The Ed Palermo Big Band Releases The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren, a Reinvention of Music by Frank Zappa and Todd Rundgren

Ed Palermo may have gained an international following with his ingenious orchestral arrangements of Frank Zappa tunes, but he’s hardly a one-trick pony. Earlier in the year, the saxophonist released an uproarious double album The Great Un-American Songbook Volumes 1 & 2, a project celebrating an expansive roster of songs by successive waves of British invaders, from the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Jeff Beck to King Crimson, Traffic, and Jethro Tull.

With his new big band project, slated for release on Cuneiform Records on October 6, 2017, Palermo is back on his home turf, but the landscape feels strange and uncanny. He’s reclaiming the Zappa songbook, filtering Frank through the emotionally charged lens of the polymathic musical wizard Todd Rundgren in a wild and wooly transmogrification, The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren. Working with the same stellar cast of players, Palermo somehow captures the essence of these iconoclastic masters, making Zappa Zappier and Todd more Rundgrenian.

He sees the Zappa and Rundgren as embodying a ying and yang approach to life that played an essential role in helping him navigate the minefields of teenage angst in the 1960s. “For most of my high school days my favorite musicians were Zappa and Todd Rundgren,” Palermo says. “Rundgren had his songs about self-pity, which were exactly what I needed back then. I’d go out with a girl and whatever party I brought her to she’d go and hang out with another dude. Todd understood. At the same time, Zappa had these snarky songs like ‘Broken Hearts are for Assholes.’ It was tough love. You gotta broken heart? Deal with it. Todd Rundgren’s music was there to give you a hug. I wanted to contrast the hard-bitten Zappa followed by a bleeding heart Rundgren ballad.”

Though the title suggests a forced merger, The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren doesn’t mashup the oeuvres of the two masters. Rather, the album mostly alternates between the composers, creating a deliciously dizzying whipsaw as the two diametrical stances sometimes blur or even switch. Zappa’s soaring fanfare “Peaches En Regalia” is more inspirational than smarmy, with a particularly eloquent alto sax solo by Cliff Lyons, while a brisk and forthright version of Rundgren’s “Influenza” showcases the muscular lyricism of violinist Katie Jacoby, one of the orchestra’s essential voices.

Palermo reaches deep into the Rundgren songbook for “Kiddie Boy,” a stinging blues from 1969’s Nazz Nazz, the seminal second release by his underappreciated band Nazz (an album which originally bore the Zappaesque title Fungo Bat). Drawing directly from the maestro’s original horn arrangement, Palermo displays some impressive guitar work on a vehicle for Bruce McDaniel’s blue-eye vocals. Napoleon Murphy Brock delivers a poker-faced rendition of Zappa’s surreal “Montana,” the tune that turned a generation on to the lucrative potential of floss farming, and McDaniel and Brock join forces on Rundgren’s deliriously silly “Emperor of the Highway,” an homage to Gilbert and Sullivan.

The contrasting sensibilities of the Zundgrens comes into sharp focus in the center of the album. While Palermo has recorded Zappa’s “Echidna’s Arf (Of You)” this time he replaces the horns with McDaniel’s intricately layered vocals via the miracle of multi-tracking. From Zappa’s playfully odd metered work out the big band saunters into Rundgren’s greatest ballad “Hello It's Me,” an arrangement for McDaniel’s most impassioned crooning based on the original version from 1968 album Nazz (not the hit from his solo Something/Anything? album).

Tenor saxophonist Bill Straub swaggers through Rundgren’s “Wailing Wall,” which is sandwiched between two slices of Zappa at his snarky best, “Big Swifty Coda” and “Florentine Pogen,” another superb feature for Brock. Palermo spotlights a dark and wondrous Zappa obscurity with “Janet's Big Dance Number,” a brief piece recovered from 200 Motels featuring Ben Kono’s noir tenor solo. From that unified hedgehogian arrangement Palermo unleashes the multifarious fox on Rundgren’s “Broke Down and Busted,” a portmanteau arrangement that touches on Rundgren’s “Boat on the Charles,” the Ramsey Lewis hit “The ‘In’ Crowd,” Zappa’s “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It,” and even traces of Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic.” It’s a tour de force that feels like stream of consciousness journey, though the id truly emerged on the closing hidden track. In what has become a Palermo tradition, he includes yet another version of an enduring lament about the difficulties of relationships, arranged this time in Nazzian style by McDaniel.

The seamless ease with which Palermo and his crack crew navigate between the Zappa and Rundgren shouldn’t come as a surprise. Over the years Zappa’s music has proven supremely pliable in Palermo’s capable hands, as evidenced further by a recent concert at Iridium that paired his songs with standards indelibly linked to Ol’ Blue Eyes (is there an album The Adventures of Zinatra in the future?). Everything he brings into the big band is a labor of love.

“Todd Rundgren holds a very special place in my heart,” Palermo says. “I realized I was in love with my girlfriend (now wife) listening to his album Something/Anything? It was about 2 years ago doing our regular hit at The Falcon that I decided to have Zodd Zundgren night. A lot of people who like the music of Zappa also like Rundgren and Steely Dan, but there are enough Steely Dan cover bands out there.”

Born in Ocean City, New Jersey on June 14, 1954, Palermo grew up in the cultural orbit of Philadelphia, which was about an hour drive away. He started playing clarinet in elementary school, and soon turned to the alto saxophone. He also took up the guitar, and credits his teenage obsession with Zappa to opening his ears to post-bop harmonies and improvisation.

Palermo caught the jazz bug while attending DePaul University, and took to the alto sax with renewed diligence inspired by Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, and Edgar Winter (the subject of an upcoming EPBB project). Before he graduated he was leading his own band and making a good living as a studio player recording commercial jingles. But like so many jazz musicians he answered New York’s siren call, moving to Manhattan in 1977. After a year of playing jam sessions and scuffling Palermo landed a coveted gig with Tito Puente, a four-year stint that immersed him in Afro-Cuban music.

