, where I absorbed the rich culture which was all around me. Where, on 137th Street, two blocks from the Schomburg, I was born in 1930. This archive reveals my life in music, how someone principally self-taught became taught. How the spiritual light of jazz protected and fed me, as it does to this day."

Spanning a 60-year career and more than 80 albums, the Rollins archive is rich with texture, offering an intimate look into the creativity, curiosity, and organization that led to the artist's creative process and practice. Archive items range from audio reels and cassettes of unheard music and practice sessions, personal photographs from Rollins's travels abroad, sheet music with margin notes, personal writing, practice diaries, and handwritten letters between Rollins and his wife and partner of more than 45 years, Lucille Pearson Rollins.

The archive also offers insight into Rollins's social and professional network of musicians through detailed notes from recorded sessions, letters, and snapshots from touring over the decades.

To be primarily housed within the Schomburg Center's Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division, the Rollins archive joins a robust collection of jazz-related materials across the institution's divisions, including the A Great Day in Harlem Documentary collection, the Louis Armstrong Jazz Oral History project, the Don Redman papers, the Billy Taylor collection, the Ron Carter collection, and the Duke Ellington Society collection.

This acquisition also adds significant weight to the New York Public Library's collection of jazz-related items including the George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian papers, which include letters from Rollins to Avakian and several unreleased live and studio recordings from Rollins's time at RCA; the Ivan Black papers that include promotional and performance photographs of Rollins; along with the Sy Oliver, Phoebe Jacobs, and Benny Goodman collections.

"Rollins had a measure of professional and personal stability that allowed him to collect the artifacts of his life from original manuscripts and compositions to his business records, unlike many of his peers. In this sense, his archive is unique," said Shola Lynch, curator of the Schomburg's Moving Image and Recorded Sound division."He has also been aware of keeping the flame. As Rollins said recently of his peers and mentors: 'They're not here now so I feel like I'm sort of representing all of them, all of the guys. Remember, I'm one of the last guys left, as I'm constantly being told, so I feel a holy obligation sometimes to evoke these people.' As in life, Rollins's archive will undoubtedly evoke them and their musical relationships, and through it, will add granularity to a swath of black history. For the first time, Rollins has opened the doors to studying his music, life, and work as a giant of jazz."

"Famous for his reinventions, Sonny Rollins and his archive reveal the profound nature of jazz, America's classical music. Drafts, notes on composition, extensive correspondence, the entire spirit and scope of the Rollins archive show his sophisticated, sustained, and spiritual creative process up close in a way that may best be called literary," said Kevin Young, noted author and Director of the Schomburg Center. "Having the archive of Sonny Rollins come home here, just blocks from where he was born and grew into one of our finest artists, provides a connection to the geniuses who made Harlem and whose legacies, like those of James Baldwin and Maya Angelou, also are housed at the Schomburg."

Highlights from the Sonny Rollins Archive include:

● Personal papers, diaries, notes, and drawings illuminating Rollins's private thoughts and creative process sporadically through the decades

● Recordings of practice sessions as well as recording takes from as early as the 1960s

● Snapshots and photos from life on the road with his fellow musicians from as early as the 1960s

● Personal correspondence between Rollins and his wife and manager, Lucille Pearson, over the decades that range the gamut from love notes to unfiltered thoughts related to colleagues, bandmates, and business

The Sonny Rollins archive will be processed over the next year at NYPL's Library Services Center in Long Island City, and will be made available for research at the Schomburg Center.

Nicolas Meier's latest solo album "Infinity" featuring Jimmy Haslip and Vinnie Colaiuta

In just a few short years, UK-based guitarist Nicolas Meier has carved a reputation out as one of the UK’s most original and uniquely talented guitarists. Drawing from a love of Turkish, Eastern & Middle Eastern music, Flamenco, Tango and more -- all mixed with jazz -- Meier is one of the rising stars in a vibrant British jazz scene, but his versatility and musical fluency extends well beyond that ... so much so, that his considerable talents drew the attention of rock guitar legend, Jeff Beck, who has since made Nicolas a mainstay in The Jeff Beck Group, carrying him on two world tours during the course of the last several years.

Meier originally hails from Switzerland; born in 1973 to parents who are great lovers of the arts, with wide-ranging musical tastes extending to the Classical, Jazz, Latin, Flamenco, Rock and (even) Pop genres. After picking up guitar at the age of 12, it was his father's gift of Joe Satriani’s legendary "Surfing with the Alien" and Tony MacAlpine’s "Maximum Security" (both, major intelligent rock "guitar-god" albums), shortly thereafter, that served as Nicolas' earliest motivation. Attending the Montreux Jazz Festival while still a young teen would further expand Nicolas' vision for guitar, with John McLaughlin, in particular, being of particular interest and inspiration.

