Guitarist Denny Jiosa explores the sensuality of Latin jazz fusion on new album “Mueve Tu Cuerpo”

Four-time Grammy nominee Denny Jiosa sees parallels between the curvaceous body of the guitar and the human body. Indulging his passion for “sexy” Latin music, the jazz guitar slinger uses his electric and nylon-string guitar bodies to get people to move their body as well as expressively stir emotions on his eighth album, “Mueve Tu Cuerpo,” which drops July 27 on the Sonic Canvas Records/BFD imprint. Radio is already getting a taste with the evocative first single, “Missing You,” one of eleven songs Jiosa penned and produced for the collection.

Jiosa endeavored to craft an upbeat Latin-influenced, jazz-rooted album that would get people to move and grab attention via an exciting blend of musical styles. But he also wanted to go deeper, “shy away from the norm” and touch people emotionally. Beneath the energizing layers of exotic Latin percussion that create lusty rhythms and sensual grooves emerge moving harmonies and rousing melodies that resonate. Whether he’s furiously strumming impassioned nylon-string guitar rhythms, precisely picking lyrical phrases and bending extended notes, or intensely issuing scorched earth electric guitar pyrotechnics, Jiosa’s deft fretwork establishes and maintains a commanding presence throughout the recording.

  

“‘Mueve Tu Cuerpo’ is about what music does to get people to move. I wanted this to be an exciting, compelling and expressive blend, tapping into my huge passion for Latin music. I love the sounds, rhythms and sexiness of Latin music, which I blended with jazz rhythms, lines and harmonies. My intention from the outset was to reach a broad scope of listeners with this album. Guitar is one of the most expressive and sexy instruments. Whether I’m playing nylon string to electric guitar with an edge, it’s about moving people emotionally. If you can move people emotionally with an instrumental, then you’ve accomplished something,” said the Nashville-based Jiosa.

More than just sultry enticements to body movement or coaxing emotional responses, “Mueve Tu Cuerpo” also transmits meaningful messages. “Missing You” ruminates on the absence of Jiosa’s loved ones who have passed, such as his desire for his parents to be here to see their grandkids and hear his music. Alluring and mystical, “Dance In Heaven” contains the gut string guitarwork of multiple Grammy nominee Phil Keaggy. The festive, gospel-funk cut “Selah, Love Each Other,” featuring drummer Chester Thompson (Genesis, Frank Zappa), pays tribute to Jiosa’s late bassist, Chris Kent. John Santos contributes lead vocals to “Freedom Tower,” a song about the historic Miami structure that still stands as a landmark for Cubans who fled to the US in the 1960s and were processed at that location. The atmospheric meditation “From The Fire” appeared in the Christian film “Believe: The Misfit Pawn” a couple years ago and addresses embracing “the fire” we face in our lives

Jiosa developed his brand of guitar play that borrows from jazz, rock, blues and R&B while living in Los Angeles where he studied under the tutelage of innovative guitarist Frank Gamble (Chick Corea). He dropped his solo debut, “Moving Pictures,” in 1995. Subsequent collections spawned a string of singles that proliferated the radio charts. Jiosa’s diverse body of work includes roles as a producer, engineer, mixer and/or guitarist for artists such as Yolanda Adams, Kirk Whalum, Take 6, Ben Tankard, Philip Bailey and Crystal Gayle. “Mueve Tu Cuerpo” is his first album in ten years. For more information, please visit http://jiosa.com.

Jiosa’s “Mueve Tu Cuerpo” contains the following songs:

“Fumarlo Bebe”

“Mueve Tu Cuerpo”

“Missing You”

“Dance In Heaven”

“Abre La Puerta”

“Selah, Love Each Other”

“The Gift”

“Freedom Tower”

“Backroads”

“From The Fire”

“Embracing The Fire” (remix)

The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul

LeChateau Earl Records releases “The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul.” The three-disc CD features 39 tracks with more than two hours of music. “The Three Sides of Damien Sneed” is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and all other digital retail outlets everywhere. This magnum opus showcases the broad musicality of Sneed, whose musical skills and performance credits encompass everything from jazz and show tunes to opera and R&B. The set includes original tunes composed by Sneed as well as his unique arrangements of known works.

“The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul has been in the works for a very long time,” notes Sneed. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to create and develop my brand as a multi-genre artist, but it wasn’t until I met my publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn, who single-handedly helped me to bring my brand to a definitive point of culmination. I realized that my recorded body of work did not represent all of what I did, so I decided to record this multi-genre project.”

As the CD title indicates, the first disc is a collection of meaningful classical works by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Strauss and several African American contemporary composers including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Mark Fax, Hale Smith, and Sneed. Guest artists include vocalist Justin Michael Austin, who will debut in the 2018/2019 production of Puccini’s “La fanciulla del West” at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany; and The Metropolitan Opera’s Brandie Sutton, who currently stars as Clara in Seattle Opera’s “Porgy and Bess.”

Disc 2 focuses on Sneed’s considerable chops as a jazz interpreter, composer, pianist, and vocalist. Included are jazz standards “Over The Rainbow,” “Nature Boy,” and “Pure Imagination,” as well as jazz and gospel favorites like “Moanin’,” “God Bless The Child,” and “Wade in the Water.” Sneed’s sidemen include Grammy Award winner Ben Williams (bass), Jonathan Barber (drums), and Julius Rodriguez (piano).

Disk 3 is an 11-track exploration of Sneed’s gospel roots, combining favorite spirituals from his churchgoing childhood, like “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” “Over My Head,” and “You’ve Got To Move;” and a prayer from a work by Wynton Marsalis; and Sneed’s composition “He’s Right There By Your Side.” In addition to Sneed, vocalists include Anitra McKinney, Chenee Campbell, Quinn Brown, and Matia Washington. The disc includes audio clips of Sneed as an 8-year-old music student.

Recently City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage presented the inaugural concert version of “The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul” in New York’s historic Central Park. The annual main stage concert event featured soprano Brandie Sutton and Grammy-nominated artists Stefon Harris and Keke Wyatt. 

