DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS CHRISTMAS TOUR 2011

In a career spanning nearly two decades, Dave Koz has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host, and instrumental music advocate. On September 22, 2009, Dave Koz, the six-time Grammy nominee, was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a star in the sidewalk on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. The list of artists who Koz has played with bears testament to his talent and includes such musical luminaries as Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny Loggins, U2, Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross, and Rod Stewart. With a triumphant career as an artist and radio personality, and the well-earned respect of the recording industry, Dave's artistry, commitment and influence continue to grow. His recent Concord Records release, Hello Tomorrow, features 13 tracks written by Dave and his collaborators, friends and legends and focuses on new beginnings along with a bright future. Now Dave Koz is preparing to embark on his annual Dave Koz and Friends Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour which will take him across 10 states for a total of 23 performances. Joining Koz on this outing will be Candy Dulfer, Rick Braun and Jonathan Butler.

DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS CHRISTMAS TOUR 2011

With Special Guests: Rick Braun, Jonathan Butler and Candy Dulfer

November 25 – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Atlanta, GA

November 26 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, FL

November 27 – Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL

November 28 – Philharmonic Centers for the Arts, Naples, FL

November 29 – Maxwell C. King Center, Melbourne, FL

November 30 – Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL

December 2 – Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL

December 3 – Palace Theatre, Columbus, OH

December 4 – Playhouse Square, Cleveland, OH

December 5 – Strathmore Music Center, North Bethesda, MD

December 6 – Ferguson Center for the Arts, Newport News, VA

December 7 – State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ

December 9 – Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, CA

December 10 – Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA

December 14 – Mesa Arts Center/Ikeda Theatre, Mesa, AZ

December 15 – McCallum Theatre, Palm Desert, CA

December 16 – Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos, CA

December 17 - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos, CA

December 18 – Plaza Theatre, El Paso, TX

December 20 – The Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA

December 21 – Gallo Center for the Arts, Modesto, CA

December 22 – Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA

December 23 – Balboa Theatre, San Diego, C\

http://www.davekoz.com/

NEW RELEASES FROM MARCOS VALLE, SABRINA MALHEIROS & SEU JORGE

MARCOS VALLE – VALLE TUDO – DISCOGRAFICA DE 1963 A 1974 (11-CD BOX SET)

If you are into the music of Marcos Valle then you are in for a fantastic treat! Valle Tudo – Discografica De 1963 A 1974 features some of the most amazing music ever recorded. Every record in this massive package is a delight – from the early bossa sides, to the more complicated singer/songwriter material, to Valle's incredibly rich experiments with baroque pop! Valle is certainly one of the greatest Brazilian artists to ever enter a recording studio. Not only does the set include 10 rare albums, but each CD comes with bonus tracks – plus the whole thing also features a previously unreleased full album from 1966. Albums include Samba Demais, O Compositor E O Cantor, Braziliance, Viola Enluarada, Mustang Cor De Sangue, Marcos Valle (1970), Garra, Vento Sul, Previsao Do Tempo, and Marcos Valle (1974) – plus The Lost Sessions from 1966.  

SEU JORGE – PARA CHURRASCO VOL. 1

Sunny, energetic sounds from Seu Jorge – the first in a what will be series of Musicas Para Churrasco releases, which loosely translates, we reckon, as music to bring to a barbecue – lightly funky Brazilian soul with that gritty, charismatic, instantly identifiable voice! What's so great about this set to us, is that it's sort of set up by Seu Jorge himself as simple, fun, everyday, don't take it so seriously kinda grooves – but it's too damn good for that. The arrangements are fairly uptempo and summer-y, generally in 10 piece setting with heavy rhythms, killer percussion, guitar, brass, keys and an all around effervescent style – but this ain't no tossed off effort! On par with his best recent work. Includes "A Doida", "Meu Parceiro", "Veia", "Ole, Ole", "Japonesa", "Quem Nao Quer Sou Eu", "Vizinha", "Amiga Da Minha.”


SABRINA MALHEIROS - DREAMING
Always-lovely work from Sabrina Malheiros – serving up a sublime blend of Brazilian roots and soulful overtones – a style that's easily made her one of the best artists on the Far Out label over the years! Sabrina's got a family lineage that traces back to Azymuth – and the music here has the similar blend of fusion instrumentation, earthy Brazilian percussion, and soaring American soul that you'll find in the best classics by that group – all with the added special spark that comes from her sweet vocals too! Production and arrangements are by Daniel Venom Maunick, who brings in a slight dose of Incognito soul too – really making for a record that's quite possibly the best we've heard from Sabrina so far – and that's saying a heck of a lot. Titles include "Lirio De Venus", "Bobeira", "Opara", "Candeia", "Fragil", "Can't Hide Love", "Primeira", and "Paranoia".

PAUL DESMOND – COMPLETE RCA ALBUM COLLECTION

Available now is the most complete package to date of Paul Desmond's RCA Albums, with each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art. Included is a stand-alone booklet with full discographical info., rare in-studio photos and liner notes by Grammy-winning box producer Richard Seidel. A total of 24 bonus tracks- are heard across all six albums. Five of the six albums feature melodic guitar giant Jim Hall, the ideal musical partner for Desmond.

For the bulk of the 1950s and 60’s, Paul Desmond had one of the sweetest gigs in jazz history.  As the featured alto saxophonist in the Dave Brubeck quartet, Desmond was a central figure in the most commercially successful jazz ensemble of the time. The sole horn in the group, Desmond attracted considerable critical and public acclaim for his supremely lyrical, sublimely melodic playing. His dulcet phrases couched in what he himself dubbed a “dry martini” tone, Desmond’s alto was a defining sound of the era.

But even a beloved sideman has to step into the full glare of the spotlight at times. While the delightful Two of a Mind found Desmond in a spare collaboration with just Gerry Mulligan’s baritone saxophone and bass and drums, his other RCA albums paired him with Jim Hall, a brilliant guitarist whose lyrical sensibilities matched those of the altoist himself. Exploring standards and the occasional Desmond original, the two proved to be perfect musical partners.

While the majority of Desmond’s recordings found him fronting a quartet with the ever-present Hall, the tasteful drummer Connie Kay, and the resourceful bassists Gene Wright and Gene Cherico, the 1961 Desmond Blue matched the saxophonist with a string orchestra and outstanding arrangements by Bob Prince for a set of exquisitely rendered classics including a memorable “My Funny Valentine.” Take Ten signaled Desmond’s deepening interest in Brazilian bossa nova; Boss Antigua explores the genre with further depth and idiomatic understanding. The final RCA album, 1964’s Glad To Be Unhappy, is yet another quietly majestic quartet recording that made it clear that Desmond had developed a solid musical identity of his own. That he left the Brubeck fold just a few years later came as little surprise to those who had tracked the star saxophonist’s monumental RCA work of the 1960s -- it was time, and he was more than ready.

