REGGAE BAND UB40 DECLARES BANKTUPTCY

This news has to be a first for the music industry – have you ever heard of a band declaring bankruptcy? Believe it or not, according to news surfacing Monday afternoon, UB40 (the UK-based reggae band) has declared bankruptcy, and ready for liquidation. The order came from a Birmingham County Court judge, who is now allowing creditors and tax authorities to chase assets and royalty streams. "Tax officers can now seize property belonging to the band to pay off their outstanding debts," the UK-based Mail Online reported. Original band members - saxophonist Brian Travers, drummer Jimmy Brown, percussionist Norman Hassan and trumpeter Terence "Astro" Oswald were all declared insolvent, while earlier members departed over financial disputes and accusations. That includes lead singer Ali Campbell, who acrimoniously split from the band in 2008 citing "management difficulties". In an open letter to fans on the band's website, he said he was "deeply unhappy with administrative practices", adding he had "an ongoing investigation into the handling of my business affairs in relation to UB40". A spokeswoman for former frontman Ali Campbell told the Daily Telegraph the bankruptcy court case showed he was right to quit the band. Campbell’s departure was the result of a string of alleged financial improprieties by management group Dep International Ltd. Dep had been under investigation by tax authorities, and their role in this bankruptcy seems critical. A fifth original member of the group - Robin Campbell, the brother of Ali - was also involved in the Birmingham County Court case, although is not listed as bankrupt. Overall, the group has sold 70 million albums over their 33-year career and probably enjoys a healthy royalty stream. They notched up more than 50 chart hits including Red Red Wine, I Got You Babe and Kingston Town. And, the timing couldn't be worse: the group just finished a celebratory gig at Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath, Birmingham, the site of their first show ever.

MINDI ABAIR – HOW TO PLAY MADISON SQUARE GARDEN: A GUIDE TO STAGE PERFORMANCE

Mindi Abair has been working on a new book, entitled How To Play Madison Square Garden, for a few years now co-writing it with her father and their friend Ross Cooper. According to Abair, “it's the culmination of a lot of years of experience being on stage and learning what works and what doesn't. I've made every mistake "in the book", and I thought I'd condense what I know and have learned from these experiences in written form. So whether you want to become the next pop goddess or just give a better speech in front of your co-workers, this book will have some cool insight into the world of how to develop your own stage presence, find what makes you special and sets you apart as an artist, fight stage fright, communicate with your audience, and even includes some fun stories by a few tried and true rock stars who have performed on the Madison Square Garden Stage.”

Music-wise you can catch Mindi Abair on stage at any one of the following venues:

• October 22 – Catalina Island Jazz Festival, Catalina Island, CA
• October 27 – The Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ (as a guest appearing with Max Weinberg and Bill Champlin)
• October 29 – Pacific Rim Jazz Festival, Honolulu, HI
• November 11 – Earl Klugh’s Weekend of Jazz, Kiawah Island, SC
• November 25 – Austin, TX, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• November 26 – Austin, TX, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• November 29 – Dallas, TX, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• November 30 – Houston, TX, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 1, Washington, DC, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 2 – New Haven, CT, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 3 – Uncasville, CT, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 4 – Reading, PA, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 6 – Boston, MA, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 7 – Boston, MA, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 8 – Annapolis, MD, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 9 – Buffalo, NY, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 10 – New York, NY, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 12 – Stuart, FL, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 13 – Clearwatrer, FL, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 14 – Jacksonville, FL, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 16 – Fresno, CA, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• December 18 – San Diego, CA, Peter White Christmas featuring Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum
• January 21, 2012 – Lake Jackson, TX
• February 3-4 – Dana Point, CA, Ocean Institute w/David Benoit, Rick Braun
• February 18 – Punta Gorde, FL, Punta Gorda Wine and Jazz Festival
• March 8-11 – Seattle, WA, Jazz Alley

NEWSBITS FROM CHRIS BOTTI, WAYMAN TISDALE, NILS LANDGREN, BILL EVANS, DAVE KOZ AND MORE…

It's been four years since the lovely Italia, Chris Botti's last studio album. Since then, there have been a well-received concert disc (the guest-star-laden "In Boston") and a grueling live schedule that keeps the photogenic trumpet man on the road 300 days a year. Botti, who turns 49 in a few days, came to major attention on a two-year stint touring with Sting. His solo career blossomed, so much that he emerged as something of a smooth-jazz sex symbol. Botti performs Sunday at the Orpheum Theatre. When asked about when we can expect a new studio album? Botti replied “ We're about 80 percent done on the new one. It will probably come out in late March. Our touring is so heavy it takes time to get things done.


NBA star-turned smooth jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale will have a documentary out next month on his life. The Wayman Tisdale Story will be available on DVD and a special edition CD+DVD on November 22. Embodying his life’s approach of compassion, courage, and optimism, The Wayman Tisdale Story is a feature-length documentary that offers a detailed account of the life of the former basketball star and jazz musician. Told through his own words, The Wayman Tisdale Story journeys through Tisdale’s life from his childhood as a preacher’s son to his battle with cancer. Tisdale died at the age of 44 in 2009 from complications of a hard-fought battle with bone cancer.

Swedish Jazz trombonisit Nils Landgren newest release, entitled The Moon The Stars And You, is described as an unusual smooth jazz album devoted to the moon and the stars. For this release he’s roped in some impressive support, including Jazz Crusaders pianist Joe Sample and French accordion star Richard Gallano. Landgren's warm-toned trombone is as persuasive as his Nat King Cole and Chet Baker-influenced singing. He delivers standard songs with freshness, affection and precision. Swinger Joe's Moonblues shuffles on with a gleefully virtuosity, Moon River acquires a wistful new character, and Jimmy Webb's The Moon's a Harsh Mistress gets a haunting treatment from Vince Mendoza's arrangement for the NDR Big Band. The album's dedicated to the late Esbjorn Svensson, Landgren's friend and collaborator for many years.

Pioneers For A Cure - Songs To Fight Cancer has announced the iTunes release of the classic Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by multi Grammy nominated jazz saxophonist Bill Evans. Evans has selected the Living Beyond Breast Cancer charity to benefit from proceeds of sales of the single, an advance release for the Pioneers For A Cure 'American Collection in October 2011. Throughout his 20-year career as a solo artist, saxophonist Bill Evans has explored a variety of musical settings that go well beyond the confines of traditional jazz, including hip-hop, fusion, reggae, Brazilian and slamming funk. Evans steps into more adventurous territory on his most recent release, Soulgrass, blending jazz, funk and roots music into a seamless and wholly unique hybrid of quintessentially American styles.
Dave Koz has schedule a batch of 2012 concert appearances with symphonic orchestras. He’ll appear at with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marvin Hamlish on January 26 through 29, and on May 11, hell appear at the Glendale Arts – Pop Concert in Glendale, CA.

You've had your cloud, but you haven't had it like this. And sometime in "late October," Apple plans to change the music world, again. That's when the much-anticipated iTunes Match hits the streets - at least in the US, according to details disclosed Tuesday by the company (the UK is apparently next on the list). And America - then the rest of the world - will experience a cloud like none other. But can they pull it off this time? We've argued that the iTunes Cloud - complete with scan-n-match - will trump upstarts like Spotify for a number of reasons. That includes an approach that baby-steps upon existing collections, is far cheaper, and... let's face it, comes from Apple. But this movement also involves elephants Google and Amazon, both of whom are positioning variations on this collection-based theme. iTunes Match was just one component of an announcement that included an upgraded iPhone 4S (not an iPhone 5), the induction of Sprint into the iPhone family, cheaper iPod touches and nanos, and a smoother iOS 5. And, the iCloud, which goes live ahead of Match on October 12th. This is a $24.99-a-year service that scans-n-matches your entire collection, ports it into the cloud, and enables access of 256kbps AACs from any computer, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or other iOS device. It's your collection, with on-demand streaming (essentially) and anywhere access.

GEORGE BENSON - ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS: BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON / WHITE RABBIT / BODY TALK

Classic early 70's Benson – in a 3CD set! Beyond The Blue Horizon is a great early CTI session by George, and one of the most stripped-down, straight-ahead funky records he did for the label! There's a sharpness here that's different than the larger feel of some of Benson 's later records – a sound that almost links back to his soul jazz roots in the 60s – played by a tight combo that features Benson on guitar, Clarence Palmer on organ, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus percussion from Michael Cameron and Albert Nicholson. Titles include "All Clear", "Ode To A Kudu", and "Somewhere In The East". Plus, the CD features 3 bonus tracks – alternate versions of "Ode To A Kudu", "Somewhere In The East", and "All Clear". White Rabbit is one of his moodiest sessions – a landmark album that took George Benson from the funky jazz scene into the upper reaches of 70's jazz. The record was put together by Don Sebesky, and it's a lot more high concept than some of George's earlier work – and proof that he was a totally great player who just needed a push in the right direction to find his own vibe. Other players include Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, and Airto – and titles include "California Dreaming", "El Mar", "White Rabbit", and "Little Train". Body Talk is a sweet funky classic – featuring arrangements by Pee Wee Ellis, all with a groovy Kudu-type sound! George is the main soloist – but the group is super-hip, with Harold Mabern on electric piano, Frank Foster on tenor, and a little bit of extra guitar from Earl Klugh. George is pulling no punches on this one – really hitting hard on his solos with a freer approach than he used on most of his other records from the time. Titles include "Dance", "Plum", "Body Talk" (plus an alternate take), and "Top Of The World" – and most tracks are looong! (CDs come in mini LP-style sleeves.) Source Dusty Groove.