An encounter with trumpeter Woody Shaw’s septet at the Village Vanguard in the late 1970s stoked his interest in writing and arranging for larger ensembles, and by the end of the decade he had launched a nine-piece rehearsal band with five horns. Between Don Sebesky’s well-regarded book The Contemporary Arranger and advice from Dave Lalama and Tim Ouimette, “I got a lot of my questions answered and I’ll love them forever,” Palermo says. “Then the real education was trial and error. I lived in a little apartment with no TV or furniture. All I had was a card table, and once a week I’d rehearse my nonet, then listen to the cassette of the rehearsal and make all the changes.”

Palermo made his recording debut in 1982, an impressive session featuring heavyweights such as David Sanborn, Edgar Winter and Randy Brecker. As a consummate studio cat and sideman, he toured and recorded with an array of stars, including Aretha Franklin, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Lou Rawls, Melba Moore, The Spinners, and many others. As an arranger, he’s written charts for the Tonight Show Band, Maurice Hines, Eddy Fischer, and Melissa Walker. Employed frequently by bass star Christian McBride for a disparate array of projects, Palermo has written arrangements for a James Brown concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a Frank Sinatra tribute featuring Kurt Elling, Seth McFarland, and John Pizzarelli, and a 20-minute medley of Wayne Shorter tunes for the New Jersey Ballet.

Palermo had been leading his big band for more than a decade before the Zappa concept started coming together. Inspired by electric guitar master Mike Keneally, who performed with Zappa on some of his final concerts before his death in 1993, Palermo decided to arrange a program of 12 Zappa tunes. When the time came to debut the material at one of the band’s regular gigs at the Bitter End in early 1994, a sold-out crowd greeted the band.

He earned international attention with the ensemble’s 1997 debut The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays Frank Zappa on Astor Place Records, which received a highly-prized 4-star review from DownBeat. With Palermo’s brilliant arrangements and soloists such as Bob Mintzer, Chris Potter, Dave Samuels, Mike Stern, and Mike Keneally, the album made an undisputable case for the Zappa jazz concept. In 2006 he released another collection of Zappa arranged for his jazz big band, called Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance, on Cuneiform, thus beginning an ongoing collaboration with that label. While Palermo has written more than 300 Zappa charts, he’s cast an increasingly wide net for material. Recent releases like 2014’s Oh No! Not Jazz!!, 2016’s One Child Left Behind and 2017’s The Great Un-American Songbook Volumes 1 & 2 - all on Cuneiform and all recipients of DownBeat’s coveted 4-star ratings - featured a bountiful selection of his original compositions and material by composers not named Frank Zappa.

Nothing demonstrates the ensemble’s ongoing vitality better than the stellar cast of players, with longtime collaborators such as violinist Katie Jacoby, baritone saxophonist Barbara Cifelli, drummer Ray Marchica, and keyboardist Ted Kooshian. Many of these top-shelf musicians have been in the band for more than a decade, and they bring wide-ranging experience, expert musicianship and emotional intensity to Palermo’s music.

The band’s following continues to expand with its monthly residency at Iridium and bi-monthly gigs at The Falcon. In addition, performances (some headlining) at jazz festivals across the USA are winning new fans of all ages for the band. Palermo’s profile in the jazz press is also rising fast, with articles and feature stories appearing this past year in such publications as Jazz Times and Jazziz. Regarding recordings, albums by The Ed Palermo Big Band have been critically acclaimed and also embraced by the general public-jazz and rock fans alike. Palermo has already recorded dozens of new tracks for The Great Un-American Songbook Volumes 3 & 4, and is hoping Zodd Zundgren helps introduce Rundgren’s ingenious, heartfelt music to a new generation.

Jazz Singer Karen Souza To Release New Album “Velvet Vault”

Jazz singer and songwriter Karen Souza will be releasing her highly anticipated new album “Velvet Vault” on December 1, 2017! Featuring several jazz standards, “Velvet Vault” is a more mature and more subtle than Karen's previous efforts, and she truly feels is her best album to date.

Saya Karen, “'Velvet Vault' is really three albums that coexist as one. On the one hand I wanted to record several of the jazz standards that the public love when I sing them live. Then, there were those well known jazzy versions of classics of the 80's and 90's, and finally I have my own material as an artist that I wanted to include. So we can say that this is a record that should shine as a great success of those three concepts.”

There are several guests on Karen's new album: What can you say about the participation of Toku, the Japanese Frank Sinatra, Robin Banerjee, the guitarist of Amy Winehouse and Tom “Bones” Malone, the historical multi-instrumentalist of the Blues Brothers and leader of the band of Saturday Night Live? Three incredible musicians and three great human beings. Says Karen, “TOKU surprised me from the first moment we started to collaborate, not only does he have an incredible voice but he is one of the most subtle trumpet players I have ever met. A great person with whom we plan to shoot a video clip during my next visit to Tokyo. Recording with Robin was extra pressure for me given that he was the guitarist of Amy Winehouse and was the one who had recorded in his version of Valerie. That he agreed to record his guitar in my version was a source of pride and extra pressure. And with Tom the chemistry was immediate, I came to the studio in NYC, we looked at each other and without having to say anything he put his magic into my tracks. He is a unique musician, one in a million.”

Although Karen Souza's voice seems to be made for Jazz, her career began under different pseudonyms, writing songs and providing vocals to several electronic music producers, which made her part of many House hits, included in numerous records as prestigious as Pacha Ibiza, FTV (Fashion TV), Paris Dernier, Hotel Costes and Privé, among others.

Karen started flirting with Jazz when she was invited to participate in the first album of the Jazz & 80's series. At that time, no one could imagine how successful these series would become overnight. Her producer saw in Karen the ideal voice for this project. They worked together enthusiastically, making Karen Souza and her unique voice the core of each album in these series. She went on to record vocals continuously for the series Jazz & 70's, Jazz & 80's and Jazz and 90's, which bring together great pop songs from all these eras in a jazz/blues format. To the surprise of the entertainment business, these albums have earned an amazing fan base in many countries and within different age groups, which resulted in almost every record label trying to recreate the concept. “Essentials,” her first album, compiles Karen's best renditions from the albums previously mentioned. It was released in March 2011, and it immediately became a sales success, to the point it was tagged as “New and Noteworthy” on iTunes.

