OLIVER MTUKUDZI TO APPEAR AT CULTURE PROJECT

Zimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi is a truly great guitarist, vocalist, performer and composer. He must be one of the few people to have a beat named after him:’tuku’!
Zimbabwe’s pride, most successful artist and national treasure, Oliver Mtukudzi is gifted with a deep and gusty voice plus a talent for writing songs that reflect on the daily life and struggles of his people. ‘Tuku’ as he is known, began performing in 1977 and has earned a devoted following across Africa and beyond, all the while incorporating elements of different musical traditions. A member of Zimbabwe’s Kore Kore tribe, he sings in the nation’s dominant Shona language as well as Ndebele and English.

Tuku’s music is heavily influenced by a humanist chimurenga ethos, which, in turn, is inspired by the hypnotic rhythms of the mbira (thumb piano). His music also incorporates South Africa mbaqanga, the energetic Zimbabwean pop style jit, and the traditional kateke drumming of his clan. One of Tuku’s biggest fans is Bonnie Raitt, who has not only called Tuku “a treasure,” and recorded a cover of “Hear me Lord” but also credits Tuku as the inspiration for the song “One Belief Away” on her album Fundamental.

Tuku (along with Angelique Kidjo, Hugh Masekela and Ladysmith Black Mambazo) is one of the most successful African recordings artists in North America, having sold hundreds of thousand of records on Putumayo, Heads Up/Telarc and Sheer Sound. Tuku is an alumni of Acoustic Africa II (2011 edition) and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Eastern and Southern Africa, focusing on Young People’s Development and HIV and AIDS Prevention.

Culture Project
45 Bleecker St
New York, NY, 10012
Monday, January 14
Doors 10:00PM / Show 10:30PM

MOYA AND TWISTED SOULZ TO DEBUT AT LE POISSON ROUGE

Moya and Twisted Soulz, the debut of a new and eclectic band, will take place Monday, January 28th with doors opening at 6:30pm. Opening performance by Daniel Watts at 7:00pm and main event at 7:30pm. Debut Performance to take place at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street Street. Tickets are general admission: $18 (plus fees) in advance $20 at the door. A 2 item minimum is required for table seating. Please visit lepoissonrouge.com to purchase tickets.

After gracing the Broadway stage, Moya Angela is stepping out to premiere her band "Moya and Twisted Soulz". Their eclectic sound is a mix of country, pop, rock with a touch of soul. Musically, Moya is influenced by the power and intensity of Celine Dion, the soul and connection of Adele, and the energy and dynamics of Kelly Clarkson. The group features musical director Steven Jamail and his team of talented musicians Colin Dean (Bass), Micah Burgess (Guitar) and Tenika Prawl (Drums), as well background vocalists Nicole Weiss, Jessica Luster, and Corey Johnson. By blending classic R&B, Pop and soul, you'll never want to stop listening to this explosive and addicting new group.

“N+N Productions is thrilled to team up with such a talented and diverse team to bring the sounds of Moya Angela and Twisted Soulz to the world. As a producing team we are passionately determined and inspired to support and develop new talent to make their own art off the Broadway stage.” said Nikole Vallins and Natalie Malotke, Producers. Music Director, Steven Jamail claims “While she's melting your face and breaking your heart you may find yourself asking if this isn't the impossible lovechild of Jessye Norman and Kelly Clarkson.”

Moya recently made her Broadway debut in The Lion King and just finished playing Clara in Ghost the Musical on Broadway. National tours: Dreamgirls (Effie White) and The Lion King Gazelle and Cheetah companies (u/s Rafiki, Shenzi). TV: “30 Rock” (Portia). She is also an NAACP Theater award winner. Moya Angela is an amazing vocalist whose voice resonates power, love, and true understanding of the artistry of music.

GINGER BAKER - NO MATERIAL

Issued under Ginger Baker's name, the working title for this band was No Material, appropriate given the thrown-together nature of the group and the fact that their performances, all three of them, were totally improvised. They lasted less than a week, so this album is likely all that will ever be heard from this particular combination of players, but listeners can be glad to have it. Guitarist Nicky Skopelitis was the creative force and musical center of the band, forming the hub between the essentially rock-oriented leanings of Baker and bassist Jan Kazda and the explosively free tendencies of the Last Exit front line of Brotzmann and Sharrock. The rhythm team keeps the four lengthy pieces in a grooving zone, not dissimilar to Baker's own '80s recordings like Horses and Trees, albeit with high-energy soloing. The Skopelitis/Sharrock pairing is especially juicy, the former's melodicism contrasting wonderfully with the latter's "shards of glass" approach. Baker's heavy drum sound, largely unchanged since his days with Cream, fits in very well here; whereas it could occasionally seem plodding in a rock context, it serves as a deeply pitched anchor in a mostly free improv one. Compositional credit is given for each piece, though it appears that no more than a brief introductory line was sketched out; then the band was on there own. All of the pieces have a kind of bluesy jam feeling, with Skopelitis' "Oil of Tongue" coming closest to a rock sound and, not surprisingly, Brotzmann's closing number pushing the boundaries the furthest. The saxophone colossus from Wuppertal, Germany, is in stellar form throughout, negotiating the unusually (for him) rock-ish territory with aplomb and ferocity, with respect but absolutely no compromise; his fans would expect no less. A perfect album for listeners a bit overwhelmed by Last Exit, as well as those who found Baker's or Skopelitis' records well intentioned but a little on the timid side. Recommended. ~ Brian Olewnick /Sonny Sharrock/Peter Brontzmann. Recorded live in Switzerland on March 28, 1987. Personnel includes: Ginger Baker (drums); Peter Brontzmann (bass saxophone); Sonny Sharrock; Nicky Skopelitis (guitars). ~ CD Universe

GOLD SPARKLE BAND - DOWNSIZING

Heavily influenced by free jazz explorers like Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, and Archie Shepp (among others), Gold Sparkle Band (GSB for short) is an acoustic avant-garde jazz quartet that has been active since 1994. In fact, GSB has often favored the same piano-less alto sax/trumpet/bass/drums format as Coleman's trailblazing quartet of the late '50s and early '60s (the group that boasted Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on acoustic bass, and Billy Higgins or Ed Blackwell on drums). GSB was formed in Atlanta, GA, in 1994, when trumpeter Roger Ruzow joined forces with alto saxman/clarinetist Charles Waters and drummer Andrew Barker (who has been greatly influenced by Blackwell's playing).

Over the years, GSB has had different people on acoustic bass; in 1997, Chris Riggenbach was on bass, and in the early 2000s, GSB's bassist was Adam Roberts. When GSB's original lineup first got together in 1994, Waters and Ruzow were hardly strangers; they had been roommates, and in their pre-Atlanta days, they had known each other from the music department at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. In the '90s, most of GSB's albums came out on the band's own label, Nu Records, including GSB's debut albums, Downsizing and 23 (which came out in 1998). In 1997, GSB's members recorded an album titled Hallelujah! for the Third Eye label. However, that album was not credited to GSB; it was released under the name Nuzion Big Band and spotlights an expanded GSB lineup. In 1999, GSB started recording for Squealer Music, a small label based in Virginia. Squealer released GSB's 1999 session Nu*Soul Zodiac in 2000, and in 2002, Squealer put out Fugues and Flowers (a collection of live performances from GSB's 2000 tour).

KAY OLAJIDE - AFRICAN FOOTPRINTS

Kay Olajide aka Kay, is a composer/ arranger/ producer and multi-instrumentalist who from the on-set established a unique and fresh fusion of authentic Afro-centric rhythms with western forms, majorly contemporary jazz. The result is a powerful, lyrical sound showcasing African poly-rhythms, groove and beautiful, catchy melodies.

This new eleven-track CD African Footprints is a well planned, well executed album and is obviously steps above his previous projects, featuring Kay on saxophones, flute, percussions, drums and vocals. African Footprints is a must have album showcasing solid grooves and upfront memorable melodies. The title track "African Footprints" is a classic, groove infused, personalized interpretation of Wayne Shorter's "footprints" delivered with a smooth jazz flavor exemplifying his creativity. The album also features a solid groove Afro-beat track "Half A Word" with beautiful horn reefs arrangement. A couple of smooth jazz tracks like "Higher Ground", "Other Side Of Maria", "Athena Drive Memo" and "Showers Of Love" are also featured.

This album was produced and arranged by Kay and the smoothness of the project reflects a new phase in his musical perceptions tilting more than before on the side of contemporary beats and vocal choruses in addition to his unique saxophone style. The album also feature him on trap drums.

Apart from his afro-centric music roots Kay had been influenced by the likes of Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Hubert Laws, Grover Washington jnr, Yusef Lateef and Charlie Parker. His strongest impulse for composition would however come from the tonal characteristics and rhythms of hand drums/percussions, eastern melodic progressions and the celestial-like sound of an acoustic piano.