MAYER HAWTHORNE - HOW DO YOU DO

On Mayer Hawthorne's first major label effort, How Do You Do, he proves that he is not part of a trend. The classic Motown sound that provided the blueprint for his self-produced independent debut, A Strange Arrangement, remains, but is joined on How Do You Do by music reminiscent of late 1960s California pop and the best work from the likes of Steely Dan and Chicago. Hawthorne brings that fun, neo classic bedroom soul sound he did so well on Stones Throw with him – pretty much picking up right where Strange Arrangement left off! The Mayer Hawthorne story was a strange one from the start – white producer/DJ crafting real deal moody, sultry throwback soul under a pseudonym that gets him signed to Stones Throw. The best news, really, is that he's still doing what we loved on the Stones Throw LP and singles. Skirting throwback Motown and indie soul conventions, but winking ever so slyly at them, making strings sound scratchy, warm and well-worn, subtle horns to sooth and stir, his own vocals layered for a group-like effect. Bonus points for his use of the superstar cameo – he brings Snoop Dogg in to SING, not to serve as an obligatory rhyme cameo. Well played, Mayer Hawthorne! Includes "Get To Know You", "A Long Time", "Can't Stop" with Snoop, "Finally Falling", "Hooked", "You Called Me", "No Strings", "Dreaming", "The Walk" and more. (Includes MP3 download of the entire album.) On "The Walk," the first single, Hawthorne plays a man scorned and content with saying, "So long, you did me wrong," to the lady in his life. "A Long Time" is both a brilliant homage to Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen" and a storied history of Hawthorne's beloved Detroit, followed by a duet - yes, duet - with the incomparable Snoop Dogg on "Can't Stop." Already on tour, Mayer Hawthorne's US dates continue through November, culminating in a pair of shows at Terminal 5 in NYC.

MILES DAVIS - LIVE AT MONTREUX, 1973-1991

Fans have been waiting for it: the complete collection of Miles Davis Concerts at Montreux is finally available. A box of exception containing 10 DVDs and exclusive interviews with Claude Nobs, Carlos Santana and Herbie Hancock. "These live recordings, spanning nearly 30 years, not only show Miles' creativity but also the major influence he had and still has on today's music. I am very proud that by keeping all these recordings through the years and using only direct mixes, the magic of Montreux can be yours now."

Claude Nobs, director and founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival

Miles ! Live at Montreux, 1973-1991
July 8, 1973 - 28 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, organ; Dave Liebman, tenor sax, soprano sax, flute; Reggie Lucas, guitar; Pete Cosey, guitar, percussion; Michael Henderson, bass; Al Foster, drums; James Mtume, congas, percussions.

July 8, 1984 (Afternoon & Evening) - 98 mins & 109 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Bob Berg, sax, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; John Scofield, guitar; Darryl Jones, bass; Al Foster, drums; Steve Thornton, percussions.

July 14, 1985 (Afternoon & Evening) - 120 mins & 121 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Bob Berg, sax, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; John Scofield, guitar; Darryl Jones, bass; Vincent Wilburn Jr., drums; Steve Thornton, percussions.

July 17, 1986 - 106 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Bob Berg, sax; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Robert Irving III, keyboards; Robben Ford, guitar; Felton Crews, bass; Vincent Wilburn Jr., drums; Steve Thornton, percussions.Special guests: George Duke, synthesizer on "Tutu" & "Splatch"; David Sanborn, sax on "Burn", "Portia" & "Jean-Pierre"

July 7, 1988 - 130 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Kenny Garrett, sax; Robert Irving III, keyboards; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Benny Rietveld, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Marilyn Mazur, percussions.

July 21, 1989 - 113 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet, keyboards; Rick Margitza, tenor sax; Kei Akagi, keyboards; Adam Holzman, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Benny Rietveld, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Munyungo Jackson, percussions. Special guest: Chaka Khan, vocals on "Human Nature".

July 20, 1990 - 93 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet; Kenny Garrett, sax; Kei Akagi, keyboards; Foley, lead bass; Richard Patterson, bass; Ricky Wellman, drums; Erin Davis, percussions.

July 8, 1991 - 60 mins
Miles Davis, trumpet. Quincy Jones, conductor. Soloists: Kenny Garrett, alto sax; Wallace Roney, trumpet, flugelhorn. With the Gil Evans Orchestra and the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. Additional participating musicians: Benny Bailey, trumpet, flugelhorn; Carles Benavent, bass, electric bass on "The Pan Piper" and "Solea", Grady Tate, drums.

INTERVIEWS with
Claude Nobs, Carlos Santana & Herbie Hancock

The Montreux Jazz Festival founded and directed by Claude Nobs
Executive Producers for Miles Davis Properties: Vince Wilburn Jr., Cheryl Davis & Erin Davis
Executive Producer for Montreux Sounds: Claude Nobs
Executive Producers for Eagle Vision: Terry Shand & Geoff Kempin
Design: Nikkie Amouyal - Photos: Edouard Curchod & Georges Braunschweig for GM Press

© 2011 Montreux Sounds
Artwork © 2011 Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd
An Eagle Vision release. Eagle Vision is a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd
DTS Digital Surround Sound
Dolby Surround 5.1
Dolby Stereo
NTSC region 0
Ref. EREDV 886
Subtitles interviews only: Deutsch, Español, Français

CARL THOMAS - CONQUER

"I am back!" declares the Grammy® nominated, platinum-selling R&B artist Carl Thomas. After a brief personal hiatus, Thomas returned to the studio armed with an arsenal of hit songs, award-winning producers and a triumphant spirit to deliver his highly anticipated new album appropriately titled Conquer, set for release on Verve Forecast, December 6, 2011. And his smoldering lead single, "Don't Kiss Me" was produced by Rico Love (Usher, Beyonce), a modern-day ode to the oldie R&B track with Thomas' signature vocal styling—with a reminiscent touch of Al Green and Marvin Gaye for good measure. A lot has happened since Carl Thomas' debut album Emotional climbed the charts to become an instant R&B classic. After the tragic murder of his brother in 2004 on the eve of the release of Thomas' sophomore album Let's Talk About It, a devastated Thomas put writing and recording on pause and went abroad to escape the pain from his shocking loss. With frequent international travels and remaining incognito in the States, Thomas embarked on a personal journey of recovery.

Still grieving the loss of his brother, Thomas was invited to the studio to record for "fun" resulting in 2007's So Much Better. "That not only gave me legs to stand on again," Thomas recalls, "but it showed me that I was supposed to be standing." And even as an independent release, So Much Better hit the Top 50 on the Billboard 200 chart: A cathartic process serving to ease Thomas back into writing and recording with a whole new outlook, paving the way for Conquer. Realizing music's healing qualities, Thomas triumphantly returns with Conquer, his first studio album in four years. Not wishing to travel the same, traditional R&B course, Thomas carves out his own melodious niche. Conquer showcases his growth as an artist and songwriter with songs bursting with lush orchestrations and entrancing chords, all weaved together with his timeless vocal style. The core of Conquer is comparable to Coldplay's soulful sparseness. It's the spirited pop of Maroon Five on a hot Harlem night. It's Sting meets Lamont Dozier.

For the recording of Conquer, Thomas enlisted some of today's top producers, including Andre Harris (formerly of multi-platinum production duo Dre & Vidal) who produced the smooth and seductive title track which opens with a quiet tempest of strings—the kind you hear during a pivotal scene of a spaghetti Western—and "Round 2," about his request to repeat an intimate encounter with a beautiful woman to jar his memory. Conquer continues with the Rex Rideout-(Ledisi) produced "It Is What It Is" which was written by hip-hop legend Heavy D and showcases Thomas' effortless ability to ride rhythms and skillfully ad-lib all at once; the romantic wedding ballad "I Do" which was written by Thomas and produced by The Internz (Justin Bieber) conveys the groom's point of view as he watches his gorgeous bride walk down the aisle; and the Mario Winans-produced "It Ain't Fair" whose production style works in perfect tandem with Thomas' subtle yet urgent delivery as he continues his grown-man flirts and adulation of an angelically beautiful woman.

Once a protege of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs (who signed Carl Thomas after hearing him sing at an open mic night in New York in the mid '90s), the Chicago native was the first heartthrob R&B songster on Bad Boy Entertainment. After a string of recordings with other Bad Boy artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Black Rob and Mase, Thomas finally got his chance and released his full-length debut album, Emotional, in April 2000 that reached No. 2 on the R&B chart, Top 20 on the Billboard 200 and sold nearly two million copies — with the single "I Wish" hitting No. 1 on the R&B Singles chart. His follow-up, 2004's Let's Talk About It, hit No. 2 on the R&B chart and No. 4 on the Billboard 200. And in 2006, Thomas earned a Grammy® Award nomination for "Everyday (Family Reunion)," along with Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams and the late Gerald Levert, for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals.