A true gypsy spirit with a disciplined maestro's touch, Nicolas has embraced a number of different cultures and studied their music forms, nuances and idiosyncrasies. (It was during his Eurasia travels, early in the new millennium, that Nicolas met his Turkish wife, Songul.) Meier’s sound is rooted in his love of playing jazz on acoustic guitar, especially his Godin nylon-string guitar. It’s a sound that lends itself especially well to flamenco and middle-eastern music, also -- conveniently -- as these influences, and more, are brilliantly fused in his unique multi-lingual style. He also plays fretless acoustic guitar, the Saz (a traditional Turkish stringed instrument), electric guitar, steel-string acoustic guitar, glissentar (an 11-stringed fretless insturment) and a baglama.

During the course of his six-string baptism and global sojourns, Nicolas has been the recipient of numerous awards. A truly dedicated student of the instrument, he has pursued advanced studies at Switzerland's prestigious Conservatoire de Fribourg, and studied arranging, prior to earning a scholarship to Boston's illustrious Berklee College of Music. His burning passion for both rock and jazz persists to this day, something he partly credits to his teacher, Francis Coletta (at the Conservatoire de Fribourg), who, while inspiring a profound love of jazz and world music, encouraged the young man to transcribe rock solos, as well!

In fact, Meier is one of the rare musicians who plays both metal and jazz fluently, and has written books on both: "Heavy Metal, Part I: Rhythm Guitar," and; "Jazz, Part I: Chord Tones." When asked about his two seemingly divergent loves, Nicolas had this to say: “I deeply love both styles. There is magic in each style that the other one doesn’t have. I just love metal’s power and energy, and at the same time I love jazz’s deep emotion. Both styles can give high energy, but in different directions or different worlds."

During his time at Berklee, Nicolas immersed himself in classic American jazz (Parker; Coltrane; Miles; etc.), while performing primarily acoustic jazz and fusion. After graduation, he returned to Switzerland in 1998 and formed the Meier Group, a band that would quickly become popular European festival regulars. Naturally, he gravitated to Montreux, finding himself performing with the likes of Rachelle Ferrel, George Duke, Macy Gray and Will Calhoun, among others.

It wasn't long, though, before Meier found himself missing the vibrance and vitality of Boston. After considering possible relocations, he settled on London as the perfect destination for combining the energy of the US with a happening European music scene. Shortly after arriving in London, Nicolas met drummer Asaf Sirkis, whom he credits with helping open his ears to middle eastern music, as well as helping him find his feet in London. “He (Asaf) is such a passionate player that I just had to keep playing with him whenever I could. I met Gilad Atzmon through him, and many other great players."

Never short on ambition, Meier founded his own record label, MGP Records, in 2009. To date, he has produced a dozen of albums: as a solo artist; in various group formats (The Meier Group; Nicolas Meier Trio; Eclectica!); with his heavy metal band, Seven7, and; in a duo format, with UK jazz maestro guitarist, Pete Oxley.

Having made a lasting impression on gentlemen the likes of Jeff Beck, Bill Bruford and Steve Vai -- just to name a few! -- Nicolas Meier is unquestionably one of today's most well-rounded, ambitious, masterful up-and-coming talents on guitar. In October of 2016, Vai's Favored Nations Records has released Nicolas' brilliant new solo album, "Infinity," featuring fellow virtuosos, veteran Jimmy Haslip, on bass, and one of the world's great timekeepers, Vinnie Colaiuta.

 

Featured this week on The Jazz Network Worldwide is multi-platinum producer/multi-instrumentalist Jaee Logan with his new CD “Sun Rider” that sets the mood for Jazz, Funk and Love

Jaee Logan describes his new musical masterpiece ‘Sun Rider’, as a  spiritual expression amassing a host of innovative, talented and creative musicians lending their artistry to this true trifecta of jazz, funk and love.

Jaee is the proud son of legendary avant-garde jazz pioneer Giuseppi Logan, who is known for integrating multiple styles and inspirations.  Its no wonder that Jaee's writing style speaks volumes when it comes to the wellspring of his originality and inspiration extracting from his roots and influences across provocative music platforms.

Having crossed many bridges in his career Jaee has supported and produced some of the best aspiring and successful musicians all over the world lending his unique artistry and special touch taking them to a a higher place in their goals.  It’s his turn now to take center stage offering a strong heartbeat to the music in his soul.

