Carnegie Hall Announces Schedule for NYO Jazz's First US Tour

Carnegie Hall has announced the schedule for the first-ever US tour by its acclaimed NYO Jazz set to take place on the heels of the June 24, 2022 release of the ensemble’s first full-length studio album, We’re Still Here. The album features NYO Jazz Artistic Director and Bandleader/trumpeter Sean Jones and special guest Melissa Aldana on tenor saxophone, plus an appearance by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Available for pre-order, the album will be released by Platoon and will be available for digital download and on all streaming platforms in standard and Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio formats. 

Following NYO Jazz’s US tour kick-off concert at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, July 28, the ensemble—joined by this summer’s special guest vocalist Jazzmeia Horn—will tour seven US cities under the direction of Sean Jones. The tour stops include: Cleveland, OH on July 30 (Tri-C Metro Auditorium); Chautauqua, NY on August 1 (Chautauqua Amphitheater); Pittsburgh, PA on August 2 (The August Wilson African American Cultural Center); Chicago, IL on August 4 (Navy Pier, Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park); Detroit, MI on August 5 (The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center); Madison, WI on August 7 (Wisconsin Union Theater); and Washington, D.C. on August 9 (The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). 

"I’m very excited to perform with the amazing young musicians of Carnegie Hall's NYO Jazz this summer," said Jazzmeia Horn. "What a wonderful opportunity as this tour marks my first time playing an entire tour with a big band and I'm especially thrilled to sing selections from my new big band album, Dear Love. I’m curious to see how NYO Jazz will interpret my latest expression of love musically as we connect with audiences in cities around the US. This will be a fun journey to share with them!" 

One of Carnegie Hall’s three acclaimed national youth ensembles, NYO Jazz—comprising outstanding young musicians ages 16–19 from across the United States—showcases the legacy and bright future of American jazz. Created in 2018 by the Hall's Weill Music Institute, NYO Jazz annually brings together some of the nation’s finest teen jazz musicians to train, perform, and tour with world-class jazz masters while also serving as music ambassadors for their country. NYO Jazz’s successful international tours have included a 2018 inaugural European tour with Dianne Reeves as special guest, and the ensemble’s debut tour to Asia in 2019 with Kurt Elling as special guest. Although NYO Jazz was unable to travel during the past two years, the musicians convened virtually during the summer of 2020 and at Purchase College, State University of New York (SUNY) just north of New York City, in summer 2021, rehearsing and recording a wide range of repertoire, including its debut album.  

We’re Still Here features four new works written for the band since its inception, a range of classic and contemporary charts that are hallmarks of its live concerts, and works exploring themes that include social justice, resilience, and the power of music to spark joy. The four Carnegie Hall-commissioned works on the album are: “Run with Jones” by Miguel Zenón, featuring Melissa Aldana as soloist; “Mr. Jones and Co.” by Ayn Inserto, featuring Sean Jones as soloist; “Fête dans la tête” by John Beasley; and “RPM’s” by Igmar Thomas. In addition to these commissions, among the album highlights include: “We’re Still Here” by—and featuring—trombonist and NYO Jazz faculty member Wycliffe Gordon, which has become the band’s rousing encore theme song; hence, the album’s title; “The Art of War” by Ralph Peterson; “Oyelo” by Miguel Zenón, featuring Melissa Aldana as soloist; “A Taste of Honey” by Duke Pearson; “Mr. Gentle and Mr. Cool” by Duke Ellington, arranged by NYO Jazz ensemble coach Reginald Thomas; and “Transitions” by Sean Jones. 

“You close your eyes and think they’re all 20 years older than they are,” said Sean Jones, who pays it forward through his passionate leadership of NYO Jazz, carrying on the tradition of mentorship in jazz. 

The album—recorded during the ensemble’s summer 2021 training residency at Purchase College, SUNY, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic—is a declaration of resilience and longevity. A summer that began with the disappointment of a year without touring evolved into the opportunity to create this 97-minute showcase of the incredible artistry and enormous versatility of this remarkable ensemble, a recording poised to reach audiences around the world just as the ensemble resumes touring in summer 2022. 

“We’re thrilled for NYO Jazz to release its debut album this spring—the first recording by any of our national youth ensembles,” said Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer and Director of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for these gifted young players to train, perform, and now record alongside some of today’s leading jazz artists including special guest Melissa Aldana. It was especially meaningful for the musicians to gather for an extended residency last summer as it marked the first time many of them had the opportunity to come together to play in a full ensemble since the start of the pandemic. With We’re Still Here, we are proud to showcase the incredible depth of talent and high level of musicianship of these standout jazz musicians from across the country who will help ensure one of America’s quintessential art forms is preserved for generations to come.” 

“The big band has always been America’s orchestral format and one of the most wide-ranging ensembles ever devised,” said Sean Jones, NYO Jazz’s Artistic Director and Bandleader. “It can convey nearly any style of music in a sonically stimulating and interactive way. This recording exhibits that diversity by placing classics by Duke Ellington and Neil Hefti alongside pieces that utilize the big band as a vehicle for contemporary American music and represent a wide variety of genres.” 

“Making this album was an absolute labor of love for the musicians, our incredible faculty and guest artists, and everyone involved,” said Joanna Massey, Director of Learning & Engagement Programs for Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, who has worked with the NYO Jazz program since its inception. “From their individual preparation prior to coming together as an ensemble, through long days of rehearsals and then recording sessions, the musicians were unwavering and inspiring in their dedication to producing something meaningful for the world to hear. It’s particularly special that by recording all of the original music written especially for NYO Jazz, the album also pays tribute to the outstanding musicians from previous NYO Jazz ensembles—who, like the players heard here, embody the future of jazz.”

US Tour Dates Include:

July 28 | Carnegie Hall | New York, NY

July 30 | Tri-C Metro Auditorium | Cleveland, OH

August 1 | Chautauqua Amphitheater | Chautauqua, NY

August 2 | The August Wilson African American Cultural Center | Pittsburgh, PA

August 4 | Navy Pier, Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park | Chicago, IL

August 5 | The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center | Detroit, MI

August 7 | Wisconsin Union Theater | Madison, WI

August 9 | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | Washington, D.C.

Each summer, NYO Jazz, led by artistic director Sean Jones, shines a spotlight on the depth of talent found among teen jazz players across the United States. The program offers talented young musicians, ages 16-19, the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors for their country, sharing a uniquely American musical genre with people around the world through an international tour. The members of NYO Jazz have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest jazz musicians in the country, following a rigorous and highly competitive audition process. After its Carnegie Hall debut in 2018, the ensemble embarked on its first-ever international tour for performances with vocalist Dianne Reeves at prestigious concert halls and music festivals in London, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Kassel, and Berlin. In summer 2019, NYO Jazz made its debut tour to Asia, joined by vocalist Kurt Elling, including performances in Taichung, Beijing, Shanghai, Zhuhai, and Hong Kong. As part of their travel schedule, NYO Jazz musicians also have opportunities to meet and collaborate with young local musicians and experience the richness of different cultures and music. 

NYO Jazz builds on the success of the acclaimed National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and its sister ensemble for younger musicians NYO2—programs created by Carnegie Hall in 2013 and 2016, respectively—to bring together the finest young classical musicians from across the country each summer for training, performances and international touring. Each of these prestigious national programs—free to all participants—is dedicated to the proposition that talented young musicians thrive when they have the opportunity to expand their musical, social, and cultural horizons and share their artistry with audiences around the globe. Since 2013, Carnegie Hall’s national youth ensembles have performed in 15 countries on four continents, including tours to China, South Korea, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Russia, and across Europe.

Multi-platinum "Melody Man" Vassal Benford steps into the spotlight

With more than 57 platinum records to his credit working with a galaxy of stars in various music genres, over $150 million in movie box office receipts, and management duties for boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and the estate of fabled blues icon B.B. King, megaproducer Vassal Benford is returning to his roots determined to conquer jazz just like everything else he’s conquered throughout his unparalleled multimedia career. The songwriter-keyboardist is determined to breathe fresh energy and creativity into contemporary jazz, beginning with his first single, “Melody Man,” which goes for playlist adds on Monday (May 23) issued on The Benford Jazz Label.  

Benford was sixteen when legendary jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis recorded the song the teenager wrote about his first crush, “Michelle,” which went number one. Two years later, jazz bassist Stanley Clarke produced the second song Benford wrote, a tune that was a cowrite with Grammy winner Jeremy Lubbock, which became another number one hit for Lewis and his duet partner, the illustrious jazz singer Nancy Wilson.

As the years rolled by, the hits kept coming as Benford’s projects topped the charts in multiple genres for superstars DJ Diplo, Toni Braxton, NAS, Flo Rida, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey, Rick Ross, Deborah Cox, Sheryl Crow, U2, Jade, Bobby Brown, New Edition, Lil’ Kim, Patti LaBelle,
Faith Evans, Chanté Moore, Oleta Adams, Lisa Stansfield, Tramaine Hawkins, and The Fine Young Cannibals among others.