TRACKLISTING:
1.Night Is Yours
2.Conquer
3.Round 2
4.Not The Same
5.Don't Kiss Me
6.It Is What It Is
7.It Ain't Fair
8.Sweet Love
9.Running
10.I Do

STEVE CROPPER - DEDICATED

Steve Cropper, the Grammy-nominated, Rock Hall of Fame guitarist who has played with Booker T. and the MG's as well as Otis Redding and Carla Thomas during the Stax era, will appear Tuesday at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles for a discussion of his storied career and new album, Dedicated. The event begins at 8pm and tickets are $15. The Grammy Museum is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA in the LA Live complex.  Dedicated the Billboard Top 200 charting project is a heartfelt tribute to fellow guitarist Lowman "Pete" Pauling and his pioneering R&B group The 5 Royales. A legendary and influential musician in his own right, Cropper pays homage to the group that broke musical ground and shaped his own distinctive musical voice. The album has steadily built an outstanding buzz from the stellar media attention that has run, such as Mojo Magazine (4 stars), Billboard, Wall Street Journal, NPR and the Huffington Post. In addition, Steve Cropper will sit in and play with the band on Conan O'Brien on Monday, October 24.

Produced by Cropper and Jon Tiven (Wilson Pickett), they put together a session player dream team for the recording. As word got out, A-list guests signed on to contribute their talents such as Lucinda Williams, Brian May, Sharon Jones, Steve Winwood, John Popper, BB King, Bettye LaVette, Delbert McClinton, Buddy Miller, Shemekia Copeland and others. Even Jay Z and Kanye West pay tribute by using the Cropper-composed sample from Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness" on their smash hit collaboration "Otis." Says Cropper: "Part of getting older and still being able to play and all of that -- at a certain point it becomes about educating the next generation. I've already had four of five careers and I'm lucky to be alive. If I can educate these young ears as to where the music started, because they're always asking, and if I can get them interested in the Five Royales I've done something."

DEDICATED Track Listing:
1) Thirty Second Lover (w/Steve Winwood)
2) Don't Be Ashamed (w/Bettye LaVette & Willie Jones)
3) Baby Don't Do It (w/BB King & Shemekia Copeland)
4) Dedicated To The One I Love (w/ Lucinda Williams & Dan Penn)
5) My Sugar Sugar (w/John Popper)
6) Right Around The Corner (w/Delbert McClinton)
7) Help Me Somebody (Instrumental)
8) I Do ( w/ Brian May)
9) Messin' Up (w/Sharon Jones)
10) Say It (w/Bettye LaVette)
11) The Slummer The Slum (w/Buddy Miller)
12) Someone Made You For Me (w/Dan Penn)
13) Think (instrumental)
14) Come On And Save Me (Leblanc and Sharon Jones)
15) When I Get Like This (w/ Lucinda Williams)

ALEX JACQUEMIN – FIRST AND LAST LIGHT

Alex Jacquemin is a modern jazz guitarist with a driving penchant for originality, daring and challenge. Born in France, he did not pick up his first guitar until the age of 16, but worked on his mastery of the instrument with such disciplened devotion that he was formally teaching others how to play by his fourth year. Renowned for his amazing ability to blend into any musical scenario, Alex played in a number of eclectic bands such as the electro-rock ensemble Zend Avesta, the Brazilian group Vitto and the world music band Canaïma. He also played throughout Europe in major venues and festivals, and recorded a number of albums in ever-changing styles, including the progressive jazz-rock power trio format of Underground 95-02 and the 2000 album Story of - his way of whisking early `60s Blue Note boogaloo into the future. An ambitious player, composer, arranger and band leader, Alex brought his skills to the United States to delve deeper into shaping his own style and sound.

His most profound progress in this direction can be heard on his completely original new double CD concept album, First and Last Light. It is a project comprised of two separate discs that find Alex playing electric guitar within two very unique duo situations. The first disc, color-coded brown, is subtitled "Zanchin" - a Japanese term refering to "a mental state of transcending awareness and a focused unity of the mind." This CD pairs Alex with electric cellist Yoed Nir and is a thematic collection of pieces dedicated to touchstone people, precious places and points of reference from Alex's life. This was a direct result of the pairing of guitar and cello consistently yielding musical leanings that were melancholy, reflective and nocturnal. Musically, both gentlemen play their instruments through a series of moody special effects while also utilizing a device called the Loop Station that captures musical phrases of varying lengths that they play then repeats them at specific times throughout a performance. It is because of both Alex and Yoed using their own versions of this device that Alex defines the pieces they created as "spontaneous compositions" as opposed to improvisations.

"When I moved to New York City, I found small gigs in Brooklyn where I could play 2 or 3 times a week but they did not have the space and the budget to have a full band. So I started to play solo. Then I invited cellist Yoed to join me. He used the Loop Station just like me and also effects on his cello like I did on guitar, so we were a good match. We did about 12 gigs together then I decided to record us in 2008. Each song is a special dedication - one for my mother ("A Suzanne"), another for a female friend that committed suicide ("A Brigitte"), and one for the place of my childhood where I experienced the joys and pains of growing up ("A la Barreyere"), etc. It's very deep music...music I determined too heavy emotionally to release by itself." "So for the next set of music, I decided to collaborate with a percussionist - someone who would bring a lot of upbeat energy and grooves from different parts of the world, especially Africa and South America. I met Mario Monaco who played a small set of hand drums and percussion and we hit it off immediately. We played many gigs over a two year period and amassed a loyal following. I finally recorded us together in 2010. That CD, color-coded blue, is subtitled Charms."

The richly hypnotic and deliciously diverse Charms is 7 songs (plus 3 percussion interludes) that moves from the spell-casting opener "The Charm" (also featuring Nir on cello in one of three guest appearances) and the eerily evocative "Snakes" which recalls what a collision between Adrian Belew of King Crimson and Andy Summers of The Police might sound like to the shimmery desert funk of "Riders" and the sunny reggae march of "Children." Alex enhances each song in the liner notes with brief written descriptives. For "Children" he notes, "Play with simplicity, play with innocence and freedom, before intellectual constraints, you played with the angels." For the especially delightful "3 Charmers and a Widow," Alex poetically scene-sets, "Using joyful performances of melody and dance, each competes for the heart of the woman in mourning." Clearly, the appeal for the music of Charms is multi-layered and broad-reaching. "I felt that pairing 'Charms' with 'Zanchin' showed a more rounded portrait of who I am as an artist - one dark and moody, the other bright and groovy with an African inspiration. That's why together the double CD set is titled First and Last Light." The project comes smartly packaged in an eco-friendly/all-paper presentation that folds out into a double-sided poster highlighted by the aformentioned descriptives for each of the songs.

Alex Jacquemin hears his sound as most indelibly influenced by English blues-rock giant Jeff Beck and American jazz garage icon Pat Metheny. "I love Beck for his choice us  of notes executed with the precisely amplified magnitude of balls," Alex proudly proclaims. "What I most appreciate about Metheny is his uncanny ability to keep one foot in the mainstream yet always retain a daring and unpredictability that make him a champion of the alternative underground." What Alex has wrought from all he has studied, experienced and finessed is a remarkably inviting and accessible style of playing that incorporates astounding technical facility with deep emotional connections. This is accomplished through his warm melodic sense informed by the pop, rock and world music sounds he has embraced across the decades. Few guitarists can negotiate the blistering speeds with which Alex plays on his solo from "A Peter Sloterdijk" on Zanchin vs. the penetrating, soul-searching yearn he coaxes and caresses out of his guitar on one of his most popular numbers, "Procrastination" (the music bed that visitors hear when they first log onto his website http://www.alexjacquemin.com/). Though home for Alex Jacquemin is now New York, he was born in France. He grew up a restless kid that had no idea what he wanted to do in life, but knew without question that he did not want to lead a dull ordinary one. When a long-haired friend introduced him to the guitar at age 16, he fell in love, immediately exhibiting a serious, mature passion for the instrument. Alex didn't look at the guitar as a chick magnet that would position him front and center within some hip and happening scene. Instead, he locked himself up with it and devoted unrelenting hours of study and practice so that he'd be able to write his own ticket to adventure and freedom.

"I come from a family that didn't even have a stereo in the house," Alex continues, "so when my friend showed me his guitar, it totally blew me away as a means of expression. I worked and saved up the money at 17 to buy two guitars by Jacobacci, a leading company in France for jazz axes run by these two guys. I bought one jazz guitar and one rock guitar on the same day, and those are the only instruments I've had from then to now. I started out playing rock and blues but got bored with that and challenged myself to go straight into jazz chords and sophisticated scales. But I got bored with traditional swing jazz, too, and wanted to stretch even beyond that! Over the years what I've worked out is a style of jazz that is open to pop colors of music from around the world and grooves." Alex studied privately with Louis Soler for technical and melodic mastery. He attended CMCN, a French modern music school that gave him his jazz groundwork. He got that under his belt in three semesters then stayed on to teach for two and a half more years. Then he flew over to Boston in America and spent a year at prestigious Berklee College of Music where he encountered many inspiring players. Alex next returned to France and immediately became a fixture on the Parisian jazz scene, playing in all kinds of unusual combos and as a leader in his own right. He recorded his first CD as a leader at age 24, a heavy jazz-rock trio "musicians record"...one that primarily only other musicians would be astute enough to enjoy. He next did a series of swing jazz albums followed by some jazz that struck a more contemporary balance of Afro Beat and World Pop.

