BONEY JAMES RE-SIGNS WITH CONCORD RECORDS AND PRESENTS NEW PROJECT "THE BEAT" DUE FOR RELEASE APRIL 2, 2013

Three-time GRAMMY nominee Boney James has returned to former label Concord Records with a dynamic, genre-busting album The Beat. One of the most successful instrumental artists of our time with sales totaling over 3 million records, James’ new project fuses his R&B/Jazz roots with Latin rhythm and percussion.

“This record was born of my love for both Latin and R&B music and became a mash-up of the two genres. The initial inspiration for the record was Sergio Mendes’ “Batucada (The Beat),” which I re-imagined as a funk tune.” “Batucada (The Beat)” reunites Boney with trumpet great Rick Braun. “Rick and I have a wonderful history. There is a certain edge and energy that comes out when we play together that creates a really cool vibe.”

Other special guests on the project include eclectic R&B soul singer Raheem DeVaughn and spoken word phenom The Floacist. The first Urban AC single, going for adds in mid-February, is “Maker of Love,” a sexy, soulful song featuring DeVaughn. “Raheem is an artist I’ve wanted to work with for a long time and we actually met by following each other on Twitter! I sent him the track and he came back with an incredible lyric and finished vocal,” says James.

UK poet and musician The Floacist (former partner of Marsha Ambrosius) brings a seductive flow to “The Midas (This is Why)” which adds to the World Music flavor of the album. James says, “This track is a real serious mash-up with the R&B groove, the shekere and conga percussion, coupled with the ‘Euro’ vibe from The Floacist!”

Other treasures on the album include James’ fresh take on Stevie Wonder’s R&B/Latin classic “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” along with originals by James that run the gamut from subtle and sophisticated with tracks like “Acalento (Lullaby)” and “Mari’s Song,” to high energy with “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Powerhouse.”

James produced the record and wrote (or co-wrote) eight songs. The album marks his return to Concord Records. Mark Wexler, General Manager/SVP, Concord-Telarc Label Group says, “Boney is one of those unique artists that truly understands his outstanding talent and knows how to blend his originality with what his fans love to hear. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him back as part of our Concord family.” James is equally enthusiastic about re-joining the label, “Concord and I have had great successes, previously, and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with them on one of the best records I’ve ever done.”

In addition to his GRAMMY nominations, James is a Soul Train Award winner (Best Jazz Album) and has been honored with an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Jazz Album. He has accumulated four RIAA Certified Gold Records. To date, nine of James' albums have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart and two have reached the top 10 on the R&B Albums Chart, a rare feat for an instrumental artist.

Complete Track Listing:
1. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing (4:56)
2. Sunset Boulevard (4:07)
3. Missing You (3:37)
4. Batucada (The Beat) featuring Rick Braun (4:03)
5. Maker of Love featuring Raheem DeVaughn (3:48)
6. Mari’s Song (4:28)
7. Powerhouse (4:00)
8. The Midas (This Is Why) featuring The Floacist (4:03)
9. Acalento (Lullaby) (4:04)
10. You Can Count On Me (4:57)

Boney is also renowned for his compelling live performances. According to The Boston Globe: “Let’s make something perfectly clear: James is not a smooth jazz player. Yeah, he is often grouped with people like Kenny G and Najee, but his music is muscular and gritty….James swaggers across the stage like a blacktop hero draining trays on an overmatched opponent. He even weaves his way through the crowd, all but daring them not to have a good time.”

Boney will be on tour for all of 2013 following the release of The Beat.

Initial tour dates are:
3/30 Detroit MI – Fox Theater
4/6 Las Vegas NV- Boulder Station
4/18 Panama City Beach FL- Seabreeze Jazz Fest
4/20 Durham NC- Carolina Theatre
4/23 Bergen NJ- Bergen PAC
4/24 Glenside PA- Keswick Theatre
4/25 Cleveland OH- Ohio Theatre
4/26 Pittsburgh PA- Byham Theatre
4/27 Buffalo NY- Buffalo State PAC
4/28 Alexandria VA- The Birchmere
7/21 San Dimas CA- Jazz Fest West
10/12 San Diego- Smooth Jazz Cruise
10/25 Troy NY- Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
10/26 New Haven CT- Lyman Center
10/27 Boston MA- Wilbur Theater

LUKE CELENZA - BACK & FORTH

Pianist and composer Luke Celenza speaks about the music on his independently released debut album, Back & Forth, with a clarity and equanimity that defies his young age. He only recently turned 21-years-old, and it has already been almost ten years since he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Pre-College Jazz Division. Additionally, GRAMMY® and two-time Latin GRAMMY® winner Dominican pianist and composer, Michel Camilo was a friend of the family and a key influence in his development.

Such credentials might spark a young musician to intently compose complex music. However on Back & Forth, the 12 original compositions, including two three-song suite-like pieces, often sound deceptively simple -- and for a good reason. "When I write a song," Celenza explains, "I'm thinking about a groove, what sounds good and feels good -- and I'm thinking about the form. I'm thinking about pop songs. I'm trying to be lyrical and melodic. And most of it is in 4/4 [time] whether that's 'River Rhodes' which has more of a backbeat thing or 'For Charles' (Charles Flores, bassist), which is straight ahead. The songs on the record are not trying to be math equations," he says. "There is nothing in 9/8 or 7/16. I'm not trying to make the listener crazy or make it so you have to be a musician to enjoy it."

The original concept of the title piece is a rhythmic dialogue between groove and swing. "It's a verse-chorus-verse-chorus form, taking pop music and taking swing and putting them together. And at the end, we have a release after a constant back and forth conversation." "Jupiter and Mars" is a sly, and personal, commentary on the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" notion and plays with the idea of being both in a major and a minor key. "The idea is to be both at the same time, rather than choosing one or the other."

Celenza's diversity in writing comes from a wide spectrum of inspirations he has picked up along the way, artists such as Robert Glasper, Gerald Clayton, and Brad Mehldau, who joined his list of beloved old masters such as Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and Sonny Clark. The discovery, he says, pushed him to "try to find a way of making them work together." After all, something that struck him was how artists such as Glasper and Clayton, "let their influences come through in their work and yet how they decided not to pick one or the other but have it all go into the mix."

Regardless of the conceptual notions or musical structures binding the music, Celenza's interest is to connect his band with his audience. In turn, much of the music was written with the idea of having Joshua Crumbly on bass, Jimmy Macbride on drums and Lucas Pino on saxophones. "I've been friends with Jimmy and Josh since the Brubeck Colony in 2008," recalls Celenza. "It was so clear even then that Jimmy was the drummer I wanted to play with, we have such a great musical connection that when I write a song, I write it with him in mind; or for example on '131' Josh and I built on a bass line without ever saying or writing anything. He knew. He recognized what the music called for, played it and I joined in without saying anything."

At the Manhattan School of Music, Celenza studied under professor Jeremy Manasia, who directed the big band, the top ensemble and taught piano. "He introduced me to Sonny Clark, then McCoy, Herbie, Barry Harris, Bud Powell. It set the foundation." In fact, Celenza says, "I've always had great teachers, from Elizabeth Porter back then to Kenny Barron now, I've been very lucky." The MSM band, directed by Manasia and featuring Celenza, won the Charles Mingus Competition in both 2009 and 2010, and in both years he also picked up the Outstanding Piano Soloist Award. Celenza grew up in a family of music enthusiasts. His father, a dentist, is an amateur drummer and jazz fan, and his older brother, Frank, plays guitar and drums. The support was crucial for Celenza to win his shelf full of prizes; including several DownBeat Student Music Awards for Outstanding Performance, the Silver Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts and the honor of being a Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

Meanwhile, family friend Michel Camilo remained close throughout, offering advice and passing on to Celenza his own experiences as an artist and professional musician. "Michel was my dad's patient for 20 years. They knew each other even before me, since the early 80's," he recalls. "My dad has been a fan of Michel forever, Michel and Sandra (Camilo's wife) are great family friends, we would have dinner parties and he would play and I'd sit right next to him on the piano bench. That was my introduction to jazz."