By the middle of 2011, Karen and a classic jazz trio, began to perform around the world. That gave the audience the chance to meet her in person. With Music Brokers, her record label, they thought it was the right time to produce new material. As a result, she went to Los Angeles to work with some of the world's greatest songwriters, such as Pamela Phillips Oland (pamoland.com), a multiple Grammy nominee lyricist who has worked with artists like Whitney Houston, Earth, Wind & Fire and Aretha Franklin, among others.

In 2012, Karen Souza released “Hotel Souza,” an album that was produced by Joel McNeely, famous for his work with Tony Bennet and Peggy Lee. The album was a total surprise given its originality and beauty. About this album, Karen said, “It's been a pleasure working with Joel, this record represents that magical time.” Shortly after its release, “Hotel Souza” reached the first positions in the Top 10 of the most popular record stores in Latin America, staying for months. It also reached the #10 position in the Top Jazz Albums in the US.

Because of Karen's constant evolution and requests from her fans on her social networks, Karen embarked on a new version album. “Essentials II” was recorded in the city of New York and the vocals were produced by the famous songwriter, record producer and co-founder of The Orchard, Richard Gottehrer. In 2013, her version of “Creep” by Radiohead was used extensively in the film “The Zero Theorem.” Terry Gilliam, who directed the film, was unfamiliar with the original.

Karen has accomplished five years of successful live presentations, accompanied by her classic jazz trio, piano, double bass and drums. In the beginning of the year 2015 Karen returned to Japan for a second performance at the famous jazz club Blue Note (this time performing in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya). Karen appeared very close to her audience, as usual, concluding each concert with a “meet and greet” opportunity, and albums signing. In the month of June the artist traveled to Europe, appearing in Spain. Her performance took place in the city of Madrid, at the legendary hall Galileo Galilei, and in Barcelona at the hall Luz de Gas. Both concerts were sold out well in advance. The affection demonstrated by both the audience and the press, reflect her deep fan base in Spain and across Europe.

Her 2016 shows were a great success: Karen participated for first time, of the legendary Tabarka Jazz festival in Tunez, singing on the same stage where Miles Davis and Diana Krall once performed. The audience was impressed by the sweet tones of Karen's voice and her overall warmth. She promised to return to the country soon.

And now, much to the excitement of Karen's fans worldwide, her new album “Velvet Vault” will soon be available in digital formats, CD and also vinyl! On November 11th Karen will be presenting “Velvet Vault” at the Lunario of the National Auditorium of Mexico and from there she will start a tour that will take her throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.

In closing Karen has this to impart, “I am so honored to have had the chance to tour, to go around the world and meet my fans who support me, it really fills me with pride. I would say that that, more than the gold and platinum awards and discs, my fan base is my greatest achievement.”

www.karensouza.com

https://www.facebook.com/KarenSouzaofficial/

https://twitter.com/KsouzaOfficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/Karail.com

Unreleased Ella Fitzgerald Live Album, 'Ella At Zardi's', Unearthed From Verve's Vaults 60+ Years Later In Celebration Of Jazz Legend's Centennial

Verve Records and UMe will close out their year-long celebration of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald's centennial with the ultimate present for her 100th birthday – a completely unreleased live album. More than 60 years after it was recorded, Ella At Zardi's will finally be released on CD and digital on December 1. Today, WBGO, the global leader in jazz radio, premiered the album's opening track, "It All Depends on You," both on the air and at WBGO.org, with an accompanying article. The song, popularized by Doris Day, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, was never released on any of Fitzgerald's albums, making this a truly rare performance. Listen at WBGO: http://wbgo.org/post/after-six-decades-vault-ella-zardis-brings-new-shine-ella-fitzgeralds-centennial

Recorded on February 2, 1956 at Zardi's Jazzland in Hollywood, Ella At Zardi's features the entirety of the evening's two-set, 21-song performance, which captures an inspired Fitzgerald, backed by a stellar trio comprised of pianist Don Abney, bassist Vernon Alley and drummer Frank Capp, singing and swinging in front of an animated, adoring crowd, just days before she'd go on to record the album that would catapult her to stardom. The concert was originally recorded by Norman Granz to celebrate the creation of, and Fitzgerald's signing to, Verve Records, which Granz founded largely to give Fitzgerald the attention that he felt she wasn't receiving at her then-current label, Decca. Ella At Zardi's was planned as the label's inaugural release but shelved in favor of the now-classic studio album Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book, which kicked off a best-selling, signature series of Song Book releases. The Zardi's tapes languished in Verve's vaults for six decades. Preorder Ella At Zardi's now: https://UMe.lnk.to/EllaAtZardis

Ella At Zardi's captures the brilliance and inspiration Fitzgerald's performances embodied at the time. As veteran jazz journalist Kirk Silsbee observes in the album's liner notes, "We can hear a fluid and joyous singer who operates with almost giddy authority. Ella manages to find a way of swinging almost every number, no matter the tempo. She anticipates her studio songbook albums with Duke Ellington's 'In A Mellow Tone,' Cole Porter's 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy,' the Gershwins' 'S'Wonderful' and 'I've Got a Crush On You,' and Jerome Kern's 'A Fine Romance'... Ella uses her intelligent phrasing and rhythmic sense in inventive and exhilarating ways. Her repertoire was vast and she didn't always remember the correct lyrics of a song. But the way she spontaneously redesigns the text in the most musical of ways is Fitzgerald's signature."

Ella At Zardi's caps off Verve/UMe's slate of releases in celebration of "Ella 100," which has included the four-CD set 100 Songs For A Centennial; the six-LP vinyl box set Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George & Ira Gershwin Song Books and Someone to Watch Over Me, which marries Fitzgerald's vocals with new instrumental tracks by the London Symphony Orchestra. The centennial has also seen the first-ever digital releases of her rare early singles for the Decca label.

Ella At Zardi's stands out for its history-making rediscovery of a vintage performance by one of jazz's greatest artists. As Granz enthuses in his stage introduction, "This is for real; for me she's the greatest there is—Miss Ella Fitzgerald!"

