ROBBEN FORD RELEASES BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM “PURPLE HOUSE”

earMUSIC has announced the worldwide signing of Robben Ford – the blues, jazz and rock virtuoso, who is one of the most innovative and influential contemporary premier electric guitarists, vocalist and songwriter with a celebrated career that has spanned almost five decades.

The five-time Grammy nominee achieved worldwide fame for both, being a solo artist and for his collaborations with a diverse musical Who’s Who that includes Miles Davis, George Harrison, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Dizzy Gillespie, Georgie Fame, Kiss and many more. 

With both parents being passionate musicians themselves, Robben early found his love for music and especially for playing guitar – and it was a love that should last forever. Today his commitment to teaching and passing on what he’s learned over the years to current and future musicians is an essential component of his career. 

Purple House, his brand new studio album, co-produced by Casey Wasner, features nine powerhouse tracks and the album’s genesis, according to Ford, was simple and uncomplicated. “My concept for the record was to do something with a lot more emphasis on the production than I’ve had in the past”, says Robben. “I’m always pushing myself with each record. I haven’t made one record that sounded like the one before it and this was going to be no different. ‘Purple House’ was a great opportunity to try something really different.” 

And he adds: “I used to deliberately write blues and rhythm and blues. The Blue Line, that band really focused on blues and rhythm and blues. Traditional. But over the years I’ve really tried to expand that and this new record, more than anything I’ve ever done, is a real departure from tradition in terms of the songwriting.” 

On Purple House we hear special guests appearances such as blues powerhouse vocalist Shemekia Copeland; she sings a duet with Ford on “Break In The Chain.” Travis McCready, the lead singer of the Natchez, Mississippi band Bishop Gunn, contributes the lead vocals on “Somebody’s Fool.”  And we hear a fantastic guitar solo of Bishop Gunn’s guitarist Drew Smithers on the album’s closing track “Willing To Wait”. 

Track listing

1. Tangle With Ya

2. What I Haven’t Done

3. Empty Handed

4. Bound For Glory

5. Break In The Chain

6. Wild Honey

7. Cotton Candy

8. Somebody’s Fool

9. Willing to Wait

Conya Doss' CLEAR is a 13-song compilation of smoothness, soul, rhythym, and melody

Ohioan Conya Doss voice reflects the sounds of the past, present, as well as what is yet to come. Ms. Doss makes it no secret that her musical taste is a mix of genres classical, soul, blues etc., in which she describes good music as being Like Gumbo, it taste better with time, the next day and the next. This is apparent in her most recent project CLEAR. With undeviating smoothness, soul, rhythm, and melody, the poised songstress has composed a 10 song compilation of perfectly placed instrumentation intertwined with her smooth vocals, with a hint of rasp, provides a journey into the world of accountability, vulnerability, capability, as well as accepting life s offerings. 

Doss first single I’m Trying , Conya croons over a groovy, funky bass, mid-tempo flow, which a host of highly respected musical gurus have coined Another Doss Classic, demonstrating that the songbird s consistent quality music stands with the best of them. I’m Trying is dear to me because it speaks volumes as where my state of mind is right now. Forever a student of life, trying to learn more, trying to live better, and trying to do better. Just trying to be… Another standout tune is Get Off Of Your…. Doss that gives a 70ish disco groove that is guaranteed to make you wanna dance. and Hello provides creative songwriting letting us know that it s never too late to find true love. Given You My Love is another banger consists of a smooth jazzy tune compelling love one not to close other out that they don t have to weather storms alone!! Myron Davis and Rodney Jones serve as the main producers on CLEAR in addition to producer Aaron Hardin. All of Doss album titles are authentically steeped in the spirit of growth and change Clear does just that. It focuses on being transparent and clearing thoughts to music in order to be better aligned with ones spiritual self.

Joey Negro – Remixed With Love Vol 3 features his own inimitable spin on more than a dozen seminal records

Soaring sounds from Joey Negro – a man who's given us plenty of great club tracks on his own, and who here works some real magic with a host of gems from the glory days of disco! The tunes are all expanded wonderfully – given a prime edit sort of treatment – as Joey focuses on key elements that really make the tunes special, then expands them out in a wonderful way – a catchy vocal here, slamming piano there, and so on – all at a level that makes most of these cuts even stronger stormers than in their original versions! 

Titles include "Do The Bus Stop (Joey Negro London bus stop mix)" by Fatback Band, "It's Alright With Me (Joey Negro ext dub)" by Patti LaBelle, "I'm In Love (Joey Negro tribute to Kashif mix)" by Evelyn Champagne King, "Party Lites (Joey Negro boogiefied mix)" by Slave, "Bourgie Bourgie (Joey Negro super bourgeoise rmx)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "You Fooled Around (Joey Negro fooled around mix)" by Sister Sledge, "Going Back To My Roots (Joey Negro disco re-blend) by Odyssey, "Found A Cure (Joey Negro found a dub mix)" by Ashford & Simpson, "Looking Up To You (Joey Negro super sweet mix)" by Michael Wycoff, "Can't Let Go (Joey Negro elevated mix)" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Don't Stop Your Love (Joey Negro paradise mix)" by Booker T, "Love To The World (Joey Negro Mizell magic mix)" by LTD, "So You Wanna Be A Star (Joey Negro disco re-blend)" by Mtume, "Way Back When (Joey Negro ext disco mix)" by Brenda Russell, "Going Up In Smoke (Joey Negro big smoke mix)" by Eddie Kendricks, "I Am Somebody (Joey Negro finessed rmx)" by Glenn Jones, "Never Gonna Give You Up (Joey Negro re-grooved mix)" by Patrice Rushen, "You (Joey Negro zoomed in mix)" by Samuel Jonathan Johnson, "Free (Joey Negro re-grooved mix)" by Deniece Williams, "Shining (Joey Negro tribute to Leroy Burgess mix)" by Venus Dodson, "Doin It (Joey Negro soulful reprise)" by Gwen McCrae, and "Shante (Joey Negro cosmic funk mix)" by Mass Production. ~ Dusty Groove

New Releases: George Freeman - Man & Woman; Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics; Jacques Lesure - For The Love Of You