Damien Sneed is a pianist, organist, conductor, composer, producer, arranger, vocal coach, and arts educator; Sneed has worked with jazz, classical, pop and R&B legends including Aretha Franklin, Wynton Marsalis, Jessye Norman, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, Lawrence Brownlee and many others.  The multi-genre recording artist is a recipient of the prestigious Sphinx Medal of Excellence, which is presented annually to emerging Black and Latino leaders in classical music. A graduate of John S. Davidson Fine Arts School in his hometown of Augusta, Ga., he earned a Bachelor of Music – Piano Performance from Howard University and a Master of Music in Music Technology: Scoring for Film and Multimedia from New York University. Sneed will also graduate with his doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from USC in Fall 2018. He is the founder and artistic director of the international vocal ensemble Chorale Le Chateau, and the founder of LeChateau Earl Records.

In April 2018, Sneed and his longtime collaborator, classical artist Audrey DuBois Harris, presented a five-song EP, “God Bless America,” which he produced and released on LeChateau Earl Records.

www.damiensneed.com

Christian Sands New Studio Album Facing Dragons

Not yet 30, Christian Sands is currently one of the most in-demand pianists working in jazz. In the last few years he has toured around the world as a bandleader and recently appeared as a sideman on records by Christian McBride and Gregory Porter. After the one-two punch of Reach and Reach Further - EP, Sands' dynamic 2017 Mack Avenue debut and his live/unreleased studio tracks EP follow-up released earlier this year, Facing Dragons is Sands' return to the recording studio with an indestructible band and an unwavering allegiance to the groove.

"I like the freedom of the trio format," says Sands. "It's more dramatic to me. It's a smaller entity but with a big personality. I can fit it into different situations dynamically, compositionally." Opening track "Rebel Music" features Sands' wide-ranging scope at its most elegant, nimbly jetting through single unison lines and bright block chords. Here and throughout the record he is joined by bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Jerome Jennings, the band that Sands has been relentlessly touring with. The two sensitive accompanists are locked in sync, joined occasionally by a powerhouse pair of horns, a sinewy guitarist and a fiery pair of percussionists.

Saxophonist Marcus Strickland strikes first on the hard swinging “Fight for Freedom,” unleashing a throaty cry over the churning band. “Marcus Strickland brings a certain fire to the band,” says Sands. “Especially on this track. He’s got a rich and deep tone, so it was perfect for the earthy theme of the song.” Trumpeter Keyon Harrold shares the frontline with Strickland, playing in effortless harmony on the melody before getting a little solo space near the tune’s close.



Harrold takes centerstage later on “Frankenstein,” a churning meditation reminiscent of Herbie Hancock’s seafaring journeys of the 1960s. Sands is spacious in support and patient on his solo, the tune an energetic workout for all involved.

Facing Dragons

“Rebel Music"

"Fight For Freedom"

"Yesterday"

"Sangueo Soul"

"Sunday Mornings"

"Frankenstein"

"Her Song"

"Samba Da Vela"

"Rhodes to Meditation"

Earlier this year Sands was named creative ambassador to The Erroll Garner Jazz Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the legacy of the late great pianist Erroll Garner. After inheriting the position from the late Geri Allen – one of Sands’ mentors – he is a natural fit for the role. Sands has that same affable understanding of the audience as he recognizes their innate desire to be entertained as well as enlightened. He tackles the Beatles’ “Yesterday” with a soulful saunter. “Pop music is essential in jazz. It’s new melodies, it’s new stories, or same stories told in different ways. Jazz is about storytelling and pop music has a unique story to tell.”

Sands has yet to bring his band to Venezuela but when he gets there, he’ll be more than ready for the infectious polyrhythms found on the shores of Choroni Beach. On “Sangueo Soul,” Sands bounces above the churning South American rhythms, with Caio Afiune doubling the piano lines on guitar. It alternates between the two sounds, blending them at will, a sprightly dash of octaves on the piano cross paths with intergalactic vibrations. The tune is impossible to resist as a battery of rhythm pushes Sands’ piano into a righteous jaunt; clear the dancefloor. Percussionist Cristian Rivera appeared on Sands’ Mack Avenue Records debut, and the two formed a tight bond over a decade ago in Bobby Sanabria’s Afro Cuban Big Band. Percussionist Roberto Quintero, a native Venezuelan, brings the fire and authenticity to the party.

“Samba da Vela” appears later, continuing the South American travelogue with a trip to Brazil. Guitarist Caio Afiune first played with Sands’ brother Ryan, a drummer who studied at the New England Conservatory. Afiune has been playing with the pianist for over a year now, finding his voice in the tight-knit ensemble. His solo is an energetic but controlled centerpiece of the performance but becomes even more effervescent when he heads to church.

 “Church music is key in not just my sound but most jazz musicians I look up to. It’s a culture that most of us have gone through so it’s embedded in what we do,” says Sands. “Jazz can be a religious experience and for me my playing is my gift to God.” Sands began formal lessons at the age of four but picked up his sense of swing and soul at church well before that. “Sunday Mornings” is Sands tribute to the beginning of the week. He employs soulful clusters of chords and a lackadaisical slide off the beat, aided and embedded by an oscillating organ. The transition to a backyard reggae groove is hip, propelled by Afiune’s scratchy accents.

The lilting “Her Song” features bassist Nakamura. “Yasushi has a great bass sound, great facility and is always easy to work with, which is why he’s still in so many other bands today besides mine,” says Sands. Regardless of Nakamura’s schedule, he is fully committed to Sands’ vision of a rhythm section, a noble accent to the sound, unobtrusive but always present. Jennings is equally sensitive. “What I love about Romey” says Sands, “is the soulful intellect he brings to the instrument. There are layers to what he does and that comes from study and practice and also just being him – a true soul brother.”

The album closes with “Rhodes to Meditation” featuring an electrified Sands drifting into the ether. “The Fender Rhodes adds a different tone to my imagination. It makes me hear and play different.” Sands evokes a spectral world without borders, drifting off like a satellite towards the next adventure. “Like all of my albums, I want people to feel connected through a story that I’m telling. On this record, I want to remind people to always push forward and move in positivity.”