In the past, he played with leading bands in Nigeria (West Africa) from 1985 to 1992 and toured Europe until he founded The Weavers band in 1993. The band was well known for its originality, focus, and quality.

In 1998, his debut album Once Upon A Time was released on Jazzhole record label to a welcoming audience. The album was widely reviewed and critically acclaimed by Nigerian and African press. BBC Network Africa Service accorded the album lots of airplay and personal interviews in recognition of creative accomplishments.

IBA his second album further establish his creativity. The music draws largely from his Afro-centric background seamlessly blended with western jazz forms. Kay's music pioneered and set the pace for what can be called 'Nigerian Jazz' being the most prominent act in its genre. "IBA is a classic album reinvigorating jazz with its African perspective, virtuoso playing, and some great compositions"...(Straight No Chaser , UK 2001). Kay performed with his band within and outside Africa including festivals in Normandy, France and Amman Jordan.

Kay's music would seem to have provided a matching West African flavor to jazz as he believes "The beauty of a people is rooted in their striving to fully utilize cultural elements within their sub-region as basis for expression, especially in art forms".

NEW RELEASES - LUCA MANNUTZA SOUND SIX, STEVE GRISMORE TRIO, MANHATTAN VIBES

LUCA MANNUTZA SOUND SIX - MY MUSIC

Maybe the greatest album so far from this ultra-hip group – a sweet Italian combo with a strong ear for the best side of jazz in the 60s! The album's a cracker right from the start – full of life and soul, and delivered with the sort of depth we'd usually just expect from a vintage album – yet all in ways that are hardly a copycat of older Blue Note or Prestige – and really still a very fresh statement from this crack ensemble of Italian players! Pianist Luca Mannutza heads up the group – but it's definitely an equally-weighted outfit – with incredible horn work from Max Ionata on tenor, Paolo Recchia on alto, and Francesco Lento on trumpet and flugelhorn. Titles are almost all originals by Mannutza – who's a hell of a writer – and tunes include "Evan's Even", "Libero", "Nel Mare", "Shades Of Gira", "Cosi Com Sei", and "Two Friends". ~ Dusty Groove

STEVE GRISMORE TRIO - BESAME MUCHO!

Steve Grismore writes: "For the last couple of years I have been commuting from my home in Iowa City to a little jazz club called the "Continental" in Des Moines. While playing these trio gigs I have the honor of sharing the stage with an extraordinary jazz organist by the name of Sam Salamone. It is by far one of my favorite gigs, and I was compelled to document this music before the idea of gigging with a Hammond B3 and Leslie in the back of a van goes away. i strongly feel the tradition of the jazz organ trio should remain as part of the jazz mainstream. "We are influenced by all the great musicians of the organ trio tradition--organists like Jimmy Smith, Mel Rhyne, Don Patterson, and Larry Young; guitarists like Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, and George Benson; and drummers like Elvin Jones, Grady Tate, Don Bailey, and Idris Muhammed. For this session we did a combination of tunes from some of these artists as well as our own interpretations of a couple of jazz standards. Over the years I have played with several different drummers on this gig, but for this particular recording it was my pleasure to include a fabulous young drummer who currently lives in Des Moines and teaches at Drake and Grinnell College, John Kizilarmut. Sam, of course, is a legend throughout the Midwest and is a true torchbearer of the jazz organ tradition. Playing with Sam and John is a real treat. I hope you enjoy the music." ~ CD Universe

MANHATTAN VIBES - BLUE NOVEMBER

Musicians will often describe themselves as being on a journey -starting from their days as young and eager students and continuingwhile they mature into professionals. My particular journey iseloquently portrayed in the cover of this recording which conjures theechoing walls of a warehouse in Kozani, Greece. From there, thevibraphone was the vehicle that brought me to Manhattan, a place whereI could learn and be inspired by some if the world's finest musicians. That inspiration would ultimately give birth to the Manhattan Vibes concept: a jazz quartet led by the vibraphone. As this concept evolved, Sergio, Mike, and Vince were simultaneously on their ownunique journeys, the paths of which converged with mine in the summerof 2008. Our diverse backgrounds allowed us to interpret the materialon this recording in a way that I believe transcends traditionalmusical boundaries creating a sound of its own. At the same time, ourgoal is to preserve our collective heritage in contemporary Americangrooves, odd-meter rhythmic progressions, and world music. The truth is that there is no final destination on the musician's journey and Iam very pleased to offer this account of four kindred spirits who havechosen to travel together. Thanks for listening! ~ Christos Rafalides

SONY CLASSICAL ANNOUNCES RE-LAUNCH OF OKeh LABEL AS PRIMARY JAZZ IMPRINT

Label to Put Focus on New and Established Artists  Embodying "Global Expressions in Jazz"

Upcoming Releases by Bill Frisell, David Sanborn & Bob James, John Medeski, and Dhafer Youssef, Among Others

Sony Classical has announce d the re-launch of the historic OKeh label. With the objective of documenting "Global Expressions in Jazz," OKeh will focus on releasing jazz by new and established artists that have a wide range of global backgrounds. Initial releases during the first half of 2013 include projects by Bill Frisell, David Sanborn & Bob James, and John Medeski, as well as an additional five to seven projects slated for release later in the year. In the United States, OKeh will be part of Sony Masterworks, Sony Classical's U.S. branch.

"What I want to achieve with OKeh is to build a home for jazz and jazz related music of the highest quality, no matter what its origins are," states Wulf Müller, the 29-year industry veteran who recently joined Sony Classical as an exclusive jazz A&R and Marketing consultant. Mr. Müller conceived the label's re-launch. "'Global Expressions in Jazz' will mean improvised music from all over the world, being used as a global language to communicate between lovers of music. We hope to create a label that will define the present and future of the music we call Jazz."

The announcement comes just months after the appointment of Chuck Mitchell as the Senior Vice President for Sony Masterworks. Mitchell previously served as Worldwide President of the legendary Verve label and more recently as a Vice President at eOne Music. "The re-activation of OKeh comes at a particularly auspicious moment in the international evolution of creative music," says Mr. Mitchell. "Wulf's knowledge of and commitment to jazz in all its facets and forms makes him the ideal individual to lead the next chapter in the development of this historically important imprint."

"With Wulf Müller and Chuck Mitchell as the ideal partners, I'm thrilled that we are breathing new life into one of the coolest brands in recorded music history," states Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical. "We feel there is currently an incredible wealth of exciting music out there that will find a new home and thrive on OKeh. And Sony Classical is the ideal platform for it - with specialized teams around the world whose attention and expertise will benefit all OKeh artists and their releases."

Founded in 1918, OKeh initially became well known for recording artists in the classic jazz and blues traditions, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, King Oliver, and Sidney Bechet.

Müller reflects, "OKeh's tradition as a label for great improvised music of its time, its connection to some of the most influential artists in the genres of jazz and blues, made it the perfect label for us to use, as its history already stands for what we are aiming for: quality in all aspects of the recordings and giving todays artists a platform to express themselves, while at the same time opening doors to the future."

Upcoming OKeh Album Releases:
April 9: John Medeski - A Different Time
May (TBA): David Sanborn & Bob James - Title TBA
TBA: Bill Frisell Big Sur Quintet - Title TBA

Sony Masterworks comprises the Masterworks, Masterworks Broadway, OKeh, Portrait, RCA Red Seal and Sony Classical imprints. For email updates and information,

www.SonyMasterworks.com.

ROBERT RANDOLPH PRESENTS THE DEBUT ALBUM FROM THE SLIDE BROTHERS

The Slide Brothers, standard bearers of the sacred steel tradition, will release their first studio album on February 19, 2013 on Concord Records (international release dates may vary). The album, simply titled Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers, was catalyzed by Robert Randolph, who has revitalized the sacred steel tradition in the modern era, carrying the style born in The House of God Church more than 80 years ago to mainstream secular success before concert and festival audiences around the world.

The Slide Brothers’ album includes 11 tracks and features some of the most dynamic electric slide guitar playing ever recorded. Inspired by Randolph to finally emerge beyond their respected positions within the sacred steel community, the Slide Brothers tackle rock, funk and even the deepest blues with a ferocity that will startle fans of Duane Allman, Derek Trucks and even Muddy Waters.

The Slide Brothers are Calvin Cooke, Chuck Campbell, Darick Campbell and Aubrey Ghent, each of whom was raised worshiping and performing in The Church of the Living God. They were an ad hoc family, traveling and learning from the other dominions in their communities in cities from Nashville to Chicago to Newark. Calvin Cooke was born into a musical family in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944 and would go on to become known among the ranks of Nashville’s premier country steel guitarists as “the B.B. King of gospel steel guitar.” Cooke is hailed today as the most influential living pedal steel guitar master within the Sacred Steel tradition.