His latest single ‘Morning’ speaks to a quote he’s often known for saying "Always start your day off by saying good morning to someone and make a brighter day!” Jaee continues to pursue his true spiritual expression through his music and ‘Sun Rider’ shows his uncanny ability to touch mass markets with his spiritually-grounded melodies and rhythms offering his love for all of humanity. 

‘Sun Rider’ is a conduit to healing and is a soulful backdrop that creates a truth of self that Jaee strongly believes will invoke peace within.  His background is driven by a grounded determination to bring a bright light into the the lives that he touches.  That type of energy creates a healing conciseness that can span nations through music of the soul.  Logan believes in his country and stretches his musical imagination as a universal language of unity of the heart, mind and soul globally.  He is currently looking for bookings on worldwide jazz stages for the 2018/19 calendar.

Having composed, recorded, and produced this ground-breaking smooth jazz album he decided to turn up the heat by inviting his close friend Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire to compliment its originality. 

As a dedicated music producer, songwriter, vocal coach, musical director, session musician, and performer Jaee shared stages and in the recording studio with Sheila E, Pebbles, Timex Social Club, Club Nouveau, The Spinners, The Whispers, Rosie Gaines, Michael Jeffries, MC Hammer, Bobby Brown just to name a few. In addition to his accomplishments, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide.

“You get the sense that there is a direct line to a Supreme Being when you listen to Jaee Logan’s music, for you sense not only the joy he brings to the music but a convicted knowing that what is coming through his spirit is going to land at the perfect time in one’s heart for one’s spiritual evolution” says Jaijai Jackson of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

Visit THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TO HANG" at: 

http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

SINGER AND TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE STOKLEY ANNOUNCES DEBUT SOLO ALBUM

After over two decades as the lead vocalist for the incomparable hit-making R&B band Mint Condition, singer and two-time GRAMMY Award nominee Stokley charters a new course with his breathtaking debut solo album Introducing Stokley, set for release on June 23, 2017 via Concord Records. Featuring guest appearances by the likes of GRAMMY-winning jazz pianist Robert Glasper and Estelle as well as some production from multi-platinum duo Carvin Haggins & Ivan Barias, Introducing Stokley is a refreshing artistic statement rooted in the soul music tradition from one of R&B’s most remarkable voices.

Hailing from the Minnesota twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Stokley was reared in a family that fostered a deep devotion to musical and cultural expression. Showing an affinity for the drums early on, he began seeking out opportunities in the fertile musical landscape of his environment. Coming of age at the peak of Minneapolis’ intense affair with the pop and R&B charts, the city was a virtual hotbed of talent in which Stokley would be groomed for imminent, monumental success. Surrounded by acts like the Time, the Jets and the omnipresent Prince and the Revolution, he began earning his stripes as a drummer and vocalist.

In the mid-1980s, Stokley became a founding member of what was the genesis of Mint Condition. After several years of gigs and paid dues, a stroke of serendipity saw the band cross paths with that of lauded multiplatinum producers and hometown heroes Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Fresh off the success of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, the two former members of the Time had just inked a deal with A&M Records to distribute their own label, Perspective Records. Jam & Lewis recruited Mint Condition to their label’s roster and released their debut album Meant to Be Mint in 1991.

The group soon found success in their now-classic single “Breakin’ My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes).” The song broke through on the pop and R&B charts, reaching #6 on the Billboard 100 and #3 on the Billboard R&B chart and was eventually certified gold. In 1993, the band released its sophomore effort From the Mint Factory. The lead single “U Send Me Swingin’” hit #2 on the Billboard R&B chart and was a testament to the group’s intrinsic ability to craft sublime songs that crystalized contemporary R&B sensibilities with a live band aesthetic.

Continuing their winning streak, Mint Condition released Definition of a Band three years later. The album contained the Billboard Top 40 hit “What Kind of Man Would I Be,” which was also certified gold. Definition of a Band would also become the group’s first gold-certified album. Mint Condition signed with Elektra Records and released their fourth effort, Life’s Aquarium. The album produced yet another Billboard Top 40 hit for the group in the form of “If You Love Me.”

Following Life’s Aquarium, Mint Condition made the collective decision to continue on their journey by taking the reins of their career and young legacy by independently releasing subsequent efforts, the first of which being Livin’ the Luxury Brown, unveiled in 2005. As the group’s first self-released foray, the album reached #54 on the Billboard 200, #11 on the Billboard R&B chart, was #1 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart and was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award. Building on their newfound independent success, the group followed up with E-Life (2008), 7 (2011) and Music at the Speed of Life (2012). In 2017, Healing Season (2016) was GRAMMY-nominated for Best R&B Album.