George Freeman - Man & Woman

One of the more laidback albums from George Freeman's early 70s run – but still a great little set that shows the mellower side of his talents! Despite the sexy style of the cover, the sound here is relatively straight soul jazz – small combo work with Harold Mabern on acoustic piano, Kenny Barron on electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Buddy Williams on drums – all in support of Freeman's snakey guitar lines over the gentle rhythms and slinky grooves. George's sound is slightly less tripped-out than on other records, but still has that undeniable Freeman tone – a raspy edge that's quite different than most of his contemporaries! Titles include "I Ain't Got Nobody", "You've Changed", "Groovy Lady", "Squeeze Me", and "Till There Was You". (Part of the Groove Merchant Mo' Groovy Collection!) ~ Dusty Groove

Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics

One of the greatest things about Neneh Cherry in recent years is the way she's developed a strong sense of creative collaboration – which she definitely continues here, on a record done with great help from Keiran Hebden! Hebden produced, mixed, and co-wrote much of the set – and most of the music feels as if he's making contributions as well, although at a level that's quite different than most of his own music – almost as if the strong vocals and lyrics from Neneh helped unlock this really great corner of his talents, which get refocused on the record to also help bring a strong sense of vibrancy to Cherry's music as well – and almost have us rediscovering her all over again. Cherry and Hebden have worked together in the past, but there's really something different – and more soulful – going on here. Titles include "Shot Gun Shack", "Deep Vein Thrombosis", "Fallen Leaves"," Kong", "Faster Than The Truth", "Black Monday", and "Natural Skin Deep".  © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc.

Jacques Lesure - For The Love Of You

Guitarist Jacques Lesure has a nice round tone – a strong single-note line that reminds us a bit of Bobby Broom at times, but which is also set up here with superb accompaniment from Eric Reed on piano, Tony Dumas on bass, and Willie Jones III on drums! Lesure's no-nonsense right from the start – with often more of a sharp focus than Reed's piano, which makes for a nice mix of modes – and really emphasizes the clarity of his tone when his solos take off! Tunes include a long take on the Cedar Walton classic "Holy Land", a sweet version of the Marvin Gaye classic "I Want You", and versions of "The Lamp Is Low", "For the Love Of You", and "That's The Way Of The World".  ~ Dusty Groove

New Releases: Butcher Brown - Camden Session; Chicago – Greatest Hits Live; Kaidi Tatham - In My Life EP

Butcher Brown - Camden Session

Really fantastic sounds from Butcher Brown – a group who just seem to leap forward more and more with each new release – and who've really hit their groove with this well-recorded performance! The album was recorded live to disc in London – with a superb sound that only further emphasizes the sharp instrumentation that make these guys way more than just another funky combo – the fluid blend of heavy drums, warm keyboards, rich bass, and great interplay between guitar, trumpet, and occasional tenor – handled with the dexterity of a 70s jazz funk supergroup, but with all the lean energy of a funky 45! The tunes are all originals, all nice and long, and wonderfully soulful – and titles include "918", "Camden Square", "Street Pharmacy", and "Fiat". ~ Dusty Groove

Chicago – Greatest Hits Live

Chicago went back to their namesake hometown’s acclaimed WTTW-TV studios to record a new collection of their greatest hits. Greatest Hits Live features a career-spanning collection of Chicago favorites, including “Beginnings,” “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day,” “I’m A Man,” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is,” as well as the chart topping “If You Leave Me Now,” “Hard Habit To Break,” and “You’re The Inspiration.” Greatest Hits Live is a companion piece to the Chicago II: Live On Soundstage release. It’s available in a CD and CD/DVD format.

Kaidi Tatham - In My Life EP

Blinding sounds from Kaidi Tatham – an artist who's really continued the best spirit of the 4Hero sound with records like this! The set's only got four tracks, but you'll hardly miss anything at all – as Tatham packs so much into such a small space – changing up the rhythms in this amazing way, while also creating explosively soulful keyboard moments amidst the moodier basslines! Nadine Charles sings a bit on the record, but the instrumental spaces speak volumes themselves – and titles include "Freddie Can't Run Away", "But You Bring It Up", "Is Crimbo Really Here", and "In My Life". ~ Dusty Groove

The New York Standards Quartet To Release Heaven Steps To Seven

By the numbers the New York Standards Quartet (NYSQ) is downright impressive, touring and recording together for thirteen years, with six critically acclaimed recordings in its oeuvre. The band's seventh album, their first to be available on vinyl, and featuring bassist Ugonna Okegwo (a regular member for many of the band's U.S. tours), Heaven Steps To Seven, builds on the great success of their catalog (most recently, Sleight of Hand, The New Straight Ahead and Power of 10). Saxophonist Tim Armacost, pianist David Berkman, drummer Gene Jackson & double bassist Ugonna Okegwo once again offer the listener reimagined standards from the vast canon of jazz and the Great American Songbook that reflect the band's spontaneous, transformational approach. The band is a rarity; one that honors the tradition of this music, representing it authentically, but also creating environments which feel and sound new.

The NYSQ have come a long way in their thirteen years. Tim Armacost warmly acknowledges the closeness of the collaboration: "We all contribute suggestions for classic songs to reinterpret, and the music we conceive taps into the important values of the band - our longevity, our deep friendship. Sometimes we bring pretty much completed arrangements, others just evolve on the bandstand as we play."

  

Such a musical affinity, reaped from the vastness of their respective experiences in many different projects as leaders and sidemen, is distilled into a recording of remarkable finesse, once again refracting kaleidoscopic colors across old favorites and less familiar treasures from the jazz heritage. Having played together for so long, Armacost highlights two key facets: "One is to discover a beautiful standard you haven't heard before; the other is finding something well known, then portraying it differently. So we honor the tradition of this music, representing it authentically, but also creating environments which feel new."

Heaven Steps To Seven opens with the warm, inviting intro to "Tonight" (Leonard Bernstein, from "West Side Story"), before the band launches into the main theme at a medium-up tempo that drips of propulsion while being right in the pocket. "Cheryl" (by Charlie Parker, 1947) is given a magnificent facelift, almost disguising its blues form, as it becomes a vessel for group expeditions. Horace Silver's "Peace" (originally released on Silver's recording "Blowing The Blues Away" from 1959) is up next. This type of meditative ballad was an anomaly for the legendary pianist/composer/bandleader, and it is a fitting tribute to Silver that the NYSQ selected this gem from his repertoire, and rendered it with such love and care. It was "Charlie Parker With Strings" that brought "If I Should Lose You" (from the 1935 film "Rose of the Rancho") to the awareness of the jazz world (later recorded by Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Roy Haynes Mulgrew Miller, Hank Mobley and many others). In the hands of the NYSQ it becomes reborn as a tour-de-force, featuring Armacost's brilliant sound on soprano sax on top of the rhythm section that has the afterburners on. Following Armacost's solo, the band brings it down to earth for Berkman's harmonically sophisticated trip through the changes.