In recent years, Benford was drawn back “home,” jazz and instrumental R&B, which sparked collaborations with Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown and eight-time Grammy nominated saxophonist Gerald Albright. Both artists are among the luminaries who will appear on Benford’s debut album, “My Favorite Moments,” which is slated to drop next February. But first, Benford wants to introduce listeners to the imaginative collection with a single or two, the first of which is “Melody Man.”

“Melody Man” is an apropos title as Benford pours layers of cascading piano melodies amidst lavish guitar and keyboard harmonies, and intricately textured percussion and multicultural rhythms. One of the unique allures of the single is that the innovative track sounds unlike anything in the music space yet its invitingly familiar and infectious.

“I wanted to create a song that everybody could remember that also made you feel as if you were watching me in concert. It was intentional the way I wrote this song. The inspiration around it was making a feel-good song for everybody to dance to or to listen to several times in order to ‘hear’ all of the elements in the track. I felt as if the world needed this kind of global music at this time,” said Benford, who changed the structure of the complex drum track multiple times during the mixing process with Billboard chart-topper Greg Manning.

“The reason we changed the drum track is because there's so many different elements to ‘Melody Man.’ It has a Latin feel, an African feel, a pop feel as well an R&B feel. There are so many distinct phases of music that are entailed in the song itself. The final product turned out exactly the way we wanted by changing the drums four separate times while in the mix.”

Decades ago, music industry titan Clive Davis gave Benford his own joint venture record label and today, Benford is partnered with blockbuster film producer Mark Canton. Together, they achieved box office success with 2019’s “After” and “After We Collided” released the following year. Composing music scores for movies such as "The Running Man" (Arnold Schwarzenegger), "New Jack City," "Class Act" (Kid ‘n Play), "The Associate" (Whoopi Goldberg), “The Smell of Success” (Billy Bob Thornton) and “Stay Cool” (Winona Ryder) is what fueled Benford’s interest in the motion picture business. He broke color barriers by becoming the first African American to score an animated feature, 2012’s “The Swan Princess.” On the small screen, Benford has crafted music for shows including "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Fame L.A."

Benford produced a 2016 tribute concert to Michael Jackson that headlined The Jacksons, Aerosmith, Ne-Yo, Rick Ross and Christina Milian that was hosted by Magic Johnson at which the multihyphenate showbiz magnate who was born and raised in Detroit, and now splits his time between Las Vegas and Newport Beach, Calif., conducted a 30-piece orchestra. With his sights presently set on jazz, expect Benford to change things up in ways only this remarkable visionary can.  

"Lazy Breeze" from Lexsoul Dancemachine's upcoming EP (balearic funk)

Based in Tallinn, Estonia, Lexsoul Dancemachine is a 6-headed, smoking-hot funk beast known for tearing venues apart with its energetic performances on stage. Active since 2013, the aim of this machine is to hypnotize feel-good music lovers with thumping bass lines, syncopated rhythms, irresistible grooves and soulful vocals. It’s the kind of music you can breakdance to, although in between those hard-hitting sounds you’ll find some more tender moments.

Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign the band entirely self-produced its debut album “Deus Lex Machina”, which was released on CD, LP and digital download in December of 2015. It went on to gain praise and support from DJs and listeners alike, with single “Beef Grinder” getting picked up by the mighty Craig Charles for his “Funk & Soul Show” on BBC 6 & BBC 2 and even being included in his compilation “Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club vol.4” out on Freestyle Records. The following year was busy with live gigs in the Baltic-Nordic region, including Tallinn Music Week, Positivus, Funky Elephant and Pori Jazz Festival in Finland.

Lexsoul Dancemachine‘s next single was “Coconuts”, an irresistibly catchy tropical funk delight that was released digitally in July 2016. After stunning the region’s crowds with its unique sound and exotic feel it took off abroad, receiving air time worldwide, support from the funk-soul-disco communities throughout Europe and topping local radio charts. The enthusiastic reaction to the track encouraged Lexsoul Dancemachine to pursue this direction further and record their next album with a decidedly more latin funk and tropical disco influence. Sophomore full-length “Sunny Holiday In Lexico“ came out on Funk Embassy Records in 2018 and further cemented the band’s standing as as sweat-inducing groove machine.

As the band prepare for the release of their third studio album, there’s no doubt the raw funk beast shines first and foremost in a sweaty live setting. They’ve yet to leave a crowd unfazed as evident from the first UK tour in February 2017 when the Dancemachine made people stomp their feet in London, Bristol, Manchester and Leeds. Among the dates was a sold-out evening at the iconic Band on the Wall venue during the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club evening.

Whether it be live or recorded, one thing is for sure, Lexsoul Dancemachine is here to wake you up, make you stomp your feet and jive with their raw street funk on one side and sweet soul on the other!

Jeremy Cunningham / Dustin Laurenzi / Paul Bryan | "A Better Ghost"

Cunningham and Laurenzi have been near-inseparable collaborators for years, working in countless groups together across Chicago’s vibrant jazz community. Their new album A Better Ghost finds them in collaboration with Los Angeles-based bassist/producer Paul Bryan, and is the product of phone-recorded improvisations and experiments dating back to 2017.  With Laurenzi creating sequences and samples on the OP-1 synthesizer while on the road with Bon Iver, and Cunningham developing drum parts and melodic fragments, the two began finding a distinct direction to take the work, sharpening and editing these snippets into cohesive compositions. 

While Cunningham and Laurenzi have collaborated this way for years, they decided to add Los Angeles based musician Paul Bryan, the Grammy-winning producer, engineer, and bassist (Jeff Parker, Aimee Mann, Lucinda Williams) who co-produced Cunningham’s Northern Spy debut 2019 LP The Weather Up There to finish these pieces. Adding bass parts and a producer’s ear to these songs, Bryan’s vital contributions were the missing link. “Paul really understood the vision of our music and added so much to what we’d already recorded. At a certain point it was a no-brainer to expand the duo to a trio” says Laurenzi. On A Better Ghost, there’s a euphoric melding of Chicago and LA’s jazz worlds present with features from prolific saxophonist Josh Johnson, legendary drummer Jay Bellerose, and Cunningham’s Resavoir bandmate and leader, trumpeter Will Miller. The resulting tracks are the product of years-long collaborators expanding their deep chemistry. 

On “New Dust,” Laurenzi provides a smooth, natural improvisation, dynamically ebbing over a deep dub groove kept steady with distinct rhythmic assurance from Cunningham, Bellerose, and Bryan. “With What We Have” wakes slowly, focusing on gradual layering of horns that culminates in near-chaos. . The title track highlights the trio’s seamless blending of acoustic and synthesized palettes, featuring a woozy clarinet sample and propellant percussion alongside sci-fi synths and a Pharoah Sanders-inspired saxophone solo. Singer Katie Ernst guests on  “The Way We Remember,” crafting a melody from a poem Cunningham wrote about the passing of his father in 2020. The synths ebb and flow along with Cunningham’s painterly approach at the drums, spreading colors and lines across a languid backdrop of saxophone chords and synth bass.

A Better Ghost is a reflection of how Cunningham, Laurenzi, and Bryan have found a natural musical connection that is unbound by genre and deeply personal. “Playing with Dustin and Paul has strengthened my musical instincts and allowed me to become more patient developing a sound and playing a song. Sometimes you have to just let the thing happen.  Try not to get in the way too much, and let the music breathe.” -Jeremy Cunningham

New Music: Ornette Coleman, Lee Morgan, Daniel Villareal, Neue Grafik

Ornette Coleman - Round Trip

Iconoclastic saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman shook the jazz world when he arrived at the Five Spot Café in New York City in 1959 and began his run of seminal albums on Atlantic that laid the foundation for the free jazz movement to come. After a period of disillusionment during which he withdrew from public music making, Coleman re-emerged on Blue Note in 1966 and began writing an intriguing new chapter of his legendary career. The boxset Round Trip: Ornette Coleman On Blue Note presents all-analog 180g Tone Poet Vinyl Editions of all six albums featuring Coleman that were recorded for Blue Note Records, including his five albums as a leader—the two-volume At The ‘Golden Circle’ Stockholm (1965), The Empty Foxhole (1966), New York Is Now! (1968), and Love Call (1968)— as well as his lone sideman appearance on New And Old Gospel (1967) by fellow saxophonist Jackie McLean. The boxset includes a booklet featuring rare photos and an enlightening essay by critic Thomas Conrad.