"The term 'fusion' is too cold for me," Alex muses. "Defining my music, the beats and the melodies are easy on the ears yet spiked with the sophistication of jazz improvisation in the solos and harmony." Another lovely influence on Alex is wife Vanessa Jacquemin, a singer/songwriter from New York who met Alex while she was in Paris being seduced by its vibrant local jazz scene. Alex played in the pop-jazz combo Vaeda with Vanessa and also co-produced some of her work as a solo artist, including her self-titled CD and a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Hejira." Together they moved back to New York in 2007. Now with the thoroughly illuminating double disc First and Last Light as an astounding and spellbinding entry point into the 360-degree artistry of amazing jazz guitarist Alex Jacquemin, the melodic French modernist is poised to take America, and indeed all the world, upon imagination sparking aural journeys of wonder.

NATALIE COLE – THANKFUL (EXPANDED EDITION)

Natalie Cole was enjoying international success in 1977 when Capitol Records issued her fourth album, Thankful. Like its predecessors, the LP was produced by the Chicago team of Chuck Jackson & Marvin Yancy and contained a number of Natalie's own compositions including the US Top 10 R&B hit, `Annie Mae.' A US Top 20 pop and Top 5 R&B charted album, Thankful (long out of print on CD) was certified platinum and boasted the US million-selling R&B No. 1 and No. 15 pop single, "Our Love." This reissue is the second Cole album from SoulMusic.com Records following the February 2011 release of  Natalie Live. Key cuts on Thankful include the gospel-driven title track; the smooth `quiet storm'-flavoured Cole fan favourite, `La Costa' (co-written by Natalie and her then-musical director Linda Williams); the jazzy "Lovers" (another tune co-penned by Natalie); and the Cole composition, the heartfelt `Keeping A Light.' In addition to saxophonist and co-producer Gene Barge, Jackson & Yancy assembled an `A' list of musicians for the album including guitarists Lee Ritenour and Ray Parker Jr., drummers James Gadson and Paul Humphrey and keyboardist Sonny Burke.

 

Cole has earned nine Grammy awards. The daughter of legendary singer Nat King Cole, her debut album Inseparable (1975) earned a No. 1 single, This Will Be (An Everlasting Love), and two Grammy awards for Best New Artist, as well as Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.  Her 1991 album Unforgettable…With Love included a duet with her late father and earned six Grammy awards. Cole's latest album, Still Unforgettable, (2008) garnered two more Grammy awards.  Cole documented her life story in her autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder (2000). In 2008 she was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C, and will meet with leading patient advocates in Washington, D.C., and discuss the Tune In to Hep C national public health initiative, sponsored by Merck and the American Liver Foundation, at a National Press Club Speakers Luncheon, Wednesday, October 19.  "There is a stigma around chronic hepatitis C because it's associated with IV drug use.  But it doesn't matter how you got the virus, it matters what you do about it," Natalie Cole said.  "That's why I've joined the Tune In to Hep C campaign to share my story and motivate people to take the next step by speaking to their doctor. Doing nothing is not an option." Ms. Cole, who realized she'd been living with the virus for more than 25 years after being diagnosed during a routine examination, will call to elevate the public discussion around chronic hepatitis C and encourage others to take action.  Hepatitis C is a liver disease often referred to as the "silent disease" because it can be in the body for decades without apparent symptoms.  An estimated 3.2 million Americans have hepatitis C though many are unaware they have it. 

EL BARRIO – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION OF LATIN BOOGALOO, FUNK & SOUL

A quartet of releases in Fania's fantatic El Barrio series – together in this great 4CD box set! Latin Funk (CD1) features, you guessed it, heavy funk with a Latin groove – a wonderful mixing of modes that's completely fresh and unique! Titles include "You Need Help" by Monguito Santamaria, "Identify Yourself" by Cafe, "Dynamite" by Harvey Averne, "I'm Gonna Get To You Yet" by TNT Boys, "Black Dice" by Mongo Santamaria, and "Hot Pants" by Gilberto Cruz. Latin Disco (CD2) shows very different side of the sound of Fania Records – tracks that draw heavily from the club and disco rhythms of the New York scene of the 70s, but serve up the music with a sweet little Latin twist! Titles include "Waterbed" by LTG Exchange, "Dance Dance Dance" by Orquesta Novel, "Salsa" by Louie Ramirez, "Mambo Rock" by Seguida, "Afro Hustle" by Lou Perez and many more. The Bad Boogaloo (CD3) collection does a great job of mixing together some of the key favorites from the classic Fania catalog – and together, the tracks work perfectly to serve up that unique blend of soul, funk, and Latin that was going down in the Spanish Harlem scene during these crucial crucial years! 16 tracks in all – including "Gimme Some Love" by Joe Cuba, "Morris Park" by Lenni Sesar, "Come & Get It" by Ralph Robles, "Bad Breath" by Bobby Valentin, "Mercy Mercy Baby" by Ray Barretto, "King Of Latin Soul" by Joey Pastrana and more. El Barrio (CD4) is a brilliant exploration of the sound of Latin Soul that broke hard in the New York scene at the end of the 60s! The package is equally heavy on the "soul" as it is on the "Latin" – so alongside the expected boogaloo and shing-a-ling styles, you'll also find a fair number of tracks that have a much more soul-based style – a sound that echoes the modes going down in African-American culture at the time, but which comes off slightly different here – thanks to some unusual rhythms, instrumentation, and production techniques! "Do You Feel It" by Joe Cuba, "Big T" by Tito Ramos, "Safari" by Tito Puente, , "New York Soul" by Ray Barretto, "Si Dame Tu Amor" by Cafe, "Musica Del Alma" by TNT Band and more. Source: Dusty Groovve

ALI RYERSON - CON BRIO!

Ali Ryerson credits the loving support from her tightly-knit, musically gifted family for helping her grow into a well-established jazz flutist who is celebrating two giant career boosts. The first for the Candlewood Lake resident is her new, bold album, Con Brio!, which marks her first release of a self-produced CD after recording nearly two dozen albums on such famous labels as Concord and the legendary jazz producer Bob Thiele's Red Baron. In another dramatic first for the 58-year-old flutist, Con Brio!, which is the musical term meaning "with vigor," is seasoned with a contemporary electric edge, a taste of funk and cool, synth smooth textures, ingredients never before relied on in her modern mainstream jazz palette.

Ryerson's all-star collaborators are: keyboardist arranger Pete Levin, a Moog synthesizer pioneer celebrated for his collaborations with the illustrious composer/arranger Gil Evans; guitarist/composer Mike DeMicco, the long-time guitarist with Connecticut's Brubeck Brothers Band; and bassist Mark Egan and drummer Danny Gottlieb, members of the original rhythm section for the Pat Metheny Group. Also on board, noted vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, leader of the groundbreaking jazz/fusion group of the 1970s, Steps Ahead. "I love my previous recordings," Ryerson says by phone from her Brookfield home, "but I thought I had to do something different now by making an album with a concept as opposed to another compilation of jazz tunes and bossa novas, or an album of all standards.

"And I wanted to introduce the electric side of jazz to my music with electric piano, electric bass and some synthesizer, which led me to a collaboration with my old friend Pete Levin, who co-produced the CD with me." The higher wattage doesn't compromise the flutist's lifelong ideals of swing, melodic invention and a classical sense of balance and sharp self-editing. What also remains constant are the warm, full-bodied tones, fluid, sensuous lines and her perpetual ease with whatever groove she happens to be improvising in. Most important, Ryerson herself feels her independently produced recording project is, after a career of nearly four decades, a true reflection of who she is at this point in her life.

"My friend Holly Hoffman, the jazz flutist, told me, 'Ali, the CD sounds so good and absolutely genuine. This is the real you,' I agree totally with that," says Ryerson who has always been her most demanding critic. Big boost number two comes as a happy side-effect to the Con Brio! CD, and brings a whole new role to her life as a designer of a new line of flutes bearing her signature. Ryerson has been asked by Gemeinhardt Musical Instrument company to help design an Ali Ryerson signature flute under its Brio! line, hence the CD's title, Con Brio!  Since last winter when the agreement was sealed, she's made several trips to the company's headquarters in Elkhart, Ind., making suggestions to technicians about the instrument's tone, feel and even the aesthetics of the way it looks.

ERIC ROBERSON – MISTER NICE GUY

Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, and producer Eric Roberson has announced that his Blue Erro Soul Entertainment Company has entered into a distribution partnership with Purpose Music Group and Entertainment One (eOne Music.) On Tuesday, October 11th, Blue Erro Soul, through its newly minted deal with Purpose/eOne Music, released Roberson’s eighth CD, entitled Mister Nice Guy. Roberson, widely recognized as the king of indie soul and a leading example for artists and entrepreneurs alike, has released seven successful albums over the last ten years; all distributed independently by his Blue Erro Soul. He has grown a strong reputation for being a fantastic singer, dynamic performer, charismatic entertainer, and smart businessman to media, multi-genre industry tastemakers, and legions of loyal fans who’ve been the foundation of his success as a completely independent recording artist and label owner. After a Top 40 Billboard hit single – “The Moon” via Warner Bros. Records in 1994 – and several incomplete major label deals, Roberson decided to mold his singing career with his own hands by expanding his flourishing songwriting company (administered by EMI Music Publishing) into a full fledged label. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Roberson manufactured and distributed his first independent album, Esoteric, in 2001.