This box celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Desmond’s signing to RCA in 1961, which kicked off his most prolific and acclaimed period of solo recordings. Desmond, as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet between 1951 and 1967, was one of the most popular saxophonists of his era, and wrote jazz’s greatest hit of the 1950s and 60s - “Take Five”. Albums featured include his gorgeous string session, Desmond Blue, and his classic match-off with Gerry Mulligan Two Of A Mind. Five of the six albums feature melodic guitar giant Jim Hall, the ideal musical partner for Desmond. Desmond was a master at Bossa Nova, heard here on both the Bossa Antigua and Take Ten albums.

Albums included:

Desmond Blue (1961)

Take Ten (1963)

Bossa Antigua (1964)

Glad To Be Unhappy (1963-1965)

Easy Living (1963-1965)

Two Of A Mind w/ Gerry Mulligan (1962)

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ARTIST PROFILE: CARMEN SOUZA

Carmen Souza was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1981 within a Christian family of Cape Verdeans. She grew up in a mixed language environment of Creole (the Cape Verde dialect her parents spoke at home) and Portuguese, and was always surrounded by the Cape Verdean way of life. In her teens she sang professionally in a Lusophone Gospel choir. Being a strongly spiritual person, Carmen always saw music as her mission and felt privileged to have the opportunity to express herself through it, working hard every day to deserve that opportunity. Musicians like Luis Morais, Theo Pas'cal, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, and Diana Krall are among those that truly inspire her evolution and search for a unique personal style. Theo Pas'cal, her producer, mentor and one of the best bass players in Portugal, discovered her talent and introduced Carmen to jazz, fusion and other contemporary sounds that influenced her musical development.

In 2003, Carmen began working with Theo on the compositions that would be included on her debut album, Ess e nha Cabo Verde. Using the Creole dialect of her ancestors and featuring traditional African and Cape Verdean rhythms (Batuke, Morna, Cola djon, and others), Carmen mixed in her contemporary jazz influences to create a more intimate and acoustic vibe, different from the traditional festive environment of Cape Verdean sounds. Ess e nha Cabo Verde was released in 2005 to critical acclaim and led to her international breakthrough performance at the WOMAD Festival in Reading, England that same year. Verdade, her second album, was released in 2008. In addition to co-producing the album, Verdade featured Carmen’s talents on Wurlitzer organ and guitar, as well as an exciting and melodically vibrant vocal repertoire in Creole. Verdade received glowing reviews from the international press worldwide.

Carmen Souza returned in 2010 with the impressive recording Protegid (Protected), blending the elegance and sophistication of African and Cape Verdean traditional rhythms with contemporary jazz and Afro-Latin music. Once again the two composers, Carmen Souza and Theo Pas’cal, present an album that pushes the limits of what constitutes the Cape Verdean music, world music and jazz even further. Carmen co-produces, plays guitar and Fender Rhodes, and sings eleven of the twelve songs on the album.

On Protegid, Carmen Souza’s singular vocal approach and musical choices have earned her being compared with Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Cleo Laine, Eartha Kitt, and Marie Daulne. Her unique talent as a singer, composer and musician sets her apart from the crowded Cape Verdean scene and is gradually carving her own space in world music and jazz. Protegid is receiving outstanding reviews worldwide. World Music Central considers the album “a landmark that will prompt you to embrace and at the same time rethink everything you know and love about the sounds of Cape Verde.” NPR said the album “opens a window to another world entirely” and The Independent declares: “the poetic voice is as original as the musical one.” In 2010, Protegid received a nomination for the German Record Critic’s Award, and entered the World Music Charts Europe (WMCE). A new edition of Verdade, re-released by Galileo Records, also entered the WMCE and, by the end of the year, the album was included in several lists of “Best World Music Album” for 2010.

Carmen Souza has been touring extensively around the world since 2005. In 2010, she performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, the London African Music Festival and the Leverkusener Jazztage Festival in Germany. Her concerts have been broadcast around the world by major TV and radio stations including the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, the Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, Radio 6 in the Netherlands, WDR/3SAT TV in Germany, and more. Her unique sound has been recognized by ethnomusicologists Gerhard Kubik and Fernando Arenas; a closer look into Carmen Souza’s groundbreaking work is included in Beyond Independence: Globalization, Postcolonialism, and the Cultures of Lusophone Africa, a new book by Fernando Arenas, published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2011.

RETURN TO FOREVER – THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION

Available now is the most complete package to date of Return to Forever’s Columbia albums. The set includes 3 great albums on 5 CDs, with each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art. The booklet includes full discographical info., rare photos, and liner notes by Grammy-winning producer Bob Belden, plus a complete reproduction of the original 12 page booklet from the Return To Forever Live box.

Pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Chick Corea (b. 1941) flaunts his eclectic musical nature like a badge of honor. Moving fluidly within the realms of jazz, classical, fusion and Latin-Jazz, Corea’s stylistic identity cannot be pinned down; his musical personality is defined only by the consistent excellence of his multifarious endeavors. Fifty years into his career, Corea is unquestionably a jazz icon, beloved by devoted listeners, and as influential with fellow musicians, as he has ever been.

After important early experience with both Latin music bands and jazz ensembles, including those of Mongo Santamaria, Stan Getz, and Sarah Vaughan, Corea gained significantly wider recognition when he replaced Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis’s acclaimed quintet in 1968. His work with Davis and his own recordings, including the brilliant Now He Sings, Now He Sobs, positioned Corea as one of the premier post bop pianists of his generation. Yet his eclecticism was about to blossom. After delving into free jazz with the band Circle, Corea turned to the electric piano and formed Return to Forever, which in its original incarnation, took Latin jazz as its focus. Return to Forever would then quickly morph into a highly successful fusion band, one that found Corea making extensive use of synthesizers and electronic keyboards.

From the mid-1970s onwards, the musically peripatetic Corea has formed new ensembles – both acoustic and electric – collaborated with a dizzyingly diverse cast of prominent musicians (Gary Burton, Bobby McFerrin, and Bela Fleck, among them), composed works that range from classical extravaganzas to children’s songs, and has continued to exert wide influence as an adventurous improvising pianist who is nonetheless thoroughly grounded in the jazz tradition. Recent tours with John McLaughlin and a reunited Return to Forever proved that Corea’s popular esteem is rock solid.

The ultimate Return To Forever statement was the 1977 4LP box Return To Forever Live. This version is the first time that the entire concert has been released on CD in the U.S. Unavailable for some 20 years the complete 2 and 1/2 hour concert is heard here remastered by multi Grammy-winning engineer Mark Wilder.

