RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA - GAMAK

"[one] of the finest saxophonists going . . . jaw-dropping" - Pitchfork

"...a tornado of a saxophonist and a jazz composer who has never limited himself by that descriptor." - NPR "A Blog Supreme"

"a leading figure in innovative jazz circles . . . jazz improvisation of a global kind, as universal in its appeal as it was international in its inspiration"  - Chicago Tribune

Stream Tracks From Gamak

The idea of hybridity has been central to the music of alto saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa throughout his career. Most prominent, of course, has been his highly original fusion of east and west, jazz mixed with the sounds of his Indian heritage. But that's too easy and linear a depiction of this open-eared and inventive composer, who has absorbed an enormous variety of music into his thinking and amalgamated it into a singular vision.

On his new ACT release, Gamak, Mahanthappa continues that multi-directional evolution with a bold, striking set of music that melds leading-edge jazz with innovative reinterpretations of traditional Indian and Middle Eastern approaches, shot through with an electric jolt of prog-rock complexity. Mahanthappa's distinctly personal sound hybridizes progressive jazz and South Indian classical music in a fluid and forward-looking form that reflects the composer's own experience growing up a second-generation Indian-American. Just as his personal experience is never wholly lived on one side of the hyphenate or the other, his music speaks in a voice dedicated to forging a new path forward.

Gamak, Mahanthappa's thirteenth album as leader or co-leader, marks the debut of a new band that is both a reprise and a reinvention. The album reunites the saxophonist with bassist François Moutin and drummer Dan Weiss, the rhythm section from his long-running quartet, which was last recorded for the 2006 album, Codebook. But the group takes on a radically different sound with the addition of David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, a master of microtonal guitar whose eclectic virtuosity offered Mahanthappa a vast new territory to explore.

"Dave has checked out so much music," Mahanthappa says of Fiuczynski. "A lot of eastern music, whether it's Chinese or Indian or Arabic, and a lot of 20th and 21st century classical music. Not to mention that he has this rock/punk aesthetic that's evident in his band the Screaming Headless Torsos. And Dan and Francois come from a really wide perspective as well. Dan is just as much into Rush as he is Max Roach or Zakir Hussain. So I knew those guys were going to really bring this stuff to life."
The name Gamak is derived from the word for ornamentation in Indian classical music, an element that is far more central to that culture than the English word implies. "In South Indian music particularly," Mahanthappa explains, "melodic ornamentation isn't random. It's very specific and stylized and studied." As for the word's relevance to his current ensemble he says, "In recontextualizing these things, Gamak can refer to any sort of melodic ornamentation. It's as applicable to Indian classical music as it is to R&B singers riffing or anything in between."

While his quartet had always been completed by a pianist, most notably longtime compatriot Vijay Iyer, most of Mahanthappa's recent projects have utilized guitar, from the Dakshina Ensemble that recorded his groundbreaking 2008 album, Kinsmen, to the collective Indo-Pak Coalition to his most recent ensemble, the electro-acoustic ensemble Samdhi. The instrument's fluidity is key to his current compositional approach. "I was looking to get back to that quartet setting with Dan and Francois again," Mahanthappa explains. "But doing something with piano was out of the question, because of the way that I've been thinking about melody and ornamentation and the fact that I wanted to delve into the use of alternate tunings."

Fiuczynski offered an idiosyncratic versatility different from any other guitarist, formed over years of studying wildly disparate forms of music and bringing them together in his own blend of shrieking rock, burning jazz, multi-cultural fusion and head-scratching complexity. He and Mahanthappa had been discussing a potential collaboration for years when they were both hired for legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette's most recent band, a gig that not only afforded them the opportunity to play with one of jazz's giants, but to forge their own partnership on stage night after night. "Dave and I got a chance to play a lot together and develop something within Jack's group that gave me a better insight into how I wanted to write for this group," Mahanthappa says.

The album kicks off with the wiry prog-rock tension of "Waiting Is Forbidden" and ends with the hurtling punk screamer "Majesty of the Blues." Fiuczynski is at his slipperiest on "Aboghi," based on a raga that Mahanthappa describes as "one of the rare ragas that's treated in very similar ways in both North and South India." In the quartet's interpretation, it's transformed into a rubbery, feel-good boogaloo. Gamak as recorded ten years after Mahanthappa's breakthrough sophomore release, Black Water, which he revisits directly and indirectly on two tracks. "Are There Clouds In India" was originally recorded on that album, and recently arranged for big band by Jim McNeely, which revived Mahanthappa's own interest in the piece. "We'll Make More" is a new piece built upon the same raga and beat cycle as "Balancing Act," the opening track from Black Water.

Most of the titles stem from Mahanthappa's love of language, a theme that has arisen repeatedly in his work - most memorably on his 2004 album Mother Tongue, which was inspired by the many languages of India. Here, many of the titles were simply evocative combinations of words that the composer saw or heard: "Waiting Is Forbidden" came from a piece in the Brooklyn Museum, while "Wrathful Wisdom" is a concept from Buddhist philosophy. The piece to which it's attached is one of Mahanthappa's most challenging inventions, requiring awkward, counterintuitive alternate fingerings.

Perhaps the most profound title on the album came from an accident of roadside disrepair - a sign on the New Jersey Turnpike where "Stay In Lane" had been truncated to the koan-like "Stay I." Mahanthappa was struck by the phrase, interpreting it to mean, "Make sure you always try to be yourself and remember your individuality. Which is very difficult to do. I think it's been difficult across history, but maybe even more so now because we have so much information at our fingertips."

Despite the depth and breadth of his influences and his restless imagination, one thing which Mahanthappa has managed to do throughout his career is remember to "Stay I." It's a lesson that has continually resulted in strikingly individual statements, and Gamak is certainly no exception.

Gamak - Track Listing/Personnel
Rudresh Mahanthappa / alto saxophone
David Fiuczynski / electric guitar
François Moutin / acoustic bass
Dan Weiss / drums

1. Waiting Is Forbidden (8:56)
2. Abhogi (7:11)
3. Stay I (2:22)
4. We'll Make More (6:06)
5. Are There Clouds In India? (5:56)
6. Lots Of Interest (7:38)
7. F (2:22)
8. Copernicus - 19 (1:25)
9. Wrathful Wisdom (8:24)
10. Ballad For Troubled Times 5:52
11. Majesty Of The Blues (1:43)

All tracks composed by Rudresh K. Mahanthappa
Produced by Rudresh K. Mahanthappa

Upcoming Rudresh Mahanthappa Appearances:
All dates to feature "Gamak" unless otherwise noted.
Personnel for each date varies.

January 12 / Winter JazzFest - (Le) Poisson Rouge / New York, NY
January 27 / Albright Knox / Buffalo, NY
January 31 / WDR 3 Jazzfest / Köln, Germany
February 1 / Bim-Huis / Amsterdam, Netherlands
February 2 / Birdland / Neuburg, Germany
February 7 / Wexner Performing Arts / Columbus, OH
February 9 / Fontana Chamber Arts / Kalamazoo, MI
February 22 / Yale University - Sprague Hall / New Haven, CT
February 26 & 27 / Dazzle / Denver, CO
February 28 & March 1 / Outpost Performance Space / Albuquerque, NM
* March 2 / Royce Hall / Los Angeles, CA
March 3 / Athenaeum Music and Arts Library / La Jolla, CA
March 12 / Hnita Club / Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium
March 13 / CC Maasmechelen / Maasmechelen, Belgium
March 14 / Unterfahrt / München, Germany
March 15 / Spielboden / Dornbirn, Austria
March 16 / Treibhaus / Innsbruck, Austria
March 17 / Porgy & Bess / Wien, Austria
March 19 / Château Palmier / Cenon, France
March 20 / Paradox / Tilburg, Netherlands
March 21 / Café Shuitershof / Middelburg, Netherlands
March 22 / JazzIt / Salzburg, Austria
March 23 / Alte Kaserne / Winterthur, Switzerland
March 24 / Cheval Blanc / Schiltigheim, France
April 4 & 5 / Blues Alley / Washington, D.C.
April 6 / Montgomery County Community College / Blue Bell, PA

*Gamak + Indo-Pak Coalition

rudreshm.com
actmusic.com

JOE LOVANO TO RELEASE 23RD BLUE NOTE ALBUM CROSS CULTURE JAN. 8

On January 8, 2013, living legend saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano will release Cross Culture, his 23rd Blue Note recording and the third consecutive release by his critically acclaimed quintet, Us Five. The album is an 11-track tour de force that presents 10 of Lovano’s original compositions along with a stunning interpretation of the Billy Strayhorn ballad “Star Crossed Lovers.”