Now, as Roberson’s popularity and demand for his music has grown exponentially and after forming a long-standing, mutually-respected friendship on the indie soul circuit with George Littlejohn and Russell Johnson of Purpose Records, Roberson has signed his Blue Erro Soul label into a U.S. manufacturing and distribution deal with Purpose, and its partner eOne Music. “This deal was inevitable at some point,” explains Roberson. “As the demand increases with fan requests and expectations to find my music in chain retail stores – as well as my own desire to continue to grow my company in this business of entertainment – partnering with my friends George and Russell, and now Alan Grunblatt and our new friends at eOne, was a great choice for me and my Blue Erro Soul staff. We’re looking forward to what the future holds!”

“Russell and myself have been friends with Eric and the Blue Erro Soul team for years. We have worked together on several projects and have supported each others’ projects in the past,” says Purpose Music Group Co-CEO, George Littlejohn. “We are beyond excited to join forces with Blue Erro Soul along with eOne, and ready to roll up our sleeves to help give honest music the greater exposure that it deserves.” Alan Grunblatt, President of eOne Music, agrees, stating “We are so proud to have signed Eric Roberson. He’s a unique and groundbreaking artist.”

http://www.ericrobersonmusic.com/
www.facebook.com/BlueErroSoul
www.twitter.com/IAmEricRoberson

JILL JENSON - CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION

I just heard Jill Jenson’s rendition of Tommy James and the Shondells’ Crystal Blue Persuasion on Jazz FM (UK), and immediately decided to pick up this highly recommended CD. This self-titled debut CD from Pacific Northwest native Jill Jenson is produced by singer/songwriter/producer Tim Cashion (Bob Seger, Robert Palmer, Grand Funk Railroad), and executive produced by veteran producer Matt Pierson (Bob James, Joshua Redman, Michael Franks, Willie Nelson, Brad Mehldau), Jill Jenson is a beautiful, highly sophisticated and personal collection of songs that address the issues which all of us face in contemporary life including love, loss, hope, longing and transformation. The CD was originally released 4 years ago. Joining Jill on the CD are noted musicians/guitarists Chuck Loeb (Stan Getz, Gary Burton, Michael Franks, Bob James) and Brian Monroney (Gloria Estefan, Luis Enrique, Tom Jones), bassist James Genus ( Anita Baker, Lee Ritenour, Vanessa Williams, Saturday Night Live), percussionists Bashiri Johnson (Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Madonna, Miles Davis, Natalie Cole ) and Jose Rossy (Weather Report, Talking Heads, Chic, Patti Labelle, Robert Palmer) and guitarist Bruce Kulick (Kiss, Michael Bolton, Meat Loaf, Todd Rundgren). The album also features : Marc Henderson on saxophone and flute, Dave Quackenbush on trumpet and flugelhorn, guitarists Dustin Hofsess, Pat Cashion and Joe Lindsay, cellist Evan Richey, bassist Tim Smith and pianist Paul Tillotson. Tim Cashion is featured on background vocals, percussion, mandolin, piano and drums. Also – another recommended (reggae) version of Crystal Blue Persuason is by none other than Culture Club – check it out!

DEODATO - ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS (PRELUDE/DEODATO 2/IN CONCERT)

Three classic Deodato albums in nice 3=CD set! Prelude was a million-seller, but also a record that no home should be without – and easily one of THE greatest keyboard albums of the 70s! The album's the one that features Deodato's remake of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" into the funky "2001" – soaring with Fender Rhodes lines that set a new standard for the instrument, with a funky undercurrent that few would have expected for the tune. Other tracks are nice too – and include a great bossa-y version of "Baubles Bangles & Beads", plus "Spirit Of Summer", "September 13", and "Carly & Carole". Deodato 2 delivers funky keyboards galore – and one of the greatest records ever from the legendary Brazilian jazz talent! It's built on long-flowing tunes that rise and fall with a wonderful sense of rhythm – a sublime electric piano groove that's quite different than anything Deodato recorded before – and possibly never realized this perfectly again after his CTI years. Other players include Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Hubert Laws on flute – and titles include the massive Latin funk track "Super Strut", plus the tunes "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Skyscrapers", and a great version of "Nights In White Satin". Plus, this CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Venus", "Do It Again", and "Latin Flute"! Also included is the excellent live set – with percussion by Airto, guitar by John Tropea, and vocals by Flora Purim – and all tracks are long and complicated. The funkiest number is "Tropea", which has a nice long 8 minute groove – and the set also features a cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again", plus the tracks "Parana" and "Branches". (CDs come in mini LP-style sleeves.) Source: Dusty Groove.

RENE MARIE - BLACK FREUDIAN SLIP

Rene Marie, the award winning jazz, soul and blues singer-songwriter whose voice has been compared by critics to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn and her social advocacy to Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln releases her new album Black Lace Freudian Slip  (Motema Music). Black Lace Freudian Slip is a collection of thirteen original songs written by Rene Marie and recorded with her trio of Kevin Bales on piano, Rodney Jordan on bass and Quentin Baxter on drums joined by special guests Bill Kopper on acoustic guitar, Lionel Young on electric guitar and fiddle, Dexter Payne on harmonica and very special guest Michael Croan (Marie's son) on vocals.  Produced by Rene Marie and Bruce Barth, the album showcases Marie's trademark vocals alongside her songwriting abilities including the bluesy "Deep in the Mountains" and the sultry "Black Lace". The album also includes re-imagined versions of Rene Marie's best loved originals such as "Wishes" and "Rufast Daliarg" as well as a number of new compositions.

It is hard to believe that Marie didn’t sing professionally until after she turned 40. But in fact, the Virginia native, married at 18, mother of two by 23 and a member of a strict religious group with her then husband only occasionally sang in public while she was focused on raising a family. It was in 1996 that Marie’s eldest son Michael urged her to take the plunge to pursue a career. “He told me that was exactly what I needed to do” she explains. Two years later following an ultimatum by her husband to either stop singing or leave their home, she chose to leave after 23 years of marriage.

Unmistakably honest and unpretentious while transforming audiences worldwide Rene Marie has drawn a legion of fans and music critics who find themselves not only entertained, but encouraged by her performances. The Washington Post says "best jazz concert ...deeply soulful voice and unique repertoire", "Exquisite" adds the Miami Herald, and "in the very top level of performers" says LA Times. Marie has received several awards including Best International Jazz Vocal CD by the Academie Du Jazz (Paris, France) and has graced the Billboard Charts multiple times propelling her to headliner status at major festivals in the US & abroad including the prestigious Women In Jazz Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival (Scotland), Shanghai Jazz Festival (China) among many others. Black Lace Freudian Slip will be Marie's second release on Motema Music this year. Her earlier album Voice of My Beautiful Country an ambitious celebration of Americana gained national attention this summer -hitting #10 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.

Blacl Lace Freudian Slip Track List:
1. Black Lace Freudian Slip
2. This For Joe
3. Wishes
4. Thanks, But I Don't Dance
5. Free For Day
6. Ahn's Dream
7. Gosh, Look At The Time
8. Rim Shot
9. Fallin' Off A Log
10. Deep In The Mountains
11. Serenity Prayer
12. Rufast Daliarg
13. Tired

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER - MIDNIGHT SUN

Midnight Sun is a collection of love songs from throughout Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist Dee Dee Bridgewater’s critically acclaimed career.  A love letter of sorts, Midnight Sun, produced by Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski, is the ultimate mixed tape, traversing landscapes of melodically mournful tales of love lost, heartrending ballads about forever afters and sultry promises of bliss.  Midnight Sun is the fourth release on Bridgewater’s own label, DDB Records.

Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner (who just won a 2011 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee) with producer/manager Tulani Bridgwater-Kowalski (daughter) selected and oversaw re-mastering (by Doug Sax and Sangwook “Sunny” Nam of The Mastering Lab, Ojai) of the eleven tracks on Midnight Sun, which were culled from her Grammy-winning and nominated CDs Dear Ella, Keeping Tradition, This Is New, J’ai Deux Amours, Love & Peace: A Tribute To Horace Silver and Eleanora Fagan.  Including such classics as Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” Sammy Cahn’s “I'm A Fool To Want You/I Fall In Love Too Easily,” Johnny Mercer’s “Midnight Sun,” Alan Jay Lerner’s “Here I’ll Stay,” Charles Trenet’s “Que Reste-t-Il?” and Billie Holiday’s “Good Morning Heartache" and interpreting them as only she can, Bridgewater has created a song cycle that traces the arc of a love affair in all its natural stages. Also included on the CD is “L’Hymne à l’Amour,” a track previously released exclusively as a bonus track in Japan.

“For years my fans and family have been asking me to compile a CD of my favorite love songs,” says Bridgewater, “and Midnight Sun is my ode to them.  Love in all its glory – for better or for worse – as expressed by some of the most amazing songwriters of our time.  Come take a soothing walk down memory lane and revisit romantic moments of my musical past, a past brought to the present through this elegant compilation, presented to you in the name of love by my daughter and manager, Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski.  Relax and bathe yourself in the music of the Midnight Sun.”