The album opens with a searing interpretation of the Allman Bros classic “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’”. The twin guitar attack by Chuck and Darick Campbell immediately serves notice to the remarkable musicianship honed by years of playing in church and at sacred steel conventions. “Growing up in church, traditional blues music always came off to us as a little bit sloppy,” explains Chuck Campbell. “It was not as precise as Sacred Steel where it is always about mimicking the voices heard in the church. We wanted to play these songs with the same conviction we have in church—playing the steel so that you can almost hear the words as if they were sung by a voice.”

Two songs from the album celebrate the music of Elmore James, the Chicago blues legend who made his mark as a master of the slide guitar technique that would later influence greats like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and, of course Robert Randolph. Randolph also counts The Slide Brothers as a major influence and an inspiration. “I was born with these guys,” explains Randolph. “I look to them the same way I look to blues greats like Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. Aubrey Ghent and Henry Nelson, Aubrey’s dad, and The Campbell Brothers; they all shaped this Sacred Steel tradition inside the churches but they weren’t allowed to leave the church until now.”

Likewise, Aubrey Ghent has also become a celebrated steel guitarist, preserving the sacred steel tradition and bringing it to a wider audience. Ghent’s unique skills became apparent at a very early age and local churches began inviting him to perform at services starting when he was only nine years old. At twenty he answered God’s call and became known as the “Preaching Deacon,” evangelizing through both word and music. Unlike Robert Randolph and the Family Band who have crossed over by doing more secular music, Ghent has stayed closer to the gospel roots of the tradition.

Chuck Campbell began playing the lap steel guitar at the age of twelve and is renowned for his innovative approach to the instrument, both technically and musically. His brother Darick Campbell first made his mark in music as a drummer, and he was the premier drummer of the General Assembly, the National Convocation of the House Of God Church in Nashville, Tennessee. His choice of the Lap Steel is a direct reflection of the influences that he has blended in becoming the most emotional player of The Campbell Brothers musical tour de force.

Robert Randolph set the music world on fire in 2000 when he began playing his first club dates in New York City before audiences who had, for the most part, never before had any intersection with the sacred steel phenomenon. Randolph started playing the instrument as a church-going teenager in Orange, New Jersey. He was raised in the House of God Church, an African-American Pentecostal denomination that had been implementing steel guitars in services since the ’30s. Randolph’s own group, the Family Band, includes cousins Danyel Morgan, Marcus Randolph and John Ginty. Robert Randolph and the Family Band’s Live at the Wetlands, released in the fall of 2001, vividly captured the band’s live performance and set the stage for Unclassified, the studio debut that followed in 2003, introducing Randolph to an even wider audience.

One new fan was veteran guitarist Eric Clapton, who brought the band out on tour and appeared on Robert Randolph’s third release, Colorblind, in 2006. In 2010, Randolph teamed-up with producer T-Bone Burnett and released the album We Walk This Road, which featured guest appearances from Ben Harper, Leon Russell and Doyle Bramhall II. More recently, he unveiled Robert Randolph and the Family Band’s Live in Concert, a long-awaited follow-up for the fans of his acclaimed Live in the Wetlands recording. Today, Robert Randolph finds himself back in the studio and returning to his roots. “By co-producing and presenting the new album from The Slide Brothers, I’m hoping that the story can finally be told,” he explains. “For eighty years this music has been hidden inside the churches and these older guys were not allowed to play anything else. Now we’re all hanging out with The Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy and B.B. King and can use gospel and mainstream music to tell our story.”

The Slide Brothers shift easily between genres, incorporating both traditional gospel repertoire as well as and secular material. To underscore the album’s diversity, a stirring instrumental version of the spiritual classic “Wade in the Water,” is followed by a vibrant and bluesy cover of Fatboy Slim’s 1999 trip hop hit “Praise You” (featuring vocals by blues queen Shemekia Copeland and backing by Robert Randolph & the Family Band). Jimmy Carter of the famed Blind Boys Of Alabama joins Aubrey Ghent to provide lead vocals for “My Sweet Lord.” “It has long been a vision of all of ours to be able to this,” says Chuck Campbell. “Robert was able to pull together the top steel players from different generations. It is truly an honor to be a part of album that brings together so many wonderful people such as [Jimi Hendrix bassist] Billy Cox, Shemekia Copeland, and the Blind Boys Of Alabama. Instead of us meeting at a church convention we were able to get everyone together in a recording studios to play secular songs and religious songs with the same conviction. We feel blessed that we have finally been able to do this.”

The story of The Slide Brothers will finally be told on February 19, when their debut album, 80-years in the making, will be released.

Track Listing for Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers:
1. Don’t Keep Me Wondering
2. My Sweet Lord
3. Sunday School Blues
4. Wade In The Water
5. Praise You (feat. Shemekia Copeland)
6. It Hurts Me Too
7. Catch That Train
8. Motherless Children
9. Help Me Make It Through
10. The Sky Is Crying
11. No Cheap Seats In Heaven

LESTER CHAMBERS OF THE CHAMBER BROTHERS GOES FROM HOMELESS TO HERO AGAIN...

...Thanks to Reddit, Kickstarter & Some Sweet Relief

With the Help of Sweet Relief, 60's music icon Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers has overcome cancer, homelessness and is recording new music that is garnering national interest. Features spots of Mr. Chambers on CNN, NBC, YouTube and internet media news site, Reddit spurs huge support.

Lester Chambers is now 72 years old. He has been performing professionally for 60 years. The highlight of his career was from 1965 to the early 70's when he was a member of The Chambers Brothers. The band charted hit records, performed on The Ed Sullivan Show and played stages around the world in front of thousands of fans.

In 2010, after surviving cancer on three separate occasions, Lester Chambers found himself homeless. Dwindling royalties and illness had caught up with the career musician. To make matters worse, he was losing his sight due to cataracts.

The first rays of hope came in the form of concerned family, a national musician's charity and a benevolent artist and friend. Rob Max, Executive Director of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was contacted by a member of the Chambers family and passed along a number where Mr. Chambers could be contacted.

"Our first goal when speaking to Lester was to determine his medical urgency" said Max. "Besides his deteriorating vision, Lester was dealing with numerous medical issues that medicare was not covering adequately. In addition, he was sleeping on an air mattress in a house under construction with no roof."

Lester Chambers also shared with Sweet Relief a list of music friends he had acquired over the years. That list contained one particular name that became a life saving angel, Yoko Ono Lennon. "I had a wonderful friendship with John & Yoko many years ago, they were such sweet and wonderful people" said Chambers. "I hoped that some of the names I shared with Mr. Max might let music fans know about my situation. I never dreamed so much generosity would come from one person." Donations from Yoko Ono to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund exceeded $20,000 and were used to pay for medical treatment, prescriptions and housing for Mr. Chambers.

Fast forward to summer 2012. A second angel enter the life of Lester Chambers. Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of Reddit, had seen recent news of Lester Chambers' struggles and ongoing challenges to identify and receive recording royalties dating back decades. Ohanian and his charitable endeavor, BreadPig devised a project on Kickstarter that would allow Lester to record new music and raise the funds to do so. The Lester Chambers Kickstarter project, Time Has Come, was budgeted at $39,000. To date over $60,000 has been pledged.

Lester Chambers name is now, once again, part of the music and social media consciousness, thanks to television and internet coverage by major media powerhouses like CNN and NBC. Offers for live music events, speaking engagements, and music cameos with some current major artists have inundated Mr. Chambers in the past 30 days. "This is a dream come true again" said Chambers. "If I can make my music, pay my way and help some others who may find themselves where I was just two years ago, then life is just perfect"

Today marks the last day that individuals may participate in Lester's Kickstarter project. Interested music fans can access the project here

JAZZ LEGENDS HERBIE HANCOCK AND WAYNE SHORTER NAMED DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORS BY THE THELONIOUS MONK INSTITUTE OF JAZZ

Herbie Hancock

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has appointed multiple GRAMMY Award winners and NEA Jazz Masters Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter as distinguished professors at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. This marks the first time these two artists have made such a major commitment to an educational institution, and the current class of students is the first to learn from them on a regular basis.