"It has been so inspiring and refreshing to see how a promising young talent like Luke thrives and succeeds by seriously committing to develop his improvisational and composing skills while studying and researching the jazz tradition," Camilo says. So while he was never formally Celenza's teacher, "over the years we had sessions where we discussed subjects like texture, nuance, touch, groove, timing, piano technique, correct posture, telling your story and structural compositional writing," Camilo recalls. "Luke brings to the table a fresh sound and an uncommon restrained maturity in his music."

"People want to hear something familiar from the pop music they love and bridge the gap over to jazz," reflects Celenza. "We have the grooves underneath with the swing and the improvisatory elements of jazz all within a form that is relatable, catchy and whistle-able. That's basically the inspiration for the tunes on this record: taking melodies that are simple and memorable and putting them in a form in which we have the freedom to explore and improvise." For Celenza, the secret is hidden in plain sight. "Jazz was once the pop music of the day," he says. "If the pop music of today is in no way improvisatory, then that's the missing element and something I want to bring back. Good music is good music, I have no qualms about doing something simple and repeating it. If it sounds good and feels good, then it is good."

Back & Forth Personnel & Track Listing:
Luke Celenza / Piano
Joshua Crumbly / Bass
Jimmy Macbride / Drums
Lucas Pino / Saxophones

1. Three Point Five - 5:08
2. River Rhodes - 6:09
3. Back and Forth Prelude - 2:03
4. For Charles - 5:23
5. Jupiter Interlude - 0:52
6. Blues - 4:52
7. Jupiter and Mars - 6:16
8. 131 - 1:44
9. Back and Forth - 3:56
10. Mudslide - 7:45
11. Mars - 0:37
12. Back and Forth Reprise - 2:35

www.LukeCelenza.com

FLAMING STAR - NOTHING SWEETA

Not only Café Del Mar-Legend José Padilla is among his fans, but also colleagues like Ralf and Foh from Mo´Horizons with whom he not only shares his Hometown (Hannover), but also an affectation for danceable music with substance: Latin meets Disco, exotic beats meet vintage funk and soul vibes, jazz hits the dancefloor and this is just the beginning…
It is for a reason that his fellow campaigners and fans know him by the name of Matthias “Hit” Becker, because the multiinstrumentalist and composer behind the Band/ Project FLAMINGO STAR has a unmistakable feeling for Hooks and Grooves – his music makes you tap your feet just as elegantly as it sneaks into your ears.

After his celebrated debut-longplayer I Wouldn’t Wait No Longer (peal 017, 2007) and dozens of very prominent compilation-placements (for example on José Padilla’s Bella Musica Series as well as several Brazilelectro, Brazilution and Bar Lounge Classics), the man from a different (Flamingo) star went AWOL for a while, traveling – as it turned out – in outer space. Although out of range of our tracking devices he was by no means inactive, but rather phoned home (like E.T.) every once in a while to play us some new great melodies. And so it happens that just about five years after his first, FLAMINGO STAR’s 2nd longplayer Nothing Sweeta is to finally see the light of day under our earthly autumn sun.

For the title track, Matthias’s old friends Ralf and Foh aka Mo’Horizons created an excellent “Hippie remix”. The vocals belong to Jazz Diva Alison Degbe, formerly based in Cologne and now living in Munich. She and Matthias met over two years ago in the course of a peacelounge Label Event. Apparently they hit it off well, musically, because Miss Degbe ended up performing not just one, but four (and a ‘half’) Songs on the album as a featured artist: Apart from “Nothing Sweeta”,Alison lends her trademark voice to the ballad “There’s A Place” and also sings the Blues-inspired “Leave Me Alone” as well as the midtempo jazz number “No More Trouble” and last, but not least – backing vocals for Rafael Wilke’s happy summer song “Won’t You Come Into My Life”. Rafael sings another potential FS hit, namely “Cosmic Plan”. This one takes off as a BlueEyed Soul-Pop-Ballad and – while airborne – the track evolves into a heavy grooving Vintage Funk-number. Another ‘old’ musical companion and vocalist for Flamingo Star is Marco Hauburg, whose strong, soulful and versatile voice can be heard on “The Messengers”, a massive space-funk downtempo track also featuring Matthias himself working the vocoder.

Instead of going into greater detail on each and every one of the sixteen tracks of NOTHING SWEETA, we want to direct your attention to one of the few pieces where the master’s voice can be heard (again, filtered through some space age technical device): “Saw A UFO Today” best described album’s secret theme song. This Retro-Disco-Boogie Track with a classic ‘Roswell’-feeling can be watched on video (Youtube) as well as on various Web TV and other music channels.

Tracklisting:
01. Nothing Sweeta (feat. Alison Degbe) 03:31
02. Saw A UFO today 03:43
03. Sooner Or Later 03:58
04. There’s A Place (feat. Alison Degbe) 04:00
05. The Messengers (feat. Marko Hauburg) 04:31
06. Lovely Dream 04:02
07. Won’t You Come Into My Life (feat. Rafael Wilke) 03:51
08. Un Poema Con Amor 04:13
09. Leave Me Alone (feat. Alison Degbe) 03:34
10. You Don’t Know 04:32
11. No More Trouble (feat. Alison Degbe) 04:52
12. Syncrostar 06:11
13. Cosmic Plan (feat. Rafael Wilke) 05:35
14. Cornelita 03:58
15. Old Pictures 05:04
16. Nothing Sweeta mo’horizons hippie remix 04:25

~ LoungeMotion.com

ETHAN FARMER - WINE & STRINGS

Ethan Farmer aka E-Bassman is a celebrated bass player and is no stranger to the music scene playing and touring with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Darius Rucker, Lionel Richie. Ethan was introduced to his instrument of choice... the bass at the age of five and then became the youngest member of the family group The Amazing Farmer Singers at the age of eight. From that early introduction, it has been a relationship that has only grown and evolved.

Ethan Farmer is truly changing the way we hear music today. He has crafted and honed his talent to make the listening experience a journey. Farmer has blurred the lines and taken in the influences of jazz, funk, soul, and rock & roll to create his eclectic sound. E-Bassman shares, “I want people to walk away from my show feeling like they did during Woodstock. Just a good feeling that people remember for generations and it was all about the music.”

Now, E-Bassman is focused on his solo career with the re-release of his debut solo EP Wine & Strings featuring his top 30 single “Watch”. This re-release is to prepare you for the upcoming full-length album due out in the spring.

Ethan has just returned from touring Europe with the legendary Lionel Richie and will be performing in Bass Bash at NAMM this January. After the back to back tours with NKOTB and Richie, he is finally able to focus full-time on his solo efforts and promotions for his upcoming full length release courtesy of Good People Club Music Group.

For upcoming announcements, tour dates and more, check out Ethan Farmer at:
ethan-farmer.com/ /> www.facebook.com/EbassmanFarmer /> http://www.youtube.com/ebassman1

~ theurbanmusicscene.com

MOLLY HOLM - PERMISSION

Molly Holm has been a visionary presence on the Bay Area music scene -- as an original member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, as a featured singer with Terry Riley and Zakir Hussain, as a Mills College adjunct faculty member -- for more than three decades. Her far-ranging artistic pursuits, however, have not included recording an album of her own -- until now. Holm's overdue and highly anticipated debut, Permission, showcases her unique, fully-formed jazz vocal artistry. The CD will be released February 19 on her Rinny Zin imprint.

"It is a debut in the sense that it is her first official offering under her name," writes CD annotator Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, "but given her long and extensive career as a jazz vocalist, improviser, composer, ensemble director, arranger, and educator, Permission is more of a continuum than a prologue."

Permission combines classic songs by Chick Corea ("Sea Journey"), Joe Zawinul ("Go There Now" aka "74 Miles Away"), Charles Mingus ("Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," with Rahsaan Roland Kirk's lyrics), Mongo Santamaria ("Afro Blue"), and Thelonious Monk ("Straight No Chaser") with six original compositions, some sporting her richly poetic lyrics. Holm's "The Bear" is a gorgeously harmonized a cappella piece performed by ten Bay Area singers, including Linda Tillery, Rhiannon, Raz Kennedy, and Nicolas Bearde, and was inspired by her former Mills instructors Pandit Pran Nath and Terry Riley. On the disc's opener, "Improvised Raga," Holm sings non-word syllables in the Kirana tradition of North Indian raga derived from Pran Nath, one of her major mentors.