Over the course of a multifaceted career that has spanned forty years, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz diva Dee Dee Bridgewater has risen to the top tier of today’s vocalists, putting her own unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics.  Bridgewater’s career has always bridged musical genres.  She earned her first professional experience as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band, and throughout the 70’s she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie.  After a foray into the pop world during the 1980’s, she relocated to Paris and began to turn her attention back to Jazz.  Signing with the Universal Music Group as a producer (Bridgewater produces all of her CDs), Bridgewater released a series of acclaimed titles beginning with Keeping Tradition in 1993.  All but one of them, including her wildly successful double Grammy Award-winning tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Dear Ella - have received Grammy nominations.

Bridgewater has also pursued a parallel career in musical theater and won a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda, the good witch of the South” in The Wiz in 1975. Her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen and Lady Day, a Billie Holiday tribute for which Bridgewater received the British Laurence Olivier Nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.  She also became the first African-American actress to play the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret, a production staged at the Mogador Theatre in Paris.

As a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Bridgewater continues to appeal for international solidarity to finance global grass-roots projects in the fight against world hunger.   Bridgewater also hosts NPR’s award-winning weekly syndicated show, JazzSet, now in its second decade on the air; and her recordings are available worldwide as she continues to tour globally, performing to sold-out venues both domestically and internationally. 

THE CURTIS BROTHERS - COMPLETION OF PROOF

Brothers Luques (bass) and Zaccai (piano) Curtis follow in the rich family tradition of jazz. The music has often been the beneficiary of sibling bonds. Look no further than the Adderley brothers (Cannonball & Nat), the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy, and Albert (Tootie), the Brecker Brothers, or more recently the Roney brothers (Wallace & Antoine), the Parrott sisters (Nicki and Lisa), and the Jensen sisters (Christine & Ingrid). Jazz music has frequently been the family tie that binds. And as with the Curtis Brothers those are also siblings that recorded and performed together. Based on the brilliance of Completion of Proof, clearly Luques and Zaccai Curtis have joined that auspicious tradition. Significant clues to the Curtis Brothers desire for self-determination can be found in not only the declarative title of this date - Completion of Proof, but also in the bold moniker they've chosen for their record label, Truth Revolution. There is an obvious sense of the Curtis Brothers on a quest for artistic truth, and in the case of their label they're just as obviously seeking freewill in the business side of their recorded life as well. In this time of artists eschewing the tired, old pie-in-the-sky sense of waiting for a mythical record "deal," Luques and Zaccai have clearly set out on a path of autonomy on the recorded side of their respective and collective careers.

For Completion of Proof, the Curtis Brothers have enlisted a powerhouse crew of musicians - many of whom serve as mentors to the Curtis Brothers - including drummer Ralph Peterson, Jr., Brian Lynch on trumpet, and their Artist Collective mentor, Jimmy Greene on saxophones. The date also includes alto saxophonist, "Big Chief" Donald Harrison. It was Harrison who gave the Brothers their first touring band experience. "He really showed us how to act, play, and what not to do on the road," says Zaccai. The underrated fire-breathing saxophonist Joe Ford "has always been an influence from a very early age." The brothers play in Lynch's band and alongside Ford with Jerry González Fort Apache Band as occasional subs for Andy González and Larry Willis. Percussionists Rogerio Boccato, Pedro Martinez, and Reinaldo De Jesus help bring further folkloric Pan African flavor to the date.  In developing this venture the brothers had this group of mentors in mind. "We wrote all the music to fit this band," says Zaccai. "We thought of the sound of each band member and tried to feature each one in the music. We set a date and nailed the music at the studio; no rehearsals and all within 1 or 2 takes! These guys are really the best jazz musicians alive, and we are honored to be blessed with their presence on this recording."

Throughout this recording there is a strong drum feel, which is echoed in Russ Musto's authoritative liner notes suggesting an Art Blakey Jazz Messengers atmosphere. Zaccai confirms this impression."The music revolves around the drummer. We designed the music specifically for Ralph Peterson to play drums. Ralph has such an extensive grasp of the complete jazz language and, like Art Blakey and Tony Williams, always pushes the rest of the band to push themselves. I added the other drums (bata, Afro-Brazilian percussion, and Barrilles) because I knew that Ralph also has extensive knowledge of Latin music." The original music of Completion of Proof speaks in clear, unified tones; each track is carefully plotted out thematically, and delivered with the kind of high artistry one would expect from this impressive cast of musicians. A brave man who literally took on the Chinese army alone inspired the brisk opener "Protestor". The clarion call urgency of the horn-rich theme statement is bold and declarative. They follow that with a song for their niece "Madison"; if you listen carefully at the end of each 'A' section the horns speak Madison's name! All eight tracks bear a sense of fresh originality in their conception. "The Wrath," "Mass Manipulation," and "Manifest Destiny" comprise a Manifest Destiny suite. These are carefully programmed and plotted selections that continue to bear fruit and further reveal themselves with each listen.

The brothers have recorded with a notable discography of cohorts, including Gary Burton, Orrin Evans, Donald Harrison, Sean Jones, Brian Lynch & Eddie Palmieri, and John Santos among others. They dubbed their 2010 debut brother act Blood - Spirit - Land - Water - Freedom (Truth Revolution). Completion of Proof is another title whose definition is omni-directional. Quizzed on how the title Completion of Proof compliments the sumptuous music they serve up, Zaccai informed: "The title has a lot to do with how this project turned out. We had our hypothesis, completed the experiment which was a success in many ways... Q.E.D. or Completion of Proof." The disc crackles with a vigor rooted squarely in the hard bop tradition, though most assuredly with diverse 21st century generational twists and turns. The Curtis Brothers artistic journey began in Hartford, Connecticut. There NEA Jazz Master Jackie McLean and wife Dollie's exceptional urban cultural development center the Artists Collective nurtured the brothers' early musical impulses, "then David Santoro at the Hartford Academy of the Arts," says Zaccai. Eventually both brothers continued their studies in Boston, Zaccai at the New England Conservatory, and Luques at Berklee College of Music.

Asked how their background and upbringing influenced the sundry aspects of Completion of Proof, Zaccai referred to the date as "American Classical Music in every way. Jazz is an interesting study to me. It is a science in all respects, but "soul" is the base. We named the CD Completion of Proof or in Latin Q.E.D. - quod erat demonstrandum - because this is how scientists indicated that they have proved their theory correct."  For the Curtis Brothers, Completion of Proof is an affirmation of the basic root sources of jazz. Their music is rife with the blues, swing rhythms in recognition of the Africa-Caribbean-New Orleans lineage, and the basic core elements that make the music such a spicy, hard bop melting pot. In many ways the music on Completion of Proof is for the Curtis Brothers a refutation of what they view from some of their peers as a denial or dismissal of those root sources. "Fast forward to today's modern jazz and you are lucky to hear just one of those elements come from a performance or recording. Blues harmonies seem to be replaced with simplified classical harmonies. Drums and rhythms have been mixed down in the modern recording so you can barely hear them! Swing has been ripped from the music. In most cases there are no elements of the jazz language... never mind bebop!

"This CD is a response to this modern, swing-less, no-language - 'jazz' - that the labels are pushing, just like the Hard Bop response to Cool Jazz in the 50s and 60s," declares Zaccai. The brothers view Completion of Proof as more of a different facet of their approach than an advance on their evolutionary scale. For them this release represents how they grew up under the influence of music ranging from salsa and jazz, to classical and funk. Completion of Proof bears a strong Latin signature, though according to Zaccai not quite as vivid as expressed on Blood - Spirit - Land - Water - Freedom. "That music was a Latin Jazz project, but defined for a smaller band," the pianist suggests. Completion of Proof is a free spirited project. "The music was meant for us to go where we want with it. It's great to play with the masters on this recording and to see how they bring it to life! We hope each CD gets better as we grow older and study more. We are patient though, we know you can't fake experience."

The Curtis Brothers • Completion of Proof

Truth Revolution Records • Release Date: October 25, 2011

curtisbrothersmusic.com

truthrevolutionrecords.com

ERIC ROBERTS – MY BRAZILIAN HEART

Guitarist Eric Roberts' latest EP, My Brazilian Heart, contains six of his Smooth Jazz and Brazilian compositions that were written around the same time as his previous CD, In A Silent Place but he never got around to recording them to his satisfaction. Looks like the delay was well worth the wait as this release is definitely a killer EP of both mellow and cookin’ jazz licks played by Roberts and his guest artists. He was initially attracted to Brazilian music upon hearing the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and the song "Samba Do Avio", arranged by his guitar instructor, Jack Greenhouse, at the New York State Music Camp. What a revelation that was and from that moment on, he was hooked on nylon string guitar. The CD was recorded at "Studio Unicorn", owned by Paul Avgerinos, Grammy nominated bassist, guitarist, and composer who has performed with Buddy Rich, Charles Aznavour, Liza Minelli, Jean Pierre-Rampal, Isaac Stern, Jewel, Willie Nelson and countless others. Bill Harris, on woodwinds, has performed with Chaka Khan, Steve Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jose Feliciano, the Brecker Brothers and many more. Nick Bariluk, on keyboards, has performed with Jon Lucien, Brian Keane, Michael Urbaniak and others. Barbara Merjan, on drums/percussion, has performed with James Taylor, Harry Belafonte, Carol King and more. Incidentally, both Bill Harris and Barbara Merjan were his classmates at Ithaca College School of Music, and this recording was the first time they had played together in more than 30 years.

http://www.ericroberts.org/

RICK BRITTO – FOR YOUR LOVE

Rick Britto is not a new comer on the jazz scene. He is an established multi-faceted instrumentalist, recording artist, educator, producer, publisher, ajudicator, clinician, web designer who is an innovative composer that created an intellecutual form of music that is designed in a fashion for the avant garde audience. Rick's latest recording projects For Your Love with featured vocalist Joani Taylor and Conversations with Erik & I with Erik Van Dam, released on the TrineArc Music label in 2011 are being featured this week on The Jazz Network Worldwide social network. "It's hard to keep up with Rick, he's so talented in so many facets that his mind is constantly creating. He has his hand on the pulse, not only with his impeccable teaching abilities but has the wherewithall to produce it, perform it and execute it all with a confidence that opens your ears to new musical horizons" says Jaijai Jackson, creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most original jazz releases of the year. Conversations with Erik & I is a unique experiment, two saxophonists engrossed in discussion, one that is told through the sounds of the instruments. The gentlemen in question are Rick Britto on tenor sax with Erik Van Dam on tenor/alto sax. Together they argue through the outré sonic landscapes created by their playing or sometimes even chill with a laid-back groove. The results are provocative and never predictable, high-I.Q., edgy jazz at its finest. ~ All About Jazz.