Albums included:

Romantic Warrior (1976)

Musicmagic (1977)

Return To Forever Live (1977) [3 CDs]

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JACK JONES – LOVE BALLAD

Four-time nominated and two-time Grammy-winning recording artist Jack Jones is back front and center with a new album titled Love Ballad, a very personal take on love found and lost. Love Ballad was launched September 20 by Aspen Records and available via BFM Digital Music Services on iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Napster, and Nokia, among others, as well as in stores. “You can imagine how hard we all cried at the end of it.”

“There is a personal story behind each of the songs,” Jones says. “The title song, ‘Love Ballad,’ was being played as my wife Eleonora and I were first introduced. It expresses the hope of finding the perfect lifetime partner, who must exist somewhere. “Being a parent, I see ‘Not While I’m Around’ as a wonderful adult version of ‘Who’s Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf?’ from ‘Sweeny Todd,’ with a much darker meaning.”

Jones considers one of the most moving moments in his life when he sang “The Impossible Dream,” for hundreds of wives of MIAs at the Washington Armory. “We were all wearing wristbands with MIAs’ names on them,” he recalls. “You can imagine how hard we all cried at the end of it.”

“Call Me Irresponsible” came about after Sammy Cahn asked Jones to come to Jimmy Van Heusen’s house to hear a song they wanted him to record. When he got there they played Frank Sinatra's recording of the song, which caused Jones to ask, “What do you need me for?” They explained that Sinatra’s performance was too realistic and too good to be a hit, which is why they called him. Choosing not to take issue with this, Jones recorded the song - and “was subjected to having a major hit record on his hands!”

Jones, who has always been actively involved in the creation of his records, is credited as producer, personally selected all the songs and did the in-studio mixing and mastering of all the tracks. Jones continues a busy schedule of live performances in performing arts centers throughout the year. He just completed appearances in front of 12,000 people in the Philippines; the McCallum theater; the South Point Casino Hotel and Spa in Las Vegas; and is scheduled for his biennial tour of Great Britain this fall.

Love Ballad Track Listing:
1. Love Ballad (Pat Tuzzolino & Carl Saunders)
2. I Can't Get Started With You(Vernon Duke & Ira Gershwin)
3. I Can't Wait To Miss You (Jack Jones & Tom Garvin)
4. Sit Down And Write Myself A Letter (Fred E. Ahlert & Joseph Young)　　
5. Speaking Softly (Pat Tuzzolino & Carl Saunders)
6. Not While I'm Around (Steven Sondheim)
7. Don't You Quit Now (Johnny Mercer & Jimmy Rowles)
8. People (Jule Stein & Robert Merril)
9. The Lorelei (Barclay Allen, Jerry Goldstone, Rosetta Bent)
10. All Or Nothing At All (Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence)
11. Lollypops And Roses (Tony Velona)
12. Wives And Lovers (Burt Bacharach & Hal David)
13. Call Me Irresponsible (Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen)
14. If (David Gates)
15. The Impossible Dream (Joe Darion, Mitch Leigh)
16. Love Ballad Epilogue (Pat Tuzzolino & Carl Saunders)

Produced by Jack Jones
Under the musical direction of Mike Renzi
Arranged by Mike Renzi
Bass: Chris Colangelos
Drums: Kendall Kay
Keyboards: Patrick Tuzzolino, Frankie Randall, Gary Nesteruk
Sam Most featured on Sax (Love Ballad)
Mixdowns, Vocals, Sweetening and Mastering at the Orchard Engineer: Jack Jones
Rhythm tracks recorded at Umbrella Media Inc.
Recording Engineer: Nady Waterman
Second Engineer: Luke Fackler

Upcoming Jack Jones Tour Dates:
October 22, 2011 – Opera House, Buxton, UK
October 23, 2011 – York Barbican Centre, York, UK
October 24, 2011 – Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, UK
October 25, 2011 – The Sage, Gateshead, UK
October 27, 2011 - Town Hall, Birmingham, UK
October 29, 2011 – Cliffs Pavillion, Southend, UK
October 30, 2011 – Fairfiled Hall, Croydon, UK
October 31, 2011 – London Palladium, London, UK

November 1, 2011 – Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, UK

November 2, 2011 – The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK

December 3, 2011 – Private Event, Palm Beach Gardens, FL

December 16, 2011– Wichita Country Club, Wichita, KS

January 17-22, 2012 – The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikki, San Fran, CA,

January 31-February 4, 2012 - Riverside Resort, Laughlin, NV

February 25, 2012 – Wold Performing Arts Center, Boca Raton, FL

March 5, 2012 – Private Event, Tampa, FL

April 17-May 12, 2012 –The Oak Romm at The Algonquin Hotel, New York, NY

September 24-29, 2012 – Andy Williams Moon River Theatre, Branson, MO

TAKE A LOOK: ARETHA FRANKLIN COMPLETE ON COLUMBIA

Columbia Records has assembled the most complete package to date of Aretha Franklins Columbia albums. The collection celebrates the 50th anniversary of Aretha’s pop performance career spanning her electrifying output spanning 1960-1965. Included are master takes, unissued performances, rare mono mixes and studio conversations, in one deluxe 12-disc (11 CDs + DVD) box set. The 12 discs are housed in a beautiful box and are accompanied by a lavish 64-page, full color book. The book features extensive new liner notes, complete discography, and incredible, rare photography of a young Aretha. The bonus DVD contains soul-stirring TV performances not available in years.

Take A Look begins with expanded editions of Aretha’s seven original Columbia albums:
Aretha (with the Ray Bryant Combo) (released February 27, 1961)
The Electrifying Aretha Franklin (1962)
The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962)
Laughing On The Outside (1963)
Unforgettable – A Tribute To Dinah Washington (1964)
Runnin’ Out Of Fools (1965)

Yeah!!! In Person With Her Quartet (in two sequences: the original 1965 album recorded live in the studio with overdubbed applause, followed by a new previously unreleased version without the nightclub ambience)

Two CDs reflect Aretha’s collaborations with the influential producers Bobby Scott and Clyde Otis -- collaborations that were either shelved or issued as singles, but never on LP:

Tiny Sparrow: The Bobby Scott Sessions (1963)

Take A Look: The Clyde Otis Sessions (1964)

Two CDs are new compilations:

A Bit of Soul (the full album as it was compiled in 1965, but never released)

The Queen In Waiting (includes Aretha's last Columbia recordings produced by Bob Johnston, noted for his work during this period with Bob Dylan; and songs that Columbia "sweetened" with new musicians after Aretha left the label)

A bonus DVD, Aretha '64! Live on The Steve Allen Show, features Aretha singing and playing piano on the legendary comedian's television program in the spring of 1964. The performances include “Lover Come Back to Me,” “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody,” “Won’t Be Long,”

SATCHO: LOUIS ARMSTRONG, THE AMBASSADOR OF JAZZ

Satchmo: Louis Armstrong, The Ambassador of Jazz contains 10 CDs, a 200-page hardcover book by Richard Havers and an assortment of sheet music reproductions, all housed in a replica of Armstrong’s travel trunk. Seven of the CDs will cover previously released Armstrong classics derived from his work at a cross-section of labels including OKeh, Columbia, Vocalion, Victor, Verve, Decca, Mercury and ABC-Paramount . An eighth disc will consist of previously unreleased and rare session material, a ninth will present his 1956 concert at California’s Hollywood Bowl, and a tenth will feature a 1965 interview with Armstrong conducted by Dan Morgenstern. The release is from Universal Music U.K.