Apart from his band dynamic, Stokley has been an in-demand session drummer and vocalist in the industry for quite some time, performing on recordings by artists such as Elton John, New Edition, Usher and the late Prince. Over the years, Stokley also began to expand his repertoire as a producer and featured vocalist. In 2011, Stokley co-produced and dueted with R&B recording artist Kelly Price on the hit “Not My Daddy.” The song reached #22 on the Billboard R&B chart and received two GRAMMY nominations in the categories of Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. The following year, Stokley lent his vocals to a cover of the 2008 Mint Condition song “Why Do We Try” featured on Robert Glasper Experiment’s GRAMMY-winning Black Radio album.

Stokley also built bridges within the hip-hop community, appearing on projects by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest founding member Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Tech N9ne and Brother Ali. Fortifying his relationship with that community, he also co-produced several tracks on Maybach Music Group recording artist Wale’s critically acclaimed 2013 album The Gifted as well as his 2015 album The Album About Nothing—both of which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Stokley also fortified his ties to the jazz community with guest features on albums such as Brian Culbertson’s 2012 Verve Records release Dreams and the Billboard #1 best-selling Contemporary Jazz Record of 2015 by saxophonist Boney James entitled futuresoul.

And while Stokley was content with his band of brothers in Mint Condition as well as his outside collaborative endeavors, he realized that the time had come for him to embark on a musical voyage in a vessel meant for him to steer alone. Introducing Stokley finds the singer stepping into the spotlight, a vibrant portrait of an artist on a quest to cultivate a creative statement as an individual. The album offers listeners a fresh perspective of a dynamic voice that has resonated with core fans around the world for over two decades. “I’ve been gearing up for a minute,” he says. “My thirst has been building. And I’ve been moving at a great pace with Mint Condition. But I just want to take some time to move differently right now. I think one should experience everything life has to offer. And if you have a gift, and most of all the ambition, you should do it.”

Though he’d amassed several albums worth of material over the years, he knew his debut had to be special and was steadfast in pursuit of the goal to ensure the project was founded on a clean slate. “I got tired of just hearing my own voice,” says Stokley. “I didn’t want to feel too isolated. I wanted different textures. So I invited people to come in.” To that effect, he enlisted the efforts of Carvin Haggins & Ivan Barias. Responsible for the success and hits behind such multi-platinum acts as Musiq, Jill Scott, Ledesi and Faith Evans, the Philadelphia-based duo contribute to the fabric of Introducing Stokley in a way that superbly compliments Stokley’s mellifluous vocal style. “They’re like a young, East Coast Jimmy & Terry,” says Stokley. “They know the industry pretty well and also have kept their finger on the pulse of what’s happening musically over the years.”

Introducing Stokley also includes co-writing contributions from Sam Dew and Los Angeles-based songwriting group the A Team. “Putting all these different energies,” he reflects. “Collaboration is a great thing. It’s how you make the world work. I’m a musician at heart, so I wanted to pick people that are just incredible.”

The album’s groove-laden lead single “Level” finds Stokley wielding his mighty pen as a songwriter, weaving lyrics of affirmation over a propulsive rhythm guitar-driven track produced by Stokley. “We all seek to find someone or something that fits just right for us,” he says. “Everybody wants something that fits with them comfortably. Something on their level.”

The Haggins & Barias-produced “Organic” is a take on the human compulsion for acceptance and how individuality can be compromised in the pursuit. “I hear a lot of women particularly speaking about the concept of fitting in, with regard to styles, personalities,” he muses. “A lot of women think that’s what makes them more appealing, when it was actually better when they were just being themselves.” The singer notes that the title “Organic” is also a nod to his newly vegan lifestyle.

Partially inspired by current sociopolitical events and the deliberateness and critical commentary of Marvin Gaye’s landmark 1971 hit “What’s Going On,” “We/Me” finds Stokley reverberating with the times in an earnest yet piercing take on various sociopolitical state of affairs buoyed by undertones of the Motown sound. “It’s a social statement that takes a look at what’s going on around the world,” he says of the song. “I didn’t want to be preachy, but I knew I had to say something. When you’re taking in all this energy, you have to let it out somehow.”

“Art in Motion” (featuring Robert Glasper) is a wondrous, sonic hybrid of eras and production techniques. “I came up during a time when it was just about analog,” he says. “But I also love digital. I love new technology and new sounds. So here, I’m bridging a gap between these two worlds. The song has electronic elements as well as analog.”