Augmenting his core group (pianist James Weidman, bassists Esperanza Spalding or Peter Slavov, and drummers Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela) with the daring West African guitarist—and fellow Blue Note artist—Lionel Loueke, Lovano delivers his most fully realized representation of a career-long quest to explore the notion of universal musical language.

“Since I started to tour in the late ‘70s, I’ve collected instruments from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern and Western Europe, and North and South America,” says Lovano, who, in addition to his instantly recognizable tenor saxophone, improvises on G-mezzo soprano, tarogato, and aulochrome, and plays an array of percussion—bells and shakers, an Israeli paddle drum, and a Nigerian slit drum called an oborom. “I’ve spent a lifetime feeling the passion of experiencing the spirits in the sounds of the collective ancestors in these instruments, creating music but feeling like the earth. It’s coming through in my compositions and in the way we play together.”

Loueke, who himself combines exhaustive knowledge of harmony and folk forms, contributes seamlessly and egolessly to six pieces. “Lionel doesn’t just play the guitar,” Lovano says. “He freely integrates himself with the rhythm section and with me in the front line, and shares the space in a personal way.”

The album ends with an expansive performance of Lovano’s original “PM,” inspired by master drummer-composer Paul Motian, his frequent collaborator from 1981 until his death two months before the recording. Like everything that has preceded it, the performance, in Lovano’s words, “combines the harmonic and rhythmic structures of modern jazz in a free-flowing way, with a tribal energy, tying together things about the world of music, beyond just categories of jazz.”

The track listing for Cross Culture is as follows:
1. Blessings In May
2. Myths And Legends
3. Cross Culture
4. In A Spin
5. Star Crossed Lovers
6. Journey Within
7. Drum Chant
8. Golden Horn
9. Royal Roost
10. Modern Man
11. PM

www.bluenote.com

WAYNE SHORTER RETURNS TO BLUE NOTE RECORDS

Legendary Saxophonist & Composer Wayne Shorter Returns To Blue Note Records After 43 Years With Feb. 5 Release Of His New Quartet Album Without A Net

The legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter has re-signed to Blue Note Records, and will release his first album as a leader for the iconic label in 43 years with the February 5, 2013 release of Without A Net, his searing new album with his long-running quartet featuring pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade.

Shorter—who will be entering his 80th year in 2013—first recorded for Blue Note in 1959 as the precocious 26-year-old tenor saxophonist (and prolific composer) in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, which brought him to the attention of label founder Alfred Lion who eventually signed him to his own recording deal. Shorter went on to make a spectacular run of classic albums for Blue Note between 1964-1970 including Night Dreamer, Juju, Speak No Evil, Adam’s Apple, Schizophrenia, and Super Nova during a period of time that also paralleled Shorter’s years with Miles Davis, first as a member of the trumpeter’s trailblazing quintet, and later as a part of Davis’ early fusion masterpieces.

“Wayne Shorter is one of the greatest musicians and composers of our time,” said Don Was, President of Blue Note Records. “At age 80, we witness him at the height of his powers and performing with one of the most incredible bands he's ever assembled. Although welcoming him back to Blue Note Records after 43 years is a romantic notion, Wayne's enduring appeal is rooted in his steadfast refusal to trade in such nostalgia. In fact, it is Mr. Shorter's determination to constantly move forward that makes his new album, Without A Net, such an essential listening experience.”

Reflecting upon his perpetual path of musical discovery, Shorter expounded that "The challenge we as artists face today is to create a ‘singularity’ or an ‘event horizon’ so that as human beings we will break the cycle of ego dominated actions which through repetition keep us bound to stagnation which denies us entrance to the Portal of Life's Ultimate Adventure!"

Without A Net is a 9-track musical thrill ride that consists of live recordings from the Wayne Shorter Quartet’s European tour in late 2011, the one exception being the 23-minute tone poem “Pegasus” which features the quartet with The Imani Winds recorded at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The album features six new Shorter compositions, as well as new versions of his tunes “Orbits” (from Miles Davis’ Miles Smiles album) and “Plaza Real” (from the Weather Report album Procession). The quartet also reinvents the title song from the 1933 musical film Flying Down To Rio, which film buffs (such as Shorter) know as the first on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

The track listing for Without A Net is as follows:
1. Orbits (4:49)
2. Starry Night (8:48)
3. S. S. Golden Mean (5:17)
4. Plaza Real (6:56)
5. Myrrh (3:03)
6. Pegasus (23:06)
7. Flying Down to Rio (12:44)
8. Zero Gravity (8:13)
9. UFO (4:12)

www.bluenote.com

ART BASEL MIAMI TO FEATURE MUSIC FROM FANIA RECORDS

The famed Latin music label Fania Records will be showcasing its music during the 2012 Art Basel weeklong event in Miami. The Armada Fania Club & Pop-Up Store is a four night event slated for PAX Miami and will feature eight top DJs from Miami, Boston and NYC, who will be playing the original and remix sounds the label that is often referred to as the “Motown” of Latin music.

An alternative to the “laser & smoke” events held in the Miami at this time, the Armada Fania will bring together the best components of Latin music, “música para bailar,” combined with a Pop-Up store for attendees to buy Fania merchandise ranging from CDs to T-Shirts. In addition to the music, the Armada Fania will feature the LIVE art of Santiago, a New York based pin up/portrait artist.

FREE W/RSVP

Armada Fania Club & Pop-Up Store Line Up:
Dec. 5th: Bobbito Garcia (aka Kool Bob Love) & The Brass King
Dec. 6th : Rice & Beans Sound System
Dec. 7th : Whiskey Barons & Mr. Pauer
Dec. 8th : Radio Rios & DJ Africa

PAX / 337 S.W. 8 St. Miami FL, 33130 / 8 PM

Founded by gallerists in 1970, Art Basel stages the world's premier art shows for modern and contemporary works, sited in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong. Defined by its host city and region, each show is unique, which is reflected in its participating galleries, the artworks on display and the parallel content programming produced in collaboration with the local institutions. In addition to ambitious stands featuring leading galleries from around the globe, each show's singular exhibition sectors and artistic events spotlight the latest developments in the visual arts, offering visitors new ideas, new inspiration and new contacts in the artworld.  

giantstep.net
basel.arbasel.com

TRIBECASTAN - THE TWISTED CHRISTMAS

When you hitch a ride with Tribecastan, you never know where you're going to land. Drawing liberally from jazz, world music, and Americana, their new holiday EP, The Twisted Christmas, is a collection of your favorite Christmas songs, merrily reinterpreted with exotic cheer, unexpected instrumentations, and mischievous smirks. On their first single, “God Rest Ye Three Kings,” Tribecastan takes us on a midnight joyride across the desert sands with a figgy pudding of hand drums, sitar, sarod, mandocello, brass and bulbul tarang. This tongue in cheek amalgam of yule tide spirit and holiday chutzpah is a change of pace from the standard seasonal-tunes of old.