ELLA AT ZARDI'S TRACK LISTING

First Set

1.   It All Depends On You 

2.   Tenderly 

3.   Why Don't You Do Right 

4.   Cry Me A River 

5.   In A Mellow Tone 

6.   Joe Williams' Blues 

7.   A Fine Romance 

8.   How High The Moon 

9.   Gone With The Wind 

10. Bernie's Tune

Second Set

11. 'S Wonderful 

12. Glad To Be Unhappy 

13. Lullaby of Birdland 

14. The Tender Trap 

15. And The Angels Sing 

16. I Can't Give You Anything But Love 

17. Little Boy (a.k.a. Little Girl)

18. A-Tisket, A-Tisket 

19. My Heart Belongs To Daddy 

20. Airmail Special 

21. I've Got A Crush On You

The D.I.V.A Foundation Celebrates 27 Years of Divas Simply Singing! With Its Most Intimate Event Ever At the Taglyan Cultural Center In Hollywood Saturday, December 9th

The Annual Fundraiser for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Awareness Will Feature Performances by Kenny Lattimore, Rahsaan Patterson, Chicago Soul Singer Terisa Griffin, Vision Award Winner Todrick Hall and “Black-ish” Actress Jenifer Lewis, Who Will Be Signing Copies of Her New Book “The Mother of Black Hollywood” 

DIVAS Simply Singing!, the longest consecutive running musical AIDS benefit in the United States, hosts its 27th annual fundraiser for The D.I.V.A. Foundation at the Taglyan Cultural Center in Hollywood California Saturday, December 9.

​Produced and hosted by Tony Award nominee, Spirit Award Winner, honored AIDS activist and D.I.V.A. Foundation Founder Sheryl Lee Ralph, the event will be most intimate gathering in the organization’s history -  a cocktails, dinner and evening of song and entertainment  in a unique club setting that will give all in attendance an up close experience with the performing artists.​“We are always trying to find creative ways to continue to raise HIV/AIDS awareness,” Ralph says. “Anytime you put on an event for over 25 years, there’s the danger of becoming old, too familiar and having the community take you for granted. So this year, we thought we would do something different and host it in a smaller venue that brings everyone closer together for maximum interaction and enjoyment.”​This year’s talent includes R&B greats Kenny Lattimore and Rahsaan Patterson, Chicago soul singer (and “The Voice” Season 3 contestant) Terisa Griffin and “Black-ish” actress and singer Jenifer Lewis, who will also be signing copies of her new book “The Mother of Black Hollywood.” 

The evening will also feature Todrick Hall, multi-hyphenate and former “American Idol” contestant turned Broadway star (“Kinky Boots”), who is this year’s recipient of the The DIVA Foundation’s Vision Award.​“With his passionate artistic activism, powerful songs and ability to connect with and promote a sense of better understanding with gay kids, straight kids, trans kids and so many others finding their way in the world, I believe Todrick will continue to have a great impact on our industry and the world,” says Ralph. “To use the vernacular term, he is truly WOKE!”​DIVAS Simply Singing! will also honor the drivers for Project Angel Food, who selflessly give their time to help feed and nourish the sick as they battle critical illness. For nearly 35 years, volunteers and staff cook and deliver nutritious meals, free of charge, to homes throughout Los Angeles County to alleviate hunger, prevent malnutrition and returns their clients to health. Some of the proceeds from this year’s event will go to support Project Angel Food.​Continuing to serve as a loving tribute for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDs, the goal ofDIVAS Simply Singing! is to raise a quarter of 

The D.I.V.A. Foundation’s operating budget to ensure that they can continue their efforts to erase stigma, raise awareness and promote HIV/AIDS prevention through arts and education. Over the years, DIVAS Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Teena Marie, Tremaine Hawkins, Karen Clark Sheard, Yolanda Adams, LaShun Pace, Dottie Peoples, Jennifer Hudson, and many more have raised their voices in song on the DIVAS stage. An acronym for “Divinely Inspired Victoriously Aware,” 

The D.I.V.A. Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501c(3) charitable organization founded Ralph in 1990 as a memorial to the many friends she lost to HIV/AIDS as an original company member of “Dreamgirls” on Broadway. The foundation stems from Sheryl’s deep concern for the lack of attention given to AIDS in the early years and its potential to become a health risk not only for men but women and children.

The D.I.V.A. Foundation uniquely uses the transformational power of the arts as a vehicle to raise funds, awareness, erase the stigma still connected to HIV/AIDS, mental wellness, and educate people about STDs including HIV, Hepatitis C, and other life threatening diseases. As their mission statement says, “We simply dare to care.”

The Taglyan Cultural Center is located at 1201 Vine St., Hollywood CA 90038. 
  

 

​HAITIAN BORN VOCALIST HERVE’S NEW SINGLE SPREADS A TIMELY AND TIMELESS MESSAGE FOR A WORLD IN NEED: “GIVE LOVE”

The Multi-Talented Singer, Songwriter and Musical Citizen Of the World First Performed the Song for the United Nations In

Honor of Their 70th Anniversary, Backed By the New York City Symphony Orchestra

  

Perfectly capturing the cultural and sociopolitical zeitgeist of our time, HERVE brings a pointed yet timeless message of hope, encouragement, courage and joy to a world in dire need of his powerful and infectious new single “Give Love.”

The track is set to drop on digital platforms worldwide on November 30th.

A true musical citizen of the world, with residences in Paris, India and his musical home base of New York City, the multi-talented Haitian born singer/songwriter and pop soul artist advocates the words of the Dalai Lama and Jesus, who both spoke of love as the absence of fear and judgment. Those kernels of eternal wisdom lay the foundation of a beautiful universal anthem driven by edgy grooves and exotic rhythms created by L.A. based producers Aden Ray and Janet Zohar.   

HERVE first performed “Give Love” in 2015 in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations, in honor of their 70th Anniversary. His memorable performance was backed by the New York City Symphony Orchestra and a world class band.

In conjunction with the single’s release, HERVE will be gracing YouTube with a beautiful video shot in one of his adopted hometowns, Udaipur, India. The colorful clip blends scenes of locals mingling with the singer in the public market and majestic shots of the country’s visual splendor, some featuring HERVE embracing the majestic vistas. He is also creating a line of merchandise related to the message, including T-shirts.

The epiphany that inspired the singer to compose “Give Love” came when he was approached by a homeless man while on a stroll in Harlem. “It was a moment of clarity for me,” he says. “You hear people talk about love all the time, but I thought to myself, if I ignore this person who needs my help, then what would happen if everyone just did the same? What kind of world would this become? It occurred to me that real love is not a passive notion that we just talk about, but it’s an action, an expression we must constantly exercise which allows us to keep together.”