Armstrong recorded for a variety of labels over his long career: as the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens period (1925-1928) and the rest of his OKeh period through 1932, as well as his stints at RCA Victor (1932-1933 and 1946-1947) and Columbia (1954-1956). He recorded for Decca for roughly fifteen years between 1935 and 1949. In 1956 he began a tenure at Verve, where he had monumental collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. Following his Verve stint, he briefly returned to Decca and recorded for the original Audio Fidelity label as well as for MGM and Roulette. The 1960’s saw Louis hit a commercial peak with 1964′s Hello, Dolly! on Kapp, but he also was heard on ABC-Paramount, Mercury, EMI, Bluebird, Avco Embassy and Buena Vista. This release is being described as the “the definitive version of the Amstrong legacy” as it cross-licenses tracks from Armstrong’s many label affiliations over his nearly 50 years of recording.

Louis Armstrong, Satchmo: Louis Armstrong, The Ambassador of Jazz Track List:
Disc 1
Just Gone – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (4/5/23)
Chime Blues – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (4/5/23)
Dipper Mouth Blues – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (4/6/23 or 6/22-29/23)
Tears – King Creole’s Creole Jazz Band (10/23)
New Orleans Stomp (Clean Version) – King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (10/16/23)
Shanghai Shuffle – Ma Rainey Accompanied by Her Georgia Jazz Band (10/16/24)
Copenhagen (Single Version) – Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra (10/30/24)
Everybody Loves My Baby – Clarence Williams’ Blue Five or Josephine Beatty with The Red Onion Jazz Babies (both rec. 11/6/24)
Cake Walking Babies (From Home) – The Red Onion Jazz Babies (12/22/24) or Eva Taylor with Clarence Williams’ Blue Five (1/8/25)
St. Louis Blues – Bessie Smith (1/14/25)
Sugar Foot Stomp – Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra (5/29/25)
Santa Claus Blues – Eva Taylor with Clarence Williams’ Blue Five (10/8/25 or 10/16/25)
Georgia Grind – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (2/26/26)
Heebie Jeebies – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (2/26/26)
Cornet Chop Suey – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (2/26/26)
Muskrat Ramble (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (2/26/26)
Stomp Off, Let’s Go – Erskine Tate’s Vendrome Orchestra (5/28/26)
He Likes It Slow – Butterbeans and Susie (6/18/26)
Chicago Breakdown – Louis Armstrong and His Stompers (5/9/27)
Potato Head Blues – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven (5/10/27)
New Orleans Stomp – Johnny Dodd’s Black Bottom Stompers (4/22/27)
Hotter Than That – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (12/13/27)
Savoy Blues – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (12/13/27)

Disc 2
West End Blues – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (6/28/28)
Skip the Gutter – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (6/27/28)
Symphonic Raps – Carroll Dickerson’s Savoyagers (7/5/28)
Weather Bird (12/5/28)
Muggles – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (12/7/28)
Tight Like This – Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five (12/12/28)
Knockin’ A Jug – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (3/5/29)
I Can’t Give You Anything But Love – Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five (3/5/29)
Mahogany Hall Stomp – Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five (3/5/29)
Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (7/19/29)
Black and Blue – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (7/22/29)
When You’re Smiling – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (9/11/29)
After You’ve Gone – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (11/26/29)
Rockin’ Chair – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (12/13/29)
St. Louis Blues – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (12/13/29)
Blue Turning Grey Over You (2/1/30)
Tiger Rag – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (5/4/30)
I’m a Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas – Louis Armstrong and His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra (7/21/30)
Blue Yodel No. 9 (1996 Remaster) – Jimmie Rodgers (7/16/30)
Body and Soul – Louis Armstrong and His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra (10/9/30)
You’re Lucky To Me – Louis Armstrong and His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra (10/16/30)
Memories of You – Louis Armstrong and His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra (10/16/30)
Sweethearts on Parade – Louis Armstrong and His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra (12/23/30)
When Your Lover Has Gone – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (4/29/31)

Disc 3
Lazy River – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (11/3/31)
Chinatown, My Chinatown – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (Single Version) (11/3/31)
Stardust -  Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (11/4/31)
You Can Depend on Me – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (11/5/31)
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea- Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/25/32)
All of Me – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/27/32)
Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (3/11/32)
That’s My Home (1996 Remaster) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (12/8/32)
I’ve Got the World on a String – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/26/33)
I’ve Gotta Right to Sing the Blues (1996 Remaster) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/26/33)
Basin Street Blues – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/27/33)
Laughin’ Louie – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/24/33)
I’m In the Mood For Love- Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (10/3/35)
Old Man Mose – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (10/21/35 or 10/22/35)
Thanks a Million – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (Single Version) (12/19/35)
Shoe Shine Boy (Single Version)- Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (12/19/35)
Ev’ntide (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (5/18/36)
Swing That Music (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (5/18/36)
The Skeleton in the Closet (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (8/7/36)
On a Cocoanut Island (Original Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with the Polynesians (8/18/36)
The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers (6/29/37)
Jubilee (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/12/38)
Struttin’ with Some Barbeque (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/12/38)
I Double Dare You (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/13/38)
When The Saints Go Marching In (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (5/13/38)