Even though there’s no easy way to describe the distinctive sound of Tribecastan, it hasn’t prevented people from trying! The Washington Post, for example, describes Tribecastan as sounding like “an international jazz and folk festival unto itself, fusing Balkan, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin American, and African musical elements to bold and dazzling effect.” However you describe it, the final package is the result of an exuberant, and sometimes irreverent, collaborative effort of some of New York’s finest world music and jazz veterans. With Tribecastan's members having played with everyone from James Brown and Ornette Coleman, to Patti Smith and The Violent Femmes, the tribe combines an almost unprecedented diversity of styles into a singularly adventurous music that is legitimately global, virtuosic, and infectious. Tracks include: Do You Hear the Silent Night; Joy to the Angles; Noel Ye Faithful; and God Rest Ye 3 Kings

Stream link:
http://soundcloud.com/evergreene/sets/the-twisted-christmas
Purchase link:
http://evergreene.bandcamp.com/album/the-twisted-christmas

ROYAL GROOVES - FUNK AND GROOVY SOUL FROM THE KING RECORDS VAULTS

In the late 60s King Records was in the midst of a funk revolution. This upheaval was spearheaded by James Brown who, on his return to the label in 1965, after a couple of years away, had changed the course of music with the groundbreaking single ‘Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag’. This may not have been pure funk but it was certainly a large step towards it. Over the course of the next two years he honed the style until he stormed to an R&B #1 position (and Top 10 Pop) with ‘Cold Sweat’, the opening salvo in a torrent of hits that marked him indelibly as Soul Brother #1. He became the only artist that really counted at the label. If King wasn’t releasing records by Brown himself, they were releasing the work of his entourage, or records that were trying to sound like him. King became the home of funk with a healthy dose of soul and the label never really recovered when he left to join Polydor.


“Royal Grooves” examines this latter period of King’s existence, from the glorious point in the late 60s when the money from their most successful artist allowed a vast array of records to be made and released, to the desperate search for the next big thing in the early part of the next decade.

The collection contains James Brown productions by Wendy Lynn, Kay Robinson and Leon Austin which have had collectors salivating for years, and even harder to find unrelated 45s by artists such as Elaine Armstrong, whose ‘Sad But True’ has only recently made it onto the radar. We also have a spectacular single by the Brownettes (previously and subsequently known as the Jewels) and a couple of 45s from the Indiana funk-masters the Presidents. If you’ve heard King Coleman’s ‘Boo Boo Song’ and thought it was a mindless novelty, you have the chance to check out ‘Pt 2’ and change your mind.

From the post-James Brown period we have the Coasters with their latin-ised version of ‘Cool Jerk’ and the wonderful Texas soul of Gloria Edwards. Best of all is Barbara Burton & the Messengers who as the Messengers Unlimited and with Sonny Morrison as lead singer released the rare “Soulful Proclamation” album. For their one single on De Luxe Barbara was put upfront on ‘Love’s Sweet Water’, a smouldering funk masterpiece.

King was a label of many facets and we try to cover most of them here. This is high quality soul and funk.

By Dean Rudland / acerecords.co.uk

KENT 30: BEST OF KENT NORTHERN 1982-2012

This CD is a look at the Kent label’s Northern Soul history, heritage and future. There’s more to Kent than just Northern Soul, but that’s how we started in 1982 when Mary Love’s ‘You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet’ kicked off the “For Dancers Only” vinyl album. We covered the ballad side recently on “Deep Shadows: The Best Of Kent Ballads”

The “For Dancers Only” LP gets a nod with Gene & Gary’s duet of Danny Monday’s ‘Baby Without You’, here on CD for the first time. There is a host of exclusives, several not issued in any format before: Alexander Patton’s ‘True Love (Is In The Heart)’ will open traditional Northern fans’ eyes and ears the most, being from the same session and of a similar feel to his classic ‘A Lil Lovin’ Sometimes’, and Marva Holiday’s ‘Rising Higher’ is a fabulous Sherlie Matthews’ song that will be admired by progressive Northern fans.

Modern soul has been a part of the Kent landscape since 1984’s “Moving On Up” album. We celebrate that branch of our music with Darrow Fletcher’s ‘No Limit’ and the Paramount Four’s anthemic ‘Sorry Ain’t The Word’, both debuting on CD. 70s soul fans may well buy the CD for these two alone.

Our forthcoming Pied Piper spring range is launched with the original alternate take of Lorraine Chandler’s 60s Detroit opus ‘You Only Live Twice’; the song that gave birth to Yvonne Baker’s ‘You Didn’t Say A Word’. From the same stable comes the Pied Piper Players (aka Motown’s Funk Brothers) on ‘Ooh It Hurts Me’, a massive 60s newie of recent years as a stunning, unheard instrumental.

Representing the Dave Hamilton chapter are O.C. Tolbert and Little Ann’s rare soul classics, both presented in mixes different from our previous releases. Ben E King with ‘Gettin’ To Me’ heads our legendary discoveries section. Melba Moore, Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown’s unissued recordings that re-floated the grounded SS Northern Soul in the 80s are here, as are the Magicians, whose vocal to ‘Double Cookin’’ shook up the Northern nation.

There are vinyl-finding tales of two of the biggest big beat ballads of them all and a story concerning picking up a handful of sleeveless singles in a producer’s house and seeing an undocumented Wand label for Walter Wilson’s 60s stomper which had been assumed to exist as tape only. Luther Ingram supplies the mother of all R&B/Northern crossover numbers, while Bobby Wisdom preens over his potential price tag of £4000; if you can find one.

There are classy crowd-pleasers from Toni & the Showmen, Sugar & the Spices, the Fiestas and the Sweethearts that have been marooned on Kent label stories, neglected by all but the pure in heart.

Advances in technology mean that the audio is vastly improved on tracks we first released 10 or 15 years ago. On some titles we were able to access superior quality multi-track masters and in Melba Moore’s case we even found an alternative vocal take. It is the first time the 45 mix of Johnny Maestro’s dramatic ‘I’m Stepping Out Of The Picture’ has been reissued. The quality of Chuck Jackson’s ‘Millionaire’ in particular is awesome, while the Magicians now has a potentially life-threatening dynamic.

The booklet contains 9,000 words of wisdom, re-telling the Kent Northern saga for long-term inmates or explaining where it all came form for the more recent converts. That’s 30 stunning soul sounds; one for each glorious year. It is not only a celebration but a revelation too; we hope you enjoy the hyperbole.

By Ady Croasdell / acerecords.co.uk

HERE COMES THE HURT - SOUL BALLADS FROM KING, FEDERAL, & DELUXE

Here Comes The Hurt is a successor to the two volumes of “King’s Serious Soul” that John Ridley compiled for us about 10 years ago. This time, by not sticking strictly to southern soul origins or influences, we’ve been able to include many excellent tracks that weren’t eligible for those previous releases, although the south is still well represented.

James Duncan, Thomas Bailey and Billy Soul have many followers; their tracks, like most on here, appear on CD for the first time. Charles Spurling’s ‘Don’t Let Him Hurt You Baby’ is a great ballad from a man who lived and worked well north of the Mason-Dixon line and usually wrote and sang uptempo numbers. His second offering, ‘Buddy Boy’, also displays his command of all styles within the soul genre.

Ricky Lyons, June Sims and Lee Holland were one-shot artists but cut the mustard on their lone singles. Ricky Lyons’ 45 came out on both the Federal and King labels and has the authority of a soul standard, yet it seems to be his only recording. Toni Williams’ ‘Precious Minutes’ is a little-known southern masterpiece, as is Bobby Wade’s lushly produced ‘Blind Over You’. Bigger acts such as Earl Gaines, Marva Whitney and Pat Lundy sing lesser-known but terrific soul tracks.

Vocal group collectors will enjoy the early soul of the Snapshots and the King Pins and dig the later harmony of Dee Dee, Joseph & David. Lee Holland’s ‘Give Me Back My Heart’ features fabulous backing vocals too. Tony & Carol ‘Let’s Not Wait’ is a harmonious duet that builds to quite a crescendo.

Acts from an earlier era show how they could adapt to the brave new soul era; Hank Ballard and the Bobbettes give virtuoso demonstrations of how to deliver a soulful ballad. Lynn Davis is backed by a female chorus on ‘My New Love’ which, like the Bobbettes, will impress lovers of the girl group sound.

A great deep soul Federal recording, ‘Fall In These Arms Of Mine’ by Johnny Soul is released here for the first time ever. For those with a gospel bent, Christine Kittrell’s ‘Ain’t Never Seen So Much Rain Before’ is a tour-de-force and T.C. Lee & the Bricklayers’ ‘Get Away From Here’ features a preaching lead with chorus straight out of the church.

The sound quality is immaculate; all tracks are taken from the original master tapes. US soul enthusiast Bob Abrahamian provides informative and fascinating notes and there are some great new photos from the King archives. The recordings stretch from 1960 to 1971 and feature a wide range of soul styles on slow burning ballads.