Side two of the album opens with Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" which debuted in 1944 in Porter's "Seven Lively Arts," so it's a nice choice for the NYSQ's seventh album. The band eschews the song's typical bouncy feel, instead opting to play it with a straight eighth note feel, instantly bringing the frequently recorded tune into the 21st century, and into the band's repertoire. Indeed, as they do with many tunes, this sounds as if they composed it. The guys stay on the Cole Porter track with "I Love You" (a hit song for Bing Crosby in 1944), featuring an attention-grabbing intro from bassist Ugonna Okegwo, and completely modernized by the band, in part because they play the "A" sections in nine! For the second ballad on Heaven Steps To Seven the band chose the lovely, "I'll Keep Loving You." It is played with such crystalline virtuosity that NYSQ's rendition stands tall when compared to versions by such legends as Bud Powell, Chick Corea and Tommy Flanagan. Heaven Steps To Seven closes with "Eye Of The Hurricane" which originally appeared on Herbie Hancock's fifth album, "Maiden Voyage" (recorded in 1965 for Blue Note Records). Drummer Gene Jackson toured with Hancock for many years beginning in the Fall of 1991, so is it any wonder that he "owns" this tune, as does the rest of the band in turn?           

NYSQ - Heaven Steps To Seven:

1 - Tonight (L. Bernstein)

2 - Cheryl (C. Parker)

3 - Peace (H. Silver)

4 - If I Should Lose You (R. Rainger/L. Robin)

5 - Every Time We Say Goodbye (C. Porter)

6 - I love You (C. Porter)

7 - I'll Keep Loving You (B. Powell)

www.NYSQ.org 

Louise Cappi honors New Orleans’ Tri-centennial

Louise Cappi, the American & internationally acclaimed Jazz/Blues, Soul singer-songwriter, has a soulful dedication to her city of New Orleans entitled “Bella Nola.” This compelling song captured the true essence of the Crescent City and what it signifies.

The Adult-Contemporary piece is Louise’s ode to everything that New Orleans means to her, as well as millions of others. As a result of all the positive feedback received when performing the song live; Louise Cappi Prod has asked her fans to support a petition that was created. The petition (which can be found at, www.gopetition.com/petitions/bella-nola-by-louise-cappi-for-new-orleans-tricentennial.html), requested Louise’s fans to champion the song, “Bella Nola” to be a part of the City’s Tri-centennial Celebrations. 300 signatures were desired to correlate 300 years, to which that mark was proudly surpassed.

Louise has performed with Jazz Royalty,  Delfeoyo Marsalis, the Prince of Treme, Glen David Andrews, & The Great Blues Man, to name a few. Louise fronts her own high energy band, LOUISE CAPPI & SOUL XPO. Her collective is a high energy Soul band with elements of Jazz, Blues & cabaret.

With ease Louise transitions from one genre to another. She’s a skilled Jazz improvisation artist, a butt- kickin Blues woman & a Soul stirring R&B songstress.

Her current performance venues include Mahogany Jazz Hall, 30/90, Snug Harbor, Vaso, and Sambuca Café of Houston, TX

Listen to Bella NOLA, honoring New Orleans’ Tri-centennial HERE

The Temptations' 'Cloud Nine' Album Reissued By Motown/UMe In Limited Color Vinyl Edition

Released by Gordy/Motown in February 1969, Cloud Nine put The Temptations at the forefront of "psychedelic soul." Featuring the debut of lead singer Dennis Edwards and produced by Norman Whitfield, the album is highlighted by the GRAMMY®-winning No. 2 Billboard R&B / No. 6 Billboard Hot 100 hit "Cloud Nine;" the full-length version of the No.1 R&B / No. 6 Billboard Hot 100 smash "Run Away Child, Running Wild;" and other Tempts classics. Today, Cloud Nine is reissued by Motown/UMe in a limited vinyl LP edition on psychedelic, spaced-out color swirl vinyl matching the album's vivid original cover art.

  

The Temptations' ninth studio album, Cloud Nine topped Billboard's R&B Albums chart at No. 1 for 13 weeks and it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The GRAMMY Award won for the album's title track (Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Duo or Group, Vocal or Instrumental) was the group's first, as well as the first for Motown Records.

The album's "Run Away Child, Running Wild" is a sprawling, nine-minute and 21-second piece that moves from its first half with vocals (the part extracted for the album's second single) into an instrumental jam session, featuring Motown's Funk Brothers band with Earl Van Dyke on swirling organ, and Dennis Coffey and "Wah Wah" Watson on guitars.

Influenced by Sly & the Family Stone's provocative fusion of rock 'n' roll, R&B, and funk, and set against the social and political turbulence of late 1960s America, Cloud Nine introduced a notable new direction for The Temptations' style, while also helping to pave the way to 1970s funk/soul.

"You can't expect to last if you don't make some changes with the times," Temptations leader and founding member Otis Williams said of the album. "What really grabbed me was Sly & the Family Stone's first hits."

"'Cloud Nine' and 'Run Away Child, Running Wild' not only work as pop protest but bear witness to how funky these smoothies have become." – Robert Christgau

The album is not all psychedelic soul, however, with "Hey Girl" and "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me" strongly showcasing The Temptations' classic harmonies, aural depth, and unvarnished feeling. "Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me" had been previously recorded by Jimmy Ruffin, while "Hey Girl" was originally a Top 10 ballad in 1963 for Freddie Scott.

The Temptations' first new album in eight years, All The Time, was released May 4, 2018 by UMe. Praised by the Associated Press for its "musical magic," the album features the legendary group's inspired renditions of songs by Sam Smith, Bruno Mars, John Mayer, Maxwell, Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson, and The Weeknd, and three new, original Temptations songs.