Disc 4
Nobody Knows De Trouble I’ve Seen – Louis Armstrong with the Decca Mixed Choir (6/14/38)
Jeepers Creepers (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/18/39)
I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You) (Single Version) (4/25/39)
Wolverine Blues (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (3/14/40)
Perdido Street Blues (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (5/27/40)
I Cover the Waterfront – Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven (3/10/41)
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (11/16/41)
I Never Knew (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (4/17/42)
I Wonder (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (1/14/45)
Snafu (Single Version)  – Esquire All-American 1946 Award Winners (1/10/46)
You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart) (Single Version) – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong with Bob Haggart’s Orchestra (1/18/46)
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans – Louis Armstrong and His Dixieland Seven (10/17/46)
Pennies From Heaven (2001 Remaster, Live)- Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (5/17/47)
Back O’Town Blues (Album Version, Live) – Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (5/17/47)
Rockin’ Chair – Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (6/10/47)
Jack-Armstrong Blues (1996 Remaster) – Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (6/10/47)
Muskrat Ramble – Parts 1 & 2 – Louis Armstrong and The All-Stars (Live, 1947 Symphony Hall) (11/30/47)
That’s My Desire (Live, 1947 Symphony Hall) – Louis Armstrong and The All-Stars (11/30/47)
That Lucky Old Sun (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins’ Orchestra (9/6/49)
Blueberry Hill (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins’ Orchestra (9/6/49)
You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (9/30/49)

Disc 5
New Orleans Function – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/26-27/50)
That’s For Me (Parts 1 & 2) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/26-27/50)
Panama – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/26-27/50)
C’est Si Bon (It’s So Good) – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (6/26/50)
La Vie En Rose (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (6/26/50
You Rascal You (I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead) (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (8/23/50)
Dream a Little Dream of Me (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald and Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (8/25/50)
You Can Depend On Me – Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (Live, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 1951) (1/30/51)
Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Parts 1 & 2) – Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars (Live, Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 1951) (1/30/51)
Gone Fishin’ (Live Radio Version) – likely with Bing Crosby from The Bing Crosby Chesterfield Show (4/19/51)
A Kiss to Build a Dream On – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (7/24/51)
(When We Are Dancin’) I Get Ideas (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (7/24/51)
Because Of You – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra (9/17/51)
Indian Love Call – Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins’ Orchestra (11/28/51)
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South (Alternate Lyric Version) – Louis Armstrong with Gordon Jenkins’ Orchestra (11/28/51)
It Takes Two to Tango (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (8/25/52)
Your Cheatin’ Heart (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (2/23/53)
Someday You’ll Be Sorry (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with the Commanders (10/22/53)
The Gypsy (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong with the Commanders (10/22/53)
The Whiffenpoof Song – Louis Armstrong with the All-Stars (4/13/54)

Disc 6
Beale Street Blues – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (7/12/54)
Chantez Les Bas (Sing ‘Em Low)  (7/14/54)
Back Home Again in Indiana (Live)  (1955 Crescendo Club) (1/21/55)
Blue Turning Grey Over You (Edited Alternate Version) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/27/55)
Mack the Knife (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (9/28/55)
The Faithful Hussar (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (12/19/55)
Royal Garden Blues – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (1/24/56)
My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (Live, 1956)
St. Louis Blues (Concerto Grosso) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars, with Leonard Bernstein, conductor (Live, Lewisohn Stadium, New York) (7/14/56)
Stars Fell on Alabama – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (8/16/56)
They Can’t Take That Away From Me – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (8/16/56)
The Nearness of You – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (8/16/56)
On the Sunny Side of the Street (1983 Satchmo Album Version) (12/11/56)
When You’re Smiling (Without Intro) (12/12/56)
King of the Zulus (1983 Satchmo Album Version) (1/25/57)

Disc 7
Stompin’ at the Savoy – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (7/23/57)
Love Is Here to Stay – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (7/23/57)
I Get a Kick Out of You – Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson (7/31/57)
Stormy Weather – Louis Armstrong with Russell Garcia and Orchestra (8/14-16/57)
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen (Re-Record) – likely Louis Armstrong and Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (2/4/58)
Summertime – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (8/18-19/57)
Bess Oh Where Is My Bess – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (8/18-19/57 & 10/57)
There’s No You – Louis Armstrong and the Oscar Peterson Trio Plus One (10/14/57)
Let’s Fall in Love (Take 2) – Louis Armstrong and the Oscar Peterson Trio Plus One (10/14/57)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child – Louis Armstrong with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra (2/7/58)
Summer Song – Louis Armstrong and His Band (9/13/61)
Hello, Dolly! –Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (12/3/63)
A Lot of Livin’ to Do – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (12/3/63)
I Still Get Jealous – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/18/64)
Moon River – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (4/18/64)
So Long Dearie – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (9/3/64)
Mame (Single Version)- Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (5/66)
Cabaret (Single Version) – Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars (8/25/66 or 8/16/67)
What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong’s Orchestra and Chorus (8/16/67)
Blueberry Hill – 1970 Newport Jazz Festival
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South – 1970 Newport Jazz Festival

Disc 8
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South
Indiana
The Gypsy
Ole Miss Blues
My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It
Perdido
You Made Me Love You
Mack the Knife
Stompin’ at the Savoy
You Can Depend On Me
Mop Mop
You Won’t Be Satisfied
Undecided
When the Saints Go Marching In

Disc 9
Dan Morgenstern Interview with Louis Armstrong, 1965

Disc 10
Yeh (Take 5)
Mm-Mm (Take 10)
Indiana (Studio Warm-Up)
Makin’ Whoopee (Breakdown)
Makin’ Whoopee (Take 1)
I Get a Kick Out of You (Take 1)
I Get a Kick Out of You (Run-Through)
I Get a Kick Out of You (Takes 3 & 4)
I Get a Kick Out of You (Takes 9-12)
I Get a Kick Out of You (Take 13)
Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) (Breakdowns)
Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) (Take 3)
Willow Weep For Me (Take 1)
Willow Weep For Me (Take 4)
Oh Bess Where Is My Bess  (Takes 5 & 6)
Oh Bess Where Is My Bess (Take 7)
Redheaded Woman
Let’s Fall in Love
Basin Street Blues (Take 1)
So Long, Dearie (Rehearsal Take)
So Long, Dearie (Take 1)
Pretty Little Missy (Take 1)

Pretty Little Missy (Take 4)

MARIO BIONDI & THE HIGH FIVE QUINTET – A HANDFUL OF SOUL [DELUXE BOXSET EDITION]

In celebration of Schema Records’ 20th anniversary they have just recently release a deluxe boxset edition of Mario Biondi’s Handful Of Soul. This re-release includes a double gatefold sleeve 180 gram heavy vinyl and a CD of the original acclaimed Handful Of Soul album; an extra CD entitled Change Of Scenes with new and unreleased bonus recordings; five black & white portrait photographs of Mario Biondi; and the original promotional poster announcing the release of  Handful Of Soul in 2006.