By Ady Croasdell / acerecords.co.uk

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES - THE ALLEN TOUSSAINT SONGBOOK

It should surprise no-one that Allen Toussaint has been added to Ace’s songwriter series. In a career that’s in its seventh decade, this quietly spoken, modest son of New Orleans has written some of the greatest hits ever to grace the Great American Songbook. And on his own, too – there can be very few black American composers who have written so many successful songs without the aid of a collaborator. Between 1960 and 1980, barely a week went by without his compositions appearing on the R&B or Hot 100 charts. Some were subsequently revived, in multiple versions, and often with renewed success. Most of them are the kind of popular music standards of which any songwriter would be proud.

Rolling With The Punches is a compilation that celebrates Allen’s glittering career in a rounded and highly appropriate manner. Other anthologies of his work as a songwriter have tended to be built around the numbers he wrote during the first 10 years of his career – and we couldn’t omit titles such as ‘Ride Your Pony’, ‘Fortune Teller’ and ‘Working In The Coal Mine’ here. However, rather than massively duplicate what those other collections have to offer, this one focuses primarily on the later songs Allen penned in a period when he was looking beyond the constraints of the 3-minute single and moving his writing in new directions.

Many of the tracks featured here are sung by some of Allen’s biggest musical admirers. Robert Palmer, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat’s Lowell George all recorded multiple of his songs, so we were often spoiled for choice as to whose versions of which songs to include. We also couldn’t omit Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Lee Dorsey or Ernie K-Doe, all of whom have career-long associations with Allen. No tribute to him could be complete without at least one contribution from each.

Neither could we leave out the man himself. The compilation features pristine examples of Allen’s work as a vocalist (‘Soul Sister’) and instrumentalist (the Rhine Oaks’ ‘Tampin’’). More than anything, these show that Allen Toussaint should have been as big a star as those whose careers he helped as a writer, arranger and/or producer, had he not been content to remain behind the scenes.

It’s always nice to get the approval of someone whose work we seek to anthologise. When we sent the proposed track listing for this compilation to Allen, his reply read as follows: “Absolutely wonderful choices. I’m looking forward to hearing this myself! Thank you very much.” Of course, it’s we who should be thanking him.

By Tony Rounce /  acerecords.co.uk

DAN PENN - THE FAME RECORDINGS

Dan Penn is recognised as one of the great songsmiths of the past 50 years. Music historian Peter Guralnick once described him as the “secret hero” of 60s R&B. For many, Penn’s material defines the essence of southern soul writing, but his catalogue also retains the ability to transcend musical barriers; classics such as ‘I’m Your Puppet’ and ‘Do Right Woman’ have scaled the pop and country charts in equal measure. With his principal collaborator Spooner Oldham, Penn lent R&B songwriting a class and eloquence that has rarely been bettered.

This much-anticipated collection, however, reveals the flowering of Dan Penn as an artist in his own right. It’s collated from the hard evidence of three amazing and educational years spent at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals as a staff writer – an apprenticeship that was as important in helping him find a voice as it was in forging the songcraft that made his name. Studio honcho Rick Hall issued a quartet of singles on Penn during the time the singer was in his employ but, while decent, these did not play to the strengths he displayed in the multitude of relaxed late-night sessions undertaken in this remarkably prolific period. The best moments are brought together on “The Fame Recordings”. With the enviable ambiance of the golden era FAME studio throughout, the combined performances approximate a great lost 60s soul album.

Penn was the real deal, an R&B-obsessed white teenager from rural Alabama who readily identified with the raw emotion of the black musical experience. Over several years of raucous fraternity gigs with the Nomads, Mark V and Pallbearers, Penn had sandblasted his vocal cords into an approximation of idols Ray Charles and Bobby Bland. He continued the treatment at FAME with a strict regimen of Kools and Marlboros, but the raspy, frosty cigarette touch in itself did not guarantee authenticity. Rather, it added a remarkable melisma to Penn’s developing technique, which perfectly matched the earnestness of delivery and performance. Soulful expression was easily and undeniably within his grasp.

For connoisseurs of southern soul, the finely tuned tracklisting will be a revelation, in that several future standards of the genre are presented in their original incarnation – often cut just hours after each song’s composition. ‘Uptight Good Woman’, ‘It Tears Me Up’ and ‘Feed The Flame’, along with tunes recorded by Fame stablemates such as Jimmy Hughes and James Barnett, all bear the agreeable glow of a familiar arrangement combined with an exciting, alternative interpretation. On the other hand, Penn’s templates for ‘Rainbow Road’ and ‘You Left The Water Running’ are considerably different from better-known versions by other artists. The personal brand of soul he delivers on cuts such ‘Long Ago’ and ‘Don’t Lose Your Good Thing’ is irresistible.

Most tracks date from 1964 and 1965 and all feature one or other of the renowned session crews Rick Hall employed at FAME during that time.Oldham, Hall and their associates Marlin Greene, Junior Lowe and Donnie Fritts all wax lyrical in the liner notes about Penn’s artistry and the man himself provides a lengthy and revelatory reminiscence of a signal time in his life and career. “The Fame Recordings” offers a fascinating peek at the emergence of a popular music great.

By Alec Palao / acerecords.co.uk

VERVE RECORDS SET TO RELEASE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED SECOND ALBUM FROM THE TENORS - LEAD WITH YOUR HEART - JANUARY 15TH

Multi-platinum-selling vocal group The Tenors (formerly known as The Canadian Tenors), featuring Clifton Murray, Fraser Walters, Remigio Pereira and Victor Micallef, will release their highly anticipated second studio album, Lead With Your Heart, on January 15, 2013, via a U.S. deal with multi-Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster, Chairman of Verve Music Group, it was announced today.

"I'm thrilled to welcome The Tenors as members of the Verve family. These amazing performers have established themselves here and abroad, and are a true international success story," said Foster. "I am extremely proud to be associated with such great Canadian talent."

The group has already garnered a brilliant response in their native Canada, where Lead With Your Heart  powered to Top 3 on the Top Current Album Chart (behind Taylor Swift and Rod Stewart), #1 Classics/Crossover and #1 on Amazon.com following its October 30th debut. The Tenors will soon announce a 70-city North American tour -- to include 45 U.S. cities -- for Spring 2013. A PBS special on the group begins airing in December of this year.

Lead With Your Heart is a 12-track journey that stretches the boundaries of classical crossover music by combining classic songs, modern tunes, and Spanish and French world music. From much-loved covers such as Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" and Elton John's "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word," to the inspirational anthem "Amazing Grace," and one of the most recognizable and heroic Tenor arias, "Nessun Dorma," the diverse track list features an eclectic mix of pop favorites and classical staples, along with new compositions written and co-written by The Tenors.

"We are so proud of this album and of the response we are getting from audiences in Canada; we are excited to share this music with so many friends, new and old, on our upcoming tour in America," said The Tenors.

Collaborating on this exciting new album with The Tenors are world-renowned producers and co-writers including Walter Afanasieff (Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Jackson), Bob Ezrin (Rod Stewart, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd) and Marco Marinangeli (Josh Groban, Il Divo, Placido Domingo).

Lead With Your Heart is The Tenors' first album in over two years, following the international release of their debut album and an extensive touring schedule. Over the past few years, The Tenors have performed worldwide, sharing the stage with legendary artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion (on The Oprah Show), Sting and Paul McCartney. More recently, The Tenors were featured performers on two primetime international broadcasts: THE EMMY Awards live from Los Angeles and The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations from Windsor Castle in the UK, where The Tenors performed for Her Majesty.

TRACK LISTING: LEAD WITH YOUR HEART
1. You and I (Vinceremo)
2. Lead With Your Heart
3. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
4. Me He Enamorado (Woman in Love)
5. World Stand Still
6. Journees d'innocence
7. Manana
8. Anchor Me
9. Viento
10. Amazing Grace featuring Natalie Grant
11. Forever Young
12. Lullaby (The Smile Upon Your Face) featuring Chris Botti
Bonus Track: Nessun Dorma

www.tenorsmusic.com

BOBBY MATOS AFRO LATIN JAZZ ENSEMBLE - MAMBO JAZZ DANCE

Mambo Jazz Dance is the latest from Bobby Matos Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble that features Theo Saunders -piano, John B. Williams-bass, Pablo Calogero-tenor sax & flute , Dan Weinsteintrombone & violin, Robertito Melendez-congas, Jud Matos-percussion, Bobby Matos -timbales & vocals, plus Special Guest Artists: Dr. Bobby Rodriguez-trumpet, Gabriel Rosati-trumpet & trombone, Harry Scorzo-violin, and Ismael Carlo- chorus.