Following this year's acclaimed, sold-out engagements in Washington, Los Angeles, and Toronto, the electrifying Temptations musical, Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations, will open on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on March 21, 2019, following previews that begin February 28. Presented by the most recent recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant," playwright Dominique Morisseau, Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo, and two-time Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff, Ain't Too Proud explores the group's extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to Motown fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

temptationsofficial.com

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The Temptations: Cloud Nine

SIDE A

1. Cloud Nine

2. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

3. Run Away Child, Running Wild

SIDE B

1. Love Is A Hurtin' Thing

2. Hey Girl

3. Why Did She Have To Leave Me (Why Did She Have To Go)

4. I Need Your Lovin'

5. Don't Let Him Take Your Love From Me

6. I Gotta Find A Way (To Get You Back)

7. Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love

 

ESPERANZA SPALDING CONJURES ‘12 LITTLE SPELLS’ IN CONTINUATION OF HER AUDACIOUS APPROACH TO CREATION

‘12 Little Spells’ finds Spalding conjuring in the medium of musical creation, through an exploration of the body, human energy and healing. Working alongside Esperanza on this project are visual artist Carmen Daneshmandi, opera/theater director Elkhanah Pulitzer, wardrobe specialist Diego Montoya, and video artist Ethan Samuel Young. Each collaborator is creating key elements of ’12 Little Spells’ without hearing any music, having only the project title and spell names as inspiration.

Read a statement from Esperanza on ‘12 Little Spells’ here: https://bit.ly/2QZn7dA

In the coming days, Esperanza will also reveal details of a series of 12 pop-up shows.  Each performance will focus on a single spell and feature an explosion of music and words, color and movement. No two events will be the same. The performances will be recorded for a live concert film that will be released next year.  Exclusive limited music and items will be available only at these shows, with a full deluxe package to be released by Concord Records in 2019.

‘12 Little Spells’ arrives just one year after ‘Exposure,’ in which Spalding composed and recorded a new album entirely from scratch in just 77 hours, while livestreaming every minute of the process to the world.  In 2016 she released ‘Emily’s D+ Evolution,’ which earned her a Pitchfork Best New Music review, inclusion on several year-end critics lists, and appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show, Real Time with Bill Maher and beyond.

‘12 Little Spells’ was composed by Esperanza Spalding.  It features Spalding on vocals, Matthew Stevens on guitar, Justin Tyson on drums, Aaron Burnett on saxophone, Burniss Travis on bass, Corey King on background vocals, and Rob Schwimmer on continuum.

New Releases: Norah Jones - A Song With No Name; Nate White – Up Close; Steve Flowers - Missing You

Norah Jones - A Song With No Name

          

Norah Jones and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy have collaborated on “A Song With No Name,” the third in a series of singles that Norah has released over recent months. It follows the organ-and-horn drenched soul song “It Was You,” featuring drummer Brian Blade, bassist Christopher Thomas, organist Pete Remm, trumpeter Dave Guy, and tenor saxophonist Leon Michels, and the riveting song “My Heart Is Full ,” a collaboration with Thomas Bartlett. Norah is currently performing a series of concerts in California and will make her debut at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Nate White – Up Close

Discovered by the legendary Roy Ayers in the mid-70’s, bassist Nate White has been all about the funk, R&B and jazz for decades, bringing the deep bottom grooves as an opening act for everyone from Chuck Loeb, Jeff Lorber and Everette Harp to Euge Groove and the recent Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns Tour. On UP CLOSE, the Cincinnati native plays and plucks his crazy-infectious, low toned melodies like a guitarist, weaving in and out of silky atmospheres, old school keys, spacey synth effects, and hypnotic funk and hip-hop percussion. Most of the tracks are grooving fun, but one is a thoughtful, socially conscious ballad inspired by the immigration issues currently dominating the news. ~ smoothjazz.com

Steve Flowers - Missing You

Chicago flutist, composer and music educator Steve Flowers may have titled his latest album Missing You in tribute to a departed friend, but this super soulful, dreamily melodic and rhythmically diverse collection is more about celebrating. Playing an array of flutes – including the piccolo, bass and G flute – the multi-talented artist, who has performed with everyone from Take 6 and Koko Taylor to Regina Belle and B.B. King, takes us on a whimsical yet wistful, emotionally compelling journey filled with pop, R&B, light funk, improvisational jazz and vibrant, spirited Latin pleasures. ~ smoothjazz.com    

Saxophonist Lucas Pino challenges jazz's hidebound traditions on thrilling third album with his No Net Nonet

Pino and No Net Nonet perform last Tuesday of every month at Smalls Jazz Club in NYC. There's an age-old debate in jazz that pits heart versus head, contrasting emotion and feeling against technical virtuosity and compositional complexity. On That's a Computer, the third release from saxophonist/composer Lucas Pino and his No Net Nonet, the argument is put to rest with a resounding "BOTH." The hairpin twists of the album's seven compositions, contributed by Pino, his bandmates, and an unsung, anonymous video game composer, draw ferociously swinging, pulse-racing performances from the gifted nine-piece ensemble that are as moving for the soul as they are daunting for the brain.

That's a Computer, due out October 19, 2018 via Outside In Music, takes its title from a comment made by one of Pino's professors at the Juilliard School. The teacher, himself a respected instrumentalist and revered jazz veteran, dismissed the work of one of Pino's idols with those three sneering words. At least it put the young saxophonist in good company - the same professor had derided Pino's own playing in similar terms, despite never sharing his wisdom with Pino directly.

"It's like they say, you never want to meet your heroes," Pino says. "I never even met this professor, but he would apparently hear me play at school concerts and always infer that I had a lot of brains but not a lot of heart. He never addressed me, never introduced himself, apparently had no interest in trying to help me with whatever deficiencies he thought I had, which has been a piece of sand in my clamshell for years. So I wanted to turn it around and make it a self-affirmation."

One listen to Alex LoRe's jubilant, soaring "Antiquity" or the tender, romantic "Film at 11" and there's no mistaking the music of That's a Computer for the work of some unfeeling automaton. The title thus becomes a winking challenge, a musical Turing test that dares listeners to stay unmoved by the impassioned playing even as the music veers into greater complexity. That even applies to the one piece that does trace its origins to a box of circuits, "Baseball Simulator 1000," the theme song for a vintage Nintendo game that wormed its way into Pino's ears during countless hours playing America's virtual pastime with a few of his roommates. It makes for a surprisingly spirited finale.