Rick has performed with artists from jazz to R&B and Popular music including being double billed with such jazz notables as Ray Brown, Monty Alexander, Rosemary Clooney, Dave McKenna, The Artie Shaw Band, The Buddy Rich Band, and Count Basie's Orchestra to the The Drifters and The Tuneweavers to Tavares and Queen Latifa. As a well known jazz educator from the New England area and graduate of Berklee College of Music, Rick found a home as a faculty member at both the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Wheaton College instructing private lessons for saxophone and jazz piano, directing music ensembles and teaching Jazz Theory and African-American Music History.

He's enjoyed working with artists as Karl Berger, Santi Debriano, Harold Jones, Freddie Redd, Kate McGarry, One O'clock Jump, Royal Hartigan, Wes Brown, Armsted Christian, Jim Robitaille, Semenya McCord, Marcelle Gauvin, John Harrison, Chris Poudrier, Bruce Gertz, Dave Zinno, Herb King, Kenny Wensel, Lou Columbo, Frank Wilkins, Alon Yavnai through his current performance schedules. Britto truly believes in younger students by assisting band directors for both New Bedford and Old Rochester Regional High School Bands. He has also adjudicated many concerts, clinics and competitions in school districts in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Owning a recording studio, Saurus Studio, affords him the opportunity to produce numerous projects for radio & television as well as engineering, recording and mastering recordings for many local artists. His back to back releases Conversations with Erik & I released in June 2011 and a Contemporary Jazz CD entitled, For Your Love released in August 2011 were both recorded in his studio. Rick digitally restored and mastered old recordings for "The Music of South India" published by Prof. Matthew Allen of Wheaton College for Oxford University Press and scored music for "Jazz Consciousness Music, Race, and Humanity" by Prof. Paul Asterlitz for Wesleyan University Press.

http://www.rickbritto.com/
http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide/.

CLIFF RICHARD - SOULICOUS

Soulicious is a 15-song collection of new and old soul songs, produced by legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier and also by soul legends Ashford and Simpson. The album features a number of duets between Cliff Richards and some of the greatest voices ever in soul music, including Billy Paul, Brenda Holloway, Candi Staton, Dennis Edwards and The Temptations Review, Freda Payne, Percy Sledge, Roberta Flack and Valerie Simpson. Cliff has had a life-long passion for soul music and the chance to work with such esteemed artists was a dream come true and a new challenge in his seven-decade, hugely successful career: a chance to cement his position as one of the greatest, most distinctive British singers of all-time. In support of the album, Cliff Richard is planning an eagerly awaited tour in October which will feature material from his new soul duets album Soulicious. "I'm looking forward to presenting some great artists, some of who sang with me on my CD and, just as excited at the prospect of performing a lot of my biggest hits. My fans bought them and I want to sing them!!" Cliff said.

Lamont Dozier (Why Can't We be Lovers?), Freda Payne (Band of Gold), Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. (Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In) and Percy Sledge (When a Man Loves A Woman) are all now confirmed as performing some their own hits and then singing their recent duets with Cliff from the Soulicious album which was released on October 10th. In addition, James Ingram (Just Once) has joined the line-up of US guests and Britain's own Jaki Graham (Could It Be I'm Falling In Love ) completes the final guest line-up - both will be performing hits of their own in addition to duetting with Cliff on a track from the Soulicious album. "I want to present a balanced show of the old favourites and this terrific group of singers helping me to perform songs I recently recorded in America". Cliff added "being on the road is going to be fun and they will be singing the songs that made them such great soul legends".

Soulicious Track Listing
1. Saving A Life - with Freda Payne
2. Go On & Tell Him - with Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review
3. Do You Ever - with Brenda Holloway
4. Teardrops - with Candi Staton
5. When I Was Your Baby - with Roberta Flack
6. Are You Feeling Me - with Deniece Williams
7. Oh How Happy - with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
8. Every Piece of My Broken Heart - with Valerie Simpson
9. How We Get Down - with Russell Thompkins, Jr. & The New Stylistics
10. This Time With You - with Candi Staton
11. Don't Say You Love Me (It'll Ruin My Day)
12. She Looked Good - with Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Review & Lamont Dozier
13. I'm Your Puppet - with Percy Sledge
14. Always and Forever - featuring Billy Paul
15. Birds of a Feather - with Peabo Bryson

Tour Dates & Venues:
October 15 – Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, UK
October 17 - MEN Arena, Manchester, UK
October 19 – Echo Arena, Liverpool, UK
October 22 – LG Arena, Birmingham, UK
October 23 – LG Arena, Birmingham, UK
October 25 – O2 Arena, London, UK
October 26 – O2 Arena, London, UK
October 28 – Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, UK

WALTER “SPICY” BLAND & CLIMATE CHANGE – SWEET GUMBO

Seasoned pianist Walter "Spicy" Band & Climate Change are releasing its new international CD entitled Sweet Gumbo to the world through The Jazz Network Worldwide. It is centered on the creative talents of its leader Walter "Spicy" Bland, pianist, composer-extraordinaire, educator, inspirational leader who has toured the globe and performed across the United States. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts to a family of artists. Educated at Emerson College, Berklee College of Music and the Springfield Conservatory of Music in Massachusetts. While studying at Berklee College, Bland was introduced to music from many cultures which is reflected in his musical compositions to date. While at Emerson, Bland had a unique opportunity to put his musical signature on Steve Hemingway’s television production for CBS Playhouse 90 and the soundtrack for Hemingway's show "Brother love," the first African American sitcom produced by African Americans. The first black news program, 'Black News' on Channel 7 also presented Blands compositons. Moving on to composing music for NPR specials, an HBO series entitled “OZ”, television commercials, dance companies and the New African Theatre. Walter was touched when he was awarded the "Action for Children's Television" award for his work on the PBS series "Infinity Factor”.

Climate Change is taking its place on the jazz scene with their new international release, Sweet Gumbo. “I want to explore the synthesis of different music with jazz and different art forms.” says Bland. “I want to be engaged in the arts globally and to make a difference socially. I teach piano and composition and enjoy how today’s technology offers that possibility. I love the flower garden of cultures, I have collaborated with painters, writers, dancers, and poets. I love it all. I want my music to connect the right opportunities so that I can become what I want in my heart without compromising my soul.” It is about finding the 'right synergy' . “The Jazz Network Worldwide is excited for Walter’s new project for it truly has a potpourri of flavors that capture a multi-genre layering that blends with a signature all its own” says Jaijai Jackson, creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

http://www.walterblandmusic.com/
http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/.

WYNTON MARSALIS – SWINGIN’ INTO THE 21st

As Pulitzer and 9-time Grammy Award®-winner Wynton Marsalis eases into his 50th birthday on October 18, 2011, he casts his memory back a dozen years to 1998-99. With the new millennium on the way, Wynton began to lay plans with Columbia Records and Sony Classical for an unprecedented release of nine major album projects that would eventually span 1999 and 2000. A timely name was given to the campaign, "Swinging into the 21st!" and the artist dedicated himself to the immense task ahead.  Now in honor of Wynton's 50th birthday, those nine albums – plus his career-defining masterpiece All Rise (a double-CD, recorded in Los Angeles three days after 9/11, and released in 2002) will be packaged together in a deluxe box set as an extremely limited edition direct-to-consumer exclusive. From chamber music to studio and live dates with his septet, jazz and blues tributes, film music, scores for ballet, modern classical and orchestral works, to some bonafide swing, Wynton's musical universe opens up on Swingin’ Into The 21st. Individually, the 10 album titles are as follows:

A Fiddler’s Tale (released March 1999)
Standard Time, Vol. 4: Marsalis Plays Monk (April 1999)
At The Octoroon Balls: A Fiddler’s Tale suite (June 1999)
Big Train (July 1999)
Sweet Release & Ghost Story (August 1999)
Standard Time, Vol. 6 – Mr. Jelly Lord (September 1999)
Reeltime (November 1999)
Selections From The Village Vanguard Box (March 2000);
The Marciac Suite (August 2000);
All Rise (October 2002).