Mambo Jazz Dance released on LifeForce Jazz Records was recorded live at two different Southern California concert venues, this recording also features strong contributions from some very special guest artists, in addition to the regular members of the ensemble. Well known jazz trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez is heard on all but one track, and three tracks also feature contributions from Italian/Brazilian trumpeter/trombonist Gabriel Rosati, chorus singer Ismael Carlo, and Jazz & Latin Jazz violinist Harry Scorzo (well known as an L.A. session regular and past member of cult Latin Jazz group Bongo Logic).

Charter members of the ensemble include arranger-multi instrumentalist Daniel Weinstein (trombone & violin). Dan's violin stretches out on the Charanga number Oiganlo, and he contributes two sparkling arrangements of two classic Latin tunes first heard in movies, Bahia & Anna (here recast as a Puerto Rican Bomba Sica).

Pianist Theo Saunders contributes two strong original Mambo Jazz tunes, Mambo Chris & Huevos Rancheros. Bassist John B. Williams stretches out on Mas Bajo part 2, a Tito Puente composition. Conguero Robertito Melendez lays down a fat tumbao throughout and explodes on the Charanga/Descarga No Me Diga' Na'. Weinstein, tenor & flute player Pablo Calogero, and Dr. Rodriguez demonstrate well honed jazz chops as well as a thorough knowledge of Afro Cuban and Afro Rican music.

Jud Matos lays down strong guiro and cowbell patterns, locking in well with Bobby's timbale grooves. Bobby Matos, the leader also contributes two originals; the "Mongo-esque" Mama Coolbeans and the modal spoken word mood piece The New Woman, where he blends English, Spanish, and Spanglish with the muted trumpet of Rodriguez.

This group easily transitions between a Latin Jazz horn oriented sound and a typical Cuban Charanga flute/violin/rhythm/ dance band sound, demonstrated so well on two examples of the sexy Cuban Guajira. Recuerdos, a Lalo Schiffrin tune first heard in the 1970's Hollywood film "Che", and Amanecer, a staple of Mongo Santamaria's book from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Recuerdos haunting beautiful melody is led through Theo Saunder's thoughtful and dynamic piano solo, while Pablo Calogero totally deconstructs the Cuban flute solo, introducing the very avant garde solo styling of this century.

Throughout this recording, you get the impression that Bobby Matos feels Mambo is one of the highest forms of musical expression, and that it is both true Jazz and true Afro Latin dance music (commonly known today as Salsa).

There is an art to producing a great studio recording but Jazz aficionados know full well that type of recording is not an accurate reflection of what a band really sounds like. Beyond the well assembled, edited, and manicured recordings, only a live session can give you the feel and excitement that you get from experiencing a group of talented and dedicated musicians deal with the creative risks that produce great performances.

On Mambo Jazz Dance, you can feel the joy and passion of musicians playing music that they clearly love. And you can hear that they have a great love, knowledge and respect for tradition but are not imprisoned by it. They are definitely unafraid of innovation and dare to mix elements of progressive and "avant garde" Jazz with traditional Latin dance elements to produce their unique and personal statements. Their virtuosity and experience come forth as the real sound of performance beyond a record producer's personal vision.

This is the real deal--seasoned Jazz and Latin Jazz musicians, great art, passionate rhythms and beautiful melodies resulting in music that is the real Mambo Jazz Dance!. The new CD is available now!!

GIL SCOTT-HERON - THE REVOLUTION BEGINS: THE FLYING DUTCHMAN MASTERS

The three albums Gil Scott-Heron recorded for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman label are some of the most important in the history of black music. They show a multi-talented artist reaching maturity with his first recorded efforts. ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ transcended its place as an album track to become an aphorism, a slogan on a T-shirt, omnipresent shorthand for alternative culture. Over the years these recordings have been treated in a haphazard way, reissued in cheaply packaged collections that used edited versions of some of the most important tracks. “The Revolution Begins” gathers together every piece of music released by Gil on Flying Dutchman, including a track recorded with Bernard “Pretty” Purdie which has never been previously reissued. We have gone back to the original master tapes, bringing you sound that’s better than you’ll ever have heard and new clarity to Gil’s words and the musical performances. Access to those tapes has also enabled us to assemble an alternate version of Gil’s third album, “Free Will”.

Gil emerged in 1970 as the author of a novel, The Vulture, and a small book of poetry titled Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. Through a contact at his publishing company, he was introduced to producer Bob Thiele, who couldn’t afford to make an album of music, but agreed to make a spoken word record. Titled after his book of poems, and recorded with just Gil and three percussionists, the album opened with the coruscating ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’. Still enthralling over 40 years on, it’s often forgotten how good this version is in comparison to the recording Gil made with a full band for his second album. His performance is perfectly judged, bringing emphasis where it was needed, without ever resorting to histrionics. By the time he reaches the final “The revolution will be no rerun, brothers, the revolution will be live”, the listener is hooked as surely as if he was watching a weekly soap opera.

The rest of the album covered topics as diverse as the harsh conditions in the housing projects, music and a subway poster for a horror movie. Most of the work still stands up today, with Gil always retaining a sense of humour and humanity, however angry he is. “Small Talk at 125th and Lenox” did well enough for Thiele to commission a follow-up, to be recorded with a full band. Gil had been working up a number of songs with Brian Jackson, a fellow student at Lincoln University. It was Jackson who lifted Gil’s music out of the rudimentary – something Gil was always keen to point out: “Brian was integral.”

Pieces Of A Man is an astounding album. Recorded with a band of top session musicians, with Jacksonon piano, there isn’t a bad track. The title track is a beautiful and moving tale of the destruction of a man’s worth told from the viewpoint of his son, while ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’ captures the hellish nature of drug addiction and the hypocrisy of those who criticise rather than help addicts. ‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’ is not just a tribute to the titular heroes but to the uplifting power of music itself.

The album sold well enough and Esther Phillips’ cover of ‘Home Is Where The Hatred Is’ brought further attention to Gil. Thiele was keen to get a third album together and the resultant “Free Will” was Gil’s most political yet. The wondrous ‘Did You Hear What They Said?’ skewers the Vietnam War more effectively than any thousand-word polemic. The title track takes aim at those who talk about themselves rather than getting involved in helping the community. The second side is a return to the spoken-word style of the first album and in ‘No Knock’ and ‘The King Alfred Plan’ gives us vibrant attacks on the Nixon administration. The album was the final release on the label. The alternate version contained here gives us a wonderful insight into Gil’s way of working.

At the time of their release, these albums did OK, but didn’t sell a whole lot of copies. Today they are the basis for the laudatory essays that appeared at the time of his 2011 comeback album “I’m New Here” and on his death a few months later. This 3CD set contains the best from a career that was full of great records.

~ By Dean Rudland / acerecords.co.uk

JACKIE DESHANNON - KEEP ME IN MIND: THE COMPLETE IMPERIAL AND LIBERTY SINGLES VOLUME 3

Over the last couple of years Ace Records have been taking a long and leisurely look at the recording career of the exciting and unpredictable singer-songwriter Jackie DeShannon. Their previous two compilations of her 1960s singles from the Liberty and Imperial labels, “You Won’t Forget Me” and “Come And Get Me”, have been replete with firm favourites and unexpected treats. Their new release, “Keep Me In Mind”, continues the story from 1967 through to 1970.
Jackie’s songwriting talents continued to bloom. Whether on her own or with collaborators, including top West Coast man-about-the-studio Jack Nitzsche and fellow singer Jimmy Holiday, Jackie came up with a string of commercial, tuneful and thoughtful songs which are a delight to listen to. Try for size the tender ‘Holly Would’, the breezy ‘Brighton Hill’ and the complex ‘Mediterranean Sky’.

Jackie also retained her unfailing ability to find the best works of other songwriters and adapt them to her own impressive vocal and emotional range. This album includes early works by Leonard Cohen, Robbie Robertson, Carole Bayer, Toni Wine and John Sebastian, as well as songs by Hal David, John Barry and Holland-Dozier-Holland.