 

Christian Sands' Upcoming U.S. Performances:

August 2 / Coral Gables Congregational United Church / Coral Gables, FL

August 11 / Richmond Jazz Festival / Richmond, VA

September 3 / Detroit Jazz Festival / Detroit, MI

September 21 / Monterey Jazz Festival / Monterey, CA

September 29 / Hyde Park Jazz Festival / Chicago, IL

October 12 / Scullers Jazz Club / Boston, MA

October 19 / Kuumbwa Jazz Club / San Jose, CA

October 20 / SF Jazz Center / San Francisco, CA

October 22 / Dimitriou's Jazz Alley / Seattle, WA

October 25 - 28 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY

November 2 / Christina Cultural Arts Center / Wilmington, DE

November 3 / Montgomery County Community College / Blue Bell, PA

November 7 / Jazz Dock / Prague, Czech Republic

November 9 - 10 / Duc Des Lombards / Paris, France

November 11 / Blue Note Milan / Milan, Italy

November 12 / Opus Jazz Club / Budapest, Hungary

November 13 / Unterfahrt / Munich, Germany

November 15 / Club Bix / Stuttgart, Germany

November 16 / Pizza Express / London, United Kingdom

November 17 / Pizza Express / Maidstone, United Kingdom

2019 Dates:

January 23 / McAfee Concert Hall @ Belmont University / Nashville, TN

February 2 / Schambach Center - Wellin Hall / Clinton, NY

February 8 / Black Rock Center for the Arts / Germantown, MD

February 9 / Carnegie Hall / Lewisburg, WV

February 16 / Phillips Center for the Performing Arts / Gainesville, FL

April 25 / Frostburg State University - Manicur Ballroom / Frostburg, MD

Christian Sands · Facing Dragons

Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: September 21, 2018

Andrey Chmut Debut Album "Smoothability" featuring Bob James, U-Nam & Valeriy Stepanov

A delicious amalgam of mellow grooves and funky rhythms, the aptly titled “Smoothability” is the dynamite with which Ukrainian born, rising sax star Andrey Chmut is making what promises to be a truly explosive debut.

Typified by the upbeat title cut (and first radio single) which includes Wha Wha guitar from the unmistakable U-Nam, “Smoothability” is living proof that, in this joined up musical world, an effective social media presence can be the avenue to great success.  In fact it was Andrey’s work with Artem Lebedev that provided him with YouTube exposure, which he later built on through appearances with fellow Skytown label mate Valeriy Stepanov.

Andrey played sax on four of the tracks from Stepanov’s debut CD “New Beginnings” and now for “Smoothability” Stepanov has written three new songs to ensure the favor is well and truly reciprocated.   The first, the lusciously mellow “Those Sweet Nights”, proves to be right on the smooth jazz money and much the same can be said of “Don’t Loose the Faith” that remains sumptuously ‘in the pocket’ throughout.  Completing this glittering trio of original Stepanov compositions is “Night Ride” where Chmut’s playing is impeccable and although “Jazzed Up” delivers exactly what the title suggests it might it is with “K.S.U.” that Andrey confirms that here is a guy who really knows smooth jazz.

Chmut writes or co-writes six of the ten choice tunes yet in this oasis of new music the album’s only cover is Andrey’s fresh take on Kirk Franlin’s 2005 hit “Imagine Me”.  Elsewhere, a true standout in a collection full of them is “Moving Forward” which not only has a vibe that might well get in your head and not go away but also features the timeless Bob James on electric piano.  In fact on hearing of Andrey’s deal with Skytown Records to release “Smoothability” it was James who was first with a message of support.

"Congratulations on finding a new home for your music with Skytown Records. I hope it will lead to lots of success and it becomes a big #1 hit for you! "

More magic comes with another of Chmut’s own tunes, “Song for a Friend” for which U-Nam makes a welcome return on featured guitar while later the uplifting “I’ll Always Be There” benefits from carefully crafted vocal contributions from Artem Banar and Cleulia Daniel.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Smoothability 3:22

2. K.S.U 4:58

3. Jazzed Up 3:26

4. Those Sweet Nights feat. Valeriy Stepanov 4:45

5. Song for a Friend feat. U-Nam 3:48

6. Don’t Lose the Faith 4:27

7. I’ll always Be There 4:02

8. Moving Forward feat. Bob James 5:51

9. Night Ride 4:34

10. Imagine Me 4:55

Trumpeter John Bailey steps into the spotlight with debut album as a leader "In Real Time"

The opening trumpet fanfare of John Bailey's debut album In Real Time heralds the arrival of a major, fully formed talent. Yet Bailey is no newcomer to jazz: this is his first album as a leader after more than 30 years as one of the busiest sidemen in the business.  The album will be released on June 8, 2018 via Summit Records.

Why at age 52 is he now making his debut as a leader? His answer is simple yet profound: "It was just time."

Known as one of the most eclectic trumpet players in New York City, Bailey is an in-demand musician and teaching artist on call for everything from traditional jazz, to R&B and pop, to classical. He became a member of The Buddy Rich Band while still in college, and his career has included long-running gigs with Ray Charles, master conguero and bandleader Ray Barretto, Max Weinberg and Frank Sinatra, Jr. His work with Latin Jazz innovator Arturo O'Farrill won two Grammy awards for the albums The Offense of the Drum and Cuba - The Conversation Continues. He has played on more than 70 albums and, as a jazz educator, has taught at the University of Miami and Florida International University.

That immersive career informed and shaped Bailey's creative approach to his first recording. For In Real Time, he dug deep and came up with a variety of riches as a composer.

"My natural inclination has always been to draw from as many different sources as possible," he explains. As a child of the 1960s, he learned from Dizzy, Miles and Bird, and was mentored by the legendary multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan who wrote the liner notes for this album. He was also influenced by artists as diverse as Jethro Tull, The Beach Boys, classical trumpeter Maurice Andre, and the Chicago Symphony brass section. "Duke Ellington said it best," says Bailey. "There are only two kinds of music: good music and the other kind."