Almost a decade into its existence, the aptly-named, tightrope-walking No Net Nonet has become a rich and versatile vehicle for Pino's open-eared approach. With the exception of drummer Jimmy Macbride, who came aboard for 2017's The Answer Is No, the line-up remains intact from the Nonet's self-titled 2015 debut: alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, trumpeter Mat Jodrell, trombonist Nick Finzer, baritone saxophonist Andrew Gutauskas, guitarist Rafal Sarnecki, pianist Glenn Zaleski, and bassist Desmond White. Chilean-born singer-songwriter Camila Meza guests on two tracks, providing gorgeous wordless vocals to Pino's tense "Frustrations" and a scintillating interpretation of the words of poet Pablo Neruda on Sarnecki's "Sueno de Gatos."

The close ties that the band's members have forged since initially coming together in 2009 were honed by a continuous five-year monthly residency at Smalls Jazz Club and are exemplified by Pino's playful "Horse of a Different Color." Named for the shade-shifting Technicolor beast of burden from The Wizard of Oz, the piece is a portrait of the composer's bandmates in collage. Setting out to write a blues to showcase their talents, he contacted each of the soloists and asked their favorite keys to solo over. The end result cycles through their choices, shining the spotlight on each member in turn.

The heart-wrenching "Film at 11" suggests a tragedy played for ratings on the nightly news but in fact traces the progress of a date, delicately capturing the nervousness, anticipation and thrill of newfound romance. "Look Into My Eyes" is a love letter to the Arizona native's fellow New Yorkers, a plea for eye contact and human connection in a city better known for impersonal brusqueness and unflagging pace. "You can feel completely alone on a subway car packed with people," Pino says, "and there's something wrong with that. Looking somebody else in the eyes can be an invitation to interact, and New Yorkers often don't have the time or patience for that. That can create a caustic environment, and I think that every once in a while if we just acknowledged each other's humanity it would make living in the city a little bit easier."

Ultimately, if albums like That's a Computer are the result of a negative experience with a musical hero, perhaps the bad blood is worth it. Pino laughs at the experience now and admits to enjoying the drama, though he has learned a personal as well as a musical lesson from the ordeal.

"When you grow up listening to somebody and really appreciate their artistry it's disappointing to encounter them and have the experience to turn out nasty," Pino says. "I think being dismissive is probably harming the dismisser more than the dismissed. I never want to be callous or indifferent to new ideas, new people or new ways of playing. It's like improv comedy: the first rule is to always say 'Yes' and build from there. Don't be afraid; no fear." And no net.

New York City-based tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino has led the inventive No Net Nonet for the better part of a decade, maintaining a monthly residency at Smalls Jazz Club in NYC since March 2013. At the same time he's performed as a sideman for artists including Lea DeLaria, Gideon van Gelder, Takuya Kuroda, Richard Boukas, David Lopato, Lauren Desberg, Rafal Sarnecki, Nick Finzer, Jeremy Siskind, Dave Baron, Alex Wintz, Jorn Swart, Marike van Dijk, and Florian Hoefner. He also plays frequently with Bryan Carter & The Young Swangers, and the Steven Feifke Big Band. Pino has shared the stage with such legendary artists as Dave Brubeck, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Christian McBride, Carl Allen, Benny Green and David Sanborn. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Pino grew up singing hymns in church and in the choir at school. The first music he ever listened to was jazz, and he started playing saxophone at age 10. As a high school junior, he won the DownBeat Student Music Award for Best Instrumental Soloist in 2004, and went on to attend the Brubeck Institute, finishing his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Jazz Performance at The New School in 2009. He received a Masters of Music from Juilliard in 2011. Pino has since traveled the world, performing in Japan, Australia, Poland, Spain, Britain, The Netherlands, Brazil, and Costa Rica, as well as throughout the United States and Canada.

lucaspino.com

Top Entertainers Celebrate the Living Legends Foundation’s 2018 Honorees with Record-Setting Year at its Annual Awards Gala

On Friday, October 5, top entertainers came out to celebrate The Living Legends Foundation’s 2018 honorees at its 22nd Award Show and Dinner at Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood, CA.

“This year’s awards ceremony was one of the best – if not the best – in the foundation’s 27-year history,” says David. C. Linton, Chairman of the Living Legends Foundation. “The attendance surpassed previous years and included people not only from radio and records but all areas of entertainment. It is a testament to the achievements of the honorees as well as the great work by the organization. I would like to thank all of our sponsors, board members, volunteers, and everyone who came out to make this event a record-setting year.”

Eddie Levert, Yo-Yo, Kenny Lattimore, and Lenny Williams were among the guests to pay tribute to this year’s distinguished honorees. Hosted by radio personality DeDe McGuire of the syndicated radio show “DeDe in the Morning,” the awards show honored Michael Mauldin, CEO of Mauldin Brand, Inc., with the Lifetime Achievement Award; Hurricane Dave Smith, Vice President of Programming and Operations of Radio One Atlanta, was presented with the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award; Cynthia Johnson, CEO of Aloro Marketing, received the Music Label Executive Award; Eddie Sims and Belinda Wilson, Partners of Moonridge Entertainment International, were recipients of the Entrepreneur Award; Denise Brown Henderson, Esq., Principal, was presented with the first-ever Mike Bernardo Executive Award, which is given to an outstanding female executive for demonstrating excellence in music and entertainment; Pat Shields, Partner of Black Dot LLC, was the recipient of the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award; and Bruce W. Talamon, photographer and author, who recently released his critically acclaimed book “Bruce W. Talamon Soul, R&B and Funk Photographs 1972 – 1982,” was presented with a special Living Legends honor.

Sylvia Rhone, President of Epic Records, and Azim Rashid, Senior Vice President of Promotion of Roc Nation, were the Honorary Chairperson and the Event Chairperson, respectively. Kenny Lattimore, Grammy Award-nominated recording artist, performed a set of his signature hits. The LLF also presented a special live tribute to the late Aretha Franklin that included performances by Margo Thunder, recording artist and former lead singer of 9.9; Reggie Calloway, multiple award-winning recording artist and songwriter and executive of Sound Royalties; Lenny Williams, recording artist and former lead singer of Tower Of Power, Yo-Yo, recording artist; and Lattimore.

The L.A. City Council presented Certificates of Recognition to the Living Legends honorees, which was given by Dina Andrews, Sr. Field Deputy/CD 8 West. The LLF was chartered in Los Angeles in 1991. The program line-up also featured a presentation by LoLita Toney, Director of Development and Chief of Staff of the National Museum of African American Music, scheduled to open in 2019 in Nashville, TN.