Handful Of Soul original track list – 2LP Gatefold Sleeve 180gr:
SIDE A
1.A Child Runs Free
2.No Mercy for Me
3.Slow Hot Wind

SIDE B
1.This is What You Are
2.I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes

SIDE C
1.Rio De Janeiro Blue
2.A Handful of Soul
3.On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)

SIDE D
1.Never Die
2.Gig
3.No Trouble on The Mountain

Handful Of Soul original CD track list:
1.A Child Runs Free
2.No Mercy for Me
3.This is What You Are
4.Rio De Janeiro Blue
5.Slow Hot Wind
6.A Handful of Soul
7.Never Die
8.On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
9.Gig
10.I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes
11.No Trouble On The Mountain
12.I’m Her Daddy

 Change Of Scenes CD remixes track list:
1.A Little Piece of My Life*
2.No Mercy for Me - “re-worked by A. Magnanini”
3.On a Clear Day (You can See Forever) - Today Mix “Performed by Was-A-Bee”
4.A Handful of Soul - Takin’ The Live Mood
5. I’m Her Daddy - Daddy’s Point of View Version
6.This is What You Are - The Brazilian Rime
7. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes - “Inner Mix Part 1”
8. I Can’t Keep From Cryin’ Sometimes - “Walk in Blues part 2”
9.Slow Hot Wind (Slow Hot Version)
10.Rio De Janeiro Blue - In “The Invisible” Club Mix Extended
11.This is What You Are - Dim’s Hipster Jazz Version by “Dimitri From Paris”
12.But Not For You - Vocal Demo Version*

*Unreleased Tracks

GROVER WASHINGTON JR. – THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTION

From the archives of Columbia Records comes to us the the most complete package to date of Grover Washington Jr.’s complete Columbia Albums collection. Includes are 9 great albums on 9 CDs with each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art. The most beloved of all Smooth Jazz artists, and one of its very best sellers, in his most prolific period

Whether he was playing R&B-infused jazz pop or straight-ahead swing, saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. always made one thing clear: he knew how to blow his horns. A thoroughly schooled musician who later learned to play genuine funky jazz with such masters as Johnny “Hammond” Smith and Charles Earland, Washington perfected a saxophone style that blended melodic elegance with soulful grit. His work on alto, tenor and soprano was a model of authentic communication; when he played, you listened, entranced by his from-the-heart tone and singing phrasing.

His work for Columbia made a good case for his diversity. There are plenty of fine albums that mix R&B, jazz and pop into a heady brew, including Strawberry Moon, Time Out of Mind, Next Exit and Soulful Strut. On these popular recordings, Washington shares space with the likes of icons Nancy Wilson, Ramsey Lewis and B.B. King; singers Lalah Hathaway and Levi Stubbs, and A-list players including Marcus Miller and Joey DeFrancesco.

But there were also special projects where Washington made sure that his instrumental prowess was fully noted. Then and Now and All My Tomorrows are straight up jazz albums on which Washington’s no nonsense playing was set off by such illustrious supporting musicians as bassist Ron Carter, pianists Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and singer Freddy Cole. But there were even more dimensions to Washington’s musicianship. His way with a lyrical ballad is demonstrated on the Christmas album, Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection. The biggest surprise of all may have been Aria. On this selection of immortal classical works beautifully adapted for saxophone, Washington asserts that he was every bit the accomplished musician that some, blinded by his commercial success, may have been unaware of.

Included in the package are four great Smooth Jazz albums: Strawberry Moon, Time Out Of Mind, Next Exit, and Soulful Strut; a bonus album: the long unavailable House Full Of Love / Music From The Bill Cosby Show on which he is the featured soloist. All in all this collection features seven Top 5 Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz and Top Jazz Albums! It’s his most stylistically diverse collection including projects of Smooth Jazz, Straight Ahead Jazz, Christmas, Classical and Television.

Albums Included:

House Full Of Love (Music from The Cosby Show) Featuring Grover Washington, Jr. (1986)

Strawberry Moon (1987)

Then And Now (1988)

Time Out of Mind (1989)

Next Exit (1992)

All My Tomorrows (1994)
Soulful Strut (1996)
Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection (1997)
Aria (Sony Classical) (2000)

NINA SIMONE – THE COMPLETE RCA ALBUMS COLLECTION

If you are a fan of Nina Simone you can now have the best of Nina Simone all in one bundle! This new release includes 9 great albums on 9 CDs! 7 of them fully re-mastered for the first time in the U.S. by multi-Grammy winning engineer Mark Wilder. Each individual album is packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album’s original cover art. All albums feature bonus tracks - a total of 35 in all! Rare recordings of Nina at her very best. The package also includes a stand-alone booklet includes full discographical info., rare in-studio photos, and liner notes by Grammy-winning box producer Richard Seidel.

As unclassifiable as she was forthright, Nina Simone (1933-2003) went her own way; it was up to her devoted audience to keep pace with her stylistic wanderings. Defiantly outspoken and willfully eclectic in her music, Simone electrified listeners with artfully intense performances. Trained as a classical pianist but thwarted in her ambitions, Simone turned to singing out of economic necessity. The 1950’s and 60’s witnessed Simone gaining success with her involving blend of blues, gospel, and jazz, classical, R&B, and popular song. Her wide-ranging musical nature and smoldering delivery captivated listeners fascinated by her scope and emotional involvement.

Politically radicalized in the early 1960s, Simone took her music in yet another direction. Now recording songs that addressed the civil rights movement as well as folk and recent pop songs, Simone aligned herself with a contemporary audience. Her RCA albums were stocked with songs that ran the gamut from “I Wish I Knew What It Was Like to Be Free” by Billy Taylor and “Ain’t Got No (I Got Life)” from the Broadway hit, Hair, to Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and Burt Bacharach’s “The Look of Love.” It was this ability to endow work from Langston Hughes to the Bee Gees with equal intensity that drew legions of mesmerized fans to her.

Simone’s outspoken nature and confrontational personality may have caused havoc with her career, but, from today’s perspective, her forthrightness can be seen as a model for a new generation of take-no-guff performers. Simone had something to say, she made sure you heard it, and judging from the myriad artists who cite her as an influence, many did.

The collections contains her hits “ I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free”, “I Loves You Porgy”, “I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl”, “Young, Gifted And Black”, “I Ain’t Got No - I Got Life”, “Mississippi Goddam” and more. The 20th Century’s most eclectic musician explores Blues, Folk, Pop, Rock, Gospel, Art Songs, Broadway, African, Jazz, Protest Songs, and more in her uniquely individual style. Nina’s powerful and moving versions of classics by Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Willie Dixon, The Bee Gees, Gershwin, The Beatles, Jerome Kern, Randy Newman, and more are all here.