Bailey acknowledges deliberately ignoring the boundaries between genres. "As a composer and improviser, I make no lines in the sand, though I try to keep the music coherent." For In Real Time, Bailey enlisted a group of fellow seekers and jazz veterans including saxophonist Stacey Dillard, guitarist John Hart, bassist Cameron Brown, and drummer Victor Lewis. Through seven originals and two Brazilian covers (by Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil), the album shows unusual range. From the straight-ahead and boppish, to elegiac ballads and cerebral post-bop flights, his goal is to make the music deep and wide-ranging. In each tune, regardless of where the music takes him, Bailey's ebullient personality shines through.

A trumpet prodigy, Bailey's spectacular gifts began to be noticed as a high school musician in 1984 when DownBeat Magazine cited him in its annual Student Music Awards for outstanding performances in both the classical and jazz trumpet categories, noting "Shades of Wynton!" The same year, he was a finalist in the National Foundation for Advancements in the Arts (NFAA) Arts Recognition and Talent Search, along with Donny McCaslin and Bill Charlap. He also won the National Association of Jazz Educators' Youth Talent Contest. Later, as a senior at the Eastman School of Music, he won DownBeat's Best Instrumental Soloist award.

Looking back, he says, "It all started for me when I discovered Clifford Brown. Clifford was the centerpiece of the golden era of jazz trumpet, and a great place to begin my lifelong study of the instrument. He was influenced by everyone before him, and became an influence on everyone after."

Bailey, who continues to teach privately, believes that educating the next generation of musicians is essential for any artist. "In American culture, where the arts are often ignored or deemphasized in both schools and the mainstream media, it is up to us, the artists, to inspire an appreciation for great art," he says. "By keeping performance standards as high as possible and sharing our devotion with others, especially children, we enrich countless lives."

With the success of his debut recording as a leader, John Bailey has indeed set the standard very high and enriched our lives.

https://johnbailey.com/

 

Paul Simon To Release New Album - In The Blue Light - featuring jazz icons

Legendary songwriter, recording artist and performer Paul Simon will release his 14th studio album – In The Blue Light – on September 7.  Produced by Simon and Roy Halee, who have worked together since the 1960s, the album features a talented cast of musicians who have joined Simon to lend fresh perspectives on 10 of the artist's favorite (though perhaps less-familiar) songs, drawn from his unparalleled body of work.

Revisiting his repertoire, Simon has selected songs originally appearing on There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973),  Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), One-Trick Pony (1980), Hearts and Bones (1983), The Rhythm of The Saints (1990), You're The One (2000) and So Beautiful Or So What (2011), refreshing and transforming the compositions through new arrangements and collaborations.

Among the many musicians joining Simon on In The Blue Light are jazz icons trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummers Jack DeJohnette and Steve Gadd.  Two of the compositions recorded with the New York-based chamber ensemble sextet yMusic, "Can't Run But" and "Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War," are being brought to the stage each night as show-stopping highlights on Simon's Homeward Bound – The Farewell Tour.

Simon explains in the album's liner notes, "It's an unusual occurrence for an artist to have the opportunity to revisit earlier works and re-think them; to modify, even completely change parts of the originals.

"Happily, this opportunity also gave me the gift of playing with an extraordinary group of musicians, most of whom I hadn't recorded with before. I hope the listener will find these new versions of old songs refreshed, like a new coat of paint on the walls of an old family home."

The release of In The Blue Light on September 7 coincides with the final leg of Homeward Bound – Farewell Tour in September, including four performances in the New York City area and culminating with the Final Performance on September 22 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The credits for Paul Simon's In The Blue Light are as follows:

Words and Music by Paul Simon

01 One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion

Joel Wenhardt: Piano

Nate Smith: Drums

Jim Oblon: Guitar

John Patitucci: Bass

Edie Brickell: Finger Snaps

CJ Camerieri: Trumpet

Andy Snitzer: Saxophone

02 Love

Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Harmonium

Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar

Steve Gadd: Drums

Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass

03 Can't Run But

Paul Simon: Vocal

With yMusic

Arrangement by Bryce Dessner based on the original arrangement from Rhythm of the Saints by Marco Antônio Guimarães

04 How The Heart Approaches What It Yearns

Paul Simon: Vocal

Sullivan Fortner: Piano

Nate Smith: Drums

John Patitucci: Bass

Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet

05 Pigs, Sheep and Wolves

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion

Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet

Marcus Printup: Trumpet

Dan Block: Clarinet

Walter Blanding: Saxophone

Wycliffe Gordon: Tuba

Chris Crenshaw: Trombone

Marion Felder: Drums

Herlin Riley: Tambourine

Arrangement by Wynton Marsalis

06 René and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War

Paul Simon: Vocal, Electric Guitar

With yMusic

Arrangement by Robert Sirota

07 The Teacher

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion

Odair Assad: Guitar

Sérgio Assad: Guitar

Renaud Garcia-Fons: Bass, Percussion

Walter Blanding: Saxophone

Jamey Haddad: Percussion

08 Darling Lorraine

Paul Simon: Vocal, Percussion

Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar

Vincent Nguini: Electric Guitar

Mark Stewart: Acoustic Guitar

Steve Gadd: Drums

John Patitucci: Bass

With yMusic

Arrangement by Rob Moose

09 Some Folks' Lives Roll Easy

Paul Simon: Vocal

Sullivan Fortner: Piano, Celeste

Jack DeJohnette: Drums

John Patitucci: Bass

Joe Lovano: Saxophone

10 Questions For The Angels

Paul Simon: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Harmonica, Percussion

Bill Frisell: Electric Guitar

Sullivan Fortner: Harmonium, Chromelodeon

John Patitucci: Bass

Skip LaPlante: Percussion

yMusic is

CJ Camerieri: trumpet, piccolo trumpet

Alex Sopp: flute, alto flute

Hideaki Aomori: clarinet, bass clarinet

Rob Moose: violin

Nadia Sirota: viola

Gabriel Cabezas: cello

Having created a distinctive and beloved body of work that includes 14 studio albums, plus five studio albums as half of Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon is the recipient of 16 Grammy Awards, three of which—Bridge over Troubled Water, Still Crazy after All These Years, and Graceland—were Album of the Year honorees. In 2003, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in Simon & Garfunkel, and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

During his unparalleled career, Simon has achieved 29 Top 40 singles in the U.S. alone, with 14 of those reaching the Top 10 or higher, including "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" (which reached #1), "Kodachrome," "Loves Me Like A Rock," "Mother and Child Reunion," "Late In The Evening," "You Can Call Me Al" and many others. With Simon & Garfunkel, he wrote and performed the #1 singles, "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and numerous other timeless hits.