"That entire year," Wynton writes of 1999 in his illuminating liner notes essay, "from January 1st to the performance of All Rise with the New York Philharmonic on December 29th, I worked every day from 5 in the morning until 1 or 2 the next morning. I was music, music, music." In conjunction with the box set, a special 14-track single-CD sampler will also be issued, with selections personally chosen by Wynton. Selections From The 21st will be available through all standard retail outlets on the same date as the box.

All the motifs that are found throughout Swinging Into The 21st are ideas that had been explored in one way or another during Wynton's first two decade period with Columbia Records and Sony Classical. Indeed, since his signing to CBS Records in 1981, and virtually single-handedly commandeering the new 'Young Lions' school of jazz neo-traditionalists, Wynton had covered enormous territory. By the time he parted with Sony Music in 2002, he had released over 40 jazz albums on Columbia and nearly 20 titles on the classical side. No major artist, hands down, has ever come close to that output.

Yet, as prolific as Wynton was – and still is – there were many projects that could not be accommodated with an album release. The "Swinging into the 21st!" campaign was a high-profile method of bringing a bounty of those projects to his public, in what turned out to be less than 18 months' time. (Hard-core fans could obtain a specially-printed d.i.y. cardboard box to house eight of the first nine titles, with their contiguous spine designs.) "Each release featured a different ensemble and style of music," Wynton goes on to write, "and a unique set of musical challenges. The one unifying factor was jazz, which is the foundation of all that I do and hope to do." Most of the works had one fact in common: they had been performed in concert at least one time before the studio recording. Standard Time, Vol. 6 – Mr. Jelly Lord, for example, the Jelly Roll Morton tribute, was a theme-time concert first presented at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1989, long before it was recorded in 1999. At The Octoroon Balls was premiered on May 7, 1995 at Alice Tully Hall by the Orion String Quartet, prior to its 1998 recording. A brief recap of each album title follows, with more detailed track listing and personnel information at the end:

A Fiddler’s Tale: This two-part suite is based on 20th century classical composer Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat, which Wynton confesses, "I have loved since first hearing it as a 15 year old." Where Stravinsky's soldier sold his soul, Wynton re-casts the main character as a young violinist who sells her soul (to a record company!). Wynton's story line is scripted by the eminent Stanley Crouch, and narrated by the multi-talented Andre De Shields. To create the same small ensemble as Stravinsky, Wynton employs members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (which included Edgar Meyer and Stefon Harris back in 1998, when this was recorded). Says Wynton: "This composition demonstrates the kinship between Stravinsky's harmonic and rhythmic language and the language of modern jazz with a New Orleans accent."

Standard Time, Vol. 4: Marsalis Plays Monk: The fourth entry in Wynton's popular Standard Time series is a straight-ahead tribute to jazz pianist-composer Thelonious Monk. It was recorded in sessions with Wynton's [now all-star] septet lineups of 1993-94 (see below), with whom he had toured "all over the world." To his credit, he does not cover 'Monk's greatest hits,' but instead delves deeper into his repertoire. "A good example," Wynton notes, "is 'Evidence,' which uses the syncopation of broken silences to feature the always inventive [drummer] Herlin Riley."

At The Octoroon Balls – A Fiddler’s Tale Suite: As described, Wynton's first composition for string quartet, At The Octoroon Balls, recorded in 1998 by the "fabulous" Orion String Quartet, "explores the American Creole contradictions and compromises – cultural, social, and political – exemplified by life in New Orleans." The liner notes essay by Leon Wieseltier (literary editor of the New Republic) elaborates: "The balls that give their name to these stringent, voluptuous movements were institutions of old New Orleans, at which Creole men chose Octoroon women for their mistresses – vivacious rituals of mixture, in which the terribilities of race collided jubilantly with the terribilities of sex." At The Octoroon Balls shares this CD with the instrumental (no narrations) version of A Fiddler's Tale, recorded at the same sessions as the full-length version above.

Big Train: It's no secret that Wynton hates flying, and would rather hop a train like all the great bandleaders used to – Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and the big Trane, John Coltrane, that is. Wynton composed and recorded this collection in 1998 for his son Jasper who was living in Los Angeles at the time, while Wynton lived in New York. As the wyntonmarsalis.org website notes, "spiritual engineers and conductors, Wynton and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra invite you to join their gang of rail riders on a journey that crisscrosses the landscape of America transported by its greatest art form, jazz."

Sweet Release & Ghost Story: Here are scores for two ballets from "totally different choreographers." Sweet Release was composed for Judith Jamison with the world famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and was recorded at Tarrytown (NY) Music Hall in 1996 with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, among whose members are Wynton's septet mates. It tells the story "of a man and a woman, represented by the trombone and trumpet, and the temptations that threaten their romance." Ghost Story was commissioned for Zhongmei Li's (then) newly established dance company, who wanted a more spare, minimalist work. It was recorded in 1998 at Lincoln Center's Rose Studio by a hand-picked quintet who, as Stanley Crouch's liner notes affirm, "aptly describe a protean ghost, a fore of trickery and an agent of the heartbreak that from having been duped all the way to the bottom of the bucket of the blues."

Standard Time, Vol. 6 – Mr. Jelly Lord: Similar to Standard Time, Vol. 4 (above), this is a straight-ahead tribute to the songs and wit of Jelly Roll Morton, beloved icon to the New Orleans-raised (or influenced) cats in Wynton's inner circle. The genesis was a concert Wynton played at Jazz at Lincoln Center in 1989; this album has the distinction of being the first in the box set actually recorded in 1999 (January). Wynton brought a handful of New Orleans veterans to join his quintet for the sessions – Lucien Barbarin, Michael White, Donald Vappie, and check out Harry Connick, Jr. on "Billy Goat Stomp"! The closing "Tom Cat Blues" was actually recorded on century-old equipment at New Jersey's Thomas Edison Laboratories, a National Historic Site.

Reeltime: "In essence," Wynton says, "what many writers have discovered is that when you look closely at a small town, you will see the human species at its best and brightest and darkest and lowest." The ever-observant Wynton applied his talent to the Rosewood massacre of 1923, when a primarily black Florida town was razed to the ground by white racists bent on lynching. At least six blacks were killed and their town was abandoned and forgotten until the 1980s, leading to state reparations and the 1997 film by John Singleton. Wynton's evocative score, recorded in 1996, includes bluesy vocals by Cassandra Wilson on the title track, a gospel choir fronted by Shirley Caesar, bluegrass fiddling by virtuoso violinist Mark O'Connor, a taste of Claude Williams' New Orleans fiddle, the cool jazz of Miles & Gil, and much more. The score was not used for the film, but fortunately was preserved as an important entry in Wynton's discography.

Selections From The Village Vanguard Box: The '90s proved that there was a vigorous jazz market for multi-disc anthologies devoted to one artist, especially live material. Released December 1999, Wynton's 7-CD box set Live at the Village Vanguard might have been sub-titled A Week at the Village Vanguard because of its CD sequencing. That is, Monday on CD 1, Tuesday on CD 2, and so on. In fact, it melded material recorded by three Septet lineups at sold-out gigs in the jazz club during 1990-94, so that each CD was a multi-year entity unto itself. In March 2000, this single-CD compilation captured the seven-night feel, and became the first of the year 2000 releases in the "Swinging into the 21st!" campaign.

The Marciac Suite: Wynton's Septet was an established presence at the annual summer jazz festival in the beautiful medieval town of Marciac, France, long before he decided to record this tribute. Like he showed on the Rosewood score, Wynton is expert at capturing the essences of small town life, the characters and situations, flavors and aromas that make it special. With colorful titles like "Jean-Louis Is Everywhere,' "Mademoiselle D'ascony," "Armagnac Dreams," "Marciac Moon," "D'Artagnan," "Guy Lafitte," and "B Is For Boussaget (and Bass)," you can practically inhale the fragrance of Marciac. Recorded in February, this was the second of the "Swingin'" projects to actually be recorded in 1999, after Standard Time, Vol. 6 (above); and the second of only two albums to be released by Wynton in 2000 (after Selections From The Village Vanguard Box, above).

All Rise: It's all here in Wynton's penultimate masterwork, and his swan song at Columbia Records. Echoes of Ellington, Mingus, Stravinsky, and Copland inform the piece, profoundly American in its scope, from blues and gospel to New Orleans and New York. The 2-CD, 106-minute opus spreads over 12 tracks, 12 movements that emulate the 12-bar blues. It is an extraordinary work on the scale of Wynton's Pulitzer Prize-winning oratorio of 1997, Blood On The Fields. The grandeur of All Rise is best introduced by Wynton's own massive 4,200-word annotation and Stanley Crouch's 1,100-word liner notes essay. Historically, All Rise was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered at Lincoln Center in December 1999. Almost two years later, it was set to be performed at the Hollywood Bowl on September 14, 2001, by Wynton, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting, and three choirs totaling 100 voices. The events of 9/11 turned All Rise's performance and recording that week into a national elegy.

After the performance and recording in Los Angeles, the suspension of air travel forced Wynton and his LCJO crew into a bus for a 27-hour schlep to Seattle, for their next show. "Our concert was scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.," Wynton writes. "We entered the city limits at 7:00 p.m. Out on the stage we received an extended standing ovation from a sold-out house that had waited patiently to be, in the words on one patron, 'reminded of who we are.' The LCJO was back on the road. We heard that some acts chose to cancel their tours following September 11th. We chose, and still choose, to swing."