Lee Morgan - The Complete Live at the Lighthouse

The Complete Live at the Lighthouse is an expansive collection that presents for the very first time all 12 sets of music the legendary trumpeter Lee Morgan’s quintet with saxophonist Bennie Maupin, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Jymie Merritt, and drummer Mickey Roker recorded during their historic engagement at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California from July 10-12, 1970. This definitive edition produced by Zev Feldman and David Weiss comes in an 8-CD set and a limited-edition 12-LP all-analog 180g vinyl set that encompasses 33 performances including more than 4 hours of previously unreleased music that lets the listener relive the experience of being in the club for every exhilarating moment. Both sets include a beautiful booklet featuring interviews, essays, and rare photos.

Daniel Villarreal - Panama 77

A stunning solo project from drummer Daniel Villarreal – a musician you might know in the group Dos Santos, yet one who's in very unique territory here on his own! The album was recorded in both Chicago and Los Angeles – and it's got a vibe that really reflects that process – some of the older Latin currents of Villarreal's other group, taken down to their core, and rebuilt in a much looser, airier style – sometimes very laidback, even when rhythmic – as Daniel's drums and percussion move amidst some fantastic instrumental contributions that shift throughout the set – great guitar from Jeff Parker, plus organ and farfisa from Cole DeGenova, baritone from Elliot Bergman, Fender Rhodes from Kyle Davis, and violin from Marta Sofia Honer. The sound of the album's impossible to describe in words – but it's completely lovely throughout, and has this spacey, summery vibe that's completely wonderful – on titles that include "Ofelia", "Uncanny", "I Didn't Expect That", "Sombras", "Activo", "Cali Colors", "18th & Morgan", and "Messenger". ~ Dusty Groove

Neue Grafik - Foulden Road Part 2

A set that's even more powerful than the first album we heard from Neue Grafik – and a great demonstration of the collaborative power the multi-instrumental musician has had on the London jazz scene of late! As with the previous set on the label, this one grew out of experiments and performances at the important Jazz Refreshment Centre in London – where Neue Grafic was able to mix together elements of hip hop, Nigerian music, and contemporary London styles with more straightforward jazz instrumentation – all at a very genre-stepping level that's impossible to describe in words, but which really lives up to some of the best London experiments in recent years. Titles include "Black Bodies", "Step To It", "For Adama", "Breathe", "Queen Assa", "Running On A Flame", and "Officer Let Me Go To School". ~ Dusty Groove

Nick Stefanacci | "Dance Until Dawn"

After having released seven solo albums constructed of sophisticated pop, funk and jazz fusion featuring guest vocalists, saxophonist Nick Stefanacci decided to throw a changeup by crafting a buoyant smooth/contemporary jazz instrumental, “Dance Until Dawn,” which drops May 24 on the Sweet Lion Music Group label. Stefanacci wrote the single with Billboard hitmaker Adam Hawley, who produced the vibrant, melody-rich sax-led tune. As a saxophonist, Stefanacci is driven by timbre and rhythm. "Dance Until Dawn" illumines his soulful alto horn harmonies and deep connection to groove. Multi-instrumentalist Hawley adds guitar, keyboards, strings and programming while Carnell Harrell makes the track more robust by adding synths to the rhythms created by drummer Eric Valentine and bassist Mel Brown. 

“As a young saxophonist, I was enamored with David Sanborn so releasing a contemporary jazz single has been a long time coming. I wanted to give my fans something different than what they are accustomed to hearing from me. My albums are kind of a Steely Dan meets Maceo Parker mashup, a more funk fusion groove with vocals, horns and jazz harmony,” said Stefanacci, who is also a philanthropist that founded and curated The Promise Music Festival to benefit local children’s hospitals.

Stefanacci met Hawley while the saxman was touring with trumpeter/flugelhornist Cindy Bradley. He’s been performing with the Billboard chart-topper for a few years. As a sideman, his wide-ranging resume also lists hip hop superstars Ja Rule and DMC (of Run-DMC), blues rocker Derek Trucks, seminal R&B, funk and soul drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie; and hardcore punk/rap pioneers Dog Eat Dog. Stefanacci stepped into the solo spotlight in 2010 with the release of his debut album, “26 Years.” His latest collection is the self-titled set that dropped two years ago as the pandemic raged. The album highlights Stefanacci’s imaginative arrangements of songs originally recorded by some of the eclectic artists whom he cites as having influenced his craft: Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Nina Simone and Bill Withers, among others.

“Dance Until Dawn” previews Stefanacci’s eighth album, "Nú FNK," which will be a return to his funk roots along with instrumental grooves and pop-fusion vocal tunes. The disc is slated for release later this year.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood | "Nancy & Lee"

Light in the Attic has released the first official reissue of Nancy & Lee: the highly-influential 1968 duet album from Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. This definitive edition of Nancy & Lee features newly-remastered audio by the GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin and includes an array of exclusive content, including a new interview with Nancy, never-before-seen photos, and two bonus tracks from the album sessions: an ethereal cover of The Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting for You” and an uptempo version of “Love Is Strange” (first made famous by Mickey & Sylvia in 1956). This release marks the official debut on vinyl for both tracks.

Nancy & Lee can be found in a variety of formats, including vinyl, cassette tape, CD, 8-track, and digital. The vinyl LP, pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), is presented in an expanded gatefold jacket and features the iconic, original cover photo by Ron Joy. Inside, a 20-page booklet offers an array of photos from the legendary singer, actress, and activist’s personal collection, as well as an in-depth Q&A with Sinatra, conducted by the reissue’s GRAMMY®-nominated co-producer, Hunter Lea (also available in the CD package). In addition to the classic black vinyl pressing, a selection of colorful variants can be found exclusively at NancySinatra.com, LightInTheAttic.net, independent record stores and select online retailers.

In celebration of the release, Nancy Sinatra and fellow musician and longtime friend Don Randi (The Wrecking Crew) visited Record Technology, Inc. (RTI) in Camarillo, CA to take a tour of the plant and get a sneak peek at the Bootique-exclusive pressing of Nancy and Lee. A short video piece documenting the day, including new interviews with Sinatra, Randi, and RTI plant manager, Rick Hashimoto is available here.

When Nancy – the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra – first met Lee Hazlewood in 1965, she was a demure, 25-year-old divorcée, who was struggling to find her place as an artist amid the changing musical landscape. At the urging of her label, she was introduced to the Oklahoma-born songwriter, Lee Hazlewood, who had found success working with guitarist Duane Eddy. While Sinatra and Hazlewood hailed from vastly different worlds, they were about to embark on a partnership that would change the course of their lives. Just months after meeting, Sinatra scored her first No.1 hit with “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” Written and produced by Hazlewood, the song became Sinatra’s signature tune – transforming her into a confident and commanding feminist icon.

Initially, Hazlewood maintained a behind-the-scenes role with Sinatra, enlisting arranger and composer Billy Strange, as well as other members of The Wrecking Crew (the famed Los Angeles session musicians) for the singer’s best-selling 1966 debut LP, Boots. But when they returned to the studio later that year for Sinatra’s sophomore effort, How Does That Grab You?, Hazlewood joined the singer for a duet of his song, “Sand.” Over the next year, as Sinatra’s star rose, the artists continued to collaborate in the vocal booth, finding success with “Summer Wine,” “Lady Bird,” and the cinematic “Some Velvet Morning” (all penned by Hazlewood). In 1967, just months after Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash scored a country hit with “Jackson,” Sinatra and Hazlewood released a pop version of the offbeat song, landing in the Top Ten across Europe and peaking at No.14 in the US.

Recalling her duets with Hazlewood, Sinatra laughs, “we used to call it beauty and the beast!” Voices with no blend.” Indeed, no one could have predicted that these two contrasting voices (and personalities) would work together quite so well. Praising the duo’s “sonic alchemy,” Hunter Lea writes, “rarely in music has there been such an unlikely collaboration: Nancy, the sassy and sweet songstress contrasted by Lee, the gruff, psychedelic cowboy. A harmonic partnership that defies conventional logic yet yields so much beauty.”

Before long, it seemed only natural for the artists to release an entire album together. In addition to compiling their recent duets (many of which appeared on Sinatra’s solo LPs), the duo recorded several new covers and Hazlewood originals. Billy Strange and The Wrecking Crew provided lush orchestral arrangements, as the two artists performed a range of material, including folk, pop, and country songs, with a twist of psychedelia.

Throughout the album, a palpable chemistry can be heard between Sinatra and Hazlewood – from the frisky banter on “Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman” to the tongue-in-cheek delivery of “I’ve Been Down So Long (It Looks Up To Me).” But the artists also reveal their softer sides – particularly in the romantic balladry of “Sand.” Their languid rendition of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” meanwhile, is downright erotic, despite the lyrics. But, as Sinatra asserts, her decades-long relationship with Hazlewood was always platonic. “We had sort of a love/hate relationship,” she explains. “Maybe it was a sexual tension because we never had any kind of affair. I don’t know exactly what it was, but it worked.”