Paul Simon is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has been inducted into the

Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, both as a member of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist. Simon was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002 and was named one of Time magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006. In 2007, Simon was awarded the inaugural Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world's culture. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011. And in 2012, he was named the recipient of the prestigious Polar Music Prize along with classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Polish-Born, NY-Based Guitarist Rafal Sarnecki Faces and Embraces His Fears on New Album "Climbing Trees"

As a young child, Polish-born guitarist/composer Rafal Sarnecki suffered from an intense fear of heights and watched with envy as other kids climbed trees. Eventually he gathered the courage to face his fears, ascending branch by branch until he reached the top. That early triumph was the first of several fears that Sarnecki has faced down throughout his life, some of them directly impinging on his passion for music - stage fright, most pointedly, but also a more nebulous trepidation about pushing his music into ever more challenging territory. On his latest album, Climbing Trees, Sarnecki celebrates the ability to overcome one's most deep-seated anxieties and the exhilaration that can come from those confrontations.

"Once I challenged myself to climb to the top of one tree I felt an urge to climb a higher tree," Sarnecki recalls. "The satisfaction from fighting the fear was very strong and addictive. This memory from childhood resembles many situations in my adult life."

On Climbing Trees (due out July 27, 2018 via Outside In Music), Sarnecki takes his cue from that formative experience, crafting a set of risk-taking original compositions that dare him and his remarkable sextet to scale daunting heights. The stellar group - saxophonist Lucas Pino, vocalist Bogna Kicinska, pianist Glenn Zaleski, bassist Rick Rosato, and drummer Colin Stranhan - not only manages to deftly navigate the composition's knotty turns but finds exhilarating inspiration in its surprising branchings. The result is music that combines attentive focus on fine detail with the euphoria of an adrenaline rush.

What's clear from the chemistry and complexity displayed by the sextet is that this is a true working band, a relative rarity on the modern jazz landscape. In its present form the band has played together for nearly seven years, though many of the relationships stretch back even further. Pino and Zaleski have been a part of Sarnecki's band for the better part of a decade; Rosato and Stranahan joined the band in 2011. Since 2009 the guitarist and Zaleski have been members of Pino's acclaimed No Net Nonet, enjoying a monthly residency at Smalls Jazz Club for the past five years.

The sextet originally featured a trumpet as part of the frontline, until Sarnecki acceded to a Brooklyn club owner's request to add a singer to the band. Rather than hiring a standards-crooning chanteuse, Sarnecki enlisted Kicinska - a fellow native of Poland who uses her versatile voice and gift for improvisation like an instrumentalist. The addition gave the band's sound an ethereal but urgent quality, and the line-up fell into place.

"It took me a few years to learn how to take advantage of the potential of the musicians," Sarnecki says. "I have absolutely incredible players in my group that do things that are very unique, so as a composer I feel a responsibility to feature their individuality in my music. That can be a little risky, because sometimes I can push it a little too hard, but fortunately, we're a working band so I don't have to be afraid of that. This allows me to come up with ideas that sound really surprising, not the same as every other modern jazz song."

Zaleski's foreboding chords open the album on "Solar Eclipse," which contrasts Kicinska's airy vocal line with Sarnecki's gnarled lines. The leader's probing solo is a standout, exploring every hidden corner and skewed angle of the tune. The title comes not from the recent astronomical phenomenon but from the unusual way the piece was composed: it originated with a particularly tricky bass line, which eventually was dropped as the tune progressed, essentially eclipsing what was once the core idea of the piece. The growling lurch of "Dadaism" doesn't immediately suggest the subversive art movement that gives the piece its title, but it comes from a time when Sarnecki was studying Dada while working on his PhD in Music Composition at the Fryderyk Chopin Music University in Warsaw. Pino and Kicinska take a tandem soar into their upper registers, launching Zaleski into an intricately focused turn.

Sarnecki's shimmering arpeggios open the three-part "Little Dolphin" suite, which, like the elegant, Rachmaninoff-inspired "Zhongguo," reflects on the guitarist's travels to China. He first visited the country in 2013 at the prompting of saxophonist Nathaniel Gao, and has since returned annually to perform and teach. "I just fell in love with the culture," Sarnecki says. "Jazz was banned in China for about 30 years and in smaller towns people have no idea how to react to this music. But in bigger cities like Beijing or Shanghai there's a huge jazz audience and wherever you go, you feel more appreciated. In New York there's so much music that it's hard to impress people, so when you come to a place like China you feel like someone actually needs what you're doing." ("Little Dolphin" is the translation of "Xi_o h_itún" - the nickname given to Sarnecki by his Chinese fans.)

The heartfelt "Write a Letter to Yourself" was inspired by a friend's self-directed missive on Facebook, while "Disappointing Fresh Peach" takes its title from an anecdote in Kenny Werner's influential book Effortless Mastery. The dizzying "Hydrodynamics" is highlighted by a taut tug-of-war between Sarnecki and Stranahan, while closing track "Homo Sapiens" straddles the line between meditative jazz and chamber music, with Pino and Rosato steering through winding curves in perfect synchronicity.