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance is a two-year, graduate level college program that accepts one ensemble of musicians for each class. All of the students, known as Thelonious Monk Fellows, receive full scholarships as well as stipends to cover their monthly living expenses. The students study individually and as a small group, receiving personal mentoring, ensemble coaching, and lectures on the jazz tradition. They are also encouraged to experiment in expanding jazz in new directions through their compositions and performances. The current class is part of a new partnership between the Monk Institute and UCLA and these students will be the first to graduate with a Masters in Jazz Performance from the
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

"When we established the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in 2007, one of our goals was to build on the stellar faculty and students in place and strengthen Jazz as an essential, core component of the School's program. The addition of the preeminent Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance program brings a great richness of resources and talents to the mix, giving students even more opportunities to work with the world's great jazz artists," said Herb Alpert, Chair and Founder of the Herb Alpert Foundation and principal donor to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Wayne Shorter

Hancock and Shorter will teach the Monk Fellows each month throughout the academic year. They will share their musical philosophies and knowledge learned from their years of playing with the architects of jazz including Miles Davis and Art Blakey. Both will focus on composition, improvisation and artistic expression, working with the Monk Fellows individually and as a group. Additionally, they will lead master classes open to all UCLA students. Since the program began in September, Shorter has already taught for eight days and participated in a public performance with the Monk Fellows, and Hancock has taught for three days. On December 6, Hancock and Shorter joined forces to conduct a historic master class at UCLA. This coming April, the Monk Fellows will accompany Hancock and Shorter to Istanbul to participate in a global, televised performance marking International Jazz Day on April 30, 2013.

In addition to these two legendary artists joining the Institute's faculty, the Monk program at UCLA has been expanded to include Billy Childs, a world-class composer who has received the coveted Guggenheim Fellowship. Also instructing the Monk Fellows are internationally renowned improvisation educators Hal Crook, Jerry Bergonzi, and Dick Oatts, all of whom are adding a new dimension to the program by sharing their comprehensive knowledge of jazz, addressing all elements of the students' playing, and helping the students navigate the many styles and musical environments of jazz.

"Wayne and I look forward to working with and guiding the new class of Monk Fellows over the next two years. These exceptionally gifted young artists are destined to become some of the most influential jazz musicians of their generation and we are both looking forward to helping them forge successful careers in jazz performance. The mentoring experience will be profound for us, as well. The gift of inspiration in the classroom that develops from the master-apprentice relationship enhances our personal creativity on the bandstand and in the recording studio," said Herbie Hancock, Chairman of the Institute.

Since the program's inception in 1995, the Monk Fellows have studied with world-renowned jazz artists Terence Blanchard, Ron Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jack DeJohnette, Barry Harris, Roy Haynes, Jimmy Heath, Dave Holland, Wynton Marsalis, Jason Moran, Danilo Pérez, Dianne Reeves, Horace Silver and Clark Terry, among many others. These jazz legends serve as Artists-in-Residence at the college program one week each month.

"We are truly delighted to welcome Herbie and Wayne to the faculty of the Herb Alpert School of Music," said Christopher Waterman, dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. "The arrival of these legends marks an important step in the growth of UCLA's distinguished jazz program, which provides students with the opportunity to study with the renowned guitarist and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Burrell, the award-winning flutist and composer James Newton, and leading Los Angeles-based jazz musicians such as Dr. Bobby Rodriguez, Charley Harrison, Barbara Morrison, Michelle Weir, George Bohanon, Tamir Hendelman and Justo Almario."

The Institute of Jazz Performance students and instructors present a number of major concerts and community outreach programs throughout the United States and overseas. International highlights include performances at the celebration commemorating the 40th anniversary of the coronation of the King of Thailand, the Summit of the Americas in Chile before 34 heads of state, the United Nations "Day of Philosophy" event in Paris sponsored by UNESCO, and the Tokyo Jazz Festival. The students have also participated in tours of China, Egypt, Argentina, Peru, India, and Vietnam with Herbie Hancock.

"The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is honored to have Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock joining the faculty of our college program at UCLA, where they will share their vast musical experiences and expansive vision for jazz past, present and future," said Tom Carter, Thelonious Monk Institute President.

DARRYL YOKLEY'S SOUND REFORMATION - THE VOID

From playing jazz gigs as a leader/sideman or in a big band to performing classical solo recitals and concerts with chamber groups, Darryl Yokley has enjoyed working with some of the greatest musicians in a variety of genres.

Yokley has performed with such artists as the Captain Black Big Band led by pianist Orrin Evans, JD Allen's sextet, Valery Ponomarev's Big Band "Our Father Who Art Blakey,” as well as the Frank Lacy Quintet and Big Band.

In addition to performing, Yokley has also written big band arrangements that have been performed by The Captain Black Big Band and the Frank Lacy Big Band. He has since performed at a number of other venues in New York, including the Jazz Galley, Smalls, the Zinc Bar, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and the Garage. He also performed for Quincy Jones at a musical tribute in New York.

As a leader, Yokley has formed a quintet with Duane Eubanks on trumpet, George Burton on Piano, Luques Curtis on Bass, and Wayne Smith Jr. on drums. The band, “Sound Reformation,” made its debut back in November 2010 and has been performing regularly since then.

Yokley wrote all of the music on The Void album, drawing from a number of different influences, breaking the barriers of musical categories. 
Currently, in his classical career, Yokley and Hemingway are in the midst of promoting their duo ensemble, Odd Men Out, which commissioned a piece from Pittsburgh composer Suzanne Polak. Yokley also currently teaches the saxophone to students of all ages at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ.

ANTONIO SANCHEZ - NEW LIFE

"Antonio Sanchez, the drummer and composer, compresses many of the strategies from the last 40 years of small-group jazz into each performance, while letting some of today's best soloists tear it up. [His drumming is] a tumbling overspill, deceptive in its suggestion of abandon." - The New York Times

Drummer Antonio Sanchez has played alongside some of the greatest composers in modern jazz - including Chick Corea, Danilo Pérez, Gary Burton, and Pat Metheny, who has called on Sanchez to anchor virtually every project he's undertaken for more than a decade. With his third album as a leader, New Life, Sanchez launches himself into those estimable ranks with a set of bold, compelling new compositions.

As the title suggests, Sanchez sees the album as marking a new chapter in his musical life. "I wanted this record to be a milestone for me as a composer," he says. "When you're a drummer, there's this stigma that you're the musician's best friend but you're not really in the same category as the other guys. I wanted to prove that it doesn't have to be that way."

The fact that Sanchez possesses the ability to craft such a wide-ranging, multi-hued collection should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his drumming. A three-time GRAMMY® Award winner who studied at the National Conservatory in his native Mexico and at Berklee and the New England Conservatory, Sanchez is a master of dynamics, able to summon rhythmic complexity or melodic nuance as the occasion demands. New Life similarly balances intricacy and emotion, intellect and soul.

The album also features inspired playing from an incredible line-up of Sanchez's peers. The ensemble includes saxophonists Donny McCaslin and David Binney, bassist Matt Brewer, and up-and-coming pianist John Escreet. "It's sheer joy to hear your music played by these amazing musicians," Sanchez says.

On his prior releases - his 2007 debut Migration and Live in New York from 2010 - Sanchez featured a stripped-down line-up with two saxophones, bass and drums (aside from guest appearances on Migration by Metheny and Corea). This time out, he wanted to expand his harmonic palette with the addition of a pianist.

"The horns, bass and drums configuration is great because there's so much freedom and so much space," Sanchez says. "But it's also incredibly hard; with no harmonic instrument it feels like you're walking on eggshells all the time. With piano, you can create a completely different atmosphere or color behind every solo."

Sanchez labored over each of the tunes that comprise New Life, further developing them during a five-week tour prior to entering the studio. Where his earlier compositions tended to be relatively simple vehicles for improvisation - which nonetheless yielded rich fruit in the hands of players like Chris Potter, David Sánchez, Miguel Zenón and Scott Colley - he wanted each of these pieces to tell a story. His years working with Metheny in a variety of settings was an inspiration, Sanchez says, not just musically but in regards to work ethic, collaboration and showmanship.

In his liner notes, Metheny refers to Sanchez as "my main collaborator over the past 13 years," enthusing that "the variety and range represented in this collection is a real testament to Antonio's curiosity and openness as a musician. He gathers from across a wide stylistic spectrum to put together a recording that adds up to a real journey in modern music making."

That journey begins with "Uprisings and Revolutions," which began life as a more placid ballad but took on a new urgency with the inspiration of the Arab Spring. The tension of the rubato opening bursts into the piece's deep groove, mimicking the rush of freedom into the region. "I was inspired by how the Arab people were able to defeat these forces that seemed to be completely undefeatable," Sanchez explains.

Both "Minotaur" and "Medusa" drew from Sanchez's interest in mythology. The former's slow build suggests the minotaur lurking behind one of the twists in his labyrinth through the throbbing bassline and Escreet's simmering Rhodes. For the latter, Sanchez specifically recalled the image of Medusa from the original version of Clash of the Titans, a childhood favorite. The snarling, interweaving melody lines recall the creature's serpentine hair.