That je ne sais quoi certainly did work. Upon its release in the spring of 1968, Nancy & Lee became a critical and commercial hit on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at No.13 on the Billboard 200 and No.17 in the UK. By 1970, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA. Over the decades, however, the appeal of Nancy & Lee has only grown, while the album has amassed an enduring cult status that few titles achieve. Multiple generations of artists, including Sonic Youth, Lana Del Rey, and the Jesus & Mary Chain, have cited Nancy & Lee as an influence.

In recent years, Nancy & Lee has also inspired a groundswell of recognition from such outlets as Rolling Stone, which ranked the pair at No.9 on their 20 Greatest Duos of All Time list. Pitchfork included Nancy & Lee in their “Best Albums of the 1960s” roundup, hailing the record as “a document of a flawless collaboration.” The UK’s Far Out Magazine declared Nancy & Lee to be “a masterpiece that still ripples in the sonic waves today.” NPR, meanwhile, noted that “Sinatra and Hazlewood masterfully marry sunshiny orchestral elements with lyrics that dig at something darker about the human condition.” They went on to praise Sinatra’s work on Nancy & Lee as “some of the best that she’s ever recorded…it proved that she would hardly allow herself to be pigeonholed into one-hit wonder territory. Here, she made it clear that she was capable of so much more.”

Today, Sinatra reflects fondly on her time with Hazlewood. “The most fun was when there were two mics in the studio, and Lee was on one and I was on one,” she recalls. When asked about the lasting appeal of Nancy & Lee, the artist credits much of its success to her partner. “Lee has a following that continues to this day. He’s beloved; people love him all over the world.”

Sinatra’s legacy, meanwhile, continues to grow, as new generations discover her impressive catalog (which boasts nearly 20 studio albums – her duets with Hazlewood among them – and dozens of charting singles, including the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice). In 2020, Sinatra was recognized by her peers when “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’” was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame. That same year, Sinatra partnered with Light in the Attic Records for Nancy Sinatra: Start Walkin’ 1965-1976, a definitive survey of her most prolific period. At the end of 2021, LITA reissued Sinatra’s classic debut, Boots, while the label will continue to celebrate Sinatra with a variety of special releases, exclusive merch, and more.

Marvin Gaye 'What's Going On' 50th Anniversary Celebration

For the grand finale of the year-long celebration for Marvin Gaye's landmark What's Going On album, Motown and UMe turned to his fans to help create a unique video of Grammy®-nominated producer SaLaAM ReMi's remix of the album track "Save The Children."

In April, Universal Music Enterprises and Fiverr, an online marketplace for professional freelance services, held the Fiverr x Marvin Gaye: "Save the Children" Design Challenge, which asked Fiverr artists to listen to SaLaAM ReMi's "Save the Children" remix and then illustrate a 2D child character inspired by their interpretation of the song. The submissions revealed a remarkable range of animated creativity that included traditional cartoons, graffiti, anime, doodles, abstract sketches, and more.   

The winning entries have been imaginatively integrated into the vibrant "Save The Children" video, with all the contributing artists being mentioned on a credits screen. The video, now live on the Marvin Gaye YouTube Channel, follows on the heels of the recent 2022 Webby Awards victory of the "What's Going On" animated video in the Diversity & Inclusion Video Category.

SaLaAM ReMi's "Save the Children" remix is part of his Save The World: Remix Suite. This 2021 digital EP also contains his new auditory imaginings on "Sad Tomorrows" (the B-side to "Save The Children"), "No Need" (a previously unreleased Gaye instrumental from the "Sad Tomorrows" sessions), and the holiday single, "I Want to Come Home for Christmas." Motown and UMe also teamed with Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) on a new animated video for the latter track to honor America's veterans and servicemen and servicewomen last year on Veterans Day.

The new "Save The Children" video also caps an amazing 50th anniversary year for What's Going On, which Rolling Stone placed at #1 on its most recent list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Kicking it off in January 2021 were a trio of digital titles: the 21-track What's Going On: Deluxe Edition/50th Anniversary, a recent winner of Outstanding Anthology at the Detroit Music Awards, which includes rare mixes, mono single versions and outtakes; a standalone version of What's Going On: The Detroit Mix (previously available only on What's Going On's 2001 Deluxe Edition); and Funky Nation: The Detroit Instrumentals, a collection of sublime jam tracks Gaye recorded in 1971 in the aftermath of the album's success that have never been issued on their own.

The anniversary year brought a CNN special, What's Going On: Marvin Gaye's Anthem for the Ages special, featuring interviews by artists like Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Maxwell, Sheila E., and Spike Lee, who were all influenced by Gaye's masterpiece. ESPN also created a mini doc on the album's connection to the NFL, as Gaye dreamed of playing for the Detroit Lions and invited two of their players to sing on "What's Going On." UMe also launched the launch of the official Marvin Gaye TikTok channel, which already has attracted more than 80,000 followers.

The international influence of What's Going On was exemplified by a magnificent 16-foot mural, created by the London-based visual artist Dreph, that not only honored the album but also the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising, a historic event for race relations in the United Kingdom. Painted on a wall near a Brixton police station, the massive, inspiring artwork was unveiled on May 21, 2021, to coincide with What's Going On's original release date.

Motown and UMe closed out the anniversary year with the exquisite What's Going On: 50th Anniversary Edition. This premium 180g 2LP vinyl release boasts a direct-to-analog mastering by acclaimed engineer Kevin Gray from the original primary album tape reels, one of the first times this has been done since 1971. The bonus LP features four rare cuts making their vinyl debut, including a previously unreleased "stripped" version of the title song, along with mono mixes of the singles on vinyl for the first time since they came out on 45s. Enhancing the original gatefold packaging are printed sleeves with detailed track histories, a brief essay about the arranger David Van De Pitte by Dr. Andrew Flory, and a main essay by author/poet Hanif Abdurraqib, a 2021 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant.

Although a half-century has passed since the arrival of R&B's first seamless concept album, Marvin Gaye's powerful music, insightful lyrics, and profound vision still delivers a poignant plea that we might organize to address often-overlooked issues of inequality and ecological distress. With What's Going On, Marvin Gaye opened the door musically, culturally, and politically for countless musicians to address the injustices of our world. The groundbreaking album has proven its evergreen relevance, and its legacy will continue to influence and shape the music of future generations.

Josh Sinton, Jed Wilson, and Tony Falco | "Adumbrations"

Adumbrations, an album of free, lyrical and inspired music available June 3, 2022 via FiP Recordings, is an utterly unique, first-time documentation of a twenty-year-long friendship. Josh Sinton (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, alto flute), Jed Wilson (piano) and Tony Falco (drums) have known each other since their student days at New England Conservatory in the early aughts. And even though they have stayed in touch over the years, it wasn't until August of 2021 that they finally came together and spontaneously created their debut recording. Adumbrations celebrates the importance of friendship and the solace and comfort it provides. 

"I hope the listener can hear the depth of our affinities for one another,” says Falco. “These two musicians are dear friends of mine, and there is no greater blessing, as a musician, than to play with those you love." Wilson's statement that, "enduring relationships are ironically the best place in which to (re)discover the other's otherness," perhaps best captures the frisson that characterizes all of the pieces on Adumbrations. Whether it's the opening epic statement "Adumbrations 1" or the storming urgency of "Adumbrations 4," the album unfolds organically and urgently. The momentum is sustained by the musician’s friendship as much as it is by the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic content. 

"The art of improvisation," says Wilson, "is the playful unraveling of plans, expectations, even aesthetic principles or positions." Anyone familiar with Sinton's, Wilson's or Falco's previous work can hear this "playful unraveling" of plans and expectations throughout Adumbrations, where each of the players shows a new side of their playing. Sinton is perhaps best known for the abstract and avant-garde music of his bands Ideal Bread and Predicate Trio or his recent solo album b. Here he tempers this, bringing to the fore the lyrical influence of singers like Nina Simone or Joni Mitchell. This can be heard to great effect in "Adumbrations 2," the first flute recording he's made. Wilson, best known for his luminous work with singers Dominique Eade and Heather Masse, brings a sharper, biting edge to the ruminating pointillism of "Adumbrations 6." And Falco, a dynamic and responsive partner in the bands of spiritual music giant Tisziji Munoz as well his own projects with partners as diverse as bassist Aryeh Kobrinsky or guitarist Mike Gamble, strikes a uniquely poised balance between openness and focus on "Adumbrations 3" where his drum solo quickly morphs into a charged 6/8-groove when Sinton enters on bass clarinet. 