“My feeling that we need to, as I sing in the chorus, ‘give love every day,’ is the awareness that we are required to take meaningful action,” HERVE adds. “I also realize it’s a responsibility that all of us have to one another. If we all became indifferent to one another’s needs for love and kindness, literally all of humanity would fall apart. We cannot function or survive without it. This is what the song is, a reminder to myself, and by extension to all who listen, about what it takes to move and change the world and make a difference, one individual at a time.”

With his warm, deep, ethereal voice and poetic lyrics, Coeur’s music is a celebration of the spirit of the humanity.  Connecting his past to his current lives in the U.S., France and India, his music is vibrant, engaging and uplifting, allowing his audiences to transcend their superficial differences and feel the heartbeat of humanity.

HERVE has performed at Joe’s Pub at the Public, The Cutting Room, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Museum of Art & Design in New York City, The Dwyer Center for the Performing Arts, Archive Global, Fonkoze, The Bitter End, The Shrine, The Ethical Cultural Society, St. Joseph College, Columbia University and the University of Miami among others. With a growing fan base in Europe, Coeur opened for the legendary Temptations at La Cigale in Paris, and he co-headlined at the legendary L’Olympia in Paris.

 

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NEW RELEASES: GALEN WESTON - THE SPACE BETWEEN; LUIGI MARTINALE TRIO - CARUSO: JAZZIN’ ITALIAN STANDARDS; THE KANDINSKY EFFECT – PAX 6

GALEN WESTON - THE SPACE BETWEEN

Toronto based Guitarist Galen Weston"s most recent touring highlights include includes 18 days in China playing Bloom Festival, JZ Festival, Lost Valley Festival, and many clubs. In the US - UpFront Jazz Festival, Bloomington Il, 3d Street Festival, Rochester MN, South Bend Jazz Festival, SB IN, Smiths Music Room, Atlanta GA, Reggies LIve, Chicago IL, Chris' Jazz Philadelphia, PA. In Canada - Jazz Bistro, Toronto, Jazz Upstairs Montreal. in Europe Sunset Sunside, Paris France, Porgy and Bess, Vienna Austria, A Train, Berlin Germany, Vortex, London UK, 20 dates in the US with the Gipsy Kings and many more! Coming soon are two festivals in Indonesia. Galen is accompanied by his “killer” international quartet comprised of Cuban drummer Michel Medrano Brindis, Canadian saxophonist Richard Underhill, and Czech bassist Lukas Kytnar. 

LUIGI MARTINALE TRIO - CARUSO: JAZZIN’ ITALIAN STANDARDS

A very different take on the oft-recorded jazz standard mode – as this time around, the standards are all Italian – which makes most of them pretty unfamiliar to our ears! But even the few that we know take on a new sort of life in the hands of pianist Luigi Martindale – a player who mixes lyrical flights with these deep, round currents that are mighty nice – balancing the sonic range beautifully to really illuminate the tunes! The group also features round, warm bass from Stefano Risso – and a gentle crackle in the drums from Paolo Franciscone – both musicians who often allow the piano to dominate, but always seem to encourage its light. Titles include "Caruso", "Una Domenica Bestiale", "Almeno Tu Nell'Universo", "Senza Fine", "Estate", and "In Cerca Di Te". ~ Dusty Groove

THE KANDINSKY EFFECT – PAX 6

A jazz trio, but one with a very unique vibe – given that, in addition to familiar saxes, bass, and drums – the group also uses a fair bit of effects as well! The drums are often echoey and thunderous, the basslines nicely bumping, and the tones of the saxophone can go off in all sorts of directions – always tuneful, but often with darker currents too – nice little sonic twists and turns that certainly make the instrument sound different than usual! Saxophonist Warren Walker also plays a bit of keyboards too, although those often seem wrapped up with the larger electronic palette of the album – and titles include "Astoria", "We Make Our Own Holidays", "Loops", "Iron Lion", "Re: Jungle", "Musicbox", and "Glass Bottles". ~ Dusty Groove

New MICHELLE COLTRANE release AWAKENING

Michelle Coltrane was born in Paris, France, and is the only daughter of Alice and John Coltrane. While and after raising two children Michelle toured the US and France as a soloist, and has performed with such artists as Kenny Kirkland, Jeff Watts, Ronnie Laws, Billy Childs, Jack DeJohnette, Marvin Smitty Smith, Reggie Workman, The Gap Band and with the McCoy Tyner Trio at the Montreux Jazz Festival. 

Her first CD, I THINK OF YOU, is a classic and contemporary jazz collaboration with musician and composer Scott Hiltzik. The recording was well received by Jazz Times and won a YES Award, presented by blues artist Barbara Morrison. Michelle was a featured performer at the 2013 Panama Jazz Festival, and recent appearances include shows at The John Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles, The Miami Jazz Festival, Vibratos in Bel Air Ca., H. O. M. E. (House of Music & Entertainment) Beverly Hills, Ca., Bar 1912 in Bverly Hills, Ca. and Yoshis Jazz Club,Oakland Ca.

Michelle honed her stage manner skills as an Emcee to many John Coltrane Scholarship events like the Wiltern Theatre and The House of Blues in Los Angeles. During the late 1990s Michelle co-hosted a radio program on 90.7 FM for 5 years, “Straight No Chaser” with Maggie Le Pique, interviewing artists such as Charlie Haden, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Stanley Clarke and many others. She is heavily involved in the “Save The Coltrane Home” project with her brother Ravi with the most recent event featuring Santana, Ravi Coltrane, Cornell West, Ashely Kahn, Winton Marsalis, Marcus Miller, and Jimmy Heath as guest speakers. She is also the vice-president of the board of directors of the John and Alice Coltrane Foundation involved in many projects.

Michelle’s new band a collaboration with Shea Welsh guitarist and MD. Michelle and Shea have composed new material and are arranging new and classic standards to create the bands unique modern and retro sound.