Halfway through this joyful collection comes Jackie’s own version – the original and best – of her song ‘Put A Little Love In Your Heart’, a million-seller which encapsulates the views of a generation and has been covered by hundreds of other performers. Listening to the simple but perfectly expressed message still brings a lump to the throat and tears to the eyes of any thinking person.

Other highlights are her personal ode to ‘Laurel Canyon’ (several years before the place was rediscovered by Joni Mitchell) and the emotional and raw medley of ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and ‘Hurt So Bad’. Jackie’s interpretation of ‘The Weight’ may not be as well remembered as the Band’s, but it actually achieved a higher rating in the US charts.

For those who like to delve beyond the hits, there are some nice surprises. The two sides Jackie recorded in partnership with Bobby Womack demonstrate her real affinity with soul music, while her Christmas single is a true collector’s item. ‘Didn’t Want To Have To Do It’ is a very rare 45, as it was cancelled to make way for ‘The Weight’. And the title track, ‘Keep Me In Mind’, was only released on a single in the UK. The final track is Jackie’s stunning interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Bird On The Wire’, another cancelled single.

Jackie DeShannon’s recording career continued to blossom into the 1970s and beyond, on Capitol, Atlantic and Columbia Records. And she has continued to write top quality songs through the decades, her most recent hitting the downloads in 2012. Thanks, ACE, for giving us this complete and rewarding insight into the early days of Jackie’s brilliant career.

~ By Peter Lerner / acerecords.co.uk

NEW RELEASES - STAN GETZ QUARTET, DON COVAY & THE GOODTIMERS, THE DYNAMICS

STAN GETZ QUARTET - SWISS RADIO DAYS JAZZ SERIES

A wonderful live performance from Stan Getz – and a special set that seems to combine both of his best modes of the late 50s – as it features piano from Swedish genius Jan Johansson, plus rhythm from the Oscar Peterson team of Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums! The set's got an unusual balance that sets it apart from even other Getz albums of the time – a vibe that might have made it a special Verve album, had it gotten released at the time – recorded beautifully with a clarity that matches any of Stan's studio albums too! Tracks are nice and long, with wonderfully fluid tenor lines from Getz – and titles include "Land's End", "Pernod", "Woody N You", "Gone With The Wind", and "I Remember Clifford". ~ Dusty Groove

DON COVAY & THE GOODTIMERS - MERCY!

The killer first album from Don Covay – working here with his classic Goodtimers combo in a nicely gritty groove! The record really stands out from other Atlantic soul of the time – as Covay keeps things tight, and fresh – providing most of the tunes himself, and working in a style that has echoes of southern soul, but which comes off with a bit more of an east coast sort of groove! Lots of tracks are upbeat, party soul type numbers – and the backings by the Goodtimers are totally great – just the sort of rollicking backdrops you'd expect to hear Don singing with on any of his well-traveled live dates of the time. Titles include the hit "Mercy Mercy" – plus "Daddy Loves Baby", "Take This Hurt Off Me", "I'll Be Satisfied", "Can't Stay Away", and "Come On In". ~ Dusty Groove

THE DYNAMICS - FIRST LANDING

An overlooked treasure from the Atlantic vaults – the first album by The Dynamics, and arguably a much greater record than the group's better-known set from the 70s! The Dynamics were a Detroit group from the late 60s, with that heavy harmony sound that was becoming a standard for the city's soul scene – and they were managed by Aretha Franklin's husband Ted White, who was probably responsible for getting them to record at Atlantic. Oddly, this session was recorded in Memphis, not Detroit – with production by Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman – who give the group a deep soul bottom that adds a lot to their still-rough vocal style. There's a great mix of deep and smooth going on here – a style that reminds us a bit of the few great Memphis vocal groups of the period, but which also has a Detroit tightness at times too. The tracks are a great mix of originals by Don Mancha, Fred Baker, Ronnie Shannon, and others – and titles include "Ain't No Love At All", "I Don't Want Nobody To Lead Me On", "What Would I Do", "Fair Love", and "Murder In the First Degree". A killer, and the kind of record you started collecting soul for! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - HAN BENNICK, MICKEY BAKER, GEORGE A. SANTINO

HAN BENNICK - BENNICK & CO.

A great setting for the creative percussion of drummer Han Bennink – a really well-balanced trio that features piano from Simon Toldam and a range of reeds from Joachim Badenhorst – a player with a nice sense of warmth amidst his freedom, and an artist who seems to bring out the same in Bennink as well! The set's still got some of the bold energy you'd expect from Han's classic work on the European free jazz scene – but there's also an inherent tunefulness at most spots too, and a personal mix of melody and lyricism that really humanizes the record – and makes it one of the best things we've heard from Bennink in years! The shift is almost the same as when Lol Coxhill and a few of his contemporaries recorded for the Nato label in the 80s – a performance that still holds strong to all the territory that Han has gained over the years, but which also has a soulful personality that really stands out. Titles include "Klein Gebrek Geen Bezwaar", "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland", "Dog", "Lauren", "Inside Inside", "Ganz", and "Kiefer". ~ Dusty Groove

MICKEY BAKER - WILDEST GUITAR

A lost album of raw twangy guitar from Mickey Baker – best known as the noisier half of the Mickey & Sylvia team – and even more let loose here on his own! The record is pretty rocking all around – with lots of loud, complex guitar soloing from Mickey – in a manner that would later emerge more in surf recordings, but which is here set in nice jazz-based studio arrangements – of the sort that really lets Baker step out as a bold solo talent on his own, instead of lurking in the background of the countless other sides he cut with other artists. Mickey really wails, and the album's a great lost treasure in the Atlantic catalog – with grooves that include "Midnight Midnight", "Gloomy Sunday", "Baia", "Whistle Stop", "Milk Train", "Baker's Dozen", and "Chloe". ~ Dusty Groove

GEORGE A. SANTINO - THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

George A. Santino’s The Magic of Christmas includes Christmas classics “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” and “The Christmas Song,” as well as the new original song “The Magic of Christmas,” which was written by George A. Santino and Larry R. Bridges and includes a violin solo from local artist Geoffrey Castle and was produced, mixed and mastered by Erich Benedict of With an H Media. “Christmas is my favorite time of year. I hope that my fans enjoy this album as much as I enjoyed the experience of recording it,” says George A. Santino. George is known for his Frank Sinatra-inspired recordings in his own style. His debut album “Come Fly With Me,” released this summer was a collection of crooner hits and the first single, “That’s Life” debuted as #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Swing Jazz. His music video for “Come Fly With Me,” with over 12,000 views, was well received by jazz music fans and the media. The Jazz Times said, “George A. Santino has launched yet another fulfilling career—that of smooth crooner of the Great American Songbook.”

NEW RELEASES - THE MODULATIONS, KASHIF, THE FLOACIST

THE MODULATIONS - IT'S ROUGH OUT THERE

A righteous group soul classic from the 70s – the one and only album from The Modulations, and a lasting classic that almost beats the multiple album runs of some of their contemporaries! The group's a southern harmony quartet at their core, but they also get some really great backings on the set – a Philly vibe that really matches the best work from the Gamble & Huff stable, but with more of an indie vibe too – fitting for the Buddah Records placement of the set. The record features studio help from Norman Harris, Vince Montana, and Bobby Eli – whose work on the record helps link the style to the righteous grooves of groups like Soul Generation or True Reflection – both a good comparison to The Modulations too! Titles include "It's Rough Out Here", "I Found Love At Last", "Those Were The Best Days Of My Life", and "I'll Always Love You".  ~ Dusty Groove

KASHIF - LOVE CHANGES

Exactly the kind of record that shows why Kashif was one of the leading mainstream talents of the 80s – a set that not only ahs the artist really maturing as a singer, songwriter, and producer – but one that also has him reaching out to bring in a host of other talents from the time as well! The move is no surprise, given that Kashif had lent his talents to so many other artists' records in the past – and the favor seems to be returned by the album's work from Expose, Meli'sa Morgan, Doug E Fresh, Kenny G, Greg Phillinganes, and Whitney Houston – all of whom come across with a really organic feel that only seems to deepen the main sounds from Kashif. Titles include "Vacant Heart", "Fifty Ways", "Somebody", "Love Changes", "Loving You Only", "Love Me All Over", "Midnight Mood", "It All Begins Again", and "Who's Getting Serious". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – including "Love Changes (full version)", "Loving You Only (ext rmx)", "Love Me All Over (ext version)", "Love Changes (acapella)", "Kathryn (inst)", and "Love Changes (inst)". ~ Dusty Groove