"When folks talked about ‘freedom’ in music, I always thought that was about freedom to choose, not freedom from choice," says Sinton. And the responsibility that choice implies is audible throughout Falco, Sinton and Wilson's playing. Solos become trios become duos become trios become solos again. And while some of these pieces have a lushly romantic aspect, others present themselves as resolutely outside the scope of "traditional" tonal parameters. At all times, these three musicians listen for each other and manifest the deep friendship they feel for each other throughout Adumbrations. 

Falco has said of Sinton and Wilson that he, "considers both of them to be close friends, whose lives I care deeply about, and whose thoughts and opinions on all manner of things, I value. I want to make music with these people. Period. It doesn't matter so much to me what the result will be. I know it will be great." And while this music may only outline these feelings, that is adumbrate them, they are at the core of what animates this dynamic recording. 

Called "varied and exciting," as well as "one of the most striking baritone saxophonists," Josh Sinton has been heard with some of the leading voices of Brooklyn's creative music scene since arriving in 2004. Whether with the bands of Anthony Braxton, Nate Wooley or Darcy James Argue or his own groups Ideal Bread or Predicate Trio, Sinton's unique soundings on baritone saxophone and bass clarinets have lent an air of urgency and immediacy to every musical situation he has participated in. He is proud to count Ingrid Laubrock, Jonathan Finlayson, Tom Rainey, Andrew D'Angelo and Guillermo Gregorio among his colleagues and looks forward to making music with many other musicians. In 2020 he was named “Rising Star” in the baritone saxophone category of Down Beat’s Critics’ Poll. 

Jed Wilson is a New England based pianist involved primarily with jazz and free improvisation. Current collaborations include a set of improvisation-based recordings with drummer Tony Falco, a world music project co-led with Dave Kobrenski, and a longstanding duo with singer-songwriter Heather Masse.

Tony Falco is a drummer, improviser, recording and mixing engineer based in Greenfield, MA. He works with avant-garde guitar legend Tisziji Muñoz, and has performed and recorded with John Medeski, Paul Shaffer, Marilyn Crispell, Dave Liebman, Bob Moses, and many others. In recent years, he has collaborated on duo projects with pianist Jed Wilson, and saxophonist Nathan Blehar. Falco and Blehar have released more than 20 recordings to date. 

Jocelyn Gould | "Golden Hour"

Golden Hour is guitarist Jocelyn Gould’s sophomore album. A follow up to her 2020 Juno-winning debut Elegant Traveler, Golden Hour further explores her musical character and personal development. It showcases her virtuosic guitar playing and dynamic compositions, and introduces her voice, which is featured on several tracks.

Golden Hour features six original compositions and four American songbook standards. The album is steeped in traditional jazz guitar history, paying homage to guitar greats such as Wes Montgomery on Willow Weep for Me and the solo guitar style of Joe Pass on Sweet Lorraine. Her original compositions range from swinging straight ahead blues (Bright Note) to contemporary jazz compositions that include vamps and Coltrane changes (Gemini). She lends her voice to three tracks: Horizons, Serendipity, and A Cottage for Sale.

Gould is joined by a group of internationally acclaimed musicians, including world renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker, drummer Quincy Davis, and pianist Will Bonness. This ensemble follows in the footsteps of many  of the classic guitar quartet records inspired Gould. She rounds out the group with Monk Competition winning saxophonist Jon Gordon on three tracks. 

When you listen to Golden Hour, you will hear swing, blues, memorable melodies, and Jocelyn’s signature rich, natural guitar sound.

Shiri Zorn & George Muscatello | "Into Another Land"

Original, intoxicating, soulful, unexpected, powerful, celestial—this is how audiences have described Shiri Zorn and George Muscatello’s performances. Their nearly decade-long collaboration now culminates with their 2022 album Into Another Land: incubated during lockdown, the album is informed by the spontaneity of their past performance experience around Saratoga NY, and is further augmented by the rhythmic sensibilities of Brazilian percussionist Mauricio Zottarelli. Vocally produced by acclaimed jazz singer Tierney Sutton and mixed and mastered by award-winning studio engineer David Darlington, the album features eight songs, including two original compositions. The first piece recorded during the early months of isolation was the tender How Deep is the Ocean? The arrangement Zorn created features her voice up front and wordless, setting the emotional tone for the entire song. The melody ends with question mark and a shift to the major, reinforcing the album’s theme of the fleeting and elusive nature of life and love.

Many of the musical decisions made on the album were made collaboratively, and sometimes spontaneously. Zorn’s lyrics create back stories for pieces she had long sung wordlessly. Muscatello’s angular and melodically challenging compositions mesh beautifully with Zorn’s past experience in the world of classical voice. Zottarelli’s distinctive percussive voice introduces an unsettled heartbeat on one track and an upbeat celebration on another. Two original songs - the vulnerable Witch Touch and meditative I Wasn’t Ready - are evidence of a deep history of mutual trust and the cultivation of a sacred creative space from which a shared vision has emerged.

Into Another Land will be released on Friday, June 10th 2022.

Black Nile | "River Of Emotions"

Born and raised in Los Angeles, multi-instrumentalist brothers Aaron and Lawrence Shaw have been playing music together for most of their lives and more recently as the duo Black Nile. They believe their music is a culmination of two things: their life experiences, and their hometown’s progressive sound as they're influenced by contemporaries like Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Thundercat and Vince Staples as much as they're influenced by past heroes like Miles Davis, George Duke, Nipsey Hu$$le and Jimi Hendrix. 

“The roots we grew up with, they still influence our music to this day, constantly soaking in life experiences to impact our music,” Lawrence says. “Also, transparency will always be in our music. It helps to show people what we went and lived through, so all will know why we play and produce music as hard as we do.” 

Black Nile’s moniker isn’t borrowed from the Wayne Shorter song of the same name, it’s based on an amalgamation based on the two separate words: “Black" -- the very darkest color owing to the absence of or complete absorption of light; and “Nile” -- the longest river in the world originating in East Africa, and is the wifehood of many great civilizations. The result is how the brothers define their band: Black Nile - “The absorption of reality, propagating spiritual energy through the river of conscious minds.” 

Though Black Nile says they can’t be defined by a single genre, the duo draws from music rooted in Black culture, including blues, jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul and more and they blend it into what they call “A River of Emotions,” a phrase that inspired the title of Black Nile’s third album, River of Emotions, available May 20 on Daddy Kev’s Alpha Pup Records. 

With River of Emotions, Aaron and Lawrence show they have developed a technique for creating music that works best for them while providing the high-quality music they strive to release. “We have worked to create a process which best works for us, constituting a consistent workflow from setup to execution,” the brothers say. In addition, River of Emotions contains some material that Black Nile has played live for years but never recorded.

A tactile sense of cosmic energy flows through the album. It is a visionary expanse that pushes forth into new dimensions of sound with every riff and rhythm by Aaron and Lawrence.

When making River of Emotions, Aaron and Lawrence brought in some of the top young musicians based in the Los Angeles, including drummers Mike “Blaque Dynamite” Mitchell, Malachi Harvey, Mekala Session and Greg Paul. Other guests on the album include keyboardists Diego Gaeta, Paul Cornish and Chris Fishman, and rapper and label-mate Tru Sounds is also featured on a track. 

“Playing with a band both live and in the studio allows everybody to input their own unique identity, creating a new experience every time we're either recording or are on stage,” they say. In regards to some of their live shows they decided; “It was time we took the best of those onstage experiences and record them in studio.” While the Shaw brothers finally got a chance to record a few songs they’d been playing for years, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Black Nile to change its business model where their outreach to fans, including new ones, had to change.

“COVID impacted us tremendously,” Lawrence says. “Between 2019 and through 2020 we were very busy doing live shows and events. Then we released our second album, “The Further Side”, in December 2020 and had a number of dates lined up. Then came the lockdown and everything was cancelled. Pre-COVID, our model was based upon in-person, intimate interactions on stage, etcetera. That had to shift to creating and releasing content online, as well as streaming live shows. We were focused on maintaining a connection with our fans and expanding our online presence. Pre-pandemic we were already creating content for online use but once the shutdowns occurred, we expanded both the amount and frequency we released content online.” 

The May 20 release of River of Emotions couldn’t have come at a better time. As COVID restrictions start to ease, and the world starts to open up, people are ready to experience live music again. “We still plan on creating and releasing content online but we are looking forward to getting back in front of live audiences,” they say.

MELODY GARDOT & PHILIPPE POWELL ANNOUNCE NEW DUO ALBUM ‘ENTRE EUX DEUX’

The announcement of Melody Gardot’s new song ‘This Foolish Heart Could Love You’ anticipates the release of her 6th studio album ‘Entre eux deux’, to be released on 20th May on Decca Records. Following the celebrated success of ‘Sunset in the Blue’, which was certified Gold in France, Gardot joins forces with French-born, composer and pianist Philippe Powell (son of Baden Powell) for her first ever studio album in duo. Today Gardot, receives the prestigious title of Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France’s highest cultural accolade.