"Instead of waking from a dream, I feel like a dream has awakened me!" says Holm. "I've had such wonderful opportunities throughout my performance career -- working with, and learning from, diverse and highly-acclaimed artists who know how to push the envelope. And now, to finally bring together my own musical ideas into a single recording, I have to say it does my soul good."

Besides members of Holm's own band -- pianist (and CD producer/arranger) Frank Martin, bassist Jeff Chambers, drummer Deszon Claiborne, and trombonist Wayne Wallace -- the participants include drummer Famoudou Don Moye, soprano and tenor saxophonist Larry Schneider, vocal percussionist Antonia Minnecola, pianist Bill Bell, bassist Mark van Wageningen, percussionist David Frazier, the late drummers Paul van Wageningen and Eddie Marshall, and some of the key singers who, like Molly, sang in the original Voicestra. All, with the exception of Art Ensemble of Chicago member Moye, are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Born in Salem, Oregon in 1954, Molly Holm grew up hearing Mingus, Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan around the house and impromptu singing with her jazz-fan mother and four siblings. Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro were important early vocal influences. "In high school," Holm recalls, "I learned to sing by listening to them. I didn't take voice lessons till I was 23."

Holm moved to the Bay Area at 18 to study at Mills, but followed a circuitous path of singing and study elsewhere before returning to complete her bachelor's degree in 1979 and a master's in composition in 1982. Her classes at Mills with Pandit Pran Nath, Terry Riley, and W.A. Mathieu had a lasting impact on her own music.

"One of the most important things I learned from Terry is that he's not afraid to just try anything," says Holm. "He doesn't seem to have any self-consciousness if he makes a mistake. I try to emulate that freedom, that lack of worry about making mistakes."

Bobby McFerrin first encountered Holm when she was directing a 14-member choir called Jazzmouth. He tapped her to run the yearlong auditions for an a cappella vocal ensemble he was putting together, and in 1986 she was one of ten singers handpicked to join him in that innovative new vocal orchestra, Voicestra.
"Bobby came up with the idea to use a group of singers by leading the improvising himself," she says. "He'd do the improvising and give the singers a repetitive part-circle singing or what we used to call 'add a part, change a part.' It was a huge thing to learn from him."

Holm subsequently used these lessons in various singing groups she's led, including her new women's group, Molly Holm and The Impermanent Ensemble; in classes she's taught at Folsom Prison, the California Medical Facility in Vacaville; and for the past 14 years as an adjunct faculty member at Mills.

In addition to her work with ensemble singing, Holm has self-produced concerts as a solo vocalist with rhythm-section support in years past, one of which led writer Fred Setterberg to describe her voice as "a fluid, birdsong alto, winding and lilting, with barely a hint of vibrato; a voice like the woody middle register of a clarinet." Her new CD gives her, well, permission to explore more deeply this aspect of her music.

Molly Holm will be performing a CD release show with her band (Frank Martin, Jeff Chambers, Deszon Claiborne, Wayne Wallace, Melecio Magdaluyo, Antonia Minnecola) on Sunday 4/21 at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley.

www.mollyholm.com

NEW RELEASES - AZYMUTH, RAF VILAR, SEXY FI

AZYMUTH - LIGHT AS A FEATHER

Full length remixed and remastered version of this classic LP featuring 'Jazz Carnival' now available with bonus tracks, new mixes and remixes by Theo Parrish, Ashley Beedle, Mark E and more. In 1979 the band’s first Milestone Records release, ‘Light As A Feather’ quickly became one of the best-selling LPs of the year. Featuring the worldwide disco/fusion hit single ‘Jazz Carnival’ and going on to sell more than half a million copies internationally, the album stayed in the UK Top 20 for eight straight weeks. An incredibly well thought out album both in pace, song selection and musicality, ‘Light As A Feather’ marked a maturing of the band as they began to rightfully utilise the studio as an instrument itself, embracing numerous mixing and recording techniques not yet common for the time as well as pioneering the use of the Big Muff and Dolby System to great effect. The end result is an album that endures to this day as a samba/jazz-funk masterpiece. Sadly with this re-release album well into production at the untimely recent passing of Jose Roberto Bertrami, ‘Light as a feather’ stands as a solemn reminder of our dearly departed friend and the effortless musical genius of Azymuth in their ascendancy

RAF VILAR - STUDIES IN BOSSA

Raf Vilar's Studies In Bossa deluxe digital edition (digital release) will be out on January 28 with extra tracks live at Maida Vale Studios for the BBC. “Fabulous new album...very beautiful...his debut album is classic bossa brushed with modern electronica flourishes. I absolutely love it.“ Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2; “Proof of a precocious talent enough to reach well beyond (a) niche market“  Songlines; “Carries bossa nova masterfully...reminiscent of a young Caetano Veloso“ Jungle Drums; “Stunning…gorgeous…so beautiful” Lucy Duran (BBC Radio 3); “This young Brazilian’s debut album avoids all the sun-kissed clichés with effortless aplomb. The production and arrangements are delightful. It’s as if we are hearing the very soul of these sometimes bouncily euphoric songs. The best bossa nova album I’ve heard in a while.” Howard Male (Independent/Arts Desk/Propaganda).

SEXY FI - NUNCA TE VI DI BOA

Alongside Brazil’s musical traditions exists a vibrant and contemporary musical landscape personified by the sultry yet captivating sound of Sexy Fi. Equal parts indie rock, blues pop and Brazilian soul, ‘Nunca Te Vi De Boa’ mirrors Brazil’s burgeoning role on the world stage. A metropolitan soundtrack to global living. From the sweet yet melancholic album’s opener ‘Bermas’ to the soaring horn-infused swankiness of ‘Loro Con Loro’ this album glides between moments of discordant angst reminiscent of Sonic youth and haunting muses of vocal-led pop sensibilities echoing Portishead. Including the stand out track “Keep Cooler” together with a remix by the very talented Born Ruffians (Warp Records), this body of work is a remarkable sophomoric effort defining the indie movement of Latin America. "Unlike anything on the Brazilian scene today" - MTV IGGY

~ faroutrecordings.com

COLIN STETSON / MATS GUSTAFFSON - STONES

Recorded live at the Vancouver Jazz Festival in 2011, Stones is the debut collaboration between groundbreaking saxophonists Mats Gustafsson and Colin Stetson. Both men are well documented as soloists and collaborators. For Gustafsson (tenor and baritone horns here) the list includes his own bands the Thing and Fire!, as well as Sonic Youth, Boredoms, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, and Peter Brötzmann. Stetson (alto and bass saxes), a member of Arcade Fire's touring ensemble, has played with everyone from David Byrne and Laurie Anderson to Tom Waits, Feist, and LCD Soundsystem.

Comprised of four on-the-spot improvisations, these titles were inspired by the late poet Gunnar Ekelöf (the father of modern Swedish poetry). This is not a skronkfest in which two saxophonists go head on. Instead, these improvisations express a deep, wide-ranging communication that employs rhythm, dissonance, an unconventional yet clearly present lyricism, tonal and harmonic explorations, and various mechanical techniques. The technical prowess on display is considerable, but it is secondary to Gustafsson and Stetson making music together.

While the album begins slowly and purposefully, finding tonal commonalities in lower-end expression, it moves far and wide. A language is discovered very early, and what these two carve out in "Stones That Rest Heavily" and establish in "Stones That Can Only Be," are codes of speech: utterances, dynamics, spaces, exclamations, and textures. They are the building blocks of a mysterious, even beguiling conversation. But that speech is not limited; they don't stay in one place long enough to be weighted by their discoveries; they push at them until they give; going underneath them into their core, which in turn becomes the articulation of music's own multifaceted expressive poetics.