"Nighttime Story" is as gentle and soothing as a lullaby, while "Air" is a crystalline gem featuring a caressing soprano melody inspired by Wayne Shorter. "I love the unpredictable, beautiful sonority of his tunes," Sanchez says. "You never know where his tunes are going, but they always go somewhere amazing. I thought this tune had a little bit of that, and it's also full of longing, like a lot of what Wayne does."

The buoyant "The Real McDaddy" was penned with McCaslin in mind, and jokingly references his and Sanchez's habit of referring to each other as "Papi." Sanchez defines the title as defining someone like McCaslin who is "able to be cool in any situation. That tune has a lot of quirky, unpredictable breaks, but to me if you're a McDaddy you can master any situation."

"Family Ties" ends the album on a celebratory note dedicated to Sanchez's own family. "It's such a happy tune," he says. "It represents what my family can be: full of drama but full of happiness at the same time."

A lush, sweeping ascension lasting nearly fifteen minutes, "New Life" is undoubtedly the centerpiece of its namesake album. "It signifies a new life as a composer and a bandleader," Sanchez says. "It's the track that I worked on the most, and the one that was most satisfying to record and listen back to."

The recording also documents a new life for Sanchez in another form - the soaring female vocals are the contribution of singer Thana Alexa, who recently became Sanchez's fiancée.

"I've absorbed so much great music from so many amazing bandleaders that I've been able to work with throughout the years," Sanchez says. With New Life, he reveals the results of that process, showcasing his own profoundly expressive, intensely personal voice.

New Life - Personnel/Track Listing
Antonio Sanchez / drums
Donny McCaslin / tenor saxophone
David Binney / alto saxophone
John Escreet / piano
Matt Brewer / bass
Special Guest: Thana Alexa / vocals

1. Uprising and Revolutions (8:52)
2. Minotauro (8:53)
3. New Life (14:24)
4. Nighttime Story (6:39)
5. Medusa (8:24)
6. The Real McDaddy (8:52)
7. Air (7:39)
8. Family Ties (8:46)

All tracks composed by Antonio Sanchez
Produced by Antonio Sanchez

Upcoming Antonio Sanchez Appearances:
All dates to feature "Migration."

*February 22 / Scullers / Boston, MA
March 7 - 10 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY
March 14 / Puente Xoco / Guadalajara, Mexico
March 17 / BMW Jazz Awards / Munich, Germany
March 23 / Kodaly Center / Pecs, Hungary
March 24 / Ueffilo Music Club / Gioia Del Colle, Italy
March 25 / Moody Jazz Cafe / Foggia, Italy
March 29 / Teatro Petrolini / Ronciglione, Italy
April 3 / Panic Jazz Club / Marostica, Italy
April 5 / Jazz Club Ferrara / Ferrara, Italy

*WGBH Webcast

http://www.antoniosanchez.net
www.camjazz.com

“JUMPINJAZZ KIDS – A SWINGING JUNGLE TALE” TO BE DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE VIA THE CHILDREN’S GROUP BEGINNING 2013

Al Jarreau

“A stand-out mix of storytelling and songs . . . animagination-stirring musical adventure!” – Parents’ Choice Foundation

“The music stands on its own superbly . . . Isn’t this how YOU want young people to get hooked on swing?” – Jazz Weekly

JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale, the new CD celebrating the rich history of Jazz and Popular music by paying tribute to its legendary pioneers through story, song and a variety of musical styles, has been picked-up for worldwide distribution beginning in 2013 through The Children’s Group. The Children’s Group’s focus will be big-box stores, music retailers, educational channels and specialty stores as well as digital download platforms.

“We are thrilled to be joining forces with The Children’s Group,” said Steve Barta, co-Producer, JumpinJazz Kids. “The Children’s Group has an excellent distribution network and expertise in the children’s product area, and we look forward to a successful partnership.”

Added Laura Hunter, General Manager of The Children’s Group, “We see ‘A Swinging Jungle Tale’ creating a whole new (and knowledgeable) generation of jazz music lovers. We're truly excited to be workingwith the team behind Jumpin’ Jazz Kids and bring the Grammy Nominated ‘A Swinging Jungle Tale’ to retail.”

JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale is the proud recipient of a Grammy Award Nomination forBest Children’s Album in the 55th Annual Awards to take place in Los Angeles February 10th, 2013. In celebration of the CD release as well as the Nomination, a special performance will take place at The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles on February 8th at 11am as part of Grammy Week and the Museum’s Educational Outreach Series featuring many of the artists who appear on the CD. The nomination follows JumpinJazz Kids recent win of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award, the highly coveted award for children’s entertainment that is the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys.

Dee Dee Bridgewater

JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale (the CD) is a unique blend of classic storytelling and fun,original jazz/pop songs performed by world-renowned jazz artists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Jarreau and Hubert Laws and backed by an energetic jazz quartet, symphony orchestra and narration and voice characterizations by James Murray. JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale introduces children to theimaginative worlds of jazz, the spoken word and the Symphony in a fun yet educational, engaging and unique way. Produced and created by music industry veterans Steve Barta and Mark Oblinger and co-author Linda Lawson, JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale was released September 25th.

All three guest artists – Bridgewater, Jarreau and Laws – were equally enthralled with the project and offered their support immediately when approached to participate and their performances from the downbeat let you know that this is no ordinary children’s CD. Bridgewater’s unparalleled chops are featured on “ This Elephant’s Gerald,” while Jarreau’s playful vocals highlight “Do The Monkey Swing” and “Hubert Hummingbird.” Laws adds flute to both a song named in his honor, “Hubert Hummingbird” and “Her Name Is Little Growl.”

Hubert Laws

JumpinJazz Kids is a unique line of children’s music that combines classic narrative storytelling withfun, pop-influenced jazz songs backed by a Symphony Orchestra. The stories follow the imaginative adventures of a seven year-old girl named Claire and her stuffed animal friends. The first title in the series, “A Swinging Jungle Tale,” finds Claire in her Grandpa’s backyardjungle looking for a “lost story.” Powered by her imagination alone, Claire’s stuffed animal friends begin to magically come to life and she learns all about their world … and a little bit about herself along the way. In addition, the music for JumpinJazz Kids has been fully-scored for live performances with a symphony orchestra.

With the story for A Swinging Jungle Tale already translated and recorded in French, Japanese and Spanish, it is the vision of JumpinJazz Kids to develop a series of interactive CDs, books, apps, concerts and educational events nationally and worldwide with the premise being to teach jazz and symphonic history, provide music education, promote children’s physical activity through dance and movement, enlighten their understanding of the animal world and most importantly, to allow their imaginations to flow. Concerts have already taken place with full orchestra/jazz quartet in Colorado and Milwaukee and were met with widespread critical acclaim.

JumpinJazz Kids - "A Swinging Jungle Tale" - a celebration of story, song and swing . . . where Imagination is King!

www.jumpinjazzkids.com

GABRIEL ALEGRIA AFRO-PERUVIAN SEXTET - CUIDAD DE LOS REYES

Since the release of their 2008 debut, Nuevo Mundo, trumpeter-composer Gabriel Alegría and his Afro-Peruvian Sextet have been blazing a new musical path as they develop and popularize Afro-Peruvian jazz in the United States, Alegría's native Perú, and beyond. The group's stunning new CD, Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of Kings), which will be released on February 12 by Alegría's Saponegro Records, represents a culmination of their efforts to establish Afro-Peruvian jazz as a genre unto itself.

We want the music world to start to really hear and feel Afro-Peruvian jazz music as what it is: a unique and separate brand of Latin jazz that warrants consideration and placement alongside Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz," says Alegría.

The Afro-Peruvian Sextet divides its time between performing in the United States and Perú. Alegría, Laura Andrea Leguía, Freddy "Huevito" Lobatón (the Sextet's main hand percussionist and dancer), guitarist Yuri Juárez, and drummer Hugo Alcázar are Peruvian by birth and upbringing. Bassist John Benitez was born in Puerto Rico and has long been one of the most in-demand jazz musicians in New York City. When Alcázar -- who incorporates a cajón into his trap drum kit and, according to Alegría, "singlehandedly created the whole language for the drums in this style" -- is unable to travel to the U.S. due to family obligations, North Carolina-born drummer Shirazette Tinnin takes his place in the band.

All 13 selections on Ciudad de los Reyes, with the exception of Henry Mancini's "Moon River," were composed by Alegría or Leguía. Dance-derived Afro-Peruvian rhythms known as festejo, landó, tondero, valse, or zamacueca -- all rooted in 12/8 time -- are employed throughout.

"Jazz music is predicated on listening and interacting," Alegría says. "There's a swing pattern and different things that are cues for musicians, but there's no set pattern that you have to obey the whole time. That is the same concept by which traditional Afro-Peruvian music is performed. There's no clave. The cajón players have base patterns much like a jazz drummer has the ride cymbal pattern. The patterns are meant to be interpreted throughout the continuity of a tune. They can go here; they can go there."