Off the back of her collaboration with Sting on the song ‘Little Something’, where she had featured performances on BBC1’s The One Show, Good Morning America, and Skavlan, Gardot continues her collaborative spirit on her new album. An extensive run of live dates now follows into the end of the year, including a three-night residence at the legendary Olympia, Paris (Nov. 21-23, 2022) marking an astounding 23 shows at this iconic venue. 

Sensual, romantic and intimate, the first single ‘This Foolish Heart Could Love You’ (Gardot/Powell) arrives alongside a breathtaking video, produced by 24-7 Productions. Directed by rising star, Beki Mari, who has previously worked with the likes of Rita Ora, Glass Animals, Sigrid, Paloma Faith and Sting, the video is curated in partnership with the Musée Rodin (Paris).

The duality of the musicians is cleverly represented in a music video that does not feature the faces of Gardot and Powell, but instead, two new stars: danseuse étoile Marie-Agnès Gillot, along with her male counterpart from L’Opera Garnier, danseur étoile Germain Louvet. Dressed in archive pieces by Japanese Designer Issey Miyake, their movements dash in and out of sunlight from within the walls of the Musée Rodin as they emulate the feeling of that fleeting moment where love just might escape one’s grasp. Choreographed by Marie-Agnès Gillot, the visual piece brings to life the artist August Rodin’s work, as if to ‘flip the switch’ on who is the muse and who is the artist. The dancers draw their inspiration from the sculptures scattered throughout the museum, while their movements pay homage to some of the most celebrated work of Rodin, whose sculptures were often inspired not by models but, in fact, dancers.

Offering a unique minimalist approach, the ten-song album is a sparse architectural landscape filled exclusively by piano & voice (tuned to 432hz which is also the tuning used in Gardot’s album ‘Currency of Man’). Notably, it is also the first time that Gardot invited someone to take her usual place at the helm of the piano for the duration of the recording. The entire record features Philippe Powell (who Gardot adoringly calls “The Bill Evans of Brazil”) on keys.

The unique combination of Powell and Gardot’s partnership results in many of the songs sounding as if they have come straight out of the Great American Songbook. The only twist of lime is that at times, these “new standards” offer a Gershwinian nod to what could be otherwise dubbed the “Great French Songbook”, since several titles are in the language of the city where they were conceived (France).

Gardot explains, “If I had to sum up the record in a few words, I’d say this record is a dance between two people who love and value the same things: deep poetry and solid melodies” explains Gardot. “The title ‘Entre eux deux’ (loosely translated as “between us two”) stands true; it is a peek into the world of two artists who just really dig each other...we hope you dig it too”.

Philippe Powell adds, “This record is the most wonderful gift a pianist-composer could ever dream of. To write and perform in duo with one of the great artists of our time is the greatest musical experience I have ever had. I am profoundly grateful to Melody, for her love, her trust, her guidance, for bringing out the best within me, and for tireless efforts, and countless hours of hard work to produce this beautiful record.”

In these French songs, we find Gardot and Powell in full swing on an original song cleverly dedicated to the Eiffel Tower “mais si l’on cherche une romance encore plus belle, on vas s’embrasser à La Tour Eiffel”. Gardot then touches on a comical play-by-play on how best to deliver flowers to a woman “surtout pas les fleurs Dimanche matin”. Finally, a legendary love story revisited (singing in duo) on “Plus Fort que Nous” from Claude Lelouche’s French cinema classic Un Homme et Une Femme.

The backstory of the album resembles what one could envision as a brief stint at Warhol’s factory. Challenging themselves to create on the clock, these two artists came together for a period of two weeks, writing all hours of the day, sharing melodies, motifs, and lyrics. While original songs were the main objective, paying tribute was also part of the game. Revisiting the legacy of Powell’s father (Brazilian composer/guitarist Baden Powell) these two proudly carry the Franco-Brazilian torch that was lit so many years ago between celebrated artists Pierre Barouh, Vinicius de Moraes, and Baden Powell. This nod to the past is clear to see, while revisiting the title “Samba em Preludio/Un Jour Sans Toi” where Powell and Gardot sing for the second time in duet.

‘Entre eux deux’ is an impeccably crafted collection of songs shining a spotlight on both artists in their lane as composers and performers. Gardot’s mellifluous vocals, Powell’s consummate piano technique and a seemingly telepathic connection between two distinctive musical voices make this record feel like an instant classic.

Co-Presidents of Decca Label Group, Tom Lewis and Laura Monks, say, "This album is like a whispered conversation between two friends. It is hard to overstate its beauty, intimacy, and simplicity. It is a love letter to jazz and a love letter to France. We are in constant awe of Melody - she never stops seeking new perspectives in her music. And, in Philippe, she has found an extraordinary fellow explorer."

Track listing:  1. This Foolish Heart Could Love You / 2. What Of Your Eyes / 3. Plus Fort Que Nous / 4. À La Tour Eiffel / 5. Fleurs Du Dimanche / 6. Samba Em Prelúdio (Un Jour Sans Toi) / 7. Perhaps You’ll Wonder Why / 8. Recitativo / 9. Ode To Every Man / 10. Darling Fare Thee Well

SHABAKA | "AFRIKAN CULTURE"

Acclaimed saxophonist, philosopher, bandleader, and musician Shabaka Hutchings, now professionally known as Shabaka across all solo musical efforts, announces his first major label solo body of work, Afrikan Culture (impulse!), out on May 20th.   Entirely written by Shabaka the eight-track digital only EP showcases him on various wind instruments and focuses on the aural meditative space.  The first track off the introspective set is “Black meditation” and you can listen to the contemplative song and pre-order the EP here. 

“Afrikan Culture was made around the idea of meditation and what it means for me to still my own mind and accept the music which comes to the surface,” says Shabaka. “It features various types of Shakuhachi flutes and a new technique of creating that I’ve been experimenting with in layering many flutes together to create a forest of sound where melodies and rhythms float in space and emerge in glimpses.”

Produced by Shabaka and frequent collaborator Dilip Harris, Afrikan Culture takes you on a sonically healing journey.  Immersed in a sea of sound, diverse instruments that include the Shakuhachi (a Japanese end-blown flute), a Kora (a stringed instrument used extensively in West Africa), a Mbira (a “thumb piano” from Africa), and a music box envelopes the listener in a soothing sound that lingers on well past the last played note.  

The British-born Barbados-raised saxophonist and clarinetist is the centrifugal force in three critically acclaimed bands: Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and the South African-centered Shabaka and the Ancestors. 

He signed to Impulse! in 2018 after a six-year stretch rising to prominence with international sold-out shows that dissolved old genre boundaries and attracted eminent attention. Along the way he picked up accolades including two Mercury Prize nominations, a MOBO and a 2020 inclusion as one of Downbeat’s “Musicians Shaping The Future Of Jazz.” His band The Comet Is Coming created a memorable NPR Tiny Desk show. There has been endless coverage from The New Yorker to Afropunk. Sons of Kemet appeared in The New York Times Magazines “Songs That Matter Right Now” and Pitchfork’s “Best Songs of the 2010s” and were included in the soundtrack to groundbreaking visual media including Beyoncé’s Homecoming on Netflix and Michaela Coel’s award-winning BBC/HBO show I May Destroy You. In 2021 Sons of Kemet released Black To The Future to much critical acclaim and landed on several year-end “best of” lists including Stereogum, NPR, and Paste.

Comet, Kemet and The Ancestors – as well as numerous ad hoc ensembles – are separated by personnel and sound palette but the records naturally talk to each other. He writes the music for Sons of Kemet and composes for Shabaka and the Ancestors, whilst the music for The Comet is Coming is developed from within improvised jam sessions. It’s a rich set of overlapping musical worlds in which music is written whenever the opportunity rises.

Ella Fitzgerald / "Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook"

On August 16, 1958, just a few months after Ella Fitzgerald recorded her now-classic album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook, The First Lady Of Song performed selections from that album live at the Hollywood Bowl to an adoring, sold-out crowd. Conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, who also arranged and conducted the studio sessions, this concert marked the only time that Ella performed these iconic arrangements live with a full orchestra.

Widely considered her greatest achievement, Ella’s Songbook records, with peerless renditions of the best songs by America’s greatest composers, are the cornerstone of the Verve catalog and the undisputed standard for jazz vocal recordings. At the inaugural Grammy Awards, her Irving Berlin album won Ella her first Grammy for “Best Vocal Performance, Female,” and was also nominated for “Album Of The Year.” Aside from the lucky audience at the Hollywood Bowl that night, it wasn’t generally known, until the discovery of these tapes, that Ella had ever performed any of the Songbook arrangements in concert, let alone that such a pristine and sonically sumptuous recording existed.