Though immediately drawn in by the proceedings, by the time we encounter "Stones That Need Not," and closer "Stones That Only Have," even the human voice is utilized in a string of fluid inventions and exchanges that are startling in their complexity, intuition, and emotion. The listener is not excluded from this conversation. Instead, it is extended to her via the duo's adherence to close listening and the economy of their individual and collective expressions. With Stones, Gustafsson and Stetson have encountered not only one another in a magical way, but they communicate the power of beauty itself. ~ Thom Jurek

JOSHUA KWASSMAN - SONGS OF THE BROTHER SPIRIT

The journey from adolescence to adulthood can be a harrowing one. For composer and saxophonist Joshua Kwassman, that was true in a very literal sense, as a three-day bike trip, in August 2010, with an idolized childhood friend collapsed into chaos and shattered his youthful illusions. While that trek itself found Kwassman growing up in a hurry, his musical recounting of the experience marks the debut of a remarkably mature young composer. Songs of the Brother Spirit, which will be released March 12 on Truth Revolution Records, spins the tale of that friendship into a moving, richly-hued collection of music influenced by composers from Ravel and Rachmaninoff to Maria Schneider and Vince Mendoza.

The disc climaxes in the three-part suite "The Nowhere Trail," which follows Kwassman and his friend Justin through that ill-fated bike trip. "I learned to be an adult through that experience," Kwassman says of the journey. "The essence of this album is about going through our relationship and how that has translated to my life."

Kwassman conveys this autobiographical account through lush, modernist arrangements that suggest an ensemble much larger and more varied than its six pieces. The group assembled for the project includes the composer himself on a variety of woodwinds, the ground-breaking guitarist Gilad Hekselman; guitarist Jeff Miles on "The Nowhere Trail Part I"; and the wordless vocals of Arielle Feinman, a classmate at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

"She has this insane bel canto operatic training and an almost unlimited range," Kwassman says of Feinman. "There's a lot of depth in the kind of textures she can create with her voice. I think vocals bring a human quality to the music that no other instrument can."

Feinman's voice combines with Kwassman's melodica to create the intoxicating melody of the opening track, "Our Land," which examines the composer's friendship with Justin at a more idyllic time. The piece is driven by the pulsing piano of Adam Kromelow (who shares keyboard duties on the album with Angelo Di Loreto) and the shimmering guitar tones of Hekselman.

The piece is set at a time when Kwassman still looked up to his friend, when the two bonded over listening to jazz records for hours at a time. "We grew up together through music, listening to Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter and Coltrane," Kwassman recalls. "I bonded to him deeply through this music. So when I was writing the first piece on the album I was excited about sharing with him, thinking we'd be able to bond over something I had created in the same way we had with Miles."

Those early listening experiences decided Kwassman on a path to jazz composition. He studied at NYU, where he earned his Masters in the jazz program. He has since received two ASCAP Young Jazz Composer awards and performed with artists like Badal Roy, Ingrid Jensen, Mark Turner, and Geoffrey Keezer. But his main focus is on his own music, which reflects a wide range of influences from the innovative big band work of Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue to forward-thinking composers like Pat Metheny and Brian Blade. Songs of the Brother Spirit evidences a gift for vivid communication and transporting emotional colors. As Kwassman succinctly says, "My goal is always to tell a story."

Kwassman's story began in Newington, Connecticut, a small suburban town outside of Hartford. He revisits that quiet childhood on "We Were Kids," which begins on a note of wistful nostalgia before an extended Hekselman solo carries it into a more intense space as the responsibilities of adulthood begin to interfere, before resolving back into the same tenderness.

Another key aspect of growing up is the loss of a loved one, an experience encapsulated on "In Light There Is Song." The piece is dedicated to George Stevens, a teacher of Kwassman's in high school who became a mentor and hero and who succumbed to leukemia during the composer's freshman year in college. "I'm not very religious," Kwassman says, "but this piece represents his soul moving from the earth and the imprint his memory has left on my mind." Bassist Craig Akin and drummer Rodrigo Recabarren buoy the fragile, weightless atmosphere of the piece.

"2/22" showcases the flip side of death, named for the birthdate of Kwassman's niece, his first experience with a new life born into his small family. The piece captures the delicate reverence that greets a newborn baby. It's followed by "Meditation," a rumination on mortality inspired by Kwassman's realization, which struck him during a family vacation, that he would one day lose his parents.

"I remember sitting on the beach, looking at the water, and thinking about the fact that my parents won't be there one day," he recalls. "That hit me so hard; I really grappled with the idea. 'Meditation' takes you through that thought process, the surprise and the anticipation of sadness and the weirdness that you feel imaging life without your parents."

The album closes with the aforementioned "The Nowhere Trail," each of its three pieces corresponding to a day on his disastrous bike trek with Justin. The suite illustrates the chaotic, poorly planned sojourn like the soundtrack to an imaginary film of the events. It depicts their uncertainty and exhaustion, the unraveling of their friendship and the eventual relief of coming home. In the end, it becomes cathartic as the experience was in life, renewing their friendship on a more even ground.

"It ultimately was a positive thing," Kwassman says, "because I could look at Justin on equal footing as opposed to someone I looked up to. I think it was really important for me to grow up and see the world through my own eyes as opposed to looking at it through somebody else's."

Songs of the Brother Spirit is the product of that experience, the document of an assured composer confidently allowing listeners to view the world through his own unique perspective.

Songs of the Brother Spirit Personnel & Track Listing:
Joshua Kwassman / Alto and Soprano Saxophone,
Clarinet, Flute, Melodica, Piano (4)
Arielle Feinman / Voice, Glockenspiel
Gilad Hekselman / Guitar (1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
Jeff Miles / Guitar (6)
Angelo Di Loreto / Piano (5, 6, 7, 8)
Adam Kromelow / Piano (1, 2, 3)
Craig Akin / Bass
Rodrigo Recabarren / Drums, Percussion

1. Our Land - 9:34
2. We Were Kids - 6:31
3. In Light There Is Song - 12:26
4. Interlude - 5:15
5. Meditation - 4:49
6. The Nowhere Trail Part I - 11:50
7. The Nowhere Trail Part II - 6:37
8. The Nowhere Trail Part III - 8:54

Upcoming U.S. Performances
March 16 / Buttonwood Tree / Middletown, CT
March 23 / Vermont Jazz Center / Brattleboro, VT
March 26 / Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 / New York, NY
June 11 / Catalina's Jazz Club / Hollywood, CA
June 12 / Dizzy's / San Diego, CA

www.JoshuaKwassman.com

DIEGO GARCIA - LAURA

Born in Detroit to Argentine parents, Diego Garcia traces his diverse roots on his debut solo album, Laura. Garcia was inspired by the loss of love and the classic troubadour movement. “Artists like Sandro, Roberto Carlos and Julio Iglesias were early pioneers in a movement of romanticism in music. It only made sense for me to pick up where they left off,” he says.

It is the fusion of these Latin influences with the era’s “Anglo” visionaries, artists like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Bryan Ferry that makes this project truly special. With lush string arrangements, delicate Spanish guitars, and distinctly Latin flavor, the new album is worlds apart from Garcia’s former band Elefant, a post-punk rock band that entered the music scene alongside The Strokes and Interpol. What remains a constant in Garcia’s new work is the romantic within and the distinctly modern sound.

“For the last four years, I’ve been following my instincts in search for a new sound. A sound that could properly deliver my message on love, or I should say, the ‘malady of love.’ Minor keys, cello, nylon classical guitars, light drums, and wooden tambourines helped create a vibe for me to whisper the words in her ear,” Garcia explains. “So with each new song came a little healing until I eventually started feeling ‘better.’ The irony is that as soon as I accepted closure, my heart opened up and the sound was born. I was ready to love again.”

Garcia’s first single, “You Were Never There,” paved a foundation for the new project. RCRD LBL pledged its support early on saying, “With a flickering, old school touch, Diego Garcia’s croon is one for the bedroom. ‘You Were Never There’ is today’s aural aphrodisiac— a gentle flush of guitars and strings, yelping hooks, and love-worn lyrics.” PAPER Magazine raved, “I can't stop listening to it… The tune has lush string arrangements, guitars and vocal intonation. It's romantic and blissful.”

Six months later, the release of Garcia’s new album, Laura, neared and Los Angeles’ tastemaker radio show KCRW “Morning Becomes Eclectic” immediately jumped on board with heavy rotation. A week before release, NPR and KCRW premiered the full album with dual glowing reviews. KCRW DJ Anne Litt, one of the first to spin Garcia’s new songs, described the album as “A wonderful amalgamation of Diego’s Argentine heritage, 70’s AM pop radio, and the dusty sounds of dreams.”