Originally from Warsaw, Poland, Rafal Sarnecki is a jazz guitarist and composer currently living in New York. As a leader of his own projects Rafa_ has toured China, Malaysia, South Korea, Chile, Israel, the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and many European countries. He has shared the stage with top musicians from the U.S. jazz scene including Joel Frahm, Ben Wendel, Ron Blake, Ingrid Jensen, Alex Sipiagin, Willie Jones III and Gary Thomas, to name a few. Rafa_'s debut album, Song From a New Place (2008), was nominated for the 2009 Fryderyk Award, the Polish equivalent of a Grammy. Rafa_ 's second album, The Madman Rambles Again, was released in 2011 by Fresh Sound New Talent. Dave Sumner from All About Jazz selected the album as among the 12 most interesting jazz releases of 2011. In August 2014 Rafa_ 's third CD, Cat's Dream, was released by Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. In 2015 a group of jazz musicians in Kyiv, Ukraine started a sextet project dedicated to his music, performing compositions from all of his albums. In addition to his career as a bandleader Sarnecki is performs in a variety of New York based groups and projects such as the Lucas Pino No-Net Nonet, Annie Chen Group and David Bertrand Quartet.

rafalsarnecki.com

Cincinnati Solo Bass Artist, Nate White, Releases 3rd CD Titled "Up Close"

Phat Bass Entertainment, Inc. announces that Nate White (www.natewhitemusic.com), a Cincinnati based solo bass artist with decades of performing, writing, and playing for crowds and fans across the country, this week will be releasing his 3rd CD for worldwide listening: "Up Close."

Due for release this summer 2018, the new CD's single, titled "Migration" will be available for downloading on August 3, 2018; also listen out for Nate White "Migration" on Jazz Radio August 13, 2018. 

White wrote, recorded, arranged, mixed, and performed on all of the tracks, with other writers such as DJ and producer Nick Luscombe out of the UK, and producer Tony Heath A.K.A. Tony Heat, Atlanta, GA. Other musicians include Randy Villars, Paul "PC" Caver, Dave Stewart, Iva Durand, and Eliot Slaughter out of Cincinnati and Dayton, Oh.

"In order to promote the upcoming launch of 'Up Close,' we're going on a 30-city tour with GAB Productions Inc. throughout the fall of 2018 to bring our new, soul-filled and passionate music to willing listeners across the country," said White.

"My fans love my funky bass, and all of the social media support I receive every day encourages me to make even more heart-filled music for my listeners."

"I put my heart and soul into the creation of this CD, and I had my fans in mind the entire time I created it," said White.

White is also the legendary bass player for the 70's group "RAMP," which was produced by Roy Ayers. His music is described as R&B, Funk, and Jazz rolled into one.

Nate has shared the stage with artist such as:

Michael Henderson, the Jazz Quartet "Gratitude," George Johnson of the "Brothers Johnson," Reggie Calloway former leader of "Midnight Star," Chuck Loeb, Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, Euge Groove, Phil Perry, Aubrey Logan, Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, Gerald Albright, and the nine GRAMMY®-nominated, platinum-selling artist, Dave Koz.

As the opening act for Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns Tour Louisville, KY, Iroquois Amphitheater, Saturday, July 14, 2018, Nate debuted the single titled "Migration," which will be available worldwide for digital downloading on August 3, 2018.

PIANIST, COMPOSER & PRODUCER BRIAN SIMPSON IS THE MASTER OF MELODY & GROOVE ON NEW CD "SOMETHING ABOUT YOU"

"Over the years I continue to appreciate how music can inspire people through good and bad times, and I never take for granted the opportunity I have to play a small part in someone's life," confides chart-topping keyboardist, composer, prolific studio musician and producer Brian Simpson. A master at crafting unforgettable melodies and timeless anthems, Simpson's soulful approach to the music has made him first call for many musicians across numerous genres. Brian Simpson's Midas touch has been called upon by everyone from Janet Jackson, Teena Marie and George Duke, to Stanley Clarke, Boney James and Dave Koz. Simpson's newest masterpiece and eighth recording as a leader, Something About You, is the perfect amalgamation of influences that are close to the pianist's heart: Jazz, R&B, Funk, Soul. His eloquent touch, sophisticated harmonic sensibility and bluesy overtones bless each of the album's ten originals. The pianist enlists help from a seasoned group of musicians including programmer and co-producer Steve Oliver and keyboardist Oliver Wendell, who also helped to co-produced the CD. The trio was joined by bassists Alex Al and Andre Berry, guitarists Darrell Crooks and Yarone Levy, percussionist Ramon Yslas and trumpeter Ron King. Brian Simpson's eighth recording as a leader find the consummate pianist churning out in the pocket grooves and dancing melodies that he has long been revered for but also pushing his sonic limits to new heights.

There are many qualities that make Brian Simpson's music distinctive but one of the most powerful elements is his ability to compose unbelievably beautiful and striking melodies. This gift has landed him on top of the charts numerous times. "I have figured out that there is no simple way to write a good song,"  he explains "You have to take time crafting every element. I will often write one melody for a song then try to come up with something completely different, then let a day go by before listening again in order to get an objective opinion on which one to use. I often make changes at the last minute, so it's a process of refinement that isn't over until it's over!"

Something About You opens with the jubilant and funky title track which shines a spotlight on Simpson's effervescent and soaring piano lines juxtaposed to the bouncy and bottom heavy bass lines of Alex Al and rhythmic fancy of  Ramon Yslas. The sweet and dreamy "Morning Samba," the album's first single and the mystical "Blue Horizon," both possess an intoxicating EDM vibe. "I wanted this project to sound modern, which I hoped to accomplish through electronic music elements," says Simpson. "This should catch your ear upon first listen. What I hoped would be unique is combining those elements with the organically funky bass and guitar that has become a distinction of my music." The pervasive feeling on Something About You is one of joy and upliftment. Simpson and company fuel the good times with the percussive "Mojave," featuring the intense and beautiful interplay between Simpson's piano and Yarone Levy's guitar. The seductive and R&B laced "Chemistry," featuring trumpeter Ron King, is a high point on the CD. "I'm following in the footsteps of those that laid the foundation of contemporary jazz music," says Simpson. "Fusing jazz and R&B is just what contemporary jazz is all about." The pop infused songs "At First Sight" and "Irresistible" show the melodic brilliance of Simpson who is unparalled in his ability to compose breathtakingly beautiful melodies that almost sing their way into your subconscious mind and soul. Something About You also features "Gotta Get To You," a sensuous ballad with a relentless rock-steady groove and the emotive "Speechless," which will tug on your heartstrings with its wistful melodic lines and Simpson's longing and tender piano touch. It is fitting that the CD closes with the gorgeous composition "The Rainbow." And just like the qualities of a rainbow, Simpson creates an an illusion all of his own - an auditory illusion spurred by his majestic touch and ability to conjure deep emotion. He shares, "My hope is always the same, that somehow the melodies, harmonies, and grooves make a connection with people."