The Living Legends Foundation’s 2018 sponsors included Platinum Sponsors Hitco Music, Sound Royalties and Warner Chappell Music; Gold Sponsor Epic Records; Entertainment Sponsor The Estate of Michael Jackson; Silver Sponsors All Access Music Group, City National Bank, Empire Distribution Group, and Money Making Conversations; Table Sponsors Anchor Promotions, Atlantic Records, Billboard Publications, BMG Music Group, Capitol Records, Cynthia Johnson, Def Jam Records, Motown Records, RCA Records, RocNation, and WU Music. Specialty Cocktails were presented by Revel Spirits. Media Partners included EURWEB.com, Moses Media, Music Industry Quarterly, Radio Facts, and The Urban Buzz.

The gifting sponsors for honorees and guests included Angelo Ellerbee, Bruce W. Talamon, Dr. DeForest Soaries, Dr. Frisby Hair Products, Demo, Empire Distribution, Hollywood Fit Body, Kenny Lattimore, Logan Westbrooks/Ascent Publishing, LA Dodgers, LA Lakers, Louis Carr/DLS Men’s Conference & Soul Train Music Awards, Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, HBO, My Black Is Beautiful, OWN, Pedi-Licious Footwear, Revel Spirits, Rhino Records, SESAC, Shea Moisture, Sheri Riley, Sound Royalties, The REAL, Tracy Robinson, Under Amour, US Bank, and Warner Bros. Home Video.

The Living Legends Foundation continues its mission to honor the best and the brightest in the ever-changing and evolving music and entertainment industries. The foundation’s core mission is to honor pioneers and professionals who have broken new ground in the areas of broadcasting, recorded music, marketing, retail, publicity, publishing, digital, creative, and philanthropy.

The Living Legends Foundation Officers and Board Members include Chairman David Linton, President Varnell Johnson, Vice-President Jacqueline Rhinehart, Recording Secretary Pat Shields, founder and Treasurer C.C. Evans, and General Counsel Kendall Minter, Esq. Board Members include Vinny Brown, Sheila Eldridge, Marcus Grant, Tony Gray, Ken Johnson, Barbara Lewis, Miller London, Sidney Miller, Kathi Moore, Jon Platt, Gwendolyn Quinn, Sam Weaver, and Colleen Wilson.

The Living Legends Foundation Advisory Board includes a list of distinguished entertainment executives, including founder Ray Harris, Monica Alexander, Vivian Scott Chew, Don Cody, George Daniels, Brad Davidson, Michael Dawson, Esq., Skip Dillard, Kevin Fleming, Shannon Henderson, James Leach, Vicki Mack Lataillade, Gail Mitchell, Azim Rashid, Lionel Ridenour, Kevin Ross, A.J. Savage, T.C. Thompkins, Irene Ware, Tyrone Williams, Buzzy Willis, and Tony Winger.

For additional information on the Living Legends Foundation, please visit www.livinglegendsfoundation.com.

Vocalist Annie Chen's sophomore recording Secret Treetop heralds the arrival of an innovative, sophisticated composer with globe-spanning musical influences

Vocalist and composer Annie Chen, born in Beijing and based in New York, is both musically and geographically international. As a child she studied classical piano but also fell in love with jazz. As an adult she became interested in traditional music from around the world. All of those influences emulsify into a unique style of Chen's own on her second album, Secret Treetop, to be released November 2, 2018 through Shanghai Audio&Video Ltd. Co.

"When you are standing at the top of the tree, you can see a much wider world," says Chen in explaining Secret Treetop's title. "It's just like that when you're making music: You need to see farther and open your mind and heart. Everything must be open."

The album adds additional layers of global music influence by way of Chen's octet, which features Polish guitarist Rafal Sarnecki, Japanese violinist Tomoko Omura and Canadian trumpeter David Smith alongside American jazz musicians Glenn Zaleski (piano), Alex LoRe (alto saxophone/flute), Mat Muntz (bass) and Jerad Lippi (drums).

Secret Treetop is not the beginning of Chen's journey into the wider world she mentions. Her debut recording, 2014's Pisces the Dreamer, was painted with a similar palette of world music influences. The sophomore release refreshes that palette with new sounds, many of them brought to Chen by new collaborators.

"I like to listen to a lot of different countries' traditional music," Chen says. "I have a lot of Turkish friends, and I studied with a Turkish percussionist. My guitarist [Sarnecki], who is also an arranger, is from Poland, and I was influenced a lot by the Eastern European traditional music he played for me: Polish, Croatian, Bulgarian, Czech."  Chen was also charmed by the Balkan a cappella choirs she encountered at Brooklyn's Zlatne Uste Golden Festival. They shaped her approach to the album's title track, which otherwise wears its East Asian influence on its sleeve. "I wanted to create the feeling of singing out in the open," she explains. "I'm standing on top of the tree, and I sing to the mountain."

The Turkish influence is most apparent in the whirling dervish violin and mixed-meter polyrhythms of the album-opening "Ozledim Seni" ("Miss You"). The lyrical content of the song is also evocative. "I created a scene of going back a thousand years ago to the Ottoman Empire," Chen says. "I heard so many stories from my friends about Turkish history. It's also about my Turkish friends coming to visit me, and how much I would miss them after I took them back to the airport."

Chen's interest in traditional music includes repertoire from her childhood, which she explores in a pair of folk songs: "Ao Bao Xiang Hui" from Mongolia, and "Gan Lan Shu" from Taiwan. Both, she says, are songs that everyone who surrounded her in China would have known-especially "Ao Bao Xiang Hui," a love song that's hundreds of years old. "I'm from the north of China," she says. "We encounter Mongolian cultural aspects a lot. Being from Beijing, I have lots of thoughts about this music." Of course, the Taiwanese "Gan Lan Shu" suggests that Chen is acquainted with the culture of southern China as well. It has a great deal of personal resonance both for Chen and for her New York audiences. "The lyric is talking about people leaving the country and traveling far away to chase their dreams; I find that very touching," she says. "When I perform, all the Chinese people in New York who hear it, they tear up."

Japan bears a subtler influence; it comes not so much from the island nation's music as from its cultural artifacts. "Majo Kiki in 12 Days" was inspired by the title character of the Japanese anime film Kiki's Delivery Service, who impressed Chen with a bravery and independence that's opposite to most portrayals of Asian women. "Mr. Wind-Up Bird, Strange Yearning" is a response to Haruki Murakami's famous novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Chen's tune is wordless, intended not to reflect the novel itself, but how she felt after reading it.