Jazz-R&B keyboardist Brian Culbertson to release the intimate “Colors of Love” single and album that will be supported by an extensive spring concert tour

They met for the first time when they were music majors at DePaul University. Flash forward, Michelle and Brian Culbertson celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary last month. With love, romance and his wife serving as his motivation, the soulful contemporary jazz hit-maker started writing material earlier this year inspired by the occasion, crafting thirteen new songs that will be released as “Colors of Love,” his eighteenth album, on Valentine’s Day on the BCM Entertainment label. The seduction begins early next month when the amorous title track, a sensual R&B groove illuminated by Culbertson’s lyrical acoustic piano melodies typical of the collection’s contents, ships to radio. A nearly three-month-long U.S. concert tour will bring “Colors of Love” to life in a vivid theatrical production with the itinerary being revealed December 1.   

Culbertson is thriving creatively on this, his third independent album funded by an Indiegogo campaign (http://bit.ly/2wr3kt9), which closes this Thursday and offers unique opportunities and exclusive perks including a bonus track. Having spent the majority of his career on a major label, the freedom to follow his creative muse is readily apparent on “Colors of Love,” a complete contrast to last year’s “Funk!” set, which was a lively, full-band funk/R&B workout that features a number of vocal cuts. He describes “Colors of Love” as “purposely electronic, using very modern sounds and production” with his acoustic piano serving as the singular lead voice throughout the intimate date. The quiet and contemplative tracks are textured atmospherics and gentle R&B grooves - soothing beds for Culbertson’s melodic piano expressions of ardor.

Sharing the recording process via Facebook live, Culbertson polled his audience and they voted that “Colors of Love” be instrumental only. He took it a step further and for the first time in his career that to date has racked up 30 No. 1 Billboard singles as an artist, producer and/or songwriter, he refrained from using saxophone or guitar as lead instruments - only his poetic piano.

“The music on ‘Colors of Love’ explores all aspects of what love is. It’s a deep word that says a lot of things. There’s passionate love, love at first sight, longing love, lost love. Each color represents a different type of love. There are heart-wrenching songs, cuddly love - all kinds of different love songs,” said Culbertson, who played all of the instruments on the new record except for rhythm guitar (Isaiah Sharkey) and accordion (Peter White).

“I’ve been playing ‘Through the Years’ from the new album in my set since the Berks Jazz Fest last April. The response has been very emotional. Clearly this music touches a nerve – or the heart to be more exact.”

Culbertson is already at work on how he will present “Colors of Love” live during the U.S. concert trek that runs March 28 through June 17 with tickets going on sale December 8. He’s planning to incorporate a video element in a major way.

“It’s going to be a very theatrical presentation with video images and lighting timed to the music. This music is visual and cinematic thus the show needs to be visual to complement the experience. It’s going to be larger than life when you see it live.”

“Colors of Love” contains the following songs:

“Love Transcended”

“I Want You”

“Colors of Love”

“Don’t Go”

“You’re Magic”

“Through the Years”

“In A Dream”

“Let’s Chill”

“Desire”

“Michelle’s Theme”

“In Your Embrace”

“The Look”

“All My Heart”

A bonus track will be available exclusively for Indiegogo supporters.

www.BrianCulbertson.com.

Diana Ross New Release Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection

Diana Ross’ NEW album release, Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection, is a memorable music journey that celebrates her iconic legacy. The 15-song collection contains some of her biggest hit recordings of her career and will be released digitally on November 17 through Motown/UMe. Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection also includes as a special gift to her fans an exciting new dance club remix of her #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” 

"I send this special gift to you all. This collection of songs is from my heart to yours and I send my love and thanks and appreciation to you for my joyous amazing journey, it's so much fun," says Ms. Ross.

Diana Ross will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Music Awards on November 19, during which the show will pay tribute to her remarkable career. Diana Ross' impact in music, film, television, fashion and popular culture is unprecedented. A renowned superstar, she is one of the most successful and influential recording legends and iconic entertainers of all time.

Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection track listing:

1.I'm Coming Out

2.More Today Than Yesterday

3.The Boss

4.It's My House

5.Endless Love *

6.Upside Down

7.You Can't Hurry Love **

8.Touch Me In The Morning

9.Love Hangover

10.Take Me Higher

11.It's My Turn

12.Why Do Fools Fall In Love

13.Ain't No Mountain High Enough

14.Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)

15.Ain't No Mountain High Enough - The ANMHE 'Diamond Diana' Remix

* with Lionel Richie

** with The Supremes

Grammy Award-Winning and Platinum-Selling Artist Fantasia Heats up the Holidays with the Release of Christmas After Midnight via Concord Records

Grammy-Award winning and platinum-selling artist Fantasia will release her first-ever holiday album, Christmas After Midnight, via Concord Records on October 6.  The 12-track album was produced by Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, The Black-Eyed Peas) and includes some of Fantasia's favorite holiday songs including "This Christmas," "Silent Night," "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside," featuring vocals from the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer CeeLo Green.  To pre-order the album, click HERE.

"I'm so excited for my first Christmas album," says R&B sensation Fantasia.  "My Grandmother Addie Collins' birthday was on Christmas Day. I will never forget how she would put up the prettiest Christmas trees and lights. But more importantly, I'll never forget the impact she had on me and everyone else around her this time of year. She was a loving woman who helped all her grandchildren understand the true meaning of the holiday, its impact on our spirituality and character as well as the importance of recognizing the value of family and significant relationships.  This album is dedicated to her.  So as she would always say, 'Keep giving the Gift of Giving!'"

Recorded live in Los Angeles' iconic Capitol Studios and Nashville's famed Blackbird Studios, Christmas After Midnight is an inspiring and merry blend of rock, soul, jazz, funk and blues that will send holiday spirits soaring.   Brimming with creative arrangements on standards such as "This Christmas" to the jazzy interpretation of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?," Fantasia's soulful and unique vocals breathe a fresh new take on these beloved classics.  The album also features a playful rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside," featuring CeeLo Green.