Hailing from Gurnee, Illinois, Brian always knew music would play center stage in his life. "Our house was filled with music. My older brother and sister both played instruments, and my brother's rock band rehearsed in our living room every weekend," shares the keyboardist. "My dad listened to jazz with such a keen ear. I learned to enjoy the beauty of a great jazz solo and how to discern the musicians with great phrasing from listening to music with him."

Simpson's breakthrough as a solo artist began in 2005 with the #1 radio hit "It's All Good." The title track of It's All Good proved instantly and joyfully prophetic, as it hit #1 on the Radio & Records Smooth Jazz Airplay chart and remained in the Top 5 for four months.  His follow-up single, "Saturday Cool," went Top 15. In 2007 Simpson released Above the Clouds, which delivered the memorable radio hits "What Cha Gonna Do?" (Top 10) and "Juicy" (Top 15).  After graduating from Northern Illinois University, Simpson relocated to Los Angeles where he quickly immersed himself in the local jazz scene.  Late night jazz sessions found him playing alongside everyone from saxophonists Everette Harp and Boney James to guitarist Norman Brown.  The free-spirited musician soon found himself taking a temporary leave of absence from the jazz scene, touring the world with pop divas Teena Marie, Sheena Easton and Janet Jackson.  His foray into the pop world didn't end there; in January, 1991 he co-wrote the #1 Pop hit "The First Time" by Surface, which conquered both the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts.   Placing his success in pop aside, Brian Simpson has always been a working jazz musician.  He has toured with some of the greats of recent jazz history, including George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton, George Howard, Billy Cobham, and Gerald Albright.  Brian has been the musical director for jazz saxophonist Dave Koz for close to 20 years, and for close to a decade the Musical Director of the ambitious and highly popular  "The Smooth Jazz Cruise." In 2010 Simpson released South Beach whose title track snagged a #1 slot on the charts. Just What You Need followed in 2013 featuring the Antônio Carlos Jobim/ Vinicius de Moraes classic "The Girl From Ipanema" which hit #1 on the charts and "Emerald City," a top 3 hit. 2015's Out Of A Dream featured the Top Ten single "Skywatcher." 2016 saw the release of Persuasion which featured the top 10 single "Wonderland."

With the anticipated release of Something About You, Brian Simpson further asserts himself as one of the most thrilling and innovative pioneers on the contemporary jazz scene.  He concludes, "I have what I consider the greatest job in the world. I feel like I have much more music to make and I can hardly wait to make it."

https://jazzchill.blogspot.com/2020/01/brian-simpson-steve-oliver-are-winning.html

New Releases: Lalomie Washburn - My Music Is Hot; Vito Lalinga (Vi Mode Inc. Project) - Afrodisiac Part II; MelBreeze - Animazonia

Lalomie Washburn - My Music Is Hot (with bonus tracks)

The freaky hair on the cover might be a tipoff to the sound of the set – but the great Lalomie Washburn also has a depth to her music that you might not expect! The album is Washburn's only full set as a lead act – but one that comes after a good stretch of the 60s and 70s working in other groups, and contributing some key songs to Chaka Khan & Rufus – a legacy that has Lalomie emerging here as a fully-formed soul singer who should have been huge! Washburn's look on the cover recalls another funky female talent – the great Maxayn, who was a friend and supporter of Lalomie – and in some way, the groove here is a bit like that on Maxayn's albums from the decade – although with a warmer, tighter, more soul-focused sound – thanks to great instrumental backings from maestro Gene Page! Things are still plenty funky throughout, although sometimes in a clubbier way too – and titles include the badass "Man Power", plus "Freaky Strangeness", "Give Me Love With The Music", "What's Love", and "My Love Is Hot (Caliente)". Bonus tracks include "Two Sides (stereo)", "My Love Is Hot (7" version 1)", "My Love Is Hot (7" version 2)", "Man Power (ext 12" version)", "Double Funkin (7" mix)", "Give Me Loev With The Music (7" version)", and "Man Power (rough mix)". ~ Dusty Groove

Vito Lalinga (Vi Mode Inc. Project) - Afrodisiac Part II

Italian producer Vito Lalinga (VI Mode inc Project) is back with his second edition of Afrodisiac Part II. The release style is all about afro funk vibes combined with modern broken breaks & four on the floor beats. In this second volume we have four new tracks in a variety from mid tempo to uptempo grooves, full percussive, melodic and organic with afrofunk style guitars, heavy brass section, afro voices samples and warm melodic keys. All tracks were carefully chosen and added in this second volume as a sequel of the first volume that took great attention from this new project. Audiophile Analog Mastering: Angelos Timewarp Stoumpos at Timewarp Mastering. Vito Lalinga (Vi Mode Inc. Project) - Afrodisiac Part II will be available on July 13 for sale in special edition CDR and digital downloads.

MelBreeze - Animazonia

Turkish vocalist and visionary MelBreeze’s album titled “Animazonia” is a collection of Brazilian flavored jazz composition’s produced by Jimmy Haslip (YellowJackets) and Scott Kinsey (Tribal Tech/Joe Zawinul). MelBreeze delivers a breath of fresh air to the Brazilian songbook with her unique vocal stylings. Featuring: Melbreeze (vocals), Jimmy Haslip, Hadrien Feraud, Selcuk Karaman (bass), Scott Kinsey (keys), Cyril Atef, Gergö Borlai, Gary Novak (drums), Larry Koonse, Jeff Richman (guitar), Brad Dutz (percussion), Bob Reynolds (sax), Uday Kumar Nari (Tabla), Knand Kumar (sitar), Selim Bolukbasi (Tulum), Artyom Manukyan (cello) and Scott Kinsey (mix/master).