Albums included:

Nina Simone Sings The Blues (1967)

Silk & Soul (1967)

‘Nuff Said (1968)

Nina Simone & Piano (1969)

To Love Somebody (1969)

Black Gold (1970)

Here Comes The Sun (1971)

Emergency Ward (1972)

It Is Finished (1974)

ANTONIO ADOLFO - CHORA BAIAO

Antonio Adolfo has long been an integral and influential behind-the-scenes player as a producer, composer, arranger, label entrepreneur, and educator—in his native Rio de Janeiro and beyond. In recent years, however, he has thankfully been devoting more time to recording his own music. First came a critically acclaimed collaboration with his vocalist daughter, 2007’s Antonio Adolfo and Carol Saboya Ao Vivo/Live. Last year’s Lá e Cá (Here and There), also featuring Saboya, tapped into standards by Americans and Brazilians such as Cole Porter and Antonio Carlos Jobim. For his new CD, Chora Baião, which was released September 27 on his AAM Music label, Adolfo chose to focus on the Brazilian music styles choro and baião, specifically the works of two brilliant and innovative Brazilian composers, Guinga and Chico Buarque.

“I wanted to record an album of material that forces me to play differently,” Adolfo says. “My passion is for their harmonies and melodies, which are not just sophisticated, but quite unusual in Brazilian music. When you play American or Brazilian standards, you tend to stay in familiar territory. But with their harmonies you cannot use clichés. It requires you go into some really different directions.” The fact that Adolfo’s original pieces (“Chicote,” “Chorosa Blues,” “Chora Baião”) fit so comfortably alongside the music of Guinga and Buarque shouldn’t be surprising. From Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, and Herb Alpert to Elis Regina, Beth Carvalho, and Sergio Mendes, some of the world’s most popular artists have recorded his songs. His title track announces the thread of choro and baião running through the album, drawing on both forms while opening with a bracing jolt of maracatu percussion.

“This is a different kind of music, not Jobim,” Adolfo says. “Guinga is very inventive with choro and baião. Before Guinga everyone played choro very traditionally. He uses chords like Piazzolla. He’s never been played by jazz musicians, but his harmonies are very unexpected.”

As for Buarque, “I wanted to show him as a musician,” says Adolfo. “There’s no doubt he’s one of the three most important lyricists in Brazil, but he’s also a composer who ranks alongside Jobim and Edu Lobo. He chooses different chords and different bass lines. You can hear in songs like ‘A Ostra e o Vento’ (The Oyster and the Wind) that the harmonies are very sophisticated. As a composer, as a musician who writes songs, he and Guinga do things that nobody else does in Brazilian music, with chords and melodies that are unexpected.”

Produced and arranged by Adolfo, Chora Baião features the same basic cast heard on last year’s Lá e Cá: Uruguayan-born guitarist Leo Amuedo (a frequent collaborator with Ivan Lins), bassist Jorge Helder (often heard with Chico Buarque and Maria Bethânia), drummer Rafael Barata (Edu Lobo, Rosa Passos, Mônica Salmaso), and—on two tracks—vocalist Carol Saboya. The formidable Marcos Suzano (Lenine, Gilberto Gil, Zizi Possi) is added on percussion.

Besides his prolific work as a pianist, composer, and arranger, Adolfo, 64, continues to be a leader in music education. The Centro Musical Antonio Adolfo in Rio and a new experimental Brazilian music school in Hollywood, Florida, where he resides, are a big part of his current professional life. “Nadia Boulanger and all the other teachers I had were my inspiration to become a music educator myself,” says Adolfo. “My involvement in education is a result of my interest in always trying to go deeper and to deal technically with different music subjects, which has helped my own development and growth as a musician.”

CHRISTIAN McBRIDE – CONVERSATIONS WITH CHRISTIAN

On his eight CDs that precede Conversations With Christian, bassist Christian McBride has framed himself in ensemble contexts, most recently on the widely lauded 2009 Mack Avenue release Kind of Brown, which showcases the Inside Straight quintet (his return to the acoustic jazz format as a leader) and The Good Feeling, released in September, comprising a suite of well-wrought charts for an A-list 17-piece big band.

Although McBride's leader and sideman c.v. includes no small number of pungent duos with various game-changers-to name two, McCoy Tyner and Jim Hall-he has heretofore refrained from devoting an entire recording to the genre. That discographical gap is now rectified with Conversations with Christian, on which the 39-year-old maestro places himself in the forefront of the flow on a duet apiece with "13 of my closest musical friends and cohorts"-singers Angélique Kidjo, Sting and Dee Dee Bridgewater; pianists George Duke, Eddie Palmieri and Chick Corea, as well as Dr. Billy Taylor and Hank Jones (who both passed away in 2010); violinist Regina Carter; trumpeter Roy Hargrove; guitarist Russell Malone; tenor saxophonist Ron Blake; and actress Gina Gershon. In the process, McBride unleashes the full measure of his already legendary skills, crafting as complete a portrait of his diverse interests-different vibrations of the blues and African-American church experience, bebop, the American Songbook, the Latin Tinge, the Freedom Principle, even comedy-as he has ever presented.

"I love and appreciate so many different styles and cultures," he remarks. "Changing hats, going from one project to another, from a straight-ahead session to an R&B session to a pop session, has always fueled my activity. I try to put all those different sounds into one pot and make it a coherent, jazz-inflected sound."

McBride first considered a proposal to do a duet project during the latter '90s, when he was signed to Verve. "At the time," he recalls, "I didn't feel I was ready, or that it was the project I wanted to do. I had other things in mind. But as time progressed, I got to do other projects-putting together the Christian McBride Band and experimenting with a lot of different sounds and layers-and my focus returned to the duets idea."

This renewed interest coincided with McBride's involvement with the National Jazz Museum In Harlem (he is co-director), where he launched a still ongoing series of public talks and interviews. "My manager, Andre Guess, and my wife, Melissa Walker, noticed that I had a good rapport with almost everyone I interviewed," recalls McBride, whose warmth comes through as palpably in conversation as in notes and tones. "They both suggested that it might be time."

In conjunction with the project, McBride conducted videotaped interviews with each participant. Available as discrete podcasts since 2009, this series eventually led to the popular Sirius-XM radio show, The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian.

"I think the duet is a logical extension of the nature of the bass itself," McBride says. "It's the root. Joe Zawinul once stated that the drums are the father of all music, and the bass is the mother. I had a hard time disagreeing. The bass has the rhythm and the pulse, and also the notes and harmonies. That would seem to make it the ideal instrument for any sort of duet."

If the bass is the ideal instrument to perform the duo function, McBride would seem to be its ideal practitioner. He immersed himself in the genre directly after arriving in New York City from Philadelphia, his hometown, in 1989. Then 17, just out of high school, he entered the rarefied atmosphere of such New York piano saloons as Bradley's, the Knickerbocker and the Village Gate, learning the tools of the trade on drummer-less gigs with such elder masters as Larry Willis, John Hicks and George Cables.

"Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, and Oscar Pettiford were my main favorite bass soloists, plus Jaco Pastorius on the electric side," McBride says. "Their articulation was so clean and so sharp, and you wondered why all bass players didn't play with that clarity. It seemed to me that musicians across the board were learning the language of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and more modern geniuses like Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, and that as a bassist I should also learn that language. With the exception of a few people, most bass solos I heard seemed a little uncertain and ambiguous, and I didn't buy that the reason was the instrument's frequency. I wanted every single, solitary note I was playing on the bass to be as crystal clear, as articulate and precise, as any other instrument, while still keeping the full tone.

Such formative experiences, as well as extended tours with "arena" acts like Pat Metheny, Chick Corea and Sting, many years playing with the drummer-less three-bass unit Super Bass with Ray Brown and John Clayton, and consequential engagements with pop icons like James Brown, Queen Latifah and The Roots, gave McBride the confidence to eschew the original material that he "had ready for almost all of the duets." He realized that, "since everything is exposed in a duet, my partner should be as comfortable as humanly possible, whether it meant doing a song of theirs or some mutually-agreed upon standard. I knew that I could feel comfortable with just about anything."

McBride transcends the challenge, crafting one eyebrow-raising solo after another, and conjuring a lexicon of apropos, state-of-the-art bass-lines. On Kidjo's anthemic "Afirika," which opens the proceedings, he adapts the band arrangement into a surging, metrically complex bass part, rendered with the huge sound that is his trademark, complementing to perfection the Beninoise diva's over-the-barline phrasing. Later, with Sting on the 1985 hit "Consider Me Gone" from the film Bring on the Night, he sets up a gentle 4/4 vamp to blanket and complement the singer's keening tenor and self-comping guitar; still later, he signifies with good-humored, "filthy" expertise to Dee Dee Bridgewater's lusty interpretation of "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers.

Observe the intense, contemplative mood that McBride's arco introduction sets for "Spiritual," a late-in-life composition by Dr. Billy Taylor; his comfort zone swinging through the changes on songbook standards "Alone Together" (Hank Jones) and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" (Roy Hargrove); the soulfulness he imparts to his own "Sister Rosa" (Russell Malone) and up-tempo "McDukey Blues" (George Duke). He surefootedly explores the open spaces with Chick Corea on "Tango Improvisation," a spur-of-the-moment creation, and finds a path into Eddie Palmieri's singularly Afro-Caribbean universe on "Guajeo Y Tumbao." On "Fat Bach and Greens," he and Regina Carter morph seamlessly from a well-wrought reading of Johann Sebastian Bach's Double Violin Concerto into extemporaneous highbrow back-and-forth on the blues, while on "Shake 'n Blake" he engages in informed variations on rhythm changes with tenor saxophonist Ron Blake, his long-time partner.

The operative principle throughout is McBride's dictum, "Most of what I enjoy doing is based in, around, and upon the groove; I want to hold down the fort-but have the ability to visit the roof if I want." Conversations With Christian will assume its place as a masterpiece of the duo idiom.

Christian McBride · Conversations With Christian
Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: November 8, 2011
christianmcbride.com

WALTER MCCARTY - EMOTIONALLY

Former NBA Star Walter McCarty is about to turn the heat up with sultry smooth music from his sophomore effort Emotionally. The album includes ten passionate cuts with most of the selections written, produced and performed by McCarty. Also on the album is a cover version of “How Deep is Your Love,” from the Bee Gees. The album has a variety of smooth soul, R&B and jazz influences. The album is on Hit Boys Entertainment and is presently available in all digital downloading sites. A native of Evansville, Indiana, Walter is famous for drilling 3-Pointers from the corner. He has played for The New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. His NBA career lasted for a decade and he was an assistant coach for The Pacers as recent as last year. Music was a great balance for him throughout his NBA career. Being involved in this career provided the means for him to invest time in learning to play the piano and creating music tracks. However, music was always an important part in Walter’s early life. Walter started singing in church around the age of five and he participated in musical activities through middle school all the way to high school. His major influences are Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and during heyday of Boys II Men and Jodeci, he was inspired to pursue music with every chance he had.

Over the years Walter has worked with numerous industry insiders, including the hit-making production team The Underdogs, R&B singer/songwriter Tank and co-writing on such songs as “Come Back To Me Shawty,” performed by Tyrese. After honing his songwriting style on the Los Angeles music scene, Walter returned to do his own projects with renewed focus. “I’m so fortunate to have this platform to express all the things that I’ve experienced and put them into song. All I’ve ever wanted to do is perform and be heard musically”. Emotionally is a testament to Walter’s emergence of reconnecting with his first love, which is music. He contends that this album will be pleasing to everyone who listens to it regardless of what genre of music they like and it makes a great gift to share with others for the upcoming holiday season.

www.waltermccarty.com/#all

ADELE CANCELS U.S. TOUR

Adele has been forced to cancel her upcoming 10 city sold-out tour of the U.S. due to a hemorrhage into her vocal chord. Vocal chord issues forced the British singer to postpone dates earlier this year as well. Adele has just wrapped up touring around the UK and was preparing to kick off her US tour on October 7 in Atlantic City, NJ when her illness reappeared (see below for full list of cancelled US tour dates). Renowned for her powerful live vocal performances, Adele has been advised by doctors that she'll need an extended rest period in order to begin to recuperate properly. Further details to follow regarding these cancelled dates. Refunds may be obtained at point of purchase. Adele recently posted the following on her site about the cancellations: "Singing is literally my life, it's my hobby, my love, my freedom and now my job. I have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever. I have great confidence in believing you know how much this upsets me, how seriously I take it and how truly devastated and annoyed I am by this. wanting to do something so bad and not being able to is the most frustrating thing as I'm sure you know! my voice is weak and I need to build it back up. I'm gonna be starting up vocal rehab as soon as, and start building my over all stamina in my voice, body and mind. i will be back and I'm gonna smash the ball out the park once I'm touring again. I apologise from the bottom of my heart, sincerely I do. I know its not only disappointing because of the show, but it's plane tickets, hotel bookings, birthdays, anniversaries and time wasted. but please have faith in me that this is the only thing I can do to make sure I can always sing and always make music for you to the best of my ability. truly yours and yours only forever, 'Adele xx "

October 7 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Spa & Resort

October 8 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center

October 10 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

October 11 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

October 13 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live

October 14 Miami, FL Waterfront Theater at American Airlines Arena

October 16 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre

October 18 Spring, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

October 19 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center

October 21 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

http://www.adele.tv/

http://www.columbiarecords.com/