Gabriel Alegría, 42, was born and raised in Lima, Perú, which in colonial times was known as the City of Kings before it was Spain's capital in the New World. Throughout his life he has divided his time between Perú and the United States. He attended high school in Gambier, Ohio, where his famous playwright father, Alonso Alegría, was a visiting professor at Kenyon College at the time. Playing an arrangement of "'Round Midnight" in his high school band led him to purchase a Miles Davis recording of the tune. The difference between the chart he was playing and the way Davis played it was a revelation to the 16-year-old trumpeter. The realization that "You can do your own thing with something and create your own ideas and identity" would help him years later in merging the Afro-Peruvian sounds of his homeland with American jazz music.

After receiving his bachelor's degree at Kenyon, Alegría enrolled at City College of New York and earned an M.A. under the tutelage of Ron Carter. He then returned to Perú for seven years, five of them spent in the trumpet section of the Lima Philharmonic while moonlighting as a jazz and rock musician around the capital city. He relocated to Los Angeles and spent four and a half years at the University of Southern California, earning his doctorate degree in 2007. While at USC, Alegría studied, worked, toured, and recorded with his mentor Bobby Shew, vocalist Tierney Sutton, trombonist Bill Watrous, and keyboardist/composer Russell Ferrante.

The trumpeter was then appointed to the jazz faculty at New York University and has been a resident of New York City ever since. His NYU colleagues include jazz luminaries such as John Scofield, Kenny Werner, Chris Potter, Wayne Krantz, Billy Drummond, and Stefon Harris. With Alegría's arrival, NYU has become an important platform for Afro-Peruvian jazz music including theoretical and practical courses on the subject. In addition, NYU fields two touring Afro-Peruvian ensembles each semester.

Following its 2008 recording debut with Nuevo Mundo, the Afro-Peruvian Sextet released two more albums on Saponegro Records: Pucusana (2010) and El Secreto del Jazz Afroperuano (2012).

Once per year, fans of the band are invited to accompany the Sextet on the road in Perú, thereby gaining a unique perspective and insight into jazz, culture, and food in the southern hemisphere. While the concept of fans following a band on the road is typically associated with rock and pop bands, two such Afro-Peruvian jazz tours are scheduled for 2013, the first of which is now in progress. Tour participants effectively become an intrinsic part of the band's "ecosystem," experiencing everything from show production to marketing while on the road with the band.

In addition to the Sextet's Peruvian tours, the following North American dates have been scheduled: 2/21 Zinc Bar, New York City; 3/5 Blues Alley, Washington, DC; 3/15 Drom, New York City; 3/17 Club Café, Pittsburgh; 3/18 Erie (PA) Museum; 3/19 Nighttown, Cleveland; 3/21 Rosse Hall, Gambier, OH; 3/22-23 Natalie's, Columbus, OH; 4/13 Somethin' Jazz, New York City; 6/4-10 Tour Perú; 6/25-26 Medicine Hat (CA) Jazz Festival; 6/27 Edmonton (AB) Jazz Festival; 6/28 Victoria (BC) Jazz Festival; 6/29 Vancouver (BC) Jazz Festival; 7/8 Halifax (NS) Jazz Festival; 8/3-4 Kaslo (BC) Jazz Festival.

"We're definitely on a crusade to spread Afro-Peruvian jazz music to the world," says the trumpeter. "We want it to become part of the language of jazz, and the more we play it and the more feedback we get, the more confident we become that this will be the case."

www.gabrielalegria.com

BURT BACHARACHS "TOGETHER?" FINALLY ARRIVES ON CD, FEATURES JACKIE DESHANNON, MICHAEL MCDONALD

Sexual liberation only goes so far…

So went the tagline of director Armenia Balducci’s 1979 film Amo non amo. When the Italian drama starring Jacqueline Bisset, Maximilian Schell and Terence Stamp was slated for U.S. release, though, the decision was made to replace the score by Italian prog/symphonic “horror rock” band Goblin with a new, more accessible soundtrack. Burt Bacharach was tapped, and the Oscar-winning composer went far in lending an American flavor to the film, retitled for the U.S. market as Together? Like the film itself, though, its RCA Victor soundtrack album was seemingly destined for obscurity. But good news has just come from Japan. Together?, featuring vocals from Jackie DeShannon, Michael McDonald and Libby Titus, and songs by Bacharach and Paul Anka, has received its eagerly-awaited, first-ever CD release on December 26, 2012, courtesy of Sony Music Japan.

Bacharach came out swinging as a film composer with his very first Hollywood scoring assignment. He supplied a felicitous and memorable score for 1965’s What’s New Pussycat?, the first of his three consecutive movies with star Peter Sellers. Bacharach and Hal David earned an Academy Award nomination for their playful title song, and followed Pussycat with another animal title: The Fox. “You Caught the Pussycat…Now Chase the Fox!” proclaimed posters for 1966’s After the Fox. For the comedy directed by Vittorio De Sica, Bacharach supplied a swinging score and another fun title track with David. This time the title song was a kooky romp with Sellers in character as the thieving Fox, bolstered by the vocals of The Hollies. Oscar gold didn’t greet After the Fox, but Bacharach and David received a second nomination in 1967 for their title song to Alfie, although the rest of the film wasn’t scored by Bacharach but by Sonny Rollins.

Bacharach, David and Sellers were at it again for 1967’s Casino Royale, which also featured Woody Allen among its all-star cast. (“Small World” Dept.: Allen had starred in Pussycat, and Neil Simon, like Allen an alumnus of Sid Caesar’s writers’ room, had written the screenplay for After the Fox!) The much-troubled Casino Royale yielded a score that was the best part of the picture, and also introduced another Oscar-nominated future standard: “The Look of Love.” Bacharach and David finally made their way to the Academy Awards stage in 1970 when “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid took home the Best Song statuette; Bacharach also won a solo trophy for his original score.

Following 1973’s disappointing big-screen musical Lost Horizon, though, the Bacharach and David partnership acrimoniously dissolved, and the composer’s profile receded somewhat. He collaborated with lyricists including Neil Simon, Bobby Russell and Norman Gimbel, but his once-prolific pace was a thing of the past. Just one new Bacharach song was recorded in 1974. In 1975 a brief reunion with David resulted in an album for Stephanie Mills; the pairing with Bobby Russell led to two more songs. The composer laid low in 1976 and returned the following year with Futures, an album which introduced a new Bacharach sound: jazzier, funkier. After another hiatus in 1978, he delivered Woman in 1979, a stylistic successor to Futures, with long, extended compositions that could be described as classical-jazz-pop fusion. This was the artistically-revitalized Burt Bacharach who was tapped to return to film scoring for Together?.

The sexually-minded drama Together? a.k.a. Amo Non Amo (I Love You, I Love You Not) might have seemed like an odd project for Bacharach to have chosen as his film comeback. Set in an Italian resort town, the film centered on Louise (Jacqueline Bisset), a recent divorcee coping with her ex-husband, her current lover, her job and her children, not to mention her feelings about sexual liberation. Bacharach turned in an impressive score that has remained criminally unknown since the film’s failure at the box office. Released on RCA Victor, the relatively brief soundtrack to Together? includes four vocal tracks and five instrumental pieces. Bacharach’s primary lyrical foil was Paul Anka, who had actually composed songs in the previous decade with lyricist Hal David! Anka wrote lyrics for “I Don’t Need You Anymore” and “Find Love,” both sung by Jackie DeShannon in a reunion with Bacharach, and “I’ve Got My Mind Made Up,” sung by Michael McDonald. He also contributed lyrics to the mostly-instrumental “I Think I’m Gonna Fall in Love.” Libby Titus, who had collaborated with Bacharach on Woman, co-wrote and performed “In Tune.”

The score is a diverse one if likely too sophisticated for the carnal behavior onscreen. “I Don’t Need You Anymore” reached No. 86 on the Billboard chart in its single release by DeShannon, and this simple, direct statement of love lost made for a fitting and low-key successor to the ravishing Bacharach/DeShannon ballads of the past. It remains one of Bacharach’s most underrated productions, with a truly lovely vocal from DeShannon, still at the top of her game. “Find Love,” also the single’s B-side, was a more urgent plea to “know what to do/If somebody says ‘Let’s get together’ to find love.” Its cinematic strings, complex melodic shifts and big choir set it apart from the radio-ready “I Don’t Need You Anymore.” Libby Titus’ “In Tune” is slinky, breathy and sensual, befitting the adult subject matter of the film.