World literature also forms the basis for "Leaving Sonnet," in this case the titular poetic form which originated in Italy. "They have a very strict rhyme," Chen notes. "I thought, maybe I could use this concept in my music. Not in the lyrics, but I wrote very strict phrasing structures, and the polyrhythms are very strict as well. It caused some problems for the musicians-it was really hard!" she laughs.

Chen hopes that her many influences have blended insolubly on two songs inspired by her relationship with her boyfriend, guitarist Marius Duboule. "Orange Tears Lullaby" was written to soothe him as he underwent knee problems; the antibiotics turned his tears orange. The spare "My Ocean is Blue in White" draws on more symbolic colors to illustrate Chen's thoughts about love: "At weddings, everything is white because white is pure. But  love is not pure-sometimes you're suffering or sad. There's always some blue color in the white."

A digital-only bonus track, Chen's rendition of Nirvana's "All Apologies" presents yet another musical world into which she was plugged. "Nirvana is one of my favorite rock bands, and they influenced me when I was a teenager a lot," she explains. As always, however, Chen reframes the tunes on her own terms, with a radical rearrangement by herself and Sarnecki that culminates in fierce counterpoint between Smith and LoRe.

Annie Chen was born in Beijing, China. She was only four years old when she began studying classical piano at Central Conservatory of Music-and at that tender age was already practicing five to six hours a day. "The education is so strict," Chen says. "In China education is focused on being the best at all costs: 'You need to win. You need to win.' So every year I had to go to a lot of piano competitions."

As she labored at Mozart and Beethoven her father, a business translator and jazz lover, would bring her jazz CDs from his business trips to the United States. When she heard Sarah Vaughan, the teenaged Chen decided that her real desire was to be a jazz singer.

With jazz education hard to come by in China, Chen continued with her classical studies, earning a bachelor's degree from the Central Conservatory of Music. She then began working as a decidedly non-classical singer: She was lead vocalist in the bands Blues Driver, Big John and Black Hot Pisces, as well as the leader of the Soul Decree Funk Big Band, the only funk large ensemble in China.

She worked at venues such as Blue Note Beijing, East Shore Jazz Club, DDC, JiangHu, Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall and JZ Club Shanghai and Hangzhou, where she led her quintet over a three-month residency. She performed at major festivals across the country-including the Solana Summertime Festival, Chaoyang Music Festival, Beijing Nine-Gates Jazz Festival, CD Jazz Week, and the Shanghai International Jazz Festival.

In 2010, Chen came to New York City on an eight-month student visa, studying privately at Manhattan School of Music with vocalist Nancy Marano and doing occasional vocal gigs with pianists. At the end of the year, she returned to China, where she continued performing. In 2012, however, she returned to New York to pursue a master's degree at Queens College. She took vocal lessons with Charenee Wade, piano with David Berkman, arrangement and composition with Michael Philip Mossman, and improvisation with Antonio Hart.

In 2014, she recorded her first album, Pisces the Dreamer, with a sextet comprising some of her Queens College classmates. The album combined the influences of jazz, gospel-drenched soul, pop-rock and bossa nova, as well as European classical, Chinese and Middle Eastern music in seven original compositions by Chen and two standards.

The following year, Chen formed her octet, and began performing with them around New York City. She also began what would ultimately be a three-year process of composing for them, the results of which have now come together with Secret Treetops. "I don't know what kinds of things I can write in the future, but for now I'm very proud of these compositions," she says. "This is my milestone so far."

www.anniechenjazz.com

Invisible Bird -- Supergroup Featuring Shane Endsley, Dave Devine, Scott Amendola -- Release Debut Album Flutter to Fuzz

Flutter to Fuzz is the debut album from Invisible Bird, a trio collectively led by three engaging and unique artists from the Bay Area and Colorado; Shane Endsley (trumpet/effects), Dave Devine (guitar/effects) and Scott Amendola (drums/effects). Known for their respective work with the Nels Cline Singers and Mike Patton (Amendola), Brian Blade Fellowship and the Czars (Devine), and Kneebody and Ani DiFranco (Endsley), each member of the trio serves as a distinct compositional voice, crafting original music that traverses an array of textures from rootsy backbeat grooves and pop melodies to swirling soundscapes and meditative song structures. The group broadly employs the use of electronics via their hefty collection of boutique stomp boxes, branching out from a traditional jazz trio sound.

The opening track “Colorado Reel” is a bluegrass tune for the 21st century; trumpet and guitar stand in for fiddle whilst Endsley and Devine take turns interweaving a bass groove over Amendola’s driving beats. Contrast that to the dirgelike chord progressions of “Everytime I Look Down I See You Up There,” featuring the ethereal vocals of Azure Ray’s Orenda Fink. The jazz pedigree of Invisible Bird shines on “The Swagger Of The Tail Wagger,” an acoustic piece recorded live in one room with no headphones, effects, or overdubs. The freely improvised jam “A Little Dizzy” spins out into experimental territory with the addition of folk artist Sam Amidon’s singsong spoken word and wandering fiddle. Flutter to Fuzz also includes the band’s reinventions of Nick Drake’s “Cello Song” and Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia.”

Tracklist:

1. Colorado Reel

2. Keep Digging

3. Bucketful Of Miracles

4. Low Voice

5. Cello Song (Nick Drake)

6. Everytime I Look Down I See You Up There – feat. Orenda Fink

7. Swagger Of The Tail Wagger

8. Amelia (Joni Mitchell)

9. A Little Dizzy – feat. Sam Amidon

10. Momentum & Backlash

11. Squirm, Sir Worm 

Invisible Bird Performances:

November 8 / Blue Whale / Los Angeles, CA

November 9 / The 4 Cats Cafe & Gallery / San Luis Obispo, CA

November 10 / Red Poppy Art House / San Francisco, CA

November 12 / Mississippi Studios / Portland, OR

November 13 / Royal Room / Seattle, WA

November 14 / Ivy Room / Albany, CA

New Releases: Paul Dozier - Brand New Day; Ben Tankard - Rise!; KR 604 - ElectroBluesSociety feat Michel Peters - Mojo Workin

Paul Dozier - Brand New Day

Guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Paul Dozier’s success as a solo artist these past 17 years has led him to open shows for the Smooth Jazz, Soul and Gospel elite, play with everyone from Paul Taylor and Brian Simpson and serve as musical director for Karen Briggs and Gail Jhonson. The optimistic title of his latest album BRAND NEW DAY lets us know that he’s looking forward to the future with tight, infectious melodies, fluid guitar licks and picture perfect urban pocket grooves. Dozier complements the electric guitar vibe with an acoustic neo soul tune featuring vocalist Jessica Lane and a deep electronica soul dive into a Sade classic. ~ smoothjazz.com    

Ben Tankard - Rise!