Urban-jazz saxophonist Sam Rucker releases “Redemption”

One of the first songs that urban-jazz saxophonist Sam Rucker recorded for his third album, “Redemption,” was the soothing “Overcomer,” on which he emotes intimately on soprano sax during an uplifting exchange with a guitar duo comprised of his nephew, Justin Taylor, and John Calisto. Tragically, both guitarists passed away unexpectedly three days apart and the tune Rucker wrote to comfort and inspire others became his own healing grace. It is a focal point of the rousing eleven-track set penned and produced by Rucker that drops August 24 from Favor Productions. 

Rucker’s life and his musical journey have evolved in recent years, growing from a gritty hip hop producer into a soul-baring R&B-contemporary jazz instrumentalist, yet his faith has never wavered. He is on a mission as an empowering evangelic emissary, using his tenor, alto and soprano sax on “Redemption” to deliver heartening orations that commiserate and console as much as persevere and conquer. His writing, production and sax play reflect a more refined, mature and sophisticated auteur who retained just enough of the raw urban grit from his edgy past to ensure that his recordings are genuine. Despite enduring pain, struggle and suffering, Rucker never loses sight of the Divine hand orchestrating it all – the victories and the losses – purposely placing his focus on the abundance of blessings and the love that cushions his every fall. 

“‘Redemption’ is a feel-good album designed to touch the inner soul, to encourage and inspire the listener. It is about perseverance, keeping the faith, overcoming some of the worst that life has to offer and coming out better on the other side. Redemption of everything that was lost: the naysayers and doubters, the narrowly missed opportunities, the emotional scars and the sore spiritual muscles from years of exercised faith. Staying steadfast and seeing the gracious hand of God redeem all and make our former days greater than the latter. It's also about making someone nod their head to the beat when they feel like hanging it during a tough time,” said Rucker.

Listeners will soon be nodding their head to the first radio single, “True Love,” when it goes for playlist adds on July 16. Rucker’s fat tenor sax packs a powerful punch on the sensually steamy mid-tempo groove graced by Calisto’s sultry nylon guitar and a celestial, gospel chorus-like affirmation that embodies the album’s message: “Take one look, and you will see, what true love has done for me, take one look and you will see, what true love has done in me.”

  

“First and foremost, the song is about the fact that despite all the mistakes I've made and how undeserving I am, God still loves me enough to redeem me and bless me with as much as he has. For the listener, ‘True Love’ could be about life with a special someone. For me, it is really about the love of God, the only true love that holds no records of wrongs and never fails. If you look at your life, you'll see evidence of His love in what He has done for you. But, when you really get it and realize that it’s Him and really receive His love, then there is a change in you that people will see. Hence the song’s lyrics.”

The Williamsburg, Virginia native debuted in 2011 with “Heat from the Heavens,” introducing his formula of hip hop beats, improv jazz and stirring inspirational messages. Three years later, “Tell You Something,” upped the ante by offering collaborations with urban stalwarts Norman Connors, Bobby Lyle, Tom Browne and Alyson Williams, boosting Rucker’s appeal at radio. His eyes averted the camera on the first album cover and were hidden behind dark glasses on the second. “Redemption” depicts a happier, lighter Rucker looking directly into the camera, eager to face and embrace what lays ahead of him with gratitude.     

  

“When I released the last album (“Tell You Something”), it was a difficult time for me personally,” admitted Rucker. “In the last five years, my life has done a complete 180. With the release of ‘Redemption,’ I feel spiritually, physically, emotionally and materially redeemed. On this album, there are no covers, no guest producers and no big-time superstar performers. Just pure, raw and real me and those closest to me.” 

  

“Redemption” contains the following songs:

“Down on the Inside” (intro)

“Down on the Inside”

“True Love”

“Overcomer”

“Nothing’s Too Hard”

“Redemption”

“Forever Forgiven”

“Follow Me”

“I Am with You”

“Throwback”

“Please Child”

https://www.samrucker.com

DRUMMER YUSSEF DAYES RELEASES COLLABORATIVE NEW SINGLE “LOVE IS THE MESSAGE”

Stepping out into his own as a solo artist, London-based drummer Yussef Dayes (formerly of celebrated jazz-funk duo Yussef Kamaal) begins a new chapter at this stage in his musical journey with two new releases, “Love Is The Message” and “Blacked Out.” Both of which are in collaboration with Alfa Mist. They represent not only a new beginning but what comes out of being able to live your own vision as a musician.

“Love Is The Message,” the first out of the two releases, was the product of a jam session with producer and composer Alfa Mist. After being made in one take, Yussef quickly saw how Alfa’s approach to composing worked in unison. The drums combined with Alfa’s strings and synths connects the pathway of a sound that began in West Africa but found its way to Brazil and London. “Being in Brazil with the colours, people and life then coming back to London in the winter, I was just trying to keep that energy going,” he says. The song also sees some scorching riffs from rising guitarist Mansur Brown. Mansur’s guitar work can be heard in the closing minutes of song adding some needed firepower to an already transcendent tune. 

Drawing heavy inspirations from a recent trip to São Paulo and Salvador in Brazil, Yussef Dayes’ solo releases are a timely and welcome addition to the mix of jazz coming out of London. “It was inspiring to be out in Brazil, sitting in treehouses and playing drums. Music and spirituality are linked and have a strong bond, it has a healing power,” Yussef says of his trip. Seeing his own music as a channel for expressive talking, even when it’s just through drums, Yussef has always sought to channel that same energy.

One of the UK’s most accomplished young drummers, Yussef Dayes first came to notoriety alongside his brothers Ahmad & Kareem in the Afrobeat-influenced jazz group United Vibrations. As one half of Yussef Kamaal, Yussef’s rhythmic work was put on full display and the Black Focus album ended up becoming one of the most heralded jazz records to emerge from the new London scene. While the band in its original form might be changing, the electric presence of Yussef Dayes remains. Yussef’s work with YK and United Vibrations has elevated the drums for a younger generation of jazz fans, showing their true potential and power. “Love Is The Message” is the first of more powerful new work from the London drummer and cements him as a solo artist to keep an eye on over the coming months.