THE FLOACIST - FLOATRY REBIRTH

The Floacist, sounding better than ever – in a record that may well top any of her previous work – and maybe even music by Floetry too! The set begins with a wonderful duet with Raheem Devaughn on the cut "Start Again" – a cut that feels like some lost treasure from the 70s, maybe a Marvin Gaye duet from the I Want You period – which then sets the stage for some perfect Floacist numbers that have a wonderfully righteous feel! Her solo identity is really coming together here – bold and proud, and never too smoothed out for commercial ends – on tracks that include "Children Of The Sun", "Slow Down", "Could It Be You", "Speechless", "Roots Of Love", "This Love", and "Start Again". ~ Dusty Groove

TIM GREEN - SONGS FROM THIS SEASON

Saxophonist/Composer Tim Green to Release Debut Album, Songs From This Season, Available February 12, Featuring Orrin Evans, Warren Wolf, Gilad Hekselman, Rodney Green and Obed Calvaire, Among Others

First Runner-Up in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition

"Tim Green is a dynamic musician. If you make a checklist of everything you'd want in a musician, Tim has it all." - Christian McBride

"Green's a player to watch...fully capable of emerging as yet another of the artists who have used a second or third place finish in the Monk competition as a springboard to outstanding careers." - JazzTimes

"Tim Green is one of the brightest saxophonists on the scene. He combines the tradition with forward-thinking sensibility and makes a substantial statement. Keep your eye/ear on Tim!" - Bob Mintzer


Whether your source is the Bible or the Byrds, the notion is the same: "To everything there is a season." On his debut as a leader, Songs From This Season, alto saxophonist and composer Tim Green recounts the many seasons of his own life on a stylistically diverse set featuring a host of established and rising jazz stars.

Released via Green's own True Melody Music label, Songs From This Season surveys a broad swath of the jazz landscape, from deftly swinging hard bop to fluid modernity to soulful gospel. The impressive list of sidemen on the session includes pianist Orrin Evans, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, guitarist Gilad Hekselman, drummers Rodney Green and Obed Calvaire, and several of Green's collaborators in the thriving Baltimore/Washington D.C. jazz scene.

The disc marks not only the emergence of a strong new voice on the saxophone, already established by Green's second-place showing in the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, but of a confident and versatile composer. Each piece on the album, Green says, reflects a certain period in his life and the emotion attached to it.
"I can never force a piece of music," he explains. "It has to be inspired by a mood or emotion I'm feeling at that moment."

While his compositions display the influence of many different genres, the common thread among them is a direct emotionality, a vivid communication with the listener. This quality was inspired by some of Green's mentors, most prominently Dick Oatts, with whom he studied at the Manhattan School of Music, and Terence Blanchard, one of the guiding lights of the Monk Institute.

"Dick Oatts really introduced me to writing," Green says, "and Terence Blanchard encouraged me to not just write music but to write an actual song. So many jazz records are just about the solos, but I wanted mine to be more about the songs and the melodies."

That determination is evident from the outset, beginning with the lyrically spiritual opener "Psalm 1," which Green describes as "a prayer or a blessing over the whole album." The Biblical theme continues into "Siloam," a steely 12-bar blues in 10/4 featuring an inspired solo by Hekselman. Another reference to the Good Book can be found in "Philippians 4:13," a resolute ballad inspired by a particularly challenging period in Green's life, one in which the titular scripture provided solace.

While Green was raised in the church, gospel was not a significant aspect of his musical upbringing. He grew up in Baltimore surrounded by music; his father and uncle are singers and his older brother was a trumpet player who Green emulated. "My brother was one of my first influences because I just wanted to be around him and do whatever he was doing."

Still, a song like "Shift" shows a distinct gospel influence, albeit one that entered Green's vocabulary later in his career. Upon moving to New York to study at the Manhattan School, he was enlisted by fellow Baltimorean Marvin Thompson for his Mo'Horns brass section, which backed gospel stars like Fred Hammond and Richard Smallwood. "I never planned on playing gospel music," Green admits. "But all of a sudden I was playing with all of these gospel artists and it started having an influence on my music."

"Shift" takes the most traditional approach to that influence, with New York gospel organist Loren Dawson, Baltimore electric bassist Adam Jonson and vocalists Micah Smith and Iyana Wakefield joining in.

On "Dedication," Green pays homage to two more of his influences, pianists Mulgrew Miller (one of Green's mentors) and Kenny Kirkland. Miller has called Green "a talented, committed, and accomplished young artist. And most importantly to me, he has a song in his heart." The endorsement of such elders spotlights Green's role as a torchbearer for the modern jazz tradition.

Through Miller, Green has recently come under the wing of one of his idols, saxophonist Kenny Garrett. On the phone with Miller one day, Green was shocked when the pianist handed the phone over to Garrett out of the blue. "I was really blown away because he's a big hero of mine," Green recalls. "Since then he's been really supportive and just lets me know he's on my side. He wants me to go all the way, and that's really encouraging to me."

More recently, Green has also gotten bandstand endorsements with several heavy hitters who have called upon him as a sideman. The list includes Miller, but also bassist Christian McBride, pianist Eric Reed, and the Carl Allen/Rodney Whitaker group.

While his own compositions are the focus of the album, Green also revisits seasons connected to songs by his forebears. He tackles Wayne Shorter's burning "Pinocchio" in a trio format with Kris Funn and Rodney Green, and shows his more tender side on Billie Holiday's classic "Don't Explain." As Green explains, "I wanted to put one standard on the album, and that was one that I could really relate to in terms of the words and the melody at the time."

From the chilled-out haze of "ChiTown," dedicated to Green's wife, to the intense, rock-influenced "Time For Liberation," inspired by director Spike Lee, to the elegiac "Lost Souls," Songs From This Season explores the many moods and emotions of a lifetime, ending with the aptly-named "Hope." There couldn't be a more appropriate note on which to conclude this promising and artful debut.

Upcoming Tim Green Appearances:
February 16, 2013 / The Baltimore School for the Arts / Baltimore, MD
February 22, 2013 / The Blue Note / New York, NY
March 1 & 2, 2013 / Bohemian Caverns / Washington, D.C.
* March 24, 2013 / University of Minnesota - Duluth / Duluth, MN
* April 7, 2013 / Abyssinian Baptist Church / New York, NY
* April 20, 2013 / North Carolina Central University / Durham, NC
** May 10 & 11, 2013 / An die Musik / Baltimore, MD
* With the Carl Allen Quartet
** Featuring Mulgrew Miller

timgreenmusic.com

THE CORNELIA STREET CAFE FULL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The Cornelia Steet Cafe in Greenwich Village, NY has scheduled a full slate of performances and we've got the full listing here for you.