"This album pays homage to my grandmother and is a gift from me to all of those who remember their grandparents or parents putting up Christmas trees and being a blessing into people's lives," says Fantasia.  "I'd also like to pay homage to the great singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles who stood strong in what they believed in - the music. I hope that it blesses you guys. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

North Carolina native Fantasia broke on to the scene in 2004 as the season three winner of Fox's American Idol. Later that year, she released her platinum-selling debut album Free Yourself and became the first artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut at #1 with her first single, "I Believe." The singer's eponymous sophomore effort, released in 2006, featured the #1 R&B single "When I See U," and reached gold status. In 2010, Fantasia earned her first ever Grammy Award for the hit single "Bittersweet," off her critically acclaimed third album Back to Me.  Side Effects of You followed in 2013, debuting at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 200. On July 29, 2016, Fantasia released her fifth studio album, The Definition Of...., which became her third consecutive #1 R&B album debut, her fourth top ten debut on the Billboard 200, and earned her another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

In addition to being a mainstay in music, Fantasia adds author and actress, to her growing list of accomplishments. In 2006, she released her New York Times best-selling memoir, Life Is Not a Fairytale, and starred as herself in the Lifetime movie of the same name. In 2007, Fantasia landed the coveted role of Celie in Broadway's The Color Purple for which she won a Theater World Award. Fantasia returned to Broadway in 2013 as the first celebrity engagement in After Midnight, a dance-focused musical that celebrated Harlem's iconic Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and '30s. After receiving rave reviews, Fantasia joined the cast of After Midnight for a second run in May 2014.

VINCE GUARALDI TRIO’S BEST-SELLING ALBUM, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS TO BE CELEBRATED WITH AUDIOPHILE VINYL REISSUE

Craft Recordings, the Catalog Division of Concord Music, has announced a high-end vinyl reissue of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s beloved jazz album, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Due out November 17th, the LP will be released on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in an old-school style, tip-on jacket, featuring the rarely seen artwork from the original 1965 album. Lacquers for the album were cut by George Horn and Anne-Marie Suenram at Fantasy Studios, while the vinyl was pressed at Quality Record Pressings.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, certified 4X Platinum by the RIAA in 2016, is one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue; and it’s no surprise: Guaraldi’s engaging score to the synonymous holiday television special has introduced generations of children and their parents to the joys of jazz music, with tracks like the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” and yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here.” The album was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry five years later, and continues to be a perennial favorite, thanks to annual airings of the Christmas TV special. 

A native of San Francisco, Vince Guaraldi became one of America’s most successful jazz artists during the course of his lifetime. Though Guaraldi’s legacy is most famously tied to his association with Peanuts, he was already an established, GRAMMY® Award-winning artist by the time that producer Lee Mendelson tapped him to score the first of many animated specials based on the Charles Schulz-penned cartoons. In a 2003 interview, excerpted from the biography Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (Derrick Bang; McFarland Books), Mendelson declared, “There was no doubt in my mind that if we hadn’t had that Guaraldi score, we wouldn’t have had the franchise we later enjoyed.”

  

Track List:

Side A

1. O Tannenbaum

2. What Child Is This

3. My Little Drum

4. Linus & Lucy

5. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental)

Side B

1. Christmas Time Is Here (vocal)

2. Skating

3. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

4. Christmas Is Coming

5..Für Elise

6. The Christmas Song

NEW RELEASES: SINNE EGG - DREAMS; 3TM - FORM; ROSS MCHENRY – THE OUTSIDERS

SINNE EGG - DREAMS

With her perfect intonation, impeccable sense of time, and mellifluous timbre, Danish vocalist Sinne Eeg has earned the admiration of fans and fellow musicians across the U.S. and around the world. Considered the preeminent jazz vocalist in Scandinavia, DREAMS is Eeg’s ninth CD as a leader. Eeg is firmly rooted in the tradition of the great jazz vocalists, and although she can swing like the best singers from an earlier era, she approaches songs from the Great American Songbook with a more modern sensibility. Eeg is also a formidable songwriter. Six of the tunes on this disc are her own compositions. Her writing encompasses a variety of styles, from romantic ballads to groove-based tunes. For the first time, she tackles contemporary issues with a song about Aleppo. Eeg is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Danish Music Award (Denmark’s Grammys), which she won three times for Best Jazz Vocal CD. She’s also the first vocalist to receive the Ben Webster Prize, and she’s also the recipient of France’s prestigious Prix du Jazz, awarded by France’s Academie du Jazz.

3TM - FORM

A fantastic set from drummer Teppo Makynen – an artist whose work you might know from the Five Corners Quintet or The Stance Brothers – but who moves here in a style that opens up whole new territory for the Scandinavian scene! The core sound comes from a trio – with Makynen on drums, Antti Lotjonen on bass, and Jussi Kannaste on tenor – but Teppo also brings in these other sonic elements too – adding subtle samples to the acoustic core – not in a way that feels like a remix or something of that nature – but just some wider tones and colors that work wonderfully with the mix of tenor, bass, and drums! The style is less groove-oriented than some of Teppo's previous groups – sometimes straight jazz, sometimes more abstract – but never too loose or laidback, and always with a straightforward consciousness that shows that he's making all the right choices with these added elements. Titles include "Desolation", "Stars", "Formality", "Winterline", "Five New Ducks", "Flaig", "Empty & Still", "Flaigology", and "Iran". ~ Dusty Groove

ROSS MCHENRY – THE OUTSIDERS

A beautiful trio album from bassist Ross McHenry – an artist here who works with just piano and drums, but somehow manages to make so many new and personal sounds flow from their combination! The songs are all originals, and McHenry's got a style that's visionary, yet also straight ahead – a mode that never needs to go too far outside to realizes something strikingly special – as he fits perfectly with the talents of Matthew Sheens on piano and Myele Manzana on drums – three players who seem to know each other intimately, and really burst forth with the kind of energy these songs deserve! McHenry plays electric bass, but at a level that's much more like acoustic use of the instrument – and titles include the long "Outsiders" suite – plus "Us & Them", "Those Lost Days", and "It's Now How I Remembered It". (Includes bonus download!) ~ Dusty Groove

Stan Getz Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set - The Bossa Nova Years

Though born in Philadelphia, Getz was a key architect in the development of the US West Coast "cool school" sound and was heavily influenced by the airy tone of his idol, saxophonist, Lester Young. Getz rose to fame in the late 1940s after serving his musical apprenticeship in the bands of Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman. As a solo artist, his career took off in the 1950s, a time when he earned the nickname "The Sound," which referred to his light, feathery saxophone tone and gift for effortless melodic improvisation.