Michael McDonald’s “I’ve Got My Mind Made Up” is another lost classic. Bacharach revisited the song in 2010 with Italian singer Karima, but McDonald’s expectedly soulful reading is the definitive one. He navigates the song’s varied emotions with the aid of an uncredited female vocalist, anticipating his chart-topping duet with Patti LaBelle on Bacharach’s “On My Own.” Like “Find Love,” “I’ve Got My Mind Made Up” is filled with dramatic tension. Its strong hook and smoky saxophone riff might have scored a success as a single, but McDonald’s contractual obligations with The Doobie Brothers precluded the song from 45 release. Then again, its orchestral splendor might have sat uncomfortably alongside the Doobies’ smooth L.A. pop-rock-soul of the McDonald era. Bacharach’s instrumental compositions are melodic but arranged very much in the vein of his Futures and Woman albums with unusual textures and surprising flourishes. An evocative finale arrangement of “I’ve Got My Mind Made Up” also appears, and on “If We Ever Get Out of Here” and “I Think I’m Gonna Fall in Love,” the composer/arranger utilizes female background vocals to punctuate the swelling choruses.

With a new wife and a new lyricist (both Carole Bayer Sager), Burt Bacharach would soon be on top of both the charts and the Hollywood scene with his score and theme song to 1981’s Arthur. But the original soundtrack to Together? is a bright spot in one of the less-heralded periods of the composer’s long career, and indeed, some of the best that he could do. It’s available now from Sony Music Japan in the Blu-Spec CD format (playable on all CD players), and is housed in an LP-replica paper sleeve. It can be ordered from various sellers around eBay. An Amazon link does not yet appear to be active.

Burt Bacharach, Together?: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Sony Music Japan/RCA Victor EICP-30011, 2012)

1.I Don’t Need You Anymore – Jackie DeShannon
2.I Think I’m Gonna Fall in Love
3.In Tune – Libby Titus
4.If We Ever Get Out of Here
5.On the Beach
6.I’ve Got My Mind Made Up/I Don’t Need You Anymore (Reprise) – Michael McDonald & Jackie DeShannon
7.Find Love – Jackie DeShannon
8.Luisa
9.I’ve Got My Mind Made Up (Instrumental)

Source: The Second Disc

NEW RELEASES - FRANK MCCOMB, THE UNIVERSAL SOUND OF BURT BACHARACH, GREGG AUGUST

FRANK MCCOMB - THE FANS' FAVORITES: A DECADE OF MUSIC

A heck of a lot of music for one mighty nice price – a fan-selected collection of the best tracks from Frank McComb, packaged here with a bonus disc of rare material too! Frank's always been very plugged in to his followers – and for this collection, he went to his audience and asked them to pick their favorites – the kind of killer soul tracks that have made McComb one of the true underground soul legends of the modern age – a one-man powerhouse who's been able to create some of the best soul music we've heard in years, yet all without the help of a major label or distributor! The set features two full CDs of "favorites", plus a bonus CD with nine more cuts that are "shorties" and instrumentals pulled from Frank's vaults – all delivered with the sweet keyboard lines you'd expect. Titles include "The Bar On 55th & Hough", "White Line In The Sky", "Watching The One You Love", "King Of The Open Road", "Gotta Find My Way", "All You Need Is Love", "Morning Glory", "V 12", "Somebody Like You", "Cupid's Arrow", "Characters Of Our God", "Future Love", "Intimate Time", "Shine", and "The Thing I Failed To Do". 39 tracks in all!  ~ Dusty Groove

THE UNIVERSAL SOUND OF BURT BACHARACH  VOLUME 2 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A pretty cool little collection – a Japanese-only set that's filled with various versions of Burt Bacharach classics pulled from the vaults of Universal Music – including a rich array of 60s recordings we might have missed otherwise! The set appears to have been done in support of a 2008 Bacharach tribute tour, but all of the recordings are of older vintage – and the set includes a huge amount of rare numbers from the first years when Burt's music was getting out to the masses. Titles include "Forgive Me" by Babs Tino, "That's The Way I'll Come To You" by Jack Jones, "Rome Will Never Leave You" by Richard Chamberlain, "These Desperate Hours" by Mel Torme, "The Look Of Love" by Chris Montez, "Magic Moments" by Ronnie Aldrich, "This Guy's In Love With You" by Frankie Valli, "Alfie" by Dee Dee Warwick, "April Fools" by Vanessa Williams, "Promise Her Anything" by Tom Jones, "Who's Got The Action" by Phil Colbert, "Say Goodbye" by Pat Boone, "Waiting For Charlie To Come Home" by Marlena Shaw, "He Who Loves" by Lenny Welch, "Loving Is A Way Of Living" by Steve Lawrence, "With Open Arms" by Jane Morgan, "Ten Thousand Years Ago" by Rusty Draper, "Wishin & Hopin" by The Merseybeats, "For The Children" by Burt Bacharach, and "A House Is Not A Home" by Julie Rogers. ~ Dusty Groove

GREGG AUGUST - FOUR BY SIX

One of the most sought-after bassists and "musician's musician" on the New York scene, what sets bassist Gregg August apart is his musical language which spans the jazz, Latin, classical and avant-garde worlds. Four By Six is the bassist's third album as a leader which magnificently sews together his working bands while documenting a moment in time of the meticulously cultivated sound which is brilliantly captured on this recording. The album's collection of all original compositions and "some of New York's most free-thinking players," features a quartet with Sam Newsome (soprano); Luis Perdomo (piano) and E.J. Strickland (drums) and a sextet with John Bailey (trumpet); Yosvany Terry (alto); JD Allen (tenor); Luis Perdomo (piano) and Rudy Royston (drums). It was truly time to record these groups, which together funnel each one of August's influences, life and legends into one astonishingly beautiful album, showing his versatility as a player, composer and citizen of the world. With liner notes by Stanley Crouch. ~ CD Universe

SHUGGIE OTIS - INSPIRATION INFORMATION / WINGS OF LOVE

For more than four decades, Shuggie Otis has earned respect as a musician's musician. His composition "Strawberry Letter 23," a #5 Pop hit for the Brothers Johnson in 1977, is just the tip of Shuggie's musical iceberg. He has won praise as a guitarist on projects with artists as diverse as his father, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame R&B pioneer Johnny Otis (1921-2012), Al Kooper , Etta James , Charles Brown , Frank Zappa , Chico Hamilton , Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Mos Def, and many others.

But it was Shuggie's third and final album, 1974's Inspiration Information on Epic Records, that was destined to inspire at least two generations of admirers around the world. Widely regarded as a masterpiece, songs from the long out-of-print album have been sampled on pop hits including OutKast's "Ms. Jackson," Beyonce's "Gift From Virgo," Digable Planets' "For Corners," and the list goes on.

In this new package, the first CD will comprise the original nine-song Inspiration Information album, with the addition of four previously unreleased bonus tracks recorded in 1971. The tracks were done at Columbia Studios and at Hawk Sound, the 16-track studio built in the backyard of the Otis family homestead in the West Athens neighborhood of Los Angeles. The second CD, entitled Wings Of Love, is a new album of 14 previously unreleased live and studio tracks recorded by Shuggie between 1975 and 2000. This is the first new music that the world has heard from Shuggie since 1974.

The release of Inspiration Information/Wings Of Love caps an amazing new phase of Shuggie's career, as he emerged from his quiet (but productive) seclusion in Los Angeles to complete this package and return to the stage. "The Shuggie Otis Rite Tour" commenced in November 2012, with a European trip that included shows in London, Paris, Antwerp, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Dublin. After the UK shows, The Independent hailed Shuggie as a "Musical visionary," while The Guardian called him "A spectacularly gifted musician."

Four days after the European leg concluded, Shuggie made a rare appearance at the intimate subterranean Echoplex venue in L.A.'s Echo Park area. (The last time Shuggie played a local show was a one-off date with Mos Def in 2004, in conjunction with Mos Def's second album, The New Danger, on which Shuggie played guitar on "Blue Black Jack.") L.A. Weekly blogger Sean O'Connell attended the Echoplex show and wrote: " Shuggie Otis is Los Angeles music royalty... Shuggie's performance last night hovered somewhere amid the past and the future, acknowledging his soulful heritage while dipping into a blues-drenched familiarity that united father, son and holy ghost."

"The Shuggie Otis Rite Tour" carries on through the winter and spring of 2013, beginning in Mexico, then Australia and Japan, culminating with a cross-country North American trip in April. The touring includes album release week shows in Chicago ( Lincoln Hall on April 17th) and New York City (BB King's on April 18th). (Please see itinerary below.)