Shifting gears, the dancehall-flavored, Stokley-produced “Wheels Up” exudes maximum island vibes and features Jamaican singer Omi (of the 2011 triple-platinum hit “Cheerleader”). “I grew up playing steel pan drums in a lot of reggae bands,” Stokley mentions. “So this is my ode to West Indian culture.” Apart from its festive flare, the song also extols the virtues of holding fast to one’s passion in life. “It’s about going for it,” he says. “Your dreams; your goals. We’ve only got one life. So do whatever it is that you were put here to do.”

It has been said that good things come to those who wait. Fans have been patiently biding their time in hopes of a solo project from the lead vocalist of one of the most important R&B bands of the past several decades. With the bowing of Introducing Stokley it’s safe to say the wait is over. “Artistically, I wanted to say something different and take it a few degrees away from what I’ve done in the past,” contemplates Stokley. “Obviously some of it is going to be familiar, because of my voice. I’ve just expanded my sensibilities a bit more. Introducing Stokley is a look at the past and the future. The fresh and the familiar.”

JONNY LANG ANNOUNCES FIRST NEW ALBUM IN FOUR YEARS SIGNS TO BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 8th

Jonny Lang is pleased to announce a brand new studio album, Signs, which will be released in North America on September 8th via Concord Records.  The album (his sixth major label release) is his first in four years.  A pre-order for physical goes live today, with digital to follow on June 9.  The European release for Signs will be on August 25 via Provogue Records / Mascot Label Group.

Starting off the record with a juke joint stomp, “Make It Move” is Lang’s story about going to the mountain rather than waiting for it to come to you. “There have been times in my life where I thought something would take care of itself, when I should have put some effort forth to help it happen,” says Lang. “Being proactive has been a weak spot for me, and the song is about doing your part to get things moving.”

Anyone who originally discovered Jonny Lang through his searing instrumental work will revel in the huge guitar tones and go for broke solos on Signs, while those who have appreciated his growth as an honest and passionate songwriter will find that honesty and passion unabated. Though he long ago left blues purism behind, Lang has never abandoned its spirit of universal catharsis through the relating of personal trials. Signs reaffirms his commitment to the blues and the guitar without sacrificing the modern approach that has made him such a singular artist.

It is hard to believe that at only 36 years old Jonny Lang has already had a successful career for two decades. Easier to believe when you learn he released his first platinum record at 15—an age when many young people are just beginning to play music. Lie to Me revealed a talent that transcended the crop of blues prodigies floating around in the late Nineties. No flashy re-hasher of classic blues licks, even at that early age Lang was a full-blown artist with a style of his own. Also, setting Lang apart from the wunderkind crowd was a 15-year-old voice that sounded like a weathered soul shouter. Actual life experience was yet to come, and has been subsequently chronicled in a series of five uniformly excellent recordings.

What began as a bluesy sound, influenced by electric pioneers like Albert Collins, B. B. King, and Buddy Guy, evolved over those recordings into a modern R&B style closer to Stevie Wonder and contemporary gospel music. Lang’s distinctive, blues-inflected licks appeared on every album, but became one element in a sea of passionately sung and tightly arranged songs.

Signs is not merely a return the artist’s guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, fairly leaping out of the speakers. “A lot of my earlier influences have been coming to the surface, like Robert Johnson, and Howlin’ Wolf,” he reports. “I have been appreciating how raw and unrefined that stuff is. I had an itch to emulate some of that and I think it shows in the songs. Still, I let the writing be what it was and that was sometimes not necessarily the blues.”

The record, which features funk, rock, and blues elements, is held together by Lang’s distinctive playing and singing, and the lyrics, which center on themes of embattlement and self-empowerment. “Some of the songs are autobiographical, but not usually in a literal way,” Lang explains. “The main goal is for folks to be able to relate to what I went through. If I can’t make it work using just my personal experience, I use my imagination to fill in blanks.”

Signs was produced by Lang, Drew Ramsey, and Shannon Sanders. Josh Kelly helmed “Bring Me Back Home.” Lang offers, “Josh and I cut six or seven songs together and had a blast doing it.  I am saving the other ones for who knows what, but I definitely wanted that one to be on this record.”

Since the release of his debut album, GRAMMY Award winning Jonny Lang has built a reputation as one of the best live performers and guitarists of his generation. The path Lang has been on has brought him the opportunity to support or perform with some of the most respected legends in music.  He has shared the stage with everyone from The Rolling Stones and B.B. King to Aerosmith and Buddy Guy, who he continues to tour with today.