Your favorite Renaissance Man is Back!  Gold and Platinum selling Gospel/Jazz Pianist, bestselling author, reality TV star, private pilot and pastor, Ben Tankard has been thrilling us with his inspirational blend for many years and now his new album, RISE! is riding both the Billboard Jazz and Gospel charts again!  “I am super excited about this record because I was able to instrumentally remake three time-honored classics that have been true to my heart for years,” says Tankard.  Those classics include the 1980’s cult classic instrumental song RISE!  by 9X GRAMMY® Award-winning trumpeter Herb Alpert.  Tankard's rendition features Marion Meadows and is charting "most added" at Smooth Jazz radio. Other classics songs on the album include the Gospel hit “It's Working” featuring Kirk Whalum, and a favorite by The legendary Williams Brothers, “I’m Still Here."  Paul Jackson, Jr contributes on “More Rain." Tankard, a former NBA basketball player, affectionately known as The “godfather” of Gospel Jazz, was recently inducted into the Stellar Awards Honors Hall of Fame. RISE! is available now in all digital outlets and Walmart Stores and his 100+ Stop Rise! Tour runs through the end of 2019, sponsored by Shell Aviation Fuel. ~ smoothhjazz.com

KR 604 - ElectroBluesSociety feat Michel Peters - Mojo Workin

ElectroBluesSociety is formed by Jasper Mortier and Jan Mittendorp: two guys and a bunch of junk with a broad taste and an open mind mixing the old with the new. Modern technologies combined with 30+ years of live stage experience in the European blues / roots music scene. The musical input ranges from Alan Lomax to Roxy Music and from Charlie Parker to Led Zeppelin. On stage you will find computers, a double bass, foot pedals, vintage amps, midi controllers, an old drumkit and lots of cables. All of this handled by the two band members. This time they took a classic blues song and invited Michel Peters for the vocals.

Pianist Kenny Werner makes poetic, brilliant music in the moment on The Space, new solo recording

Pianist Kenny Werner has long been a major player on the world jazz scene. His long-term musical relationships with the likes of the legendary Toots Thielemans, saxophonist Joe Lovano, and the Mel Lewis Big Band, coupled with his recognition as composer and bandleader have propelled him to the forefront of the music. Quincy Jones proclaimed him to be "360 degrees of soul and science in one human being," and Nate Chinen of The New York Times marveled at "Ša pianist who tempers fearsome technique with a questing spiritualism."

Werner is also an acclaimed educator. The title of his new solo recording The Space comes from a chapter in Effortless Mastery, his book dealing with creativity and his approach to playing that has influenced a generation of jazz players. Werner calls The Space "Šthe most important title I've ever had for my music." It's about "Šbeing in the moment, content with what is."  The Space will be released November 2, 2018 on Pirouet (PIT3106).

This album is the fourth Werner has recorded for Pirouet. Engineer-artistic director Jason Seizer had actually wanted to do a solo recording with Kenny, but Werner persuaded Jason to record his trio first. After two Pirouet trio albums and one beautiful duo album with the great Brazilian singer Joyce, the time for The Space had come. Pirouet has recorded some of the premier pianists in jazz, including such artists as Marc Copland, Bill Carrothers, and Pablo Held. The new production with Werner continues that tradition.

The album's eight pieces consist of two memorable standards, a classic Keith Jarrett composition, two perceptive pieces by Seizer, and three Werner originals, including the spare, mysterious title piece. In Werner's hands they are transformed into intimate poems of self-discovery. Werner characterizes The Space as "the place where every note I play is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard." With his new album, Kenny Werner makes that space his home.

Kenny Werner has been a world-class pianist and composer for over forty years. His prolific output of compositions, recordings and publications continue to impact audiences around the world. In 1996 he wrote his landmark book Effortless Mastery, Liberating the Master Musician Within. Werner has since created videos, lectured worldwide and authored many articles on how musicians, artists or even business people can allow their "master creator" within to lift their performance to its highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous, fearless, joyful and disciplined in our work and in our life. He is currently the artistic director of The Effortless Mastery Institute at Berklee College Of Music.

Kenny was awarded the 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his seminal work, No Beginning No End, a musical journey exploring tragedy and loss, death and transition, and the path from one lifetime to the next. Utilizing over 70 musicians, Kenny's third album for Half Note Records is an expansive composition featuring Joe Lovano, Judy Silvano, wind ensemble, choir, and string quartet. Born in Brooklyn on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Kenny began playing and performing at a young age, first recording on television at the age of 11. Although he studied classical piano as a child, he enjoyed playing anything he heard on the radio. In high school and his first years of college he attended the Manhattan School of Music as a classical piano major. His natural instinct for improvisation led Kenny to the Berklee College of Music in 1970. There he sought tutelage of the renowned piano teacher Madame Chaloff. Her gracious wisdom and inspiration became a driving force in Kenny's conception: a music conscious its spiritual intent and essence. From Boston, Kenny traveled to Brazil with the saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil. There he met Victor's twin brother, Brazilian pianist Joao Assis Brasil. He studied with Joao, who provided another piece of the puzzle for Kenny's conception that would lead to Effortless Mastery. Kenny has performed and/or recorded with artists including Toots Thielemans, Charles Mingus, Gunther Schuller, Marian McPartland, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Elvin Jones, John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Randy Brecker, Joe Henderson, Archie Shepp, Dave Liebman, Bob brookmeyer, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Douglas, Chris Potter, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ron Carter, Eddi Gomez, Dave Holland, Rufus Reid, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart, Bobby McFerrin, Lou Rawls, and Betty Buckley.

Werner has composed for orchestras around the world, and taught at The New School, Berklee College of Music, the Banff Center, New York University, and other schools. He has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Jersey Council of the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation, as well as a 2001 Grammy nomination.

http://kennywerner.com/