In his native Los Angeles and around the world, the name Shuggie Otis is spoken in reverential tones by his peers, as a multi-talented instrumental genius (most notably on guitar), songwriter, producer and all-around reminder of the musical joys of the psychedelic era. In his liner notes essay for Inspiration Information/Wings Of Love, UK-based writer Chris Campion ranks the original LP alongside such late-'60s/early-'70s breakthroughs by black artists as Love's Forever Changes, the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Axis Bold As Love, Sly & the Family Stone's There's A Riot Going On, and Stevie Wonder 's Innervisions.

Another longtime fan is Columbia recording artist Raphael Saadiq , who has said: "Millions of thoughts fly through my mind when I think about the music of Shuggie Otis . The word 'genius' is frivolously used these days, but when it comes to Shuggie and his brilliant body of work, it is not used often enough. His music is passion personified and you would have to be deaf not to hear it."

Shuggie Otis (b. 1953) spent virtually his entire young life playing in and around the various Johnny Otis bands which introduced such R&B legends through its lineups (since the late-'40s) as Big Jay McNeely, Wynonie Harris, Charles Brown , and Little Esther Phillips, to name a few. Shuggie was finally "discovered" by Al Kooper during his stint as a Columbia Records A&R staff producer starting in the late-'60s. Kooper's second 'Super Session' LP, Kooper Session : Al Kooper with Shuggie Otis (released early 1970) essentially introduced Shuggie, the guitarist on all seven tracks, who was a 15-year old wunderkind when he recorded the album.

He was a year older when he recorded Here Comes Shuggie Otis (released late 1970) for Epic, his first official LP under his own name, produced by Johnny Otis and featuring the cream of L.A. jazz session players. Freedom Flight (Epic, 1971), again produced by Johnny Otis , was Shuggie's second solo LP in two years, and is the source for "Strawberry Letter 23." Shuggie was just 21 years old when Inspiration Information was issued on Epic at the end of 1974.

After the release of Inspiration Information, as far as the public knew, Shuggie simply disappeared from view. But as he told Chris Campion , he "never stopped making music… There were little lapses here and there, little breaks from time to time, but I never stopped playing, writing, recording. I was still going around to record companies, still pitching my tapes." Those tapes, most of them recorded at his home studio, are the substance of the "new album" – or "lost album," depending on your perspective – now known as Wings Of Love.

"Like pop as Michael Jackson made it, as Prince made it, but more," Campion offers, while also suggesting, "That you can hear traces of both those artists in their prime on Wings Of Love is no mere accident. Such has been Shuggie's influence, you can bet they were not only aware of Shuggie Otis , they studied him." Several tracks are singled out, among them "Tryin' To Get Close To You" (which utilizes the Rhythm King, an early beatbox-metronome that became a signature of Shuggie's sound and which he still employs today); "Doin' What's Right" (one of several songs that "name-check" Inspiration Information); "Black Belt Sheriff" (" Shuggie Otis , simple and plain, stripped and bare, singing and playing, without either a studio or a band to back him up"); and of course the epic 11 and a half-minute title track, "Wings Of Love" ("build[ing] on a melody, brilliant in its minimalism, that circles, builds, takes off, soars and flies, buoyed by dazzling guitar arpeggios that sound like Paganini ripping on electric guitar").

An overriding theme is "the romantic, lovelorn teenager, who has now grown up and matured, lived and learned, sometimes hard lessons, but never in vain. He's no longer just dreaming of an idealized love, but has found it, tasted it for real and now has to work out how to get it and/or keep it." This is the driving force behind "Give Me A Chance," "Don't Run Away," "Tryin' To Get Close To You" and "Special."

Wings Of Love, Campion sums up, is "a time capsule of music from another age – to be precise, several ages – buried, but not forgotten, waiting for the date it can be cracked opened, pored over and appreciated. And that time is now."

INFORATION INFORMATION/WINGS OF LOVE by SHUGGIE OTIS

(Epic/Legacy 88697 74700 2 8)

CD One: INSPIRATION INFORMATION – Selections: 1. Inspiration Information • 2. Island Letter • 3. Sparkle City • 4. Aht Uh Mi Hed • 5. Happy House • 6. Rainy Day • 7. XL-30 • 8. Pling! • 9. Not Available • Bonus tracks (previously unreleased): 10. Miss Pretty • 11. Magic • 12. Things We Like To Do • 13. Castle Top Jam.

CD Two: WINGS OF LOVE – Selections: 1. Intro • 2. Special • 3. Give Me Something Good • 4. Tryin' To Get Close To You • 5. Walkin' Down The Country • 6. Doin' What's Right • 7. Wings Of Love • 8. Give Me A Chance • 9. Don't You Run Away • 10. Fireball of Love • 11. Fawn • 12. If You'd Be Mine • 13. Black Belt Sheriff • 14. Destination You!

ROCK CANDY FUNK PARTY - WE WANT TO GROOVE

With its reboot of classic '70s /'80s jazz-funk, Rock Candy Funk Party (RCFP) delivers a sound that's as celebratory as the name suggests. The group is powered by a lineup of world renowned players—album producer Tal Bergman (drums), Joe Bonamassa (guitar), Ron DeJesus (guitar), Mike Merritt (bass) and Renato Neto (keys)—who came together for the sheer fun of making music, and a mutual love of genre-blurring grooves. RCFP's first album We Want Groove is due out in January 29, 2013 on J&R Adventures, the independent label founded by Bonamassa and his longtime manager, Roy Weisman . Fans can pre-order the album here: www.rockcandyfunkparty.com and get their first taste of it with a free download of the single "Octopus-e" here: http://rockcandyfunkparty.com/freesong/press-release/

The album features nine tracks—eight originals and one cover—full of space and texture, that mash up funk, jazz, and rock with virtuoso musicianship. It includes a DVD with a making-of featurette, two in-the-studio featurettes and the official music video for "Octopus-e." While the album is instrumental, the interplay between RCFP's members—whose collective credits include Joe Zawinul, Hugh Masekela , Prince, LL Cool J, Ruth Brown , Chaka Khan , Simples Minds, Billy Idol , Tito Puente , Bruce Springsteen , Rod Stewart , Levon Helm , Conan O'Brien, Luther Vandross , Sheila E. and many more—is a riveting conversation all its own. "It really was the definition of collaboration, one of those records where you want to bottle the vibe and save it for all albums," says Bonamassa.

That improvisational nature comes through on We Want Groove, which was recorded live over the course of ten straight days at Tal Bergman Studios in Los Angeles, California. The environment was egalitarian and ego-neutral, with each player sharing equally in creating the music. "The concept of this record had everything do with interplay," says Bergman, "where everybody feeds off each other, reacts, and captures the moment."

In title and spirit, the album tips its hat to Miles Davis ' classic 1982 live instrumental LP We Want Miles, which Merritt says "was kind of a template for our project." Its influence is one of many echoing through RCFP's re-imagination of jazz-funk—the album opener, "Octopus-e," boasts a sinewy funk groove that suggests a meeting between Jeff Beck and the Average White Band. The gorgeously atmospheric "The Best Ten Minutes Of Your Life" has an early '70s Temptations-style groove that just "lays there for late night." The album closes with the lush and soulful melodies of "New York Song." "All flavors went into making this album," says Bergman, citing other influences including Herbie Hancock , James Brown , Weather Report, Earth, Wind & Fire, Led Zeppelin, Sly Stone, and, of course, Miles Davis .
Bonamassa says, "Tal did a great job making sure the album didn't become over indulgent. The challenge was to keep it fresh without our influences overwhelming the music—to keep the band vibe without it becoming too many ideas from too many people. It was important to commit to the moment and keep it fresh, and fun. There is a fine line."

RCFP grew out of Bergman and DeJesus' 2007 instrumental album Grooove Vol. 1, and subsequent live dates at L.A.'s storied jazz spot The Baked Potato. They encouraged other musicians to jam with them, including Merritt, (currently a member of The Basic Cable Band on Conan) and Neto (who toured with Prince from 2002-2011) who joined the line-up early on. Bonamassa made his RCFP debut in early 2012 during one of his rare breaks from the road when Bergman—who has toured with the guitarist—invited him to sit in on a pair of gigs.

To celebrate the release, RCFP will play two exclusive shows each night on January 23 and 24 at The Baked Potato (3787 Cahuenga Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604). The first show is at 9:30PM, the second at 11:30PM. Currently, both 9:30PM shows are sold out. Buy advance tickets here: http://www.thebakedpotato.com.

We Want Groove Tracklisting:
CD
1. "Octopus-e"
2. "Spaztastic"
3. "Ode To Gee"
4. "We Want Groove"
5. "The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life"
6. "Animal/Work"
7. "Dope On A Rope"
8. "Root Down (and Get It)"
9. "New York Song"

DVD
1. "The Making of We Want Groove"
2. "In the Studio – Episode 1"
3. "In the Studio – Episode 2"
4. "Official Music Video for Octopus-e"

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