Tuesday, November 13, 8:30 PM
VOXIFY: ROSANA ECKERT
Rosana Eckert, vocals; Peter Eldridge, piano/vocals; Matt Aronoff, bass; Ben Wittman, drums; Jay Rattman, sax/clarinet; Gary Eckert, percussion/vocal

Tuesday, November 13, 10:00 PM
VOXIFY: ALISON WEDDING
Alison Wedding, vocals; Matt Aranoff, bass; Pete McCann, guitar; Ben Wittman, drums

Wednesday, November 14, 8:30 PM
JEROME SABBAGH QUARTET FEATURING BEN MONDER Jerome Sabbagh, saxophone, compositions; Ben Monder, guitar; Joe Martin, bass; Colin Stranahan, drums

Thursday, November 15, 8:30 PM
PETER EVANS QUARTET
Peter Evans, trumpet, piccolo trumpet, comp.; Ron Stabinsky, piano; Tom Blancarte, bass; Jim Black, drums

Friday, November 16, 9:00 PM
NASHEET WAITS-ABRAHAM BURTON 3
Abraham Burton, tenor sax; Nasheet Waits, drums

Saturday, November 17, 9:00 PM
BOBBY AVEY GROUP
Miguel Zenón, alto sax; Ben Monder, guitar; Bobby Avey, piano; Thomson Kneeland, bass; Jordan Person, drums

Sunday, November 18, 8:30 PM
NEW BRAZILIAN PERSPECTIVES: PAUL MEYERS, DEANNA WITKOWSKI
Paul Meyers, guitar; Deanna Witkowski, piano

Tuesday, November 20, 8:30 PM
RAPHAEL BRUNN FLAMENCO SEXTET
Ismael DeLaRosa, vocals; Sonia Olla, dance; Maria Toro, flute; Jose Moreno, percussion; Raphael Brunn, guitar

Tuesday, November 20, 10:00PM
LA BELLA ROMA: A SPEAKEASY BURLESQUE
THANKFUL TO BE THANKFUL
Sparks Grassly; Tiff Roma; Janine Rainteau; Eunice Wobble Wong; Erin Poland; Claire Sargenti; Chrissi Jackson

Wednesday, November 21, 8:30 PM
JACAM MANRICKS 'CLOUD NINE' CD LAUNCH
Jacam Manricks; Des White; Obed Calvaire

Thursday, November 22 - THANKSGIVING
Friday, November 23, 9:00 PM
HUSH MONEY W. JOHN MCNEIL & JEREMY UDDEN
John McNeil, trumpet; Jeremy Udden, alto, c melody sax; Aryeh Kobrinski, bass; Vinnie Sperrazza, drums

Saturday, November 24, 9:00 PM
DAVID LIEBMAN QUINTET
David Liebman, soprano saxophone; Sam Newsome, soprano saxophone; Ellery Eskelin, tenor sax; Chris Tordini, bass; Jim Black, drums

Monday, November 26, 6:00 PM
ALTERMAN/CAMMACK/RADERMAN TRIO FEAT. RALPH LALAMA
Joe Alterman, piano; James Cammack, bass; Ralph Lalama, tenor saxophone; Alex Raderman, drums

Tuesday, November 27, 8:30 PM
PETER BRENDLER QUARTET
Peter Brendler, bass; Peter Evans, trumpet; Rich Perry, tenor sax; Vinnie Sperrazza, drums
Wednesday, November 28, 8:30 PM
SURFACE TO AIR
Jonathan Goldberger, guitar; Jonti Siman, bass; Rohin Khemani, tabla, percussion

Thursday, November 29, 8:30 PM
TOM CHANG QUARTET
Tom Chang, guitar & compositions; Jason Rigby, tenor saxophone; Sam Trapchak, bass; Jeff Davis, drums

Friday, November 30, 9:00 PM
LOREN STILLMAN AND FRIENDS
Loren Stillman, alto saxophone, compositions; Russ Lossing, piano; John Hebert, bass; Eric McPherson, drums

Saturday, December 1, 9:00 PM
AMANDA BAISINGER
Amanda Baisinger, voice; Ben Monder, guitar; Pete Rende, piano; Matt Brewer, bass; Tommy Crane, drums

Sunday, December 2, 8:30 PM
PETER EPSTEIN QUARTET
Peter Epstein, saxophones; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Scott Colley, bass; Mark Ferber, drums

Wednesday, December 5, 8:30 PM
VOXIFY: MARIA NECKAM
Maria Neckam, vocals; Mike Moreno, guitar; Fabian Almazan, piano; Joe Martin, bass; Colin Stranahan, drums

Wednesday, December 5, 10:00 PM
VOXIFY: SARA SERPA: CROSSING OCEANS
Sara Serpa, voice; Samuel Blaser, trombone; Bill McHenry, tenor sax; André Matos, guitar; Linda Oh, bass

Thursday, December 6, 9:00 PM
IRABBAGAST RECORDS FESTIVAL
Jon Irabagon, saxophones; Mark Helias, bass; Barry Altschul, drums

Thursday, December 6, 10:30 PM
IRABBAGAST RECORDS FESTIVAL
Jon Irabagon, saxophones; Mick Barr, guitar; Mike Pride, drums

Friday, December 7, 9:00 PM
IRABBAGAST RECORDS FESTIVAL
Jon Irabagon, saxophones; Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Jacob Sacks, piano; Eivand Opsvik, bass; Tom Rainey, drums

Saturday, December 8, 9:00 PM
BEN ALLISON BAND
Ben Allison, bass; Steve Cardenas, guitar; Brandon Seabrook, guitar, banjo; Allison Miller, drums

Sunday, December 9, 8:30 PM
SEUNG-HEE QUINTET, CD RELEASE OF SKETCHES ON THE SKY
Seung-Hee, voice, comp.; Adam Kolker, sax, bass clarinet; Toru Dodo, piano; Ike Sturn, bass; Mark Ferber, drums

Tuesday, December 11, 8:30 PM
NÓS NOVO
James Shipp:, vibraphone, percussion, singing; Becca Stevens, singing, shrutis; Jean Rohe, singing, mandolin; Gilad Hekselman:, guitar; Rogério Boccato, drums, percussion

Wednesday, December 12, 8:30 PM
SHAI MAESTRO TRIO
Shai Maestro, piano; Scott Colley, bass; Henry Cole, drums

Thursday, December 13, 8:30 PM
NICKY SCHRIRE
Nicky Schrire, voice; Fabian Almazan, piano; Desmond White, bass; Otis Brown III, drums

Friday, December 14, 9:00 PM
LORA-FAYE AND THE STRAIGHT MAN BAND
Lora-Faye, vocals, guitar, banjo; Sasha Hirsch, piano; Andrew Sheron, bass; Brett Chalfin, drums

Saturday, December 15, 9:00 PM
MERGER
Andrew D'Angelo, alto sax; Josh Roseman, trombone; Ben Street, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums

TONY BENNETT - THE ZEN OF BENNETT

RPM/Columbia Records announce the release of the DVD version of THE ZEN OF BENNETT, an intimate portrait of legendary singer Tony Bennett, on November 19. The film, which premiered to strong critical and audience reactions at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, also debuted in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco among others this fall. The DVD version includes exclusive bonus footage of deleted scenes, including clips of Tony with Michael Buble and Lady Gaga as well as interviews with the filmmakers. THE ZEN OF BENNETT DVD is available at retail outlets nationwide as well as on Amazon and iTunes. The documentary film version is also currently available on Netflix.

"THE ZEN OF BENNETT is many things – it's an intimate portrait of the man as he turned 85, as he is now and as I know him," said the film's creator and producer Danny Bennett. "It's also a meditation of contradictions. I wanted to share my unique perspective of the man and his creative process while at the same time explore the apparent isolation he experiences in the midst of the whirlwind of activity that invariably surrounds him during the creative process. I have always been amazed by his uncanny ability to stay focused and remain true to his art in his quest for perfection."

In the documentary, on the eve of singer Tony Bennett's 85th birthday, the artist reflects back over his 60 year career while looking ahead within the context of a recording project. Using a first person narrative, Bennett discusses his philosophies of life, lessons learned, and his passion for art and music. THE ZEN OF BENNETT is a study of the artistic process and how an artist can endure and still be at the top of his game, true to his art and social conscience, while remaining relevant to a multitude of generations.

THE ZEN OF BENNETT is an intimate perspective on Tony's life and personal philosophy. Filmed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Dion Beebe, the documentary employs a voyeuristic approach while illustrating the isolation experienced by the artist in the midst of the recording sessions for his #1 album Duets II. Illustrating Bennett's creative process are appearances by John Mayer, Lady Gaga, Michael Buble and most poignantly, the late Amy Winehouse, all of whom recorded duets with the singer. THE ZEN OF BENNETT takes the viewer to a variety of locales including Los Angeles, Nashville, London, Italy – including a visit to Bennett's ancestral home in Padagoni, Italy, as well as his home and art studio in New York City, allowing the viewer know this legendary singer in new ways.

The award-winning filmmakers behind THE ZEN OF BENNETT are Danny Bennett, who created and produced the film, director Unjoo Moon, producer Jennifer Lebeau, and Director of Photography Dion Beebe.

http://www.zenofbennett.com
http://www.tonybennett.com