On June 24, Verve/UMe will proudly release the full, never-before-released 15-song performance, aptly titled, Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook, on CD, vinyl, limited edition yellow splatter vinyl, and digitally. This landmark record, discovered in the private collection of producer and Verve Records founder Norman Granz, marks the first time a live Songbook has been released from Ella. It is also significant in that it captures the only time Ella worked in concert with arranger-conductor Paul Weston. And, although she performed regularly at the Hollywood Bowl, this is the first full-length concert by Ella from this iconic venue to be released (notably, Ella was featured prominently on Verve’s Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl album, recorded and released in 1956, the year Granz formed the label). The live tracks were mixed from the original ¼” tapes by Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Gregg Field who played drums for Ella in her later years. The album is rounded out with insightful liner notes about the concert and Ella’s Songbook series by noted author and music critic, Will Friedwald.

Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook is available to pre-order now and is being previewed with a lively rendition of “Puttin’ On The Ritz”. It is accompanied by an animated video, directed by Alberto Baroni, that cleverly brings the song and Giulia Pelizzaro’s dynamic album art to life. 

While Ella’s live appearances had evolved over the years from her early big band years where she primarily sang in ballrooms with the Chick Webb Orchestra to supper clubs, theaters and concert halls, she mostly stuck to a nightclub format of performing a selection of songs accompanied by a trio. This performance at the Hollywood Bowl was incredibly unique for her. As Friedwald reveals in the liners, “But to come on stage – with a full orchestra – and essentially sing the contents of a studio album, well, nobody did that. Not Sinatra, not Tony Bennett, not Miles Davis, nor any of the other key innovators who contributed to the development of what came to be known as ‘the concept album.” Friedwald continues, “so exactly why did Fitzgerald and Granz choose to face this particular music and dance in this singular fashion? We may never know, but the logical answer is that the songbooks were proving to be such a major component to her burgeoning career that… Fitzgerald and Granz were determined to do something special in honor of the ongoing series.”

And special it was. Across 15 songs, Ella and the orchestra performed dazzling arrangements of some of Irving Berlin’s best-known songs including the classic ballads “How Deep Is The Ocean” and “Supper Time,” Hollywood tunes “You’re Laughing At Me” and “Get Thee Behind Me Satan,” and swinging up-tempo numbers “Cheek To Cheek,” “Top Hat,” “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” “Heat Wave,” and “Puttin’ On The Ritz.” The concert pops with an electricity not found on the studio recording as Ella feeds off the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, whose applause and adulation bookend each song.

The Hollywood Bowl, which is celebrating its centennial this year, loomed large in Ella’s life. She made her Bowl debut alongside Louis Armstrong in 1956 at a star-studded program, which was released as the double LP, Jazz At The Hollywood Bowl. Ella holds the rare distinction of having sold out the Hollywood Bowl in each of five decades, from the 1950s through the 1990s. Aside from headlining numerous times, Ella, who lived in LA for much of her career, also performed as part of the annual Playboy Jazz Festival; her last appearance was a couple years before her passing in 1996. Read more about Ella and her history with the Hollywood Bowl here: https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/watch-and-listen/bowl-history-spotlight-ella-fitzgerald

The voice of Ella Fitzgerald, the songs of Irving Berlin, the timeless arrangements of Paul Weston with a orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, Ella At The Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook is the pinnacle of American song – live and like never before.

Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she sold more than 40 million albums and received most every honor a performer could dream of winning, including the Kennedy Center Honor (1979), the National Medal of Arts (1987), France's Commander of Arts and Letters (1990), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1992) and 13 Grammy Awards. In 2007, the United States Postal Service honored Fitzgerald with a postage stamp.

In her six-decade long career, the Queen of Jazz recorded more than 200 albums and roughly 2,000 songs, making her the most recorded female – and the second most recorded – performer in history. Among those recordings are works with some of history's greatest musicians and legendary songwriters.

Fitzgerald's distinct style has influenced multiple generations of singers and her work transcends generations and musical genres. She had an extraordinary vocal range and flexibility and possessed a preternatural gift for pitch, rhythmic sense and flawless diction. Immensely versatile, she could sing it all from jazz and bebop to ballads, swing, pop and rock. With an unparalleled ability for mimicry and “scat” singing, Fitzgerald also produced melodic lines that put her in the category of great instrumental improvisers. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless.

She passed away due to complications from diabetes, dying in her Beverly Hills home on June 15, 1996.

The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation was created and funded in 1993 by Ella Fitzgerald in order to fulfill her desires to use the fruits of her success to help people of all races, cultures and beliefs. Fitzgerald hoped to make their lives more rewarding, and she wanted to foster a love of reading, as well as a love of music. In addition, she hoped to provide assistance to the at-risk and disadvantaged members of our communities - assistance that would enable them to achieve a better quality of life. The Board of Directors of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation seeks to continue Ella Fitzgerald's goals by making charitable grants serving four major areas of interest: Creating educational and other opportunities for children; fostering a love and knowledge of music; including assistance to students of music the provision of health care; food, shelter and counseling to those in need and specific areas of medical care and research with an emphasis on Diabetes, vision problems and heart disease.

ELLA AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL: THE IRVING BERLIN SONGBOOK TRACKLISTING: 1. The Song Is Ended / 2. You’re Laughing at Me / 3. How Deep Is the Ocean / 4. Heat Wave / 5. Suppertime / 6. Cheek to Cheek / 7. Russian Lullaby / 8. Top Hat White Tie and Tails / 9. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm / 10. Get Thee Behind Me Satan / 11. Let’s Face the Music And Dance / 12. Always / 13. Puttin’ on the Ritz / 14. Let Yourself Go / 15. Alexander’s Ragtime Band.

 

Canelita Sabrosa release their multicultural debut album

Serial entrepreneur Chris Nettuno isn’t merely a music patron; he’s a member of the band. And when the COVID-19 lockdown threatened the livelihood of his group of full-time studio musicians and sidemen, the conga player found a way to keep the music playing. Those weekly porch concerts not only kept the musicians afloat but became the lifeblood of the debut album from the multicultural band Canelita Sabrosa. The Atlanta-based unit’s self-titled set, produced by five-time Grammy winner Dru Castro (India.Aire, Usher, Childish Gambino) along with the band’s two-time Grammy-winning guitarist Julio Miranda and drummer Chunky Sounds, drops May 20 on the band’s Canelita Sabrosa Records label.   

During the first few months of the pandemic, Nettuno invited the band over to play in his family room. After a few songs, they heard applause coming from outside the house. Neighbors had gathered and asked the group to perform outside. The eight-piece outfit that blends Latin, jazz, R&B, funk and rock was happy to oblige the following week. Word spread quickly and soon hundreds of people began flocking to the weekly Friday night shows. A local television reporter was in the audience, which led to a segment on Atlanta’s CBS affiliate. The grassroots buzz inspired Canelita Sabrosa to record an album featuring a mix of the popular cover tunes that populate their live setlist along with five original songs composed by Miranda and a pair of songs written by vocalist-rhythm guitarist Kenny Nettuno and his son, KJ Nettuno.  

Canelita Sabrosa, which means tasty cinnamon in Spanish, is a name selected to reflect the group’s multiethnic makeup as well as the multicultural stylings they incorporate into their world music amalgam. Colorful Puerto Rican, Afro Cuban, Brazilian and Caribbean nuances intermingle with improvised jazz explorations and rock god guitar pyrotechnics. Anchored by thick percussive salsa, samba and bossa nova beats constructed by Sounds, Chris Nettuno and percussionist Frankie Quinones, Miranda issues piercing lead guitar riffs and scorching solos seasoned by Kenny Nettuno’s spicy rhythms and sweet melodies. As bassist Matt Stallard carves deep-pocketed grooves, the dynamic three-man horn section - trumpeter Justin Powell, saxophonist EJ Hughes and sax/flutist Mac Isseks - douses the tracks with fire and fervor. Adding to the project’s pedigree is four-time Grammy-winning engineer Ralph Cacciurri (Coldplay, OutKast, Pink).

“Canelita Sabrosa is a culmination of diverse cultures and musical backgrounds. We all have one thing in common and that is passion: passion for life, love and music. That passion is what drives every part of our music - the grooves, the tones, the words!” enthused Chris Nettuno.

The music on “Canelita Sabrosa” is primarily instrumental with a handful of selections appearing on the album in both instrumental and vocal versions. The eclectic track list confirms the band’s multigenerational appeal with the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and present day represented by fresh versions of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” The Cure’s “Lovesong” and Camila Cabello’s “Señorita” and “Havana.”

“The covers are all about the grooves, the feeling. We try to play music that people can identify with and feel while letting each musician fly freely to let loose and show their musical soul and unique voice in each song,” said Chris Nettuno.