Bossa Nova Years catches up with Getz's career in the early 1960s, when he was signed to Verve and expanded both his repertoire and audience by marrying cool jazz with an exciting and sensuous new form of music from Brazil called bossa nova. 1962's Jazz Samba LP - recorded in tandem with noted classically-trained acoustic guitarist, Charlie Byrd - was Getz's first foray into bossa nova and helped to popularize the music in America. The album topped the US LP charts, aided by the commercially successful single, the Grammy-winning "Desafinado."

Getz explored Brazilian music in a large ensemble setting on his next album, Big Band Bossa Nova, also released in 1962, which placed his saxophone against a big band backdrop (expertly arranged by Gary McFarland) with spectacular results. Among the standouts are "Manha de Carnival," which is driven by pulsating samba rhythms, and the more reflective "Melancolico."

The Brazilian theme continued on 1963's Jazz Samba Encore! It featured Rio de Janeiro guitarist Luiz Bonfá, and also acclaimed bossa nova songwriter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who appeared on guitar and piano. Significantly, Jobim was the co-writer of "The Girl From Ipanema," the big hit from Getz's next album, Getz/Gilberto, a collaboration with Brazilian guitarist and singer, Joao Gilberto. Gilberto's then wife, Astrud, supplied delicate, spellbinding vocals on "The Girl From Ipanema," which was released as a single and became a substantial international hit in 1964 (it also won a Grammy). More significantly, it helped to launch Astrud Gilberto's own career as a singer.

The final LP in the Getz package is Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida, recorded in 1963 but not released by Verve until three years later. It finds Getz hooking up with renowned São Paulo guitarist, Laurindo Almeida, whose delicate but highly rhythmic fretboard work underpins some wonderfully mellifluous horn-blowing by the saxophonist. Highlights include the breezy "Menina Moca" and the gently undulating "Once Again," both spotlighting Getz's burnished lyricism.

Dinah Washington Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set - The Divine Miss Washington

Famed for her clear diction, crisp phrasing, and declamatory delivery, Dinah Washington (1924-1963), like Billie Holiday before her, possessed an immediately recognisable singing voice. A 1993 inductee in to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Washington was born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and first recorded during the 1940s, serving up risqué blues songs. In the 1950s, Washington - who called herself the "Queen of the Blues" - recorded a clutch of classic albums for the Mercury subsidiary, Emarcy, that revealed her to be a sophisticated song stylist who could sing blues, jazz, and pop with consummate ease. The Divine Miss Dinah box set begins with After Hours With Miss D, a superb 1954 session with legendary horn players, Clark Terry and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, in attendance. A finger-clicking "Blue Skies" is one of many standouts. The electrifying Dinah Jams, recorded live in front of a studio audience in 1954, has a looser, improvisational flavor and features bebop trumpet legend Clifford Brown. Mellower and more overtly romantic is 1955's For Those In Love, which contains one of Washington's most popular tunes, "Blue Gardenia," and finds the singer backed by a small ensemble that includes future Miles Davis Kind Of Blue band members, pianist, Wynton Kelly, and drummer, Jimmy Cobb. In sharp contrast, 1957's The Swingin' Miss D, has Washington collaborating with the then rising arranger/conductor Quincy Jones and his orchestra. Packed with effervescent big band uptempo tunes (such as "Caravan") and stylish heart-rending ballads ("You're Crying"), it proves to be an inspired and exquisite pairing of talents that oozes pizzazz.

Two years later in 1959, Washington scored a Top 10 US pop hit and grabbed a Grammy award with her striking remake of the Dorsey Brothers' 1934 smash, "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes," which featured on her album with the same title. What A Diff'rence A Day Makes! also spotlighted future Weather Report co-founder, Joe Zawinul, on piano, and found Washington, augmented by a lush string orchestra, putting her own spin on standards like "Cry Me A River," and "Manhattan."

Jazz Legend Billie Holiday Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set Featuring Some Of Her Classic Records

Dubbed "Lady Day" by jazz saxophonist, Lester Young, Billie Holiday (1915-1959) is one of the most influential and iconic jazz vocalists of all time. Her uniquely expressive voice, with its unmistakable tone, timbre, and horn-like phrasing, had an emotional sincerity that made everything she sang seem an honest reflection of her own personal struggles in life. Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia and after experiencing a difficult childhood, found an escape through music. She began singing professionally as a teenager in the late 1920s and signed her first recording contract in 1935, before going on to work with the swing-era big bands of Count Basie and Artie Shaw. By the 1940s, she was a big solo star but behind the showbiz glamour there was a dark underside of drug and alcohol dependency, which eventually hastened her tragic demise (she died in 1959 aged 44).

Classic Lady Day catches up with Holiday at the dawn of the LP age in the 1950s when she recorded for the Clef and Verve labels founded by jazz impresario and producer, Norman Granz. The opening album in the set is 1957's Solitude: Songs By Billie Holiday, which was first issued in 1952 as a 10-inch LP called Billie Holiday Sings for Granz's Clef imprint. It's a delightful small group session where Holiday's beguiling voice is framed by sympathetic and lightly-swinging arrangements played by sidemen that include pianist Oscar Peterson and guitarist Barney Kessell. Holiday's mournful version of Duke Ellington's immortal "Solitude," with Charlie Shavers on trumpet, is particularly arresting. Holiday also puts her own inimitable stamp on the standards "You Go To My Head" and "These Foolish Things."

A Recital By Billie Holiday is a 1956 compilation that includes fine readings of "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Stormy Weather," while Velvet Moods - Songs By Billie Holiday issued the same year on Clef contains "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues." Also issued in 1956 was Holiday's most famous album, Lady Sings The Blues, which she released to coincide with the publication of her same-titled autobiography. It contains the classic title song - co-written by the singer - and another original iconic tune, "God Bless The Child." Another highlight is her haunting version of American writer Lewis Allan's provocative but poignant anti-lynching poem set to music, "Strange Fruit."  Classic Lady Day concludes with the 1958 Verve LP, All Or Nothing At All, released a year before the singer's death. It contains memorable performances of "April In Paris," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Love Is Here To Stay."