Starbucks spotlighted “You Were Never There” with a “Pick Of The Week” download card spread throughout its stores in the first month of release. Billboard Magazine praised Garcia for his “melodic pop sensibility” and “stellar solo debut.” Philadelphia’s WXPN raved, “Laura is a warm, lush and beautiful collection of baroque/chamber inspired classic singer-songwriter material.”

My Old Kentucky Blog described Laura as “stunning… the best record you never dreamed you’d hear in 2011. Dark, urgent and cinematic.” The new album quickly shot up the charts, breaking into the iTunes Alternative Top 15 albums, alongside new releases from artists like The Strokes and Death Cab For Cutie.

JENI FLEMING - COME TO LIFE

After six successful albums Jeni says Come To Life is the most accurate representation of myself as a musician and as a person. It's as if the first 6 [albums] were just practice." Come To Life was met by much acclaim, its biggest coup being that it defies easy classification, while somehow avoiding to seem haphazard, no small feat. From originals, to re-arranged jazz standards, to The Beatles, Dobie Gray, Jobim, Willie Nelson, this album could easily feel disjoined if it weren't delivered by the same honest and powerful voice. It's as if  Jeni has become simply another instrument in the band; able to to adjust tone, volume, emotion, and sincerity with the touch of a button, solely to serve each song.

Her signature ballads drip with so much emotion that an audience member suggested adding Kleenex boxes on each chair in her Tech Rider. This is no more apparent than in her rendition of Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground." And yet to categorize her simply as a balladeer or troubadour is missing the mark. Make no mistake, this girl can make you giggle, ponder, and cry all in one song. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was arranged to help better marry the lyric content to the music, and the result is simply tragic in a confessional way. Rearranging an anthem like "Drift Away" is a bold move at the very least, and yet Jeni offers another way to think and feel about this song. And lest we suggest that Jeni takes herself too seriously, "Chega de Saudade" is simply, fun. Jeni is currently touring in promotion of Come To Life. With every performance the songs and stories of Jeni Fleming are winning the hearts of audiences from coast to coast. Catch her soon, and often. "JENI's appeal transcends generations and genres! Fleming offers a range and depth capable of raising goose bumps on an August night." ~ The Tributary Magazine 

NEW RELEASES - KEVIN HAYDEN TRIO, BOOKER T, ARETHA FRANKLIN

KEVIN HAYDEN TRIO - ILLEGAL PLAYLIST

Milwaukee-based Kevin Hayden Trio will return in April with their third studio album and the follow-up to 2012’s Paris, entitled Illegal Playlist. The new album will be co-produced by Chicago's nationally recognized jazz pianist, Greg Spero (Buddy Rich Big Band) who recently appeared in London with drumming legend Dave Weckl. Lead by drummer Kevin Hayden, the trio features Terry Harris Jr. on piano and younger brother Alan Harris on bass. They come together once again to give listeners a jazz rooted, genre crossing album that boasts a special guest appearance by hip-hop artist Klassik. Klassik recently performed with the Kevin Hayden Trio in a collaborative show headlined by grammy nominated pianist, Robert Glasper of the Robert Glasper Experiment.

BOOKER T - EVERGREEN

A surprisingly great album by Booker T – recorded after his Memphis years with The MGs, and his duets with Priscilla – and done in a sweetly mellow style that has Booker emerging as a whole new style of songwriter! As with all the post-MG albums, Booker sings lead vocals on all tracks – in a gently, almost folksy mode that fits beautifully with the compressed production of the set. There's almost a Terry Callier-ish quality to a few of the cuts, and on others, Booker's hitting a cool LA style that's kind of a west coast take on the Memphis vibe – but with a few more rock-based touches. Book plays a bit of organ and some keyboards on the set, and titles include "Jamaica Song", "Mama Stewart", "Flamingo", "Tennessee Voodoo", "Lie To Me", and "Evergreen". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – "Life Is Funky", "Take Me To The River", "A Whiter Shade Of Pale", "Higher & Higher", "Love Is Strange", and "Evergreen (single version)". ~ Dusty Groove

ARETHA FRANKLIN -IN THE BEGINNING: THE WORLD OF ARETHA FRANKLIN 1960 - 1967

A sweet overview of the early years of Aretha Franklin's career – her formative days at Columbia Records, when she was working in a variety of styles before heading over to bigger fame at Atlantic! Even at this early stage, Aretha's one hell of a singer – and, despite what folks who listen to Jerry Wexler might say, this early Columbia work is pretty darn amazing throughout – steeped in a number of different modes, with bits of jazz, R&B, and early soul sewn together beautifully throughout. The double-length set is filled with key early moments from Aretha – and titles include "Don't Cry Baby", "Lee Cross", "Skylark", "One Step Ahead", "Evil Gal Blues", "Take A Look", "Runnin Out Of Fools", "People", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "Take It Like You Give It". ~ Dusty Groove

ARNOLD JARVIS - JUST SAY IT

Trippin Records Presents a brand new album from one of the legendary voices of House: Arnold Jarvis produced by Timmy Regisford.

Throughout his career, Arnold has been nothing but consistent – consistent when it comes to releasing quality music. His is a brilliant career that began at the prime of his youth. While only a teenager his voice & talent landed him front and centre of a local Baltimore Gospel Choir for whom he was a prodigious soloist. In 1984, modest academic pursuits led him to NYC, however his talent and love of music did not lie dormant for long. He was drawn to music industry circles and was quickly embraced by them. He began to write, perform & record, and among the more noticeable gems from his early period in his career are collaborations with Frankie Knuckles on And I Loved You (a song written by Robert Owens & Satoshi Tomiie), Color of My Skin with Swing 52, Inspiration produced Kerri Chandler and his debut single Take Some Time Out produced by Tommy Musto & Yvonne Turner which enjoyed huge success.

The 21st century has seen increased impetus & creative output from Arnold, with a plethora of releases from in conjunction with artists such as MAW, Jazz n Groove, Eric Kupper, The Basement Boys, Louie Vega & Benji Candelario to name a few.

Aimed squarely at the dance floor, Arnold’s third full-length album Just Say It is a collection of new material that should grace every DJs collection, with NYC’s Shelter Maestro Timmy Regisford on production. ~ LoungeMotion.com

DEE C'RELL - THE BIRTH OF CONTEMPORARY ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC JAZZ

Due to Dee C’rell’s musical compositions and academic writing, the conceptualization and terminology of Contemporary Electro – Acoustic Jazz, as an alteration to the methodology and compositional techniques of Electronic jazz and improvisation, is directly accredited to Dee C’rell. He first wrote part one of the treatises of The Birth of Contemporary Electro – Acoustic Jazz whilst studying with Professor Dennis Smalley, Professor Alexander Lingus, Professor Steve Stanton, Doctor Newton Armstrong, Doctor Miguel Mera, Doctor Katherine Norman, Professor Melania Bucciarelli and Professor Aki Pasoulas at City University in London.

The subsequent recordings of The Birth of Contemporary Electro – Acoustic Jazz, Form 1 and Form 2 (along with the further inclusion of Hymn from Journeyman), are the first recorded compositions of Dee C’rell’s pursuit of this new music making practice and academic ideology. The soundscapes and musical structures of these compositions encourage the listener to re-focus and perhaps more importantly question, just what it is that we sonically examine within the structure of sound within compositions or popular song? These musical works further embrace what Dee considers as a combination of both “technological sound compositions and improvisation,” and here he suggests new ideologies within electronic jazz and its subsequent performance techniques. Dee encourages us as (the listener), to perhaps renegotiate our traditional listening experiences and further our perceptions of composition and improvisation. Here the compositional techniques of The Birth of Contemporary Electro – Acoustic Jazz embrace the traditional music making practices of the past whilst thoroughly widening the compositional pallet of such possibilities within our future.

Included alongside Dee C’rell in these recordings are: Norwegian child prodigy and Jazz Trumpeter, Audun Waage. Richelle Claiborne, who is considered as one of the most outstanding poets of her generation from America, and the improvisational vocal techniques of Jon Martin from the United Kingdom; known for his work as Pizzaman with Norman Cook and as a photographer living in New York.

The Birth of Contemporary Electro – Acoustic Jazz is one of the most distinctive compositions within Jazz and electronics, as Dee C’rell explains, “Some say it is perhaps a glimpse of tomorrows art music today? I cannot say either way, but I hope people will embrace the possibilities of further advancements.

www.deecrell.com

CHARLIE WINSTON - RUNNING STILL

“My sole objective on the album was to be able to engage people’s feet first and slowly rise to the mind,” he says. “So by the time they get absorbed in the lyrics, they’re fully engaged but realize there’s something more going on.”

Opener ‘Hello Alone’ makes for an inviting call, a shared solitude, if you will, that’s at the root of the art experience. But the next song, ‘Speak to Me’, makes it clear that no one should limit Winston in terms of expectations, the all-vocal beat-boxed tour de force showing one of his many facets, with more to come. The snappy ‘Happiness’ offers soulful yearning, ‘She Went Quietly’ is a searching piano ballad (inspired by a heart-wrenching tale of separation involving his great aunt and, to lesser though crucial extent, the movie Million Dollar Baby). ‘Until You’re Satisfied’ is ‘80s-referencing pop-funk celebrating Winston’s Prince fandom. ‘Lift Me Gently’ is a stand out track for Peter Gabriel – “An amazing song, and possibly the best Charlie has ever written….”. ‘Wild Ones’ is charging blues-rock, ‘Rockin’ in the Suburbs’ is all vibrant energy … and that’s just part of the picture. Not a surprise given that Winston also, with natural ease, refers to such diverse inspirations as Nick Cave, Steve Reich and Jacques Brel (and T.S. Eliot, Wim Wenders and Ingmar Bergman, for that matter) in discussing the album.

“It’s near impossible for me to write in one style only,” says singer/songwriter Charlie Winston. “And today in my generation of songwriting, there’s a bit of a lack for me. People have forgotten the power of song, since the technology swept through, and how it carries. Coming from parents who are songwriters, that’s my No. 1 thing, really.”

~ Giantstep.net

LONELY & BLUE: THE DEEPEST SOUL OF OTIS REDDING COLLECTS SOUL LEGEND’S POIGNANT BALLADS

Packaging evokes the look and feel of a late ’60s Stax/Volt album that Redding might have released at the height of his career.

Otis Redding’s Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding could pass for a title Stax/Volt might have released in the late ’60s. The look of the album reflects Stax’s design themes of the era. But in fact it’s a collection that never existed, until now, that homes in on one mood and one theme —heartbreaking, yearning ballads — of which Redding had many. The album will be released March 5, 2013 on Stax Records through Concord Music Group.

Lonely &; Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding contains the hits (“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” “These Arms of Mine,” “My Lover’s Prayer,” “Free Me”) alongside many lesser-known songs (“Gone Again,” “Open the Door,” “Waste of Time,” “Everybody Makes a Mistake,” to name a few). They’re all included in this compilation because they share the tangled theme of sorrow.

According to compilation producer David Gorman, “Given how nobody delivered a gut-wrenching sad song like Otis, I always felt he should have made an album you could put on late at night and settle into with a glass of something strong. The mood and the subject of every song is the same — Otis, heartbroken, and begging for love. I tried to find the saddest most potently heartbreaking songs he ever sang, with no regard for chart position or notoriety. There are a few hits on the album, but they’re there because they fit the mood, not because we wanted to include the hits.”

For instance, an alternate version of “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” features lyrics that are darker and tell a more personal story than the better-known hit version. Little-known tracks like “Gone Again” and “A Waste of Time” are given the same weight as “I’ve Been Loving You too Long.” The motif of love is even subtly addressed in the sequencing, the album closing with “Send Me Some Lovin’” and “My Lover’s Prayer.”

The concept of Lonely & Blue: The Deepest Soul of Otis Redding plays out in the packaging as well, which was intentionally designed by Gorman to look as if Redding actually did put this album out at the height of his career. The typography, color palette, and layout are all meant to adhere to the Stax/Volt LP designs of the time. This extends to the liner notes, which are written in the present tense and credited to a fictitious DJ so that they read as if they were written while Redding was alive at his peak.

“The goal,” explains Gorman, “was to create the best album Otis never made and ‘reissue’ it in 2013 rather than do another hits compilation. We hope this album will reframe him as something more than an oldies radio staple and become his Night Beat (a classic 1963 Sam Cooke LP) — the album that exists as a starting point for people wondering why so many consider Otis Redding the greatest soul singer of all time.”

Track Listing:
1. I Love You More Than Words Can Say
2. Gone Again
3. Free Me
4. Open the Door (Skeleton Key Version)
5. A Waste of Time
6. These Arms of Mine
7. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)
8. Everybody Makes a Mistake
9. Little Ol’ Me
10. I’ve Got Dreams to Remember (Rougher Dreams)
11. Send Me Some Lovin’
12. My Lover’s Prayer

NEW RELEASES - STEVE LACY, OTIS CLAY, LOL COXHILL

STEVE LACY - HOOKY: SOLO IN MONTREAL 1976

Nobody's playing hooky here – as Steve Lacy's very strongly in attendance, and turning out some wonderful solo work throughout! This sparkling 70s performance was captured live in a cathedral in Montreal – a wonderfully echoey space that only seems to open up Lacy's sound even more – allowing for fluid lines from the soprano sax that bounce out and around the large open space – not really folding back on themselves, but creating a depth that seems to give the record even more soul than other Lacy experiments of this type! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Crops", "The New Duck", and "No Baby". And the CD adds in loads of bonus tracks added to the original Quark LP – 9 more numbers, making for one heck of a long album! ~ Dusty Groove

OTIS CLAY - TRUTH IS

Otis Clay, still going strong – stepping out here on a sweet new recording from the Chicago scene – done with that warm mix of modern modes and deep soul roots we really love from his work of the late 70s! Clay's vocals have, if anything, only gotten better with age – really able to find the right notes and inflections to make the music sparkle – even more so than some of Otis records from back in the day! Instrumentation is relatively laidback – done in a mode that's a bit like some of the Jackson or Memphis styles at the start of the 80s, but without any of the bluesy inflections that might get in the way of the sort of solid soul performance that Clay delivers here. The legendary Tom Tom 84 handled many of the arrangements on the set – and although most of the material is new, Otis also tweaked a few older favorites for the set – to make for a nice long album, too. Titles include "Love's After Me", "All That's Missing Is You", "Walk A Mile In My Shoes", "Even Now", "I Thought You Knew", "Truth Is", "I Know I'm Over You", "Even When I Win", "I Keep Trying", "Steal Away To The Hideaway", and "The Only Way Is Up". ~ Dusty Groove

LOL COXHILL - SPRECTRAL SOPRANO

A really rich document of the charms and talents of reedman Lol Coxhill – a set that features music from a wide range of scenes and settings in Lol's long career – including bits of hardbop from the 50s, R&B from the 60s, and a wide range of great performances from later years too! Coxhill's a hell of a player who always seems to shine, no matter what the setting – and this package is almost like a combination of the sharp edges of the Emanem recordings, the moodier feel of the Virgin albums and some of Lol's rockish work, and the charming whimsy of the Nato years too – all topped off with a few historic elements that only add to the color and tone of the package – especially given that the tunes aren't always presented in chronological order. We're under the impression that most music is exclusive to this set – and tracks include "Bad Boy", "Autumn In New York", "Vermillion Sands", "Three Go To Letchworth", "Out Of Nowhere", "Uptown Top Ranking", "Magic Buffalo", "A Brief Introduction To Sax", "Murder In The Air", and "Resonance". ~ Dusty Groove

MONDAY MICHIRU - DON'T DISTURB THIS GROOVE

Monday Michiru stands as one of Japan’s finest soul and R&B singers of the 1990s and whose cosmopolitan sensibility and mixed nationality have made her stand out among her contemporaries. Regarded as one of the pioneers of Japanese club music, she was born in 1963 in Tokyo to pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and alto sax jazzman Charlie Mariano but raised in the United States.

Michiru originally kept her father’s last name, then briefly adopted Michiru Akiyoshi as a screen name in the mid-’80s, but settled on her current name at the time of her debut album (Michiru is her middle name). Originally, she was an actress and first came to the public’s attention when she was awarded a prize at 1987′s Yokohama film festival for her performance in Hikaru Onna.

But, come 1991, her attention had gone to composing music and performing, appearing in small Tokyo jazz clubs and releasing her first album Mangetsu. While it didn’t sell millions, it did bring her to the attention of Tokyo’s burgeoning dance and acid jazz scene and soon she was appearing on records by Mondo Grosso, DJ Krush, Kyoto Jazz Massive, and United Future Organization, and easily slotted into the model of the soul chanteuse, such as Jhelisa or Cassandra Wilson.

Signed to Kitty Records, she released an album a year, including 1994′s Maiden Japan and 1995′s Jazz Brat, a maturation of her sound. Songs were still funky, but Michiru dabbled in hip-hop, rap, jazz ballads, Latin, and rock. Her lyrics are often probing examinations of culture in Japan, especially as it pertains to women. In 1997, she left Kitty for the larger label Polydor and also turned to composing and producing for other acts, including Yoko Oginome and UA, and occasionally appeared on the club circuit as a DJ. Her album Double Image is considered by many to be her finest works. In 1999, she ditched the heavy production for a stripped-down acoustic sound on Optimista. In 2001, she went on hiatus to start a family. ~ SmoothMotion.com

Her latest release, Don't Distrub This Groove includes 10 tracks:
01. Ooh La La La
02. I Can’t Help It
03. Um Amigo
04. Best of My Love
05. You Are the Universe
06. Dreams Of Tomorrow
07. Don’t Disturb This Groove
08. As
09. I Know You, I Live You
10. No Woman No Cry

GIANNI VANCINI - SOULS UNITED

Gianni Vancini studied saxophone under the instruction of Angelo Gabrielli and graduated with highest honors at the "Vecchi-Tonelli" Master Institute of Musical Studies in Carpi (MO) – Italy. In 1996 he enrolled in a stage and workshop offered by the New World School of the Arts in Miami and played in concerts presented by them at the Lincoln Theater in Miami as well. In the following years, he refined his studies in jazz music participating in courses offered by world famous musicians such as Eric Marienthal, Bob Franceschini and Achille Succi.

In the working field he has had numerous duet experiences with pianists Carlo Guaitoli and Paolo Andreoli performing in prestigious Italian theaters such as the Regio Theater of Parma, The Valli in Reggio Emilia and the Ventidio Basso in Ascoli Piceno. Among the classic composers of the saxophone literature he has studied the music of Ibert, Debussy, Bonneau, Vellones, Singelee, Piazzolla and Gershwin.

In the light music field, thanks to his collaborations with various artists, he has been featured in many television shows such as Pavarotti International, the Festival di San Remo, Roxy Bar, Video Italia, Domenica In, Uno di Noi, Un Disco per L'Estate, Saint Vincent, Scalo 76 and Domenica 5.

He has worked with musicial talents such as Antonella Ruggiero, Spagna, Fausto Leali, Enrico Ruggeri, Amedeo Minghi, Iva Zanicchi, Gianni Morandi, Lucio Dalla, Ron, Stadio, Barbara Cola, Katia Ricciarelli, Ami Stewart, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and Carl Anderson.

From 1997 he has been continuiously collaborating with singer/songwriter Andrea Mingardi and since 2002 with Umberto Tozzi. Together they have played on some of the most prestigious stages like the Ariston Theater (Sanremo 2005), the Olimpya in Paris, La Quinta Vergara (Vina del Mar-Chile), La Fenice Theater in Venice, Teatro Sistina, Il Gran Teatro and the Auditorium in Rome as well as in more than 10 countries worldwide.

His first album is entitled Souls United and it is co-produced with Thomas Bank and recorded in Amsterdam. Many artists participated in the album and a special mention goes especially to Eric Marienthal, Umberto Tozzi and Andrea Mingardi. He is entitled to teach Master Class at national and international level.

FOUR80EAST - OFF DUTY

Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace, the pulse of Four80East, have massaged and presented their brand of contemporary jazz in so many salient ways, attracting not only countless admirers as fans but colleagues in the business who are heavyweights in their own right. Theirs is truly one of the household names in this biz. Now, the Canadians are back again with a gem called Off Duty which again toys with the many moods and sounds of the genre as seen through their eyes and felt through their souls.

Charging out with a funky, upbeat lead track called “The Walker” that’s on fire with serious groove, these veterans of the jazz vibe with an edge escort us through some very solid material here, regularly changing musical landscapes along the way (for example, witness, in addition to the lead track, the cool interplay between guitar and keys on the slick mid-tempo “Cashed Out” followed by “In the Hidden Garden” which thrusts a beautiful combination of keys, trumpet, and flute into the forefront).

Four80East has been tantalizing and satisfying our taste for “outside the box” jazz for about 15 years now. It’s probably quite easy to classify their style as being that of acid jazz–and you’d probably be more accurate than not—but who cares? Whatever it is they bring to the table, it usually works. Using every means at their disposal to arrive at the unique sound and quality that is their signature has truly served them well, and this album is no different.

On this album, the potpourri of styles is as you would expect from this band. For example, there’s the world-flavored, not-to-be-pigeonholed “Nothing is Written,” as well such gems as your typical favorite in smooth jazz found on the laid back and melodic track “With You,” the mellow, trumpet-driven and electronically-enhanced “Picking Up The Threads,” and the even more electronica-themed, reggae-influenced “Vaporized.”

Whatever mojo Four80East tapped into long ago has remained with them to date. When you work with a formula that has been as accepted as theirs, the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage works just fine. ~ Ronald Jackson

Track Listings
1. The Walker (4:59)
2. Sandbar (5:46)
3. Cashed Out (6:08)
4. In The Hidden Garden (5:45)
5. Nothing Is Written (6:37)
6. Spun (5:41)
7. With You (4:22)
8. Picking Up The Threads (5:59)
9. Vaporized (4:28)
10. Gare Du Nord (6:20)

PAUL WHITLEY - VERSATILITY

Versatility is more than just the title of his album. An extremely versatile musician, Paul Whitley is fluent in many different styles of music. Ranging from the sounds of Gospel, Neo Soul, R&, Soft Rock, Contemporary music, to the groove of Jazz. Paul’s humble beginnings started at the age of 8 when he started playing drums. By the time he hit 16 he was playing piano after his father prayed for his hands.

He has performed with a diverse range of artists such as Marvin Sapp, John P. Kee, Byron Cage, Donnie McClurklin, Dorina Clarke-Cole, Maurette Brown-Clark, Jonathan Butler, Wes Morgan, and William Becton, Jazz artist- Steve Cole, Joey Sommerville, Elan Trotman, Lin Roundtree and Walter Beasley. He has also worked with many choirs, music workshops and numerous of bands along with his appearances on television, magazines and radio stations. The virtuoso’s playing and sound has attracted many to his unique style. Some of his musical arrangements include “Grateful” and “Awesome God” featured on Ricky Dillard & The New Generation Chorale’s Project, as well as Arkansas Mass Choir’s “He’s Done Enough”.

Paul’s current project, Versatility is a collection of 15 original songs. The CD builds on a broad stylistic range musically, from the highly charged, gospel – influenced, jazz and soul with accompanying vocals.

“I’m not interested in fame and glory. I just want to relay the message that music produces a pleasure, an experience that you can’t live without. In many different languages music speaks expressions from the heart that brings comfort, happiness and joy; producing rest that flows from heaven to the soul.”

It’s no surprise his versatility keeps him in demand. In addition to playing the piano and keyboard, he has also accomplished the bass guitar, lead guitar and acoustic guitar. Paul has an amazing drive and creative vision to further develop new sounds and musical cultures into his music. With a dream in his heart and a passion for the love of music, his goal is to run with the gift that God has placed inside of him.

As a music instructor, Paul teaches adults and children the art of music from the basics to the advanced.
As he puts it,” Music and rhythm is a gift from God… it’s a message that carries a sound.” ~ SmoothMotion.com

JAZZ SUPERSTARS RICK BRAUN AND RICHARD ELLIOT TURN UP THE HEAT IN DETROIT THIS VALETINE'S DAY

This will be the first premier jazz concert of the year featuring two legendary contemporary jazz artist and hosted by one of Detroit's own. Valentine’s Day is about love and romance. Trumpeter Rick Braun and sax man Richard Elliot promise to make this Valentine’s Day even hotter. Circle February 14th on your calendar because that is the date the hit men will deliver a cool-jazz treat in what will be the first premiere smooth jazz event of the year.

With 24 solo albums between them and a massive catalog of chart-topping radio hits, the thrilling collaboration between Braun and Elliot has been one of the top shows to ever tour the country. They have toured together for years and have made guest appearances on each other’s records. “We’ve had so much fun playing together live that it was time for us to get together musically,” declared Elliot. “We have different approaches yet they are complementary."

Teaming up with Family Circle Productions, a local production company, the event will be hosted by Detroit’s own jazz saxophonist Deon Yates with special guest, Lansing, MI saxophonist Phil Denny.

On Thursday, February 14, 2013 Yates will be hosting “Valentine’s with R n R,” at 8 p.m., at The Scottish Rite Cathedral inside the Masonic Temple 500 Temple Avenue Detroit, MI 48201. Tickets on sale now at the Masonic Temple box office, all Ticketmaster outlets.

Yates began his career performing for Detroit mayor Coleman A. Young while still a student at Remus Robinson Middle School on Detroit’s eastside. Yates collaborated with chart topping smooth jazz guitarist Nick Colionne, vocalist Maysa Leak (Incognito), and Detroit “Soul Trumpeter” Lin Rountree to complete his debut national album, “Spotlight.” This latest project solidifies his place in the jazz world following in the footsteps of his mentor and Sax Dakota endorsement mate Richard Elliot.

“The purpose of the concert is to show that good things can be found in and still come out of the city,” said Yates. “Not only do we want to bring names to the city, we want to introduce the city to some of the, sometimes unrecognized, talented artist from the region.”

JOSE JAMES - NO BEGINNING, NO END

Singer-songwriter José James' full-length label debut, No Beginning No End, is his very own intoxicating blend of jazz, hip-hop, and R&B. It features the single "It's All Over Your Body." No Beginning No End is a seamless musical experience that moves between different styles with remarkable fluidity, bound together by James' transcendent voice. Gilles Peterson got an early listen to the album and immediately took to Twitter to declare it "a landmark" likening it to "Smokey Robinson for the new generation."

Conceived, recorded and produced independently, the album is James' most personal statement yet and boasts collaborators including noted producer/bassist Pino Palladino; pianist/composer Robert Glasper; R&B singer/songwriter/guitarist Emily King; international French-Moroccan singing star Hindi Zahra; and the 2011 Thelonious Monk Competition winner pianist Kris Bowers.

"No Beginning No End sums up how I feel about music right now," says James. "I don't want to be confined to any particular style. I decided I didn't want to be considered a jazz singer anymore and that was really freeing. Once I realized that jazz singing is just something that I do and it's just a label, it freed me as an artist to just write without any boundaries."

2013 U.S. TOUR DATES
Jan. 23 – Highline Ballroom – New York, NY
Jan. 24 – Howard Theatre – Washington DC
Jan. 26 – Scullers – Boston, MA
Jan. 29 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN
Jan. 30 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Feb. 10-Mar. 6 – Asia & Australia Tour
Mar. 9 – The New Parish – Oakland, CA
Mar. 10 – Brick & Mortar Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
Mar. 12 – The Del Monte Speakeasy – Los Angeles, CA

~ Giantstep.net

NEW RELEASES - NORAH JONES, YOYO HONEY, JESSE WARE,

NORAH JONES - LITTLE BROKEN HEAETS REMIX EP

On January 22nd, nine-time Grammy Award winning singer Norah Jones will unveil a digital EP collecting all seven remixes for her Little Broken Hearts album (produced by Danger Mouse) to date. This DJ promo features the full Little Broken Hearts Remix EP, including four transcendent remixes from TV On The Radio's David Andrew Sitek, and two brand new remixes delivered by José Padilla, celebrated Ibiza chill ambassador and legendary DJ of the island's Café Del Mar. Finally, topping off the collection is Peter Bjorn and John's re-invention of the chilling "Miriam." Jones has also just released Covers via Target, an exclusive compilation of ten rare and unreleased tracks recorded over the first decade of Jones' career. Included are interpretations of songs from some of Norah's favorite artists: from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to Tom Waits, Wilco and Horace Silver.

YOYO HONEY - GROOVE ON

Comprising producer/writer Mani Shoniwa and vocalist Anita Jarrett, Yo Yo Honey only released one album, 1992′s Voodoo Soul, before disbanding and moving on to other projects. The album was a mix of late-’80s/early-’90s dance and classic soul, in a similar vein to Soul II Soul (some of whose members were featured on the album), and became somewhat of a classic on the underground soul scene, with the single “Groove On” still a favorite amongst many 20 years on. The album has long been out of print and has never been available digitally, but thankfully Mani and Anita are set to release a remastered version this October, together with a single remix package, featuring a killer rare groove treat from SoulBounce fave Soulpersona. This is all in preparation for the duo’s upcoming album of new material, scheduled for an early 2013 release. ~ LoungeMotion.com

JESSE WARE - IF YOU'RE NEVER GONNA MOVE

For Jessie Ware singing is the easy part. Uncannily beautiful vocals have been pouring out of this London-born singer and songwriter since she was a kid. Having already made waves in the U.K. with her critically acclaimed debut album, Devotion, Jessie releases her debut U.S. EP, If You’re Never Gonna Move. The EP features Ware’s first U.S. single, “If You’re Never Gonna Move,” plus a remix by Two Inch Punch. Also included are two tracks from the Mercury Prize-nominated album Devotion, and a cover of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love.” Jessie kicks off her U.S. tour in January with a string of eagerly anticipated live shows, several of which have already sold out. Upcoming tour dates include: 1/22 - Los Angeles, CA - Amoeba Music; 1/23 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey; and 1/24 - San Francisco, CA - PopScene.

BOZ SCAGGS - MEMPHIS

Grammy Award-winning rock legend Boz Scaggs ia about ready to release his latest studio album, Memphis. The multi-platinum selling musician has signed with 429 Records, which will release the album on March 5. Showcasing both original songs and choice covers, Memphis was produced by Steve Jordan (John Mayer) and was recorded at Willie Mitchell's legendary Royal Studio in Memphis, where the late Mitchell recorded Al Green and other Hi Records artists. Joining Scaggs on Memphis are Willie Weeks (bass), Ray Parker Jr. (guitars), Spooner Oldham (keyboards), the Memphis Horns, Lester Snell (string arrangements) and Steve Jordan (drums). Scaggs is set to tour the U.S. throughout 2013, dates will be announced shortly.

William Royce "Boz" Scaggs began a long and storied career in 1965 with the release of his first solo recording Boz. Scaggs quickly developed into an iconic singer songwriter cutting his teeth playing with Steve Miller on several highly successful projects and honing his rock and R&B chops working with the likes of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Duane Allman . Scaggs hit it big in 1976 achieving multi-platinum success with Silk Degrees and its follow ups. Scaggs continued on a lauded and multi-genre musical journey to the present day. He and his band continue to tour worldwide and Scaggs also performs alongside Donald Fagan and Michael McDonald in their band billed as The Dukes of September.

Raised in Texas with an abiding respect for a wide spectrum of American roots music, Scaggs has combined rock, jazz, R&B and blues to create a trademark sound. With an extensive and distinctive career that has spanned 30 years and many accolades, Scaggs continues to prove himself as one of music's most creative and original artists.

BOZ SCAGGS , MEMPHIS
1. Gone Baby Gone
2. So Good To Be Here
3. Mixed Up Shook Up Girl
4. Rainy Night in Georgia
5. Love on a Two Way Street
6. Pearl of the Quarter
7. Cadillac Walk
8. Corinna, Corinna
9. Can I Change My Mind
10. Dry Spell
11.You Got Me Cryin'
12. Sunny Gone