Of the originals, “Te Espere” moves to a sultry and sensual Latin jazz groove. “Si Se Puede” sashays and shimmies along a percussion and horn powered conga line. Miranda’s impassioned electric guitar ignites “Morning” as invigorating harmonies cascade over layers of percussion. The exotic “Breath of Rio” captivates and entrances while the anthemic “Vamos” is a celebratory fiesta. Elation propels the rousing “Clouded Vision.” Kenny Nettuno’s smooth and inviting voice provides cozy comfort on “Late Winter.”     

“Canelita Sabrosa” has been serviced to radio and is already collecting airplay and playlist adds at world music outlets. It’s music to dance to, it’s music to party to, and the exuberant energy and vibrant spirit that proliferate the album are infectious and intoxicating.        

“As a band, we really enjoy playing together and Covid couldn’t slow us down. We started recording in the summer of Covid, which was The Summer of Love for Canelita Sabrosa. We wrote and recorded because we never stopped when everyone else had to. We found a way. Chris Nettuno had other plans. Because of this one man, us musicians where saved. He kept us playing to feed the beast in our soul to perform for people and to help them forget that we were in a pandemic. As the world steadily emerges from the grip of the pandemic, the timing is perfect to release our first album,” said Miranda.

CÉU ANNOUNCES 2022 NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER TOUR

Brazilian singer, songwriter Céu is excited to return to the United States this summer for her 2022 North American Tour! Kicking off this July, it will be her first time back since 2016.  Since her last visit, the renowned artist has won 3 GRAMMYs, and released 2 stunning records, including  the newest album Um Gosto de Sol. 

Um Gosto de Sol  is her first covers album that features 14 beautiful renditions of classic Brazilian songs and international classics remade and crafted by the Latin GRAMMY Award winner. It is an ode to her roots back when she was living in New York in 1998. Back then she diveded her time between a music course - the reason why she had left Brazil - and various jobs such as a cleaner, coat-check attendant, and waitress, to help pay for her rent. During that time she focused on cover songs, singing someone else's repertoire was her first lesson - it guided her to find her own musicality - and, in the end, it was what gave her the fundamental tools to discover her place as a composer. 

It has been fifteen years now since her debut self titled album was released in the United States, and after five original albums, Um Gosto de Sol is the first album in which Céu is only a performer, giving voice to a dozen songs written by her favorite musicians and songwriters. Something she always wanted to do and finally had the time as a result of the pandemic’s impact on the artist’s life. 

Céu likes to say that this is indeed an album about hope. Not in an attempt to create new songs that simulated a beautiful future ahead - which at that point, in the shadow of the pandemic, would seem so unbelievable to us. But in a movement to strengthen what has - and has always been - most solid and most powerful: our history and our emotion. Even through the tough and unpredictable moments in quarantine, Um Gosto de Sol, brings a taste of sunshine and a lot of heat. 

Bring this album to the stage and coming back to the US will be a homecoming for Céu. It was fifteen years ago when her debut self titled album Céu broke in the US garnering critical acclaim and catapulitng her into the spotlight. Céu recalls, “I'm very happy to come back to the United States after all these years, especially to cities like Miami and Philadelphia, where I haven't played for more than 10 years, and to return to New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Seattle, Solana Beach, LA and especially to San Francisco where it all started for me in the United States. Performing again in a venue I love so much, like The Independent in San Francisco, where I released my first album in 2007, will be a very special moment.” 

Céu has created an acustic show that will dazzle and delight audiences as she as crafted the set based off her newest album "Um Gosto de Sol" and fan favorites! The concert will carry organic textures and be centered around the 7 string Brazilan acoustic guitar, a favorite of hers which will be played on tour by Leo Mendes who is great Brazilian instrumentalist from Bahia and son of the renowned Brazilian acoustic guitar player Roberto Mendes .  He is well adept at Brazilian rhythms and has performed with famous musicians like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Rounding out the Céu’s trio on stage and joining Leo Mendes will be her oldest musical partner Lucas Martins on bass and Thomas Harres on drums who is very present in the new Brazilian music scene. 

The tour will be organic in nature as she is backed by the band acoustically. Songs planned range from Brazilian to International classics, including hits from the last 6 albums. Céu comments, “It's a concert that simply talks about bridges, bridges between traditional samba and modern music, between Brazil and the world, where I bring in the great artists who have influenced me musically from Bahia to international artists and who represent my great musical influences today. This concert presents myself as an artist close to her origins of traditional Brazilian music, popular and international references.” She continues, “I think this is my first show that is so close to my musical roots and where people can understand my musical journey and hear my own songs in a more acoustic but modern context.” 

Check out the tour dates here and below.

 Tour Dates:

July 3 - Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Jazz Fest

July 4 - Montreal, QC - Montreal Jazz Fest

July 5 - Boston, MA @ City Winery

July 6 - New York, NY @ Lincoln Center

July 8 - Washington, DC @ City Winery

July 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ City Winery

July 10 - Toronto, ON @ Mixto Festival

July 12 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery

July 13 - Atlant, GA @ City Winery

July 16 - Miami, FL @ North Beach Bandshell

July 19 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up

July 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

July 21 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room

July 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Independent

July 24 - Seattle, WA @ Here After

Plínio Fernandes | “Saudade”

Decca Gold has announced the signing of 27-year-old Brazilian classical guitarist Plínio Fernandes. Plínio will release his major label debut solo album “Saudade” on July 8th. 

On signing with Decca Gold, Plínio says, “It’s really a dream come true: the opportunity to be signed by Decca Gold. All my heroes recorded for the label, especially Andrés Segovia. Being the one chosen to carry through that legacy is amazing, but such a responsibility.” 

Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Plínio Fernandes’s musical talent has brought him all over the world, including to the Royal Academy of Music in London where he received his master’s degree and has lived for the last seven years. With “Saudade,” an entrancing collection of works for solo guitar, Fernandes makes his auspicious recording debut for Decca Gold, weaving together all his musical loves and telling his complex and captivating international story in sound. “I chose songs that I grew up listening to,” Fernandes explains, “and in many cases I fell in love with the guitar through them.” We hear that boundless love, that charge of artistic talent in early bloom, throughout “Saudade.” 

The album also features special guests Sheku Kanneh-Mason on cello in Villa-Lobos’ flowing and lyrical “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: I. Aria (Cantilena),” Braimah Kanneh-Mason on violin in “Menino,” and renowned vocalist Maria Rita in a rendition of “O Mundo É Um Moinho.”  

Plínio has worked with Sheku Kanneh-Mason in the past when he was featured in both Sheku’s album Elgar on the track “Scarborough Fair,” and in the BBC “Imagine” documentary episode “This House is Full of Music,” which centered around the Kanneh-Mason family. 

We also hear Fernandes evoke his love for a far-off home, Brazil, a wistful love that renders the passionate expression in his guitar work all the more palpable. “I’ve found a home in London, and I plan to stay,” he says, “but the title Saudade means nostalgia, longing for something, which is literally what I feel here. The way I connect to Brazil and my identity as a Brazilian artist is through music.” To that end, Fernandes performs a virtuosic, soaringly melodic set that spans a wide range: from the famous Five Preludes of Heitor Villa-Lobos — the towering representative of 20th-century classical music in Brazil —to the timeless songs of Antônio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Jacob do Bandolim, Violeta Parra, Edu Lobo, Cartola and more. 

In addition to releasing Saudade, Fernandes is also committed to music education and was recently invited to join the Music Masters charity as an ambassador. In this capacity he’ll be performing, teaching, and guiding young musicians in the schools, carrying on the pedagogic traditions and practices that started him on his path. 

TRACKLIST: 1. Assanhado — Jacob do Bandolim / 2. The Girl From Ipanema — Antônio Carlos Jobim / 3. Beatriz — Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque / 4. Aquarelle: II. Valseana — Sérgio Assad / 5. Aquarela do Brasil — Ary Barroso / 6. Bachianas brasileiras No. 5: I. Aria (Cantilena): Adagio (feat. Sheku Kanneh-Mason) — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 7. Ponta de Areia — Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant / 8. 5 Preludes, W419: No.1 in E Minor — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 9. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 2 in E Major — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 10. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 3 in A Minor — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 11. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 4 in E Minor — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 12. 5 Preludes, W419: No. 5 in D Major — Heitor Villa-Lobos / 13. O Mundo É Um Moinho (feat. Maria Rita) — Angenor de Oliveira / 14. Recuerdos de Ypacarai — Zulema de Mirkin, Demetrio Ortíz / 15. Samba do Avião — Antônio Carlos Jobim / 16. Gracias A La Vida — Violeta Parra / 17. Se todos fossem iguais a você / Águas de Março Medley — Antônio Carlos Jobim / 18. Menino (feat. Braimah Kanneh-Mason) — Sérgio Assad.