​HAITIAN BORN VOCALIST HERVE’S NEW SINGLE SPREADS A TIMELY AND TIMELESS MESSAGE FOR A WORLD IN NEED: “GIVE LOVE”

The Multi-Talented Singer, Songwriter and Musical Citizen Of the World First Performed the Song for the United Nations In

Honor of Their 70th Anniversary, Backed By the New York City Symphony Orchestra

  

Perfectly capturing the cultural and sociopolitical zeitgeist of our time, HERVE brings a pointed yet timeless message of hope, encouragement, courage and joy to a world in dire need of his powerful and infectious new single “Give Love.”

The track is set to drop on digital platforms worldwide on November 30th.

A true musical citizen of the world, with residences in Paris, India and his musical home base of New York City, the multi-talented Haitian born singer/songwriter and pop soul artist advocates the words of the Dalai Lama and Jesus, who both spoke of love as the absence of fear and judgment. Those kernels of eternal wisdom lay the foundation of a beautiful universal anthem driven by edgy grooves and exotic rhythms created by L.A. based producers Aden Ray and Janet Zohar.   

HERVE first performed “Give Love” in 2015 in the Assembly Hall of the United Nations, in honor of their 70th Anniversary. His memorable performance was backed by the New York City Symphony Orchestra and a world class band.

In conjunction with the single’s release, HERVE will be gracing YouTube with a beautiful video shot in one of his adopted hometowns, Udaipur, India. The colorful clip blends scenes of locals mingling with the singer in the public market and majestic shots of the country’s visual splendor, some featuring HERVE embracing the majestic vistas. He is also creating a line of merchandise related to the message, including T-shirts.

The epiphany that inspired the singer to compose “Give Love” came when he was approached by a homeless man while on a stroll in Harlem. “It was a moment of clarity for me,” he says. “You hear people talk about love all the time, but I thought to myself, if I ignore this person who needs my help, then what would happen if everyone just did the same? What kind of world would this become? It occurred to me that real love is not a passive notion that we just talk about, but it’s an action, an expression we must constantly exercise which allows us to keep together.”

“My feeling that we need to, as I sing in the chorus, ‘give love every day,’ is the awareness that we are required to take meaningful action,” HERVE adds. “I also realize it’s a responsibility that all of us have to one another. If we all became indifferent to one another’s needs for love and kindness, literally all of humanity would fall apart. We cannot function or survive without it. This is what the song is, a reminder to myself, and by extension to all who listen, about what it takes to move and change the world and make a difference, one individual at a time.”

With his warm, deep, ethereal voice and poetic lyrics, Coeur’s music is a celebration of the spirit of the humanity.  Connecting his past to his current lives in the U.S., France and India, his music is vibrant, engaging and uplifting, allowing his audiences to transcend their superficial differences and feel the heartbeat of humanity.

HERVE has performed at Joe’s Pub at the Public, The Cutting Room, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Museum of Art & Design in New York City, The Dwyer Center for the Performing Arts, Archive Global, Fonkoze, The Bitter End, The Shrine, The Ethical Cultural Society, St. Joseph College, Columbia University and the University of Miami among others. With a growing fan base in Europe, Coeur opened for the legendary Temptations at La Cigale in Paris, and he co-headlined at the legendary L’Olympia in Paris.

 

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NEW RELEASES: GALEN WESTON - THE SPACE BETWEEN; LUIGI MARTINALE TRIO - CARUSO: JAZZIN’ ITALIAN STANDARDS; THE KANDINSKY EFFECT – PAX 6

GALEN WESTON - THE SPACE BETWEEN

Toronto based Guitarist Galen Weston"s most recent touring highlights include includes 18 days in China playing Bloom Festival, JZ Festival, Lost Valley Festival, and many clubs. In the US - UpFront Jazz Festival, Bloomington Il, 3d Street Festival, Rochester MN, South Bend Jazz Festival, SB IN, Smiths Music Room, Atlanta GA, Reggies LIve, Chicago IL, Chris' Jazz Philadelphia, PA. In Canada - Jazz Bistro, Toronto, Jazz Upstairs Montreal. in Europe Sunset Sunside, Paris France, Porgy and Bess, Vienna Austria, A Train, Berlin Germany, Vortex, London UK, 20 dates in the US with the Gipsy Kings and many more! Coming soon are two festivals in Indonesia. Galen is accompanied by his “killer” international quartet comprised of Cuban drummer Michel Medrano Brindis, Canadian saxophonist Richard Underhill, and Czech bassist Lukas Kytnar. 

LUIGI MARTINALE TRIO - CARUSO: JAZZIN’ ITALIAN STANDARDS

A very different take on the oft-recorded jazz standard mode – as this time around, the standards are all Italian – which makes most of them pretty unfamiliar to our ears! But even the few that we know take on a new sort of life in the hands of pianist Luigi Martindale – a player who mixes lyrical flights with these deep, round currents that are mighty nice – balancing the sonic range beautifully to really illuminate the tunes! The group also features round, warm bass from Stefano Risso – and a gentle crackle in the drums from Paolo Franciscone – both musicians who often allow the piano to dominate, but always seem to encourage its light. Titles include "Caruso", "Una Domenica Bestiale", "Almeno Tu Nell'Universo", "Senza Fine", "Estate", and "In Cerca Di Te". ~ Dusty Groove

THE KANDINSKY EFFECT – PAX 6

A jazz trio, but one with a very unique vibe – given that, in addition to familiar saxes, bass, and drums – the group also uses a fair bit of effects as well! The drums are often echoey and thunderous, the basslines nicely bumping, and the tones of the saxophone can go off in all sorts of directions – always tuneful, but often with darker currents too – nice little sonic twists and turns that certainly make the instrument sound different than usual! Saxophonist Warren Walker also plays a bit of keyboards too, although those often seem wrapped up with the larger electronic palette of the album – and titles include "Astoria", "We Make Our Own Holidays", "Loops", "Iron Lion", "Re: Jungle", "Musicbox", and "Glass Bottles". ~ Dusty Groove

New MICHELLE COLTRANE release AWAKENING

Michelle Coltrane was born in Paris, France, and is the only daughter of Alice and John Coltrane. While and after raising two children Michelle toured the US and France as a soloist, and has performed with such artists as Kenny Kirkland, Jeff Watts, Ronnie Laws, Billy Childs, Jack DeJohnette, Marvin Smitty Smith, Reggie Workman, The Gap Band and with the McCoy Tyner Trio at the Montreux Jazz Festival. 

Her first CD, I THINK OF YOU, is a classic and contemporary jazz collaboration with musician and composer Scott Hiltzik. The recording was well received by Jazz Times and won a YES Award, presented by blues artist Barbara Morrison. Michelle was a featured performer at the 2013 Panama Jazz Festival, and recent appearances include shows at The John Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles, The Miami Jazz Festival, Vibratos in Bel Air Ca., H. O. M. E. (House of Music & Entertainment) Beverly Hills, Ca., Bar 1912 in Bverly Hills, Ca. and Yoshis Jazz Club,Oakland Ca.

Michelle honed her stage manner skills as an Emcee to many John Coltrane Scholarship events like the Wiltern Theatre and The House of Blues in Los Angeles. During the late 1990s Michelle co-hosted a radio program on 90.7 FM for 5 years, “Straight No Chaser” with Maggie Le Pique, interviewing artists such as Charlie Haden, Alice Coltrane, Ravi Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Stanley Clarke and many others. She is heavily involved in the “Save The Coltrane Home” project with her brother Ravi with the most recent event featuring Santana, Ravi Coltrane, Cornell West, Ashely Kahn, Winton Marsalis, Marcus Miller, and Jimmy Heath as guest speakers. She is also the vice-president of the board of directors of the John and Alice Coltrane Foundation involved in many projects.

Michelle’s new band a collaboration with Shea Welsh guitarist and MD. Michelle and Shea have composed new material and are arranging new and classic standards to create the bands unique modern and retro sound.

Jazz-R&B keyboardist Brian Culbertson to release the intimate “Colors of Love” single and album that will be supported by an extensive spring concert tour

They met for the first time when they were music majors at DePaul University. Flash forward, Michelle and Brian Culbertson celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary last month. With love, romance and his wife serving as his motivation, the soulful contemporary jazz hit-maker started writing material earlier this year inspired by the occasion, crafting thirteen new songs that will be released as “Colors of Love,” his eighteenth album, on Valentine’s Day on the BCM Entertainment label. The seduction begins early next month when the amorous title track, a sensual R&B groove illuminated by Culbertson’s lyrical acoustic piano melodies typical of the collection’s contents, ships to radio. A nearly three-month-long U.S. concert tour will bring “Colors of Love” to life in a vivid theatrical production with the itinerary being revealed December 1.   

Culbertson is thriving creatively on this, his third independent album funded by an Indiegogo campaign (http://bit.ly/2wr3kt9), which closes this Thursday and offers unique opportunities and exclusive perks including a bonus track. Having spent the majority of his career on a major label, the freedom to follow his creative muse is readily apparent on “Colors of Love,” a complete contrast to last year’s “Funk!” set, which was a lively, full-band funk/R&B workout that features a number of vocal cuts. He describes “Colors of Love” as “purposely electronic, using very modern sounds and production” with his acoustic piano serving as the singular lead voice throughout the intimate date. The quiet and contemplative tracks are textured atmospherics and gentle R&B grooves - soothing beds for Culbertson’s melodic piano expressions of ardor.

Sharing the recording process via Facebook live, Culbertson polled his audience and they voted that “Colors of Love” be instrumental only. He took it a step further and for the first time in his career that to date has racked up 30 No. 1 Billboard singles as an artist, producer and/or songwriter, he refrained from using saxophone or guitar as lead instruments - only his poetic piano.

“The music on ‘Colors of Love’ explores all aspects of what love is. It’s a deep word that says a lot of things. There’s passionate love, love at first sight, longing love, lost love. Each color represents a different type of love. There are heart-wrenching songs, cuddly love - all kinds of different love songs,” said Culbertson, who played all of the instruments on the new record except for rhythm guitar (Isaiah Sharkey) and accordion (Peter White).

“I’ve been playing ‘Through the Years’ from the new album in my set since the Berks Jazz Fest last April. The response has been very emotional. Clearly this music touches a nerve – or the heart to be more exact.”

Culbertson is already at work on how he will present “Colors of Love” live during the U.S. concert trek that runs March 28 through June 17 with tickets going on sale December 8. He’s planning to incorporate a video element in a major way.

“It’s going to be a very theatrical presentation with video images and lighting timed to the music. This music is visual and cinematic thus the show needs to be visual to complement the experience. It’s going to be larger than life when you see it live.”

“Colors of Love” contains the following songs:

“Love Transcended”

“I Want You”

“Colors of Love”

“Don’t Go”

“You’re Magic”

“Through the Years”

“In A Dream”

“Let’s Chill”

“Desire”

“Michelle’s Theme”

“In Your Embrace”

“The Look”

“All My Heart”

A bonus track will be available exclusively for Indiegogo supporters.

www.BrianCulbertson.com.

Diana Ross New Release Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection

Diana Ross’ NEW album release, Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection, is a memorable music journey that celebrates her iconic legacy. The 15-song collection contains some of her biggest hit recordings of her career and will be released digitally on November 17 through Motown/UMe. Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection also includes as a special gift to her fans an exciting new dance club remix of her #1 hit “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” 

"I send this special gift to you all. This collection of songs is from my heart to yours and I send my love and thanks and appreciation to you for my joyous amazing journey, it's so much fun," says Ms. Ross.

Diana Ross will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Music Awards on November 19, during which the show will pay tribute to her remarkable career. Diana Ross' impact in music, film, television, fashion and popular culture is unprecedented. A renowned superstar, she is one of the most successful and influential recording legends and iconic entertainers of all time.

Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection track listing:

1.I'm Coming Out

2.More Today Than Yesterday

3.The Boss

4.It's My House

5.Endless Love *

6.Upside Down

7.You Can't Hurry Love **

8.Touch Me In The Morning

9.Love Hangover

10.Take Me Higher

11.It's My Turn

12.Why Do Fools Fall In Love

13.Ain't No Mountain High Enough

14.Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)

15.Ain't No Mountain High Enough - The ANMHE 'Diamond Diana' Remix

* with Lionel Richie

** with The Supremes

Grammy Award-Winning and Platinum-Selling Artist Fantasia Heats up the Holidays with the Release of Christmas After Midnight via Concord Records

Grammy-Award winning and platinum-selling artist Fantasia will release her first-ever holiday album, Christmas After Midnight, via Concord Records on October 6.  The 12-track album was produced by Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, The Black-Eyed Peas) and includes some of Fantasia's favorite holiday songs including "This Christmas," "Silent Night," "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside," featuring vocals from the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer CeeLo Green.  To pre-order the album, click HERE.

"I'm so excited for my first Christmas album," says R&B sensation Fantasia.  "My Grandmother Addie Collins' birthday was on Christmas Day. I will never forget how she would put up the prettiest Christmas trees and lights. But more importantly, I'll never forget the impact she had on me and everyone else around her this time of year. She was a loving woman who helped all her grandchildren understand the true meaning of the holiday, its impact on our spirituality and character as well as the importance of recognizing the value of family and significant relationships.  This album is dedicated to her.  So as she would always say, 'Keep giving the Gift of Giving!'"

Recorded live in Los Angeles' iconic Capitol Studios and Nashville's famed Blackbird Studios, Christmas After Midnight is an inspiring and merry blend of rock, soul, jazz, funk and blues that will send holiday spirits soaring.   Brimming with creative arrangements on standards such as "This Christmas" to the jazzy interpretation of "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?," Fantasia's soulful and unique vocals breathe a fresh new take on these beloved classics.  The album also features a playful rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside," featuring CeeLo Green.

"This album pays homage to my grandmother and is a gift from me to all of those who remember their grandparents or parents putting up Christmas trees and being a blessing into people's lives," says Fantasia.  "I'd also like to pay homage to the great singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles who stood strong in what they believed in - the music. I hope that it blesses you guys. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

North Carolina native Fantasia broke on to the scene in 2004 as the season three winner of Fox's American Idol. Later that year, she released her platinum-selling debut album Free Yourself and became the first artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut at #1 with her first single, "I Believe." The singer's eponymous sophomore effort, released in 2006, featured the #1 R&B single "When I See U," and reached gold status. In 2010, Fantasia earned her first ever Grammy Award for the hit single "Bittersweet," off her critically acclaimed third album Back to Me.  Side Effects of You followed in 2013, debuting at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and #2 on the Billboard Top 200. On July 29, 2016, Fantasia released her fifth studio album, The Definition Of...., which became her third consecutive #1 R&B album debut, her fourth top ten debut on the Billboard 200, and earned her another Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

In addition to being a mainstay in music, Fantasia adds author and actress, to her growing list of accomplishments. In 2006, she released her New York Times best-selling memoir, Life Is Not a Fairytale, and starred as herself in the Lifetime movie of the same name. In 2007, Fantasia landed the coveted role of Celie in Broadway's The Color Purple for which she won a Theater World Award. Fantasia returned to Broadway in 2013 as the first celebrity engagement in After Midnight, a dance-focused musical that celebrated Harlem's iconic Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and '30s. After receiving rave reviews, Fantasia joined the cast of After Midnight for a second run in May 2014.

VINCE GUARALDI TRIO’S BEST-SELLING ALBUM, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS TO BE CELEBRATED WITH AUDIOPHILE VINYL REISSUE

Craft Recordings, the Catalog Division of Concord Music, has announced a high-end vinyl reissue of the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s beloved jazz album, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Due out November 17th, the LP will be released on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in an old-school style, tip-on jacket, featuring the rarely seen artwork from the original 1965 album. Lacquers for the album were cut by George Horn and Anne-Marie Suenram at Fantasy Studios, while the vinyl was pressed at Quality Record Pressings.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, certified 4X Platinum by the RIAA in 2016, is one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue; and it’s no surprise: Guaraldi’s engaging score to the synonymous holiday television special has introduced generations of children and their parents to the joys of jazz music, with tracks like the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” and yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here.” The album was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry five years later, and continues to be a perennial favorite, thanks to annual airings of the Christmas TV special. 

A native of San Francisco, Vince Guaraldi became one of America’s most successful jazz artists during the course of his lifetime. Though Guaraldi’s legacy is most famously tied to his association with Peanuts, he was already an established, GRAMMY® Award-winning artist by the time that producer Lee Mendelson tapped him to score the first of many animated specials based on the Charles Schulz-penned cartoons. In a 2003 interview, excerpted from the biography Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (Derrick Bang; McFarland Books), Mendelson declared, “There was no doubt in my mind that if we hadn’t had that Guaraldi score, we wouldn’t have had the franchise we later enjoyed.”

  

Track List:

Side A

1. O Tannenbaum

2. What Child Is This

3. My Little Drum

4. Linus & Lucy

5. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental)

Side B

1. Christmas Time Is Here (vocal)

2. Skating

3. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

4. Christmas Is Coming

5..Für Elise

6. The Christmas Song

NEW RELEASES: SINNE EGG - DREAMS; 3TM - FORM; ROSS MCHENRY – THE OUTSIDERS

SINNE EGG - DREAMS

With her perfect intonation, impeccable sense of time, and mellifluous timbre, Danish vocalist Sinne Eeg has earned the admiration of fans and fellow musicians across the U.S. and around the world. Considered the preeminent jazz vocalist in Scandinavia, DREAMS is Eeg’s ninth CD as a leader. Eeg is firmly rooted in the tradition of the great jazz vocalists, and although she can swing like the best singers from an earlier era, she approaches songs from the Great American Songbook with a more modern sensibility. Eeg is also a formidable songwriter. Six of the tunes on this disc are her own compositions. Her writing encompasses a variety of styles, from romantic ballads to groove-based tunes. For the first time, she tackles contemporary issues with a song about Aleppo. Eeg is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Danish Music Award (Denmark’s Grammys), which she won three times for Best Jazz Vocal CD. She’s also the first vocalist to receive the Ben Webster Prize, and she’s also the recipient of France’s prestigious Prix du Jazz, awarded by France’s Academie du Jazz.

3TM - FORM

A fantastic set from drummer Teppo Makynen – an artist whose work you might know from the Five Corners Quintet or The Stance Brothers – but who moves here in a style that opens up whole new territory for the Scandinavian scene! The core sound comes from a trio – with Makynen on drums, Antti Lotjonen on bass, and Jussi Kannaste on tenor – but Teppo also brings in these other sonic elements too – adding subtle samples to the acoustic core – not in a way that feels like a remix or something of that nature – but just some wider tones and colors that work wonderfully with the mix of tenor, bass, and drums! The style is less groove-oriented than some of Teppo's previous groups – sometimes straight jazz, sometimes more abstract – but never too loose or laidback, and always with a straightforward consciousness that shows that he's making all the right choices with these added elements. Titles include "Desolation", "Stars", "Formality", "Winterline", "Five New Ducks", "Flaig", "Empty & Still", "Flaigology", and "Iran". ~ Dusty Groove

ROSS MCHENRY – THE OUTSIDERS

A beautiful trio album from bassist Ross McHenry – an artist here who works with just piano and drums, but somehow manages to make so many new and personal sounds flow from their combination! The songs are all originals, and McHenry's got a style that's visionary, yet also straight ahead – a mode that never needs to go too far outside to realizes something strikingly special – as he fits perfectly with the talents of Matthew Sheens on piano and Myele Manzana on drums – three players who seem to know each other intimately, and really burst forth with the kind of energy these songs deserve! McHenry plays electric bass, but at a level that's much more like acoustic use of the instrument – and titles include the long "Outsiders" suite – plus "Us & Them", "Those Lost Days", and "It's Now How I Remembered It". (Includes bonus download!) ~ Dusty Groove

Stan Getz Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set - The Bossa Nova Years

Though born in Philadelphia, Getz was a key architect in the development of the US West Coast "cool school" sound and was heavily influenced by the airy tone of his idol, saxophonist, Lester Young. Getz rose to fame in the late 1940s after serving his musical apprenticeship in the bands of Jack Teagarden, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman. As a solo artist, his career took off in the 1950s, a time when he earned the nickname "The Sound," which referred to his light, feathery saxophone tone and gift for effortless melodic improvisation.

Bossa Nova Years catches up with Getz's career in the early 1960s, when he was signed to Verve and expanded both his repertoire and audience by marrying cool jazz with an exciting and sensuous new form of music from Brazil called bossa nova. 1962's Jazz Samba LP - recorded in tandem with noted classically-trained acoustic guitarist, Charlie Byrd - was Getz's first foray into bossa nova and helped to popularize the music in America. The album topped the US LP charts, aided by the commercially successful single, the Grammy-winning "Desafinado."

Getz explored Brazilian music in a large ensemble setting on his next album, Big Band Bossa Nova, also released in 1962, which placed his saxophone against a big band backdrop (expertly arranged by Gary McFarland) with spectacular results. Among the standouts are "Manha de Carnival," which is driven by pulsating samba rhythms, and the more reflective "Melancolico."

The Brazilian theme continued on 1963's Jazz Samba Encore! It featured Rio de Janeiro guitarist Luiz Bonfá, and also acclaimed bossa nova songwriter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who appeared on guitar and piano. Significantly, Jobim was the co-writer of "The Girl From Ipanema," the big hit from Getz's next album, Getz/Gilberto, a collaboration with Brazilian guitarist and singer, Joao Gilberto. Gilberto's then wife, Astrud, supplied delicate, spellbinding vocals on "The Girl From Ipanema," which was released as a single and became a substantial international hit in 1964 (it also won a Grammy). More significantly, it helped to launch Astrud Gilberto's own career as a singer.

The final LP in the Getz package is Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida, recorded in 1963 but not released by Verve until three years later. It finds Getz hooking up with renowned São Paulo guitarist, Laurindo Almeida, whose delicate but highly rhythmic fretboard work underpins some wonderfully mellifluous horn-blowing by the saxophonist. Highlights include the breezy "Menina Moca" and the gently undulating "Once Again," both spotlighting Getz's burnished lyricism.

Dinah Washington Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set - The Divine Miss Washington

Famed for her clear diction, crisp phrasing, and declamatory delivery, Dinah Washington (1924-1963), like Billie Holiday before her, possessed an immediately recognisable singing voice. A 1993 inductee in to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Washington was born Ruth Lee Jones in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and first recorded during the 1940s, serving up risqué blues songs. In the 1950s, Washington - who called herself the "Queen of the Blues" - recorded a clutch of classic albums for the Mercury subsidiary, Emarcy, that revealed her to be a sophisticated song stylist who could sing blues, jazz, and pop with consummate ease. The Divine Miss Dinah box set begins with After Hours With Miss D, a superb 1954 session with legendary horn players, Clark Terry and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, in attendance. A finger-clicking "Blue Skies" is one of many standouts. The electrifying Dinah Jams, recorded live in front of a studio audience in 1954, has a looser, improvisational flavor and features bebop trumpet legend Clifford Brown. Mellower and more overtly romantic is 1955's For Those In Love, which contains one of Washington's most popular tunes, "Blue Gardenia," and finds the singer backed by a small ensemble that includes future Miles Davis Kind Of Blue band members, pianist, Wynton Kelly, and drummer, Jimmy Cobb. In sharp contrast, 1957's The Swingin' Miss D, has Washington collaborating with the then rising arranger/conductor Quincy Jones and his orchestra. Packed with effervescent big band uptempo tunes (such as "Caravan") and stylish heart-rending ballads ("You're Crying"), it proves to be an inspired and exquisite pairing of talents that oozes pizzazz.

Two years later in 1959, Washington scored a Top 10 US pop hit and grabbed a Grammy award with her striking remake of the Dorsey Brothers' 1934 smash, "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes," which featured on her album with the same title. What A Diff'rence A Day Makes! also spotlighted future Weather Report co-founder, Joe Zawinul, on piano, and found Washington, augmented by a lush string orchestra, putting her own spin on standards like "Cry Me A River," and "Manhattan."

Jazz Legend Billie Holiday Celebrated With Five-Album Vinyl Box Set Featuring Some Of Her Classic Records

Dubbed "Lady Day" by jazz saxophonist, Lester Young, Billie Holiday (1915-1959) is one of the most influential and iconic jazz vocalists of all time. Her uniquely expressive voice, with its unmistakable tone, timbre, and horn-like phrasing, had an emotional sincerity that made everything she sang seem an honest reflection of her own personal struggles in life. Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia and after experiencing a difficult childhood, found an escape through music. She began singing professionally as a teenager in the late 1920s and signed her first recording contract in 1935, before going on to work with the swing-era big bands of Count Basie and Artie Shaw. By the 1940s, she was a big solo star but behind the showbiz glamour there was a dark underside of drug and alcohol dependency, which eventually hastened her tragic demise (she died in 1959 aged 44).

Classic Lady Day catches up with Holiday at the dawn of the LP age in the 1950s when she recorded for the Clef and Verve labels founded by jazz impresario and producer, Norman Granz. The opening album in the set is 1957's Solitude: Songs By Billie Holiday, which was first issued in 1952 as a 10-inch LP called Billie Holiday Sings for Granz's Clef imprint. It's a delightful small group session where Holiday's beguiling voice is framed by sympathetic and lightly-swinging arrangements played by sidemen that include pianist Oscar Peterson and guitarist Barney Kessell. Holiday's mournful version of Duke Ellington's immortal "Solitude," with Charlie Shavers on trumpet, is particularly arresting. Holiday also puts her own inimitable stamp on the standards "You Go To My Head" and "These Foolish Things."

A Recital By Billie Holiday is a 1956 compilation that includes fine readings of "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Stormy Weather," while Velvet Moods - Songs By Billie Holiday issued the same year on Clef contains "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues." Also issued in 1956 was Holiday's most famous album, Lady Sings The Blues, which she released to coincide with the publication of her same-titled autobiography. It contains the classic title song - co-written by the singer - and another original iconic tune, "God Bless The Child." Another highlight is her haunting version of American writer Lewis Allan's provocative but poignant anti-lynching poem set to music, "Strange Fruit."  Classic Lady Day concludes with the 1958 Verve LP, All Or Nothing At All, released a year before the singer's death. It contains memorable performances of "April In Paris," "Sophisticated Lady," and "Love Is Here To Stay."

 

The Mark Zaleski Band Returns After Nearly a Decade With Its Wide-Ranging, Hard-Swinging Second Album, Days, Months, Years

Bandleader and composer Zaleski pulls off the impressive feat of playing both saxophone and bass on the album, which features his long-running ensemble

Sparks can fly from an initial meeting, but true chemistry only comes with time. That's true in jazz as it is in life, as can be heard by listening to the evolution of the music's great bands as they grow and evolve over time. Nearly a decade after their debut release, the Mark Zaleski Band returns with the fruits of their own long tenure together. On Days, Months, Years, released October 6, 2017, the quintet (and sometime sextet) reveals the fruits that come from putting in the time, year after year, gig after gig.

While the Mark Zaleski Band has been together for 11 years, the relationships between the bandleader and some of his collaborators reach back even further - nearly a lifetime in the case of keyboardist Glenn Zaleski, Mark's younger brother and a gifted composer/bandleader in his own right. Tenor saxophonist Jon Bean has been Zaleski's best friend since the two met as students at Boston's New England Conservatory 12 years ago. Both guitarist Mark Cocheo and bassist Danny Weller (who is a regular part of the live band and appears on one track here) first crossed paths with Zaleski at that prestigious institution as well. In that company drummer Oscar Suchenek is the relative newcomer, joining four years ago after meeting Zaleski in the ranks of the acclaimed Either/Orchestra.

It takes the kind of telepathic communication that only comes with such longevity and chemistry to manage the album's most impressive feat. Zaleski does double duty in the band's line-up, part of both his namesake band's frontline, playing alto and soprano saxophone, as well as its rhythm section, playing bass on five of the six tracks. A lot of planning and some complicated logistics (not to mention a bit of studio acrobatics) were required, though as with the best magic the effort never shows in the final product. The music on Days, Months, Years is as lively, swinging and robust as if a sixth member - Zaleski clone or not - was playing along with them.

"Playing bass and saxophone for a jazz record is obviously kind of tricky," Zaleski admits. "I don't think I'd be able to pull it off with just any group of musicians. It requires the real life bond that everybody in this band has with each other." While saxophone has been Zaleski's primary instrument since he first picked one up at 9 years old, he's maintained a lifelong flirtation with the bass. Growing up listening to classic and modern rock, the guitar loomed larger in his imagination than the clarinet that he played in the school band, which seemed to have little to do with the music of Led Zeppelin or Metallica. Even as he shifted his focus to jazz, Zaleski would sneak away from his sax shedding to play around with a friend's upright bass while studying at the Dave Brubeck Institute or NEC.

Seven or eight years ago, that tinkering became a little more serious as Zaleski finally invested in a bass of his own and quickly found himself in demand for gigs and recording sessions as a bassist. "What I thought was going to be a fun little hobby suddenly blew up," he recalls. "I always felt this organic connection to the bass, but it's now become a real part of my life that I couldn't let go of. Though it was kind of crazy, it seemed like the most accurate representation of myself as an artist had to do with bass playing as well as saxophone playing."

Days, Months, Years kicks off with the anthemic "Mark in the Park," which has become something of a theme song for the band. Over the course of its ten minutes, the band gets to show off nearly every facet of its sound, from bracing swing to lilting groove, modern jazz angularity and a rocking, funky backbeat. The first solo belongs to Zaleski's alto, over his own thick, Ray Brown-influenced bass line. Pulling that off required a bit of in-studio juggling and after-the-fact tracking, but the seams never show. "I didn't want anything to seem overproduced," Zaleski says. "I wanted to maintain the organic quality of the improvisational sections."

"Cerina," named for the street where the band used to practice in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood (not far from the park where "Mark in the Park" was written), begins with an unaccompanied duo improvisation between the two saxophonists that offers a glimpse of the deep friendship and understanding that Zaleski and Bean share. The rest of the band kicks in with a fiery, Latin-tinged rhythm, which later gives way to a more atmospheric section for Cocheo's entrancing solo.

The title track was penned by a younger Zaleski in a moment of career anxiety, its simmering intensity revealing of his frustration, though the song ultimately ends on a hopeful note, one that has since been paid off with the composer's success as both a musician and an educator. A funky arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Epistrophy" follows, offering a glimpse of a well-known piece reimagined through Zaleski's own singular voice.

An elegiac ballad showcasing Zaleski's soprano playing, "Katie's Song" is a dedication to a close childhood friend who was killed far too young in a tragic car accident. Finally, the swaggering "Big Foot" offers a glimpse of the live Mark Zaleski Band experience, with regular bassist Danny Weller (who was busy attending to the birth of his child when the rest of the album was recorded) joining the fold. Zaleski's arrangement of the lesser-known Charlie Parker tune melds the original bebop sound with a burly blues feel.

A native of Boylston, Massachusetts, Zaleski has enjoyed a diverse career, playing with jazz greats like Christian McBride, Dave Brubeck, Antonio Sanchez and Dave Liebman, among others, while also working with singer Connie Francis and touring with rock legends Jethro Tull. At just 31, he's become one of the most in-demand educators in Boston, serving as chair of the Woodwind and Brass departments at Bard College's Longy School of Music and harmony professor at Berklee College of Music, and teaching ear training, lessons and ensembles at his alma mater, New England Conservatory. In addition to leading his own band, he's currently a member (on electric bass) of the long-running Either/Orchestra and Planet Radio, a funk/soul band that he co-founded.

The band is scheduled for a couple of South Florida CD release concerts:
Lagniappe House (Miami) on March 8
Le Chat Noir (Miami) on March 9
Arts Garage (Delray Beach) on March 10  

Van Morrison set to release Versatile on Friday December 1

Following the massive success of his 37th studio album Roll With the Punches (which charted at No 4 in the UK this September), Van Morrison prepares the release of his 38th.

Versatile is positive proof that Van Morrison is built differently to other artists. One of very few British recording artists to warrant the description 'living legend', Van is currently working at a rate to put musicians a third of his age to shame; an ethic that harks back to his early days as a recording artist who'd easily release multiple brilliant long players within the space of a year.

While Roll With The Punches saw Van revisit many of the definitive rhythm and blues records that have stayed with him all his life, Van's latest album sees him delve further back into recorded music's archives to interpret some of the 20th century's greatest vocal jazz standards.

Across Versatile's sixteen tracks, Van Morrison interprets some of the very building blocks of modern music in his own utterly unique style.  As well as songs originally made famous by the likes of Chet Baker, Sinatra, the Righteous Brothers, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole, Versatile features six stunning new Van compositions, including Broken Record – a timeless piece of late-night swing.

A joy from start to finish, Versatile is a completely different record to Roll With the Punches yet it's incontrovertibly Van and proof, if ever it were needed, that at 72 years of age, he's not going to slow down any time soon.

Versatile features:

1. 'Broken Record' (Van Morrison)

2. 'A Foggy Day' (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin)

3. 'Let's Get Lost' (Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh)

4. 'Bye Bye Blackbird' (Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon)

5. 'Skye Boat Song' (Traditional. Arranged by Van Morrison)

6. 'Take It Easy Baby' (Van Morrison)

7. 'Makin' Whoopee' (Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn)

8. I Get a Kick Out of You (Cole Porter)

9. 'I Forgot That Love Existed' (Van Morrison)

10. 'Unchained Melody' (Alex North and Hy Zaret)

11. 'Start All Over Again' (Van Morrison)

12. 'Only A Dream' (Van Morrison)

13. 'Affirmation' featuring Sir James Galway (Van Morