Mack Avenue SuperBand Returns with New Release, Live From the Detroit Jazz Festival - 2014

Live From the Detroit Jazz Festival - 2014 documents the third incarnation of the Mack Avenue SuperBand, an all-star ensemble of bandleaders from the superb roster of the Motor City jazz label. Once again, this powerhouse congregation joined forces under the leadership of bassist Rodney Whitaker to dazzle a hometown crowd in picturesque Hart Plaza, with the results captured for another knockout live recording.

Joining Whitaker as three-time veterans are his longtime rhythm section partner, drummer Carl Allen; pianist Aaron Diehl; and guitarist Evan Perri of Hot Club Of Detroit. Alto saxophonist Tia Fuller returns from the SuperBand's debut outing after taking the second year off, while vibraphonist Warren Wolf and tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum make it two in a row after joining the band for the first time in 2013. 

The SuperBand comprises a distinctive blend of generations and styles, which Mack Avenue Records President Denny Stilwell says captures the diversity of the label itself. "The SuperBand has always been and will always be a mix of veteran players and top younger talent, which really represents the Mack Avenue roster. When you look at this particular line-up, there are a wide range of styles represented: from the Django-influenced guitar approach of Evan Perri to the soulful/gospel leanings of tenor saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and when you consider the other players, you can find just about everything in between. And each of them are bringing performing and writing chops that are top shelf." 

The final - and perhaps most important - member of the ensemble is the enthusiastic Labor Day weekend crowd. "The Detroit Jazz Festival is one of the best live festivals on Earth to play," Whitaker says. "That audience is pushing you to play and encouraging you. Then you're on the bandstand with a lot of cats that really admire each other, so the combination of having a good time and an excited and lively audience makes for a great recording." 

Or, as Diehl adds succinctly, "Quite simply: Detroit knows jazz. They'll let you know when you're on the right track, and certainly when you're not." 

Whitaker sees the gospel roots of most of Mack Avenue's artists as the common thread that binds them together and allows a once-a-year gathering like the SuperBand to be so successful. Even guitarist Perri, who would seem to be an outlier with his gypsy jazz influences, is a Detroit native in whom the bassist recognizes the influences of Motown, funk, and soul. The SuperBand helps to lend a distinctive identity to a label whose artists spans multiple generations, styles, and hometowns. 

"These days, not everyone who plays jazz necessarily lives in New York," Whitaker points out. The Detroit Jazz Festival is the culminating place where we all get together every year and talk about music and career development - and form a mutual admiration society. It makes the label more of a family. The hang is part of the music, and the hang happens every Labor Day weekend." 

For Whitaker as music director, the hang begins several months earlier, as he reaches out to each musician to solicit their contributions to the year's repertoire. Of the half-dozen tunes on this year's release, all but one were written by members of the SuperBand. The exception is Herbie Hancock's "Riot," which kicks off the album in combustible fashion with fiery solos from Wolf, Perri, Diehl, Whitaker, and Allen. 

Wolf's soulful, plaintive "The Struggle" follows, with the composer, both of whose impressive albums were Mack Avenue releases, building a solo of great craft and intensity. He wrote the tune with Whalum in mind, and this performance shows off the saxophonist's deeply felt blues roots. "Being able to share Mack Avenue with these artists is truly wonderful," Wolf says. "There's just so much history on the label it's hard to beat or compete. Playing with my label mates is a lot of fun. Everyone is a band leader in their own right, it's not often that we get to play together." 

The music director, who has two co-led albums with Carl Allen on the label along with his own 2014 release When We Find Ourselves Alone, contributes "A Mother's Cry," the theme song from his score to the PBS documentary "Malawi & Malaria: Fighting to Save the Children." Despite the darkness of the theme, the song retains a hopeful melodicism and is highlighted by Whitaker's meditative solo bass intro and a solo that passes among most of the band members, with a keening sense provided by Fuller on soprano and Whalum on flute. 

Opening with a tour de force piano intro, Diehl's "Santa Maria" is a showstopper that reveals traces of the composer's jazz, swing, blues, and classical influences all in one package. The pianist recently released Space, Time, Continuum, his sophomore Mack Avenue album. He calls the yearly get-together with the SuperBand "an incredible experience because we typically have our own separate projects. Mack Avenue has an exemplary roster with a variety of artistic approaches. I'm just honored to be a part of it all." 

Perri and the Hot Club of Detroit have released four albums of Djangology on the label, and "For Stephane" is prime evidence of his ability to take his gypsy jazz influences and transform them into his own distinctive take on modern jazz. The tune's shifting time signature spurs intricate playing from Wolf and Perri. 

The set draws to a close with Kirk Whalum's "Bipolar Blues Blues," which may come as a surprise to those who know the saxophonist only in his smooth jazz guise. Whalum's Mack Avenue discography includes homages to soul icons Babyface and Donny Hathaway, the collaboration of John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and the conjunction of gospel and jazz. Here, his tenor duels with Fuller's soprano on a down-home blues that feels right at home on the streets of Detroit. 

By the time this set draws to a close, listeners at home may feel transported to the city, or at the very least feel some of the excitement that the Hart Plaza crowds were swept up in last August.

 

NEW RELEASES: MATT PANAYIDES – CONDUITS; CESAR OROZCO & KAMARATA JAZZ – NO LIMITS FOR TUMBAO; CHARLIE DENNARD – 5 O’CLOCK CHARLIE

MATT PANAYIDES – CONDUITS

‘Conduits” is guitarist Matt Panayides second album as a leader.  The album was recorded live at Bunker Studios in June of 2013 with saxophonist Rich Perry, bassist Thompson Kneeland and drummer Mark Ferber.  The album was funded through the successful completion of a Kickstarter campaign.  The album features original compositions by Matt Panayides who has been busy leading groups both in New York and around the world for the past 15 years.  The compositions seek to demonstrate the freedom and present-ness that can be found in deep musical structures.  The music also reflects the underlying order that can be found in even the most complex appearing natural objects.  The musicians are given space to let their individuality shine through while also playing energetically with a sympathetic group, dynamically navigating intricate passages with a relaxed, fluid feel.  Great sounding album featuring top NYC musicians. 

CESAR OROZCO & KAMARATA JAZZ – NO LIMITS FOR TUMBAO

César Orozco is a prolific Cuban and Venezuelan pianist, composer, music producer, and arranger with an innovative approach of fusion between Venezuelan and Cuban traditional music with jazz. After fourteen years living in Venezuela, Mr. Orozco moved to the US in 2012. While in the States, in addition to his studies he has become a very in-demand pianist in both jazz and Latin-American music. Besides the United States, he has toured in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Scotland, The Netherlands, Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico. He has been part of more than 50 recordings as a guest artist and three solo albums with his project César Orozco & Kamarata Jazz: Son con pajarillo (2007), Orozcojam (2010), which besides receive four nominations, was awarded Best Vocal-Instrumental Album at Cubadisco 2012, the most important event of the Cuban recording industry, and the latest one No limits for tumbao (2015), which features Paquito dRivera and Yosvany Terry. ~ Amazon

CHARLIE DENNARD – 5 O’CLOCK CHARLIE

New Orleans based keyboardist Charlie Dennard announces the latest release of his superb jazz organ trio, 5 O’Clock Charlie. On this recording, Dennard showcases seven original compositions and three cover tunes that capture the simple, organic quality of musicians playing together in the moment. In the late 1990’s, Charlie had a standing gig at New Orleans’ famous Funky Butt with his band, then called 5 O’Clock Charlie. Dennard is a master of the Hammond B3, utilizing every nuance of its texture, tone, depth and feel, walking the bass to support the trio’s rhythm, and driving the melodies home with enthusiasm and heart. This project marks a return to his roots, just as Charlie has returned to New Orleans after touring the world for the past decade. The recording is groove-based, funky and fun.

NEW RELEASES: ARTURO O'FARRILL & THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA - CUBA: THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES; KARRIN ALLYSON - MANY A DAY: KARRIN ALLYSON SINGS RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN; GRACE - MEMO

ARTURO O'FARRILL & THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA - CUBA: THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES

Recorded in Havana 48 hours after President Obama announced his plan to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra's "Cuba: The Conversation Continues" is a powerful statement, a juxtaposition of music and current events. A follow up to the Grammy-winning "The Offense of the Drum," the new album builds upon the conversation started by Dizzy Gillespie and Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo - a musical dialogue that bridged the gap between jazz and Afro-Cuban music. O'Farrill brings top composers from both the U.S. and Cuba to create a dazzling musical tapestry, successfully fulfilling Dizzy s dream of creating 'universal music' .

KARRIN ALLYSON - MANY A DAY: KARRIN ALLYSON SINGS RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN

Four-time ‘Best Vocal Jazz Album ‘Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson's ‘Many A New Day (Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein)’ is a 14-song collection featuring Allyson’s romantic, sly and swinging take on songs that have become part of our cultural fabric, from ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’ to ‘Happy Talk’ to ‘I Cain’t Say No’ and numerous others. The collection, which marks the singer’s debut on the Motéma label, features the distinctive pairing of Kenny Barron on piano and John Patitucci on bass (only the second time the two have recorded together). Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s legendary musical partnership is among the greatest of the 20th century, resulting in such seminal Broadway productions as The King and I, South Pacific, Sound of Music, Oklahoma and Carousel. With her distinctive vocals, Allyson takes an array of these beloved songs on an elegant, intimate and joyful ride. Her arrangements, impeccably performed by Barron and Patitucci, manage to infuse these musical theater gems with a spare, sophisticated and intimate vibe that recalls the wee-hours in a late night Paris jazz club.

GRACE – MEMO (EP)

“[Grace] has the toughness of Janis Joplin and the sultry moodiness of Joss Stone…” — Billboard // “We hope you get the Memo. Grace is one of the year's most important new voices that needs to be heard. Meet soul music's 21st century superstar." — ArtistDirect. Australian vocal powerhouse Grace recently released her debut EP, Memo, via Regime Music Societe/RCA Records, and the eighteen-year-old is one of the hottest pop-soul prospects this year. Memo is filled with original songs that highlight her influences, which range from Gladys Knight to Amy Winehouse. Grace co-wrote all of the EP’s five songs, including the title track when she was only 16 and recording it on her iPhone. Grace’s first single is a cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 anthem “You Don’t Own Me,” featuring new verses rapped by G-Eazy. It was produced by its original producer, the legendary Quincy Jones and Parker Ighile (Nicki Minaj).

AMY WINEHOUSE'S FIRST TWO ALBUMS, FRANK AND BACK TO BLACK, GET DIGITALLY REMASTERED + RARE REMIXES

Amy Winehouse's career, though meteoric, was unfortunately cut short by tragedy, but the multi-GRAMMY® Award winner's musical legacy can now be appreciated anew with Island Records/Universal Music Enterprises' digital re-mastering of her first two albums. The sultry jazz-and-soul-tinged 2003 debut Frank, a testament to her love of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Nina Simone, led to her commercial breakthrough, Back To Black, issued in 2006, which earned her a Best new Artist award at the Grammys the following years, as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and the ultimate prizes, Record and Song of the Year for "Rehab." With five GRAMMY® Awards, she was the first British female performer ever to win that many. Both Frank and Back To Black have been re-released in digital form to online retail partners June 30 on the heels of the critically acclaimed documentary Amy.

Additionally, rare remixes issued for singles from the Back To Black album – "Back To Black," "Rehab," "You Know I'm No Good" and "Tears Dry On Their Own" – released July 17 as digital e-singles; many of the remixes have been unavailable for several years.

Born in North London, Winehouse's vocal abilities were apparent from an early age, and she began writing after picking up a guitar at 14. After writing for the World Entertainment News Network as a music journalist and singing for a local group, Amy was the featured vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra when she was 16 in 2000. By 2003, she was signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Management, which developed her while she sang jazz standards at clubs in and around London.

Frank: Winehouse's debut album, released October 20, 2003, was named after her father Mitch's favorite singer – Sinatra, the Chairman of the Board – as well as the honest nature of the lyrics. Produced mainly by Salaam Remi, Frank featured songs co-written by Amy as well as three covers, one of them a "hidden" track, "Mr. Magic (Through The Smoke)," a masterful reinterpretation of the Grover Washington Jr. hit "Mister Magic." Amy's composition "Stronger Than Me" received the U.K.'s prestigious Ivor Novello Prize for Best Contemporary Song, while the album earned her two BRIT Awards nominations and was short-listed for the Mercury Prize; it went on to sell more than one million albums in the U.K. The Washington Post noted, "Her attitude and command were already there… and then some."

Track listing for Frank digital album:

1.    Intro/Stronger Than Me

2.    You Sent Me Flying/Cherry

3.    Know You Now

4.    F*** Me Pumps

5.    I Heard Love Is Blind

6.    Moody's Mood/Teo Licks

7.    (There Is) No Greater Love

8.    In My Bed

9.    Take the Box

10.  October Song

11.  What Is It About Men

12.  Amy Amy Amy

13.  Outro

14.  Brother

15.  Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke)

Back To Black: Released October 27, 2006, Winehouse's multi-GRAMMY®-winning masterpiece reflected her growing interest in the girl groups sound of the '50s and '60s. A "21st century soul classic" (The Guardian), the album topped the U.K. chart, selling more than 3.6 million in the U.K., where it is the second best-selling album since 2000 after Adele's 21. In the U.S. Back to Black peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Alternative Albums chart, and sold three million copies; it has been certified multi-platinum in 16 countries worldwide. Co-produced by Remi and Mark Ronson, the album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize while Amy picked up a Brit Award for Best British Female Artist and Ronson won a GRAMMY® for Producer of the Year. Of its five singles, "Rehab" and "Love Is A Losing Game" earned Amy her second and third Ivor Novello Awards. The U.S. will see a digital release of the U.K. version of the album for the first time, which adds the track "Addicted," which had been previously unavailable in the States. The original U.S. bonus tracks, "You Know I'm No Good" featuring Ghostface Killer and "Rehab (Hot Chip Remix)" will be available in the newly compiled digital e-singles.

Track listing for Back To Black digital album:

1.    Rehab

2.    You Know I'm No Good

3.    Me & Mr. Jones

4.    Just Friends

5.    Back To Black

6.    Love Is A Losing Game

7.    Tears Dry On Their Own

8.    Wake Up Alone

9.    Some Unholy War

10.  We Can Only Hold Her

11.  Addicted

Back To Black Remixes: Four separate digital singles including rare remixes of each track, as below:

"Back To Black"

1. Back To Black - The Rumble Strips Remix

2. Back To Black - Mushtaq Vocal Remix

3. Back To Black - Original Demo

4. Back To Black - Vodafone Live At TBA

5. Back To Black - Steve Mac Vocal

"Rehab"

1.  Rehab - Demo Version

2.  Rehab - Vodafone Live At TBA

3.  Rehab - Hot Chip Remix

4.  Rehab - Pharoahe Monch Remix

5.  Rehab - Remix Featuring JAY-Z

"Tears Dry On Their Own"

1.  Tears Dry On Their Own - Vodafone Live At TBA

2.  Tears Dry On Their Own - Alix Alvarez Sole Channel Mix

3.  Tears Dry On Their Own - NYPC's F***ed Mix

4.  Tears Dry On Their Own - Al Usher Remix

5.  Tears Dry On Their Own - Kardinal Beats Remix

"You Know I'm No Good"

1.  You Know I'm No Good - Ghostface UK Version

2.  You Know I'm No Good - Skeewiff Mix

3.  You Know I'm No Good - Demo Version

4.  You Know I'm No Good - Vodafone Live At TBA

5.  You Know I'm No Good - Fettes Brot Remix

Johnny Mathis: The Singles, a definitive four disc anthology to be released on September 25, 2015

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and Columbia Records will celebrate the 80th birthday of legendary crooner Johnny Mathis with the release of Johnny Mathis: The Singles, a definitive four disc anthology, on September 25, 2015. 

Born September 30, 1935, a then-teenaged Johnny Mathis signed with Columbia Records in 1956, first entering the Pop charts with his inaugural Columbia single, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" the following year.  Peaking at #14, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" laid the foundation, and predicted the future, for one of the most remarkable careers in pop music history, leading to a string of singles successes which includes perennials like "It's Not For Me To Say," "Chances Are," "The Twelfth Of Never" and many others.

Johnny Mathis: The Singles brings together, for the first time in one anthology, every Johnny Mathis recording which was first issued for the singles market, as well as tracks released exclusively on compilations (1958's Johnny's Greatest Hits, considered the first "greatest hits" collection ever created by the music industry, 1959's More Johnny's Greatest Hits and 1981's The First 25 Years--The Silver Anniversary Album).

31 of the 87 tracks on Johnny Mathis: The Singles, are being released on CD for the very first time.  The four-disc anthology compiles, for the very first time, every non-LP single side released for the label between 1956 and 1981.

"When over the course of a career you record as many songs as I have recorded, you tend to forget a few," said Johnny Mathis. "Revisiting this music was a complete surprise. I was thrilled beyond belief that some of the songs that I recorded specifically for single records, some of which had simply disappeared once they had been released, are now going to be heard again. Listening to this collection, not only was I amazed at how great it sounds, but I was being reminded of some songs I had totally forgotten. It is my greatest hope that my fans will share my enthusiasm."

Johnny Mathis is one of the longest-running artists on the Columbia Records label, with 17 million RIAA certified album and singles sales in the US alone.  A sublime vocalist whose approach to pop music transcends passing fads and trends, Johnny Mathis has performed songs in an incredible variety of styles and categories -- from music composed for stage and film to golden era jazz standards, contemporary pop hits, and holiday music both sacred and secular -- assuring his reputation as one of the most enduring traditional pop vocalists in music history.

Perhaps best-known for his landmark singles (three of his recordings--"Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say," and "Misty"--have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame) Mathis was one of the very first musical artists to embrace the album concept and record fully-realized thematically and sonically coherent collections of songs.  His 1958 release, Johnny's Greatest Hits inaugurated the ongoing "greatest hits" anthology phenomenon becoming one of the most popular albums of all time after spending an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the BILLBOARD Top Albums Chart; 1959's Heavenly spent 295 consecutive weeks on the same chart.  Johnny Mathis was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2003.

Mathis had 18 Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1963 and 19 Top 40 albums between 1957 and 1978.  He has earned 10 gold, 4 platinum and 2 multi-platinum awards from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)

Mathis was a star student athlete in San Francisco who sang weekends at a local jazz club. Columbia Records' George Avakian was in attendance during one performance, and famously wired back to the label office: "Have found phenomenal 19-year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts." After his jazzy debut LP was largely ignored upon its release in 1956, Mathis began working closely with Columbia's vice-president and producer Mitch Miller to develop an unbeatable lush pop style, picking romantic ballads that made extensive use of his recognizable, vibrato-heavy croon.

During his time on Columbia, Mathis was essentially recording for two markets: the singles market and the albums market. While he would enjoy success in both realms, it was his non-LP singles that first introduced the world to his distinct gifts: in 1957, his first Columbia single "Wonderful! Wonderful!" peaked at No. 14; follow-up "It's Not For Me To Say" rose to No. 5, and "Chances Are" topped the charts.

Altogether, Mathis logged 18 singles on Billboard's Top 40 between 1957 and 1963 (and has seen 43 of his singles chart on Billboard Hot 100 from 1957 to 1981). After a tenure on his own Global label from 1963 to 1967 (initially distributed by Mercury and chronicled by Legacy in The Complete Global Albums Collection box set), Johnny returned to Columbia, where he records to this day.

Johnny Mathis: The Singles

Disc 1

When Sunny Gets Blue

Wonderful! Wonderful! (#14)

It's Not For Me To Say (#5)

Warm And Tender

Chances Are (#1)

The Twelfth Of Never (#9)

Wild Is The Wind (#22)

No Love (But Your Love) (#21)

When I Am With You

Come To Me

All The Time

Teacher, Teacher (#21)

Let It Rain

A Certain Smile (#14)

Call Me

Stairway To The Sea

You Are Beautiful

Let's Love

Someone (#35)

Very Much In Love

I Look At You (bonus track)

The Flame Of Love (bonus track)

Disc 2

Small World (#20)

You Are Everything To Me

The Story Of Our Love

The Best Of Everything (#62)

Cherie

Starbright

All Is Well

Hey Love

My Love For You (#47)

Oh That Feeling

How To Handle A Woman

While You're Young

Jenny

You Set My Heart To Music

Should I Wait

Laurie, My Love

Wasn't The Summer Short?

There You Are

Christmas Eve

My Kind Of Christmas

Sweet Thursday

One Look

Unaccustomed As I Am

Marianna

I'll Never Be Lonely Again

Disc 3

That's The Way It Is

Gina (#6)

I Love Her That's Why

What Will My Mary Say (#9)

Quiet Girl

Every Step Of The Way

Sooner Or Later

All The Sad Young Men

I'll Search My Heart

Don't Talk To Me

Long Winter Nights

Among The First To Know

Night Dreams

Whoever You Are, I Love You

For All We Know

The Last Time I Saw Her

Wherefore And Why

Darling Lili

Sign Of The Dove

Christmas Is…

I Was There

Disc 4

Ten Times Forever More

Evie

Think About Things

If We Only Have Love

This Way Mary

Sometimes

I

Take Good Care Of Her

Walking Tall

Turn The Lights Down

The Very First Christmas Day

Christmas In The City Of The Angels

The Lord's Prayer

When A Child Is Born

Nothing Between Us But Love

It Doesn't Have To Hurt Every Time (bonus track)

There! I've Said It Again (bonus track)

Three Times A Lady (bonus track)

The Way You Look Tonight (bonus track)

NEW RELEASES: MILES DAVIS – SAN FRANCISCO 1970; CECIL RAMIREZ - PARTY IN THE BACK; BOBBY HUTCHERSON - HAPPENINGS

MILES DAVIS – SAN FRANCISCO 1970

As the 1960s wound to a close, Miles Davis was fearlessly forging ahead into new musical directions. Following the transitional In a Silent Way, the groundbreaking double album, Bitches Brew would signal an entirely new musical form that found Davis embracing electronic instrumentation and amplification. By 1970, Davis was performing before the largest audiences of his career, often opening for popular rock bands of the era. He had opened for The Band at the Hollywood Bowl, and on Fillmore East bills for headliners Laura Nyro and Neil Young & Crazy Horse. He also played a multi-night run in April '70 opening for the Grateful Dead at Fillmore West. These performances brought Davis a new younger audience that might not have understood the genesis of his music, but dug it just the same. It's a telling comment on Miles' relentlessly forward-looking vision that a mere sixteen months after recording Bitches Brew, and barely eight months after releasing it to unprecedented commercial success, he had effectively dropped most of its material from his live repertoire. On this performance, Davis focuses primarily on new compositions (What I Say, Honky Tonk, Funky Tonk, and Yesternow), with only eleven minutes of the hour-plus performance exploring established cuts Bitches Brew and Sanctuary. Yesternow, a ferocious track Davis had recorded the previous April for the Tribute to Jack Johnson film, is followed by the title track from Bitches Brew, concluding with another new composition, Funky Tonk. During the nearly 35 minutes of music contained in these last three pieces, the group's power and precision is nothing short of astounding. Apart from the set-closing cue of The Theme, little of this music derives from Miles' jazz period, nor does it fall into the free jazz category that it is so often mistakenly associated with. This music is much funkier, often comprised of deep, one chord, cyclical grooves that have little in common with jazz. ~ Amazon

CECIL RAMIREZ - PARTY IN THE BACK

"Party In The Back" is Cecil's homage to the R&B grooves that he grew up with, listened to and played as part of an R&B band on tour in the 80's. The album is a collection of 7 hook-laden original tunes and 3 covers of Cecil's favorite songs. Cecil invited some of his buddies to play on Party In The Back and the album features amazing guest performances by sax men Michael Lington, Darren Rahn, & Phil Denny; guitarist Adam Hawley; and pianist and producer Brian Culbertson playing synth solos on the new single "Remember The Time".

About "Party In The Back:, Cecil says, "I wanted to create an album that showed where my music is today, but still reflected where I came from. Playing gigs in the 80's with a 7-piece group was a unique experience; I have great memories of the music and musicians I met during that time. Hopefully, the album will take listeners on a fun trip back to where they were in the 80's." From reviewer Jonathan Widran: Well known for his performances at Brian Culbertson's Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, elegant funk pianist Cecil Ramirez creates a dynamic contemporary style rooted in a classic, R&B throwback vibe on a mix of covers and originals. A dual celebration of soulful sensuality and high octane grooves, PARTY IN THE BACK rolls with big name invites like Culbertson (featured on a wild jam version of Michael Jackson's "Remember The Time"), Michael Lington, Darren Rahn, Phil Denny and Adam Hawley. Ramirez's lush ivories provide the melodic thrust on the bright, bouncy "J Street," the dreamy, laid back "Weekend in Napa" and the perfectly titled, divinely disco-fied "Party in the Back." Keep the fun front and center and find the PARTY IN THE BACK! ~ CD Universe

BOBBY HUTCHERSON - HAPPENINGS 

"Happenings" was vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson's fourth Blue Note release as a leader. Where its predecessors "Dialogue" and "Components" were packed with challenging avant-bop, "Happenings" instead brings things down a notch. With pianist Herbie Hancock, drummer Joe Chambers, and bassist Bob Cranshaw on board, Hutcherson keeps the tone fairly light, performing his original compositions (the exception is Hancock's "Maiden Voyage") with a mellow, swinging style that emphasizes modal exploration. The performances are all top-notch, and the album still weighs in as one of the best in Hutcherson's fine catalogue. Personnel: Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone, marimba); Herbie Hancock (piano); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Joe Chambers (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on February 8, 1966. ~ CD Universe

Bob Baldwin continues to blaze the charts with his tribute to Stevie Wonder on "MelloWonder"

Whatchu know `bout that “MelloWonder” - those songs on a Stevie Wonder album that send you not half a mile from Heaven but to and through the hallowed gates? Lovers dissolve into the creamery slow swirl Milky Way of Stevie balladry. It melts in your heart…intoxicating your mind. Cap’n Bob Baldwin knows all about it and has set his keyboard instrument panel on a singularly bliss-driven musical course he calls MelloWonder: Songs in the Key of Stevie.

Bob met Stevie once in `69 when his father accompanied young Wonder singing “My Cherie Amour” at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon. It was after the turn of the decade when Bob completely fell in love with Wonder’s gifts by way of four Tamla/Motown LPs in his sister Deborah’s collection released between `71 & `74: Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale.

These were the “core four” album upon which “Little Stevie” graduated into the full maturity of his Steveland Morris destiny - from his Motown Hitsville studies in the midst of an enviable collective of professors at every stair step of musical creation to the progressive experimental incubator provided by producers/sound designers Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil: creators of the behemoth early synthesizer T.O.N.T.O. (The Original New Timbral Orchestra). Wedding his composing, singing and multi-instrumental playing skills to the otherworldly sounds that T.O.N.T.O. brought to Stevie’s fingertips unlocked a vault of artistry unparalleled and unprecedented.

Across a career for which a two-decade milestone was achieved in 2013 with his CD Twenty, Bob Baldwin has twice honored the canons of giants; Never Can Say Goodbye: A Tribute to Michael Jackson (2010) and Betcha By Golly Wow: The Songs of Thom Bell (2012). He’s wanted to do a tribute to Stevie almost from his studio beginnings. Over the last two years, everything finally came together.

It is essential to note that a full-album homage to Wonder by a contemporary jazz artist has, surprisingly, never been done. Singers from Barbara Streisand to B.B. King have sung his songs. Ensembles from Brazilian Jazz trio Azymuth (featuring the late Jose Roberto Bertrami on keyboards) to the London Symphony Orchestra have also done songs. Ramsey Lewis collaborated with Stevie on two new songs for his 1977 LP, Love Notes. Elsewhere, Ronnie Foster produced tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine’s 8-song audiophile Blue Note Records offering Wonderland: The Music of Stevie Wonder in`87, and the late, great George Duke produced winds master Najee’s CD Najee Plays Songs From the Key of Life: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder in `95. However, neither album was theirs. For the closest thing to what Bob has done, one must reach back to 1974 for Hugo in Wonder-Land: a 10-song space oddity by Hollywood composer/arranger/conductor Hugo Montenegro experimenting with synthesizers utilizing Stevie’s music. Cool but no comparison.

Bob Baldwin brings the totality of his musicality as a player, composer, arranger, keyboard/synth specialist (and sometimes singer) to his14-song voyage into MelloWonder, honoring that magi-mystical sweet spot that Stevie’s sound sends us. He showcases a few guest players and singers including flautist Ragan Whiteside on several seamless contributions as well as tenor saxophonist Ryan Kilgore (of Stevie’s current Wonderlove band) tenderly blessing the exquisitely brushed beauty of “You and I.” Baldwin even brings string players to the playground not for lush padding but a soulful rhythmic workout on “The Real Thing / Keep It Real,” one of two songs Stevie originally gifted to Sergio Mendes to help set his New Brasil `77 concept apart from his super successful Brasil `66 incarnation.

However, MelloWonder’s very best moments are moments in which all or most of the music emanates from Baldwin himself - in layers of aural keyboard delight. His tasteful shifts from acoustic piano to Rhodes on “Love’s Light in Flight / Love Trippin’” over deliciously dispatched digital percussion…his use of the hand-held melodica as both a second voice and a horn section on “Creepin’”…his speaking the poetry of “Where Were You When I Needed You” in the second half of “Superwoman” to add emphasis to the words, This is high level inspiration. Who could listen to Bob’s fully engaged renderings of “Lately,” “Looking For Another Pure Love” and “Rocket Love/Back to Earth” and not be impressed that every drum, bass and keyboard lick was played by Bob & Bob alone? And there’s more. Baldwin also composed two new songs: one in his own heart-stilling, pitch- bending style (“Stevie”) and the other in the key of Stevie (“Wonderland”).

So close your eyes to see and feel where Bob Baldwin is coming from within the artistry of Wonder…allow the layered melodies, harmonies and rhythms to send one you love’s head and yours on slow floating figure eight swivels into infinity…

- A. SCOTT GALLOWAY

BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS THE COMPLETE ISLAND RECORDINGS AND THE COMPLETE ISLAND RECORDINGS: COLLECTOR'S EDITION

Bob Marley's 70th birthday year-long celebration (2015) continues with the release of two new box sets, The Complete Island Recordings and The Complete Island Recordings: Collector's Edition.  These two stunning vinyl collection sets will release September 25th, 2015, and feature 11 albums on 180-gram vinyl spanning a decade's worth of Bob Marley & The Wailers releases on Island Records. The Complete Island Recordings will include 11-LPs packaged in a rigid card box with lift top lid, and wrapped in silver paper that simulates the brushed metal finish of a hinged lighter. The Complete Island Recordings: Collector's Edition will included 11-LPs, a 70th anniversary slip mat and two photos in glassine envelopes, all packaged in a unique metal box set, numbered and lined with velvet and connected to truly emulate a hinged lighter.  Both boxes will include Bob's 70th Birthday logo and all nine Bob Marley & The Wailers studio albums recorded for Island Records, featuring some of their most celebrated releases, including "Catch A Fire," their 1973 label debut, and "Rastaman Vibration," their 1976 breakthrough album in the United States, along with two live albums "Live!" and "Babylon By Bus."

The 11 LP's from the box set will also be broken out and released individually on 180-gram vinyl beginning September 25th. Apart from the actual disc labels which will feature more recently reissued artwork, the LP's will faithfully replicate the original album pressings.  The "Live!" album will include the original poster with the vinyl, while the "Exodus" album will feature the original gold metallic jacket with embossed lettering.  The "Babylon By Bus" album will feature the die-cut cover with the color printed inner sleeves showing through.

Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put reggae on the global map, but, as a statesman in his native Jamaica, he famously brought together the country's warring factions — symbolized by rival politicians Michael Manley and Edward Siega joining hands on-stage -- during his legendary "One Love Peace Concert" in Kingston, which took place on April 22, 1978, less than six weeks before this Music Hall performance in Boston. It was five years since Marley and the band arrived from Jamaica, with the 1977 release of EXODUS, recorded in London just after an assassination attempt on his life, turned into not just a socio-political statement, but one which included such hits as the title track, "Waiting In Vain" and "One Love," paving the way for their next release Kaya and a world tour in '78.  Together with his music's theme of liberation, Marley's own rags-to-riches story brought inspiration to subjugated people around the world, where he was revered as a larger-than-life leader.

Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century's most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley's lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity, with the official Bob Marley Facebook page drawing more than 74 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and Top 10 among celebrity pages. Marley's music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide

Thirty years after its original release, Bob Marley & The Wailers', LEGEND, shared the top of the charts, holding the No. 5 spot on Billboard's 200 Album Chart among Maroon 5 (#1), Jeezy (#2), Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack (#3), and Ariana Grande (#4). LEGEND also holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine's Catalog Albums chart and remains the world's best-selling reggae album. Marley's accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001).  

  

LP'S INCLUDED IN BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS - THE COMPLETE ISLAND RECORDINGS & THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION:

•Catch A Fire

•Burnin'

•Natty Dread

•Live!

•Rastaman Vibration

•Exodus

•Babylon By Bus

•Kaya

•Survival

•Uprising

•Confrontation

Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis Releases Days Of FreeMan, A Tribute To His Hip-Hop Roots

Visionary composer and tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis's bravest, yet most palpable artistic feat, Days Of FreeMan, opens with a poignant and profound introductory monologue from a maternal sage. She says: "The best thing of living is living who you are. You can't be somebody else; you gotta be what God gave you to be and who you are. You look in the mirror and see yourself and say 'I'm James Brandon Lewis."' Next, bass and drums congeal around the sapphire melodic motif of "Brother 1976," recalling one of those jazzy jewel-like hooks from a 1990s Native Tongue hip-hop jam. The effect is like 1990s hip-hop's fascination with jazz being spit back by a prodigious jazz innovator. Welcome to Days Of FreeMan (OKeh) available July 24, 2015.

For his third album, James uses ideas from 1990s hip-hop to masterfully weave together threads of cultural identity, cross-generational identity, and personal reflection.

Days Of FreeMan is imaginatively organized in chapters with classic hip-hop style breaks and interludes functioning as chapter breathers. Like the cross cultural and generational mosaic on Freeman Street proper, the album invites the listener into many dialogues. It is a nod to 1990s hip-hop, and explores rhyme-scapes and the musical conventions of that golden age of hip-hop in a revolutionary way. The album also explores hip-hop as a culture through taking inspiration from the original four pillars of hip-hop: dance, rapping, graffiti, and DJ-ing.

The album also loosely functions as a memoir with an underlay of nostalgia for the carefree boyhood days of fly nicknames, basketball, and those first encounters with the transformative power of music. Adding to the power and emotionality of this thread on growing up, are pontifications on love, identity, and God peppered throughout the album, culled from informal conversations James recorded with his grandmother, Pearl Lewis.

James's immersive creative process to realize his vision for Days Of FreeMan include pouring over hip-hop documentaries for up to eight hours a day, and dissecting albums by KRS-One, Digable Planets, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Medeski, Martin & Wood, along with fearless jazz trumpeter Don Cherry's 1985 album Home Boy and Lauryn Hill's 1998 masterpiece the Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

How all of this preparation plays out musically is stunning. For years instrumentalists held fast to the lofty notion of "singing through the instrument," but on Days Of FreeMan, James aspires to MC through his tenor. The album's title track perfectly captures the clipped cadence of a master MC with speech-like phrases and a long flowing solo that conjures up a blazing freestyle battle rap session. "Black Ark" traces the legacy of hip-hop from the balmy and pioneering dub explorations of Lee "Scratch" Perry in Jamaica ("Black Ark" is the name of his famed studio) to the burgeoning sounds of hip-hop blaring out in the Bronx.  On "Lament for JLew," in five vigorous minutes James ties together the dual lineages of classical music to hip-hop and classical music to rock using original classical-flavored motifs to illustrate the overlaps.

The second to last track of Days Of FreeMan is the political and timely "Unarmed With A Mic" and is a reminder of hip-hop's power as a form of protest music. On this track, James plays with seething sentimentality. The album concludes with "Epilogue," a reprise of the infectious melody of the opening track "Brother 1976."

On the album, James is accompanied by drummer Rudy Royston. Both took the weighty undertaking of album deeply, researching 1990s hip-hop jams for inspiration and vision. Their attention to the vocabulary of the era James sought to explore, and their panoramic musicality and sympathetic musical skills, match James's artistic ideal to authentically and thoroughly fuse genres and cultures without pandering to trends in jazz-groove records. The record also features a guest spot from the gifted freestyle rapper Supernatural on the track "Days Of FreeMan."

Days of FreeMan is one of James Brandon Lewis's most ambitious works and his most accessible. Reflecting on this intriguing duality he says: "The artist is charged with taking creative risks, but the universe lined up this time and I was able to connect with my audience conversationally."

About James Brandon Lewis

James Brandon Lewis is one of the modern titans of the tenor sax. Hailed by Ebony Magazine as one of "7 Young Players to Watch," James has shared stages with such icons as Benny Golson, Geri Allen, Wallace Roney, Grammy® Award-winning singer Dorinda Clark Cole, and the late "Queen of Gospel Music," Albertina Walker. In bold contrast, James has also worked with such intrepid artists as Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver, Charles Gayle, Ed Shuller, Kirk Knuffke, Jason Hwang, Marilyn Crispell, Ken Filiano, Cooper Moore, Darius Jones, Eri Yamamoto, Federico Ughi, Kenny Wessel, Marvin "Bugalu" Smith, and Sabir Mateen. In addition, he has collaborated with the dance company CircuitDebris under the direction of Mersiha Mesihovic. James attended Howard University and holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts.

Currently, James resides in New York City where he actively gigs as a sideman and leads his own ensembles. In NYC, he is a co-founder of "Heroes Are Gang Leaders" with poet Thomas Sayers Ellis—a collective of poets and musicians—and he is a member of the collective "Dark Matter," a conceptual musical collaboration exploring that which is invisible but is detected by it's gravitational effects. Outside NYC, James is an active national and international touring artist. Some career highlights are playing such esteemed festivals as Winter Jazz Festival/OKeh Records showcase with William Parker and Gerald Cleaver; The Eric Dolphy Festival with an ensemble featuring Grachan Moncur III, Richard Davis, Andrew Cyrille, Angelica Sanchez, Ted Daniel, and Alfred Patterson; and Princeton University as part of Fred Ho's "Journey to the West," an interdisciplinary dance and music project.

GRAMMY-WINNING GUITARIST LEE RITENOUR SET TO RELEASE A TWIST OF RIT ON AUGUST 21, 2015

Featuring John Beasley, Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen, Ernie Watts, Melvin Lee Davis, Michael Thompson, Wah Wah Watson, David T. Walker, Makoto Ozone, Tom Kennedy, Dave Weckl, Paulinho Da Costa, Ronald Bruner Jr., Chris Coleman, Bob Sheppard and Rashawn Ross

“The concept for A Twist of Rit combines new material and tunes selected from earlier albums. We twisted, flipped and reconstructed those songs with a twelve-piece band. Several of the songs are from my very first album, First Course, recorded in 1975 and the Rit album in 1980.” - Lee Ritenour

GRAMMY-winning, guitarist Lee Ritenour, AKA Captain Fingers, has a wide-ranging array of material to revive, as evidenced by A Twist of Rit. 2015 commemorates 40 years since his debut recording, First Course, on Epic Records.  A Twist of Rit, set for release on August 21, 2015 via Concord Records, is a magnificent follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2012 album Rhythm Sessions.

A Twist of Rit spotlights Ritenour with several long-time musical cohorts, including keyboardists John Beasley, Dave Grusin and Patrice Rushen; saxophonist Ernie Watts; bassists Melvin Lee Davis, Tom Kennedy and Dave Weckl; and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa. That core group is augmented by drummers Ronald Bruner Jr. and Chris Coleman, along with Bob Sheppard on saxophone and Rashawn Ross playing flugelhorn. Joining Ritenour for the first time are guitarists Michael Thompson, Wah Wah Watson and David T. Walker, plus Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone.

A Twist of Rit features Ritenour’s soaring guitar lines with 12 of his compositions ranging from the funky fusion and sophisticated jazz that he has become so well known for. All of the material was captured by his longtime GRAMMY Award-winning engineer Don Murray and the tracks were recorded with everyone performing together, old-school, but with modern, state-of-the-art recording techniques. Another album highlight will be the debut of Hungarian guitarist Tony Pusztai, Grand Prize Winner of Ritenour’s biennial, 2014 Six String Theory Competition. Pusztai was selected from over 500 entries and 72 participating countries.

“People like Ernie, Patrice, Dave and John Beasley, who worked closely on [my album] Wes Bound – along with Melvin Davis and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa, go back with me to the very beginning,” Ritenour says. “Ernie had been on so many of my projects. And, of course, I couldn’t do this without Dave Grusin, who is my best buddy, and who has been involved in almost all of my recordings. All of these people are very close friends of mine. We’ve had this musical mafia for twenty, thirty, forty years.”

With his formidable fellow travelers, Ritenour revisits several selections from his iconic albums including First Course (1976), Friendship (1978) – an LP consisting of the Ritenour-led super-group that included Ernie Watts, Don Grusin, drummer Alex Acuna, percussionist Steve Forman, and bassist Abraham Laboriel – Rit, Vol.1 (1981), Earth Run (1986), Stolen Moments (1990) and This Is Love (1998).

Save for “Pearl,” a heartfelt, Latin-tinged tribute to Ritenour’s mother, as well as the mid-tempo, bouncy title track and the surging, organ-filled “W.O.R.K.n’ It” (Weckl, Ozone, Ritenour, Kennedy) – another version, “More W.O.R.K,” will be released on an upcoming 5-LP retrospective box set – the  rest of the album features the new-and-improved vintage Ritenour tracks. “When I first proposed this record to Concord, I didn’t want it to be perceived as a ‘best of’ rehash of my old tunes,” Ritenour says. “I love to write new material. So there is new material on the record. But I wanted to take a look at my earlier tunes – not necessarily the major radio hits – but in general, I wanted to take material that could have a fresh look today, that we could ‘twist,’ or flip. This is the first record where all of the tunes are mine. It was really fun to look back at my catalog, which stretches back forty years, and pick certain tunes to take a fresh start.”

From the LP First Course, “Wild Rice” and “Fatback” swing with some grooving, mid- and up-tempo Muscle Shoals-meets-Malibu horn lines, originally arranged by Tom Scott and re-arranged by Ritenour and Beasley that ring with the spirit of the late B.B. King and Steely Dan. Two more selections from First Course include the Crusaders-coded, Michael Omartian-arranged “A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That” and the funky, 9/4-time, Head Hunters-inspired “Sweet Syncopation.” The spry, festive “Bullet Train” from Friendship bounces with the air of a Brazilian love affair, and “Soaring,” from Earth Run, is rhythmically laced with a Latin lilt.

“Ooh Yeah,” from This Is Love, is reincarnated as a laid back, Quiet Storm selection, topped by Ritenour’s luscious, Wes Montgomery-esque chords. “Waltz for Carmen” from Stolen Moments, written for Ritenour’s wife, is an intricate duo featuring Tony Pusztai. “Tony, who is an insane classical guitarist from Hungary, has got some incredible jazz chops, too,” Ritenour proudly says. The zenith of the release is Ritenour’s re-imagination of “Countdown” from Rit, Vol 1., a surging, anthemic contemporary jazz classic of the highest order. “I did some sampling of my original recordings,” he says. “I was able to hunt down the original tracks and have them transferred to digital. We used a sample of the original “Countdown” vocoder [track]. As we were playing live, we were triggering the sample and playing along with it.”

Ritenour is able to draw upon a diverse body of work that reflects his polyglot musical upbringing. Born on January 11, 1952 in Los Angeles, Ritenour grew up listening to a wide variety of music. His father was an amateur pianist who exposed him to Peggy Lee, Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Erroll Garner and Stan Kenton while he took his first guitar lessons at eight. Ritenour experienced his first jazz “eureka!” moment three years later when his father took him to the record store.

“We bought three records by Howard Roberts, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. I was influenced heavily by all three guys,” Ritenour says. “A lot of people don’t know Howard, but he was an incredible studio player. And, of course, everybody knows Joe. My dad called Joe on the phone, and said, ‘I’ve got this fourteen year-old. Will you give him a lesson?’ So I went to Joe’s house a couple of times and we became friends. And I was also influenced by Wes’ rhythmic and melodic approach and his tone.”

Along with his love of R&B, rock and fusion, Ritenour started his career early. He played in a band that featured Patrice Rushen and Dave Grusin at the L.A. club The Baked Potato, while making a name for himself working with The Mamas & the Papas and Tony Bennett. Ritenour’s work with Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Dizzy Gillespie, Simon & Garfunkel, Herbie Hancock and Frank Sinatra, to name a select few, made him the most ubiquitous guitarist of his generation. In 1986, he received a GRAMMY Award for his collaboration with Dave Grusin on his recording Harlequin, and has been a perennial chart-topper in numerous critics polls. In the 1990s, he was a founding member of the contemporary jazz supergroup Fourplay, with Bob James, Harvey Mason and Nathan East.

A Twist of Rit aurally illustrates Ritenour’s delicate balance of maintaining his individuality while working with an array of diverse artists. “Even though I was a studio player, I was trying to establish my own identity,” he says. “The live thing is just as important as the studio thing. And when I did my first album, where a lot of the songs [on this album] are from, in 1975, I didn’t think I had a ‘Lee Ritenour sound.’ But then, a few years later, I listened to the record, and I realized that wow, I did have my own sound then.”

Along with A Twist of Rit, Concord Records will release a five LP vinyl box set of some of Ritenour’s classic records, including Wes Bound, Festival, Color Rit, Portrait and Earth Run. Ritenour will be touring and promoting these projects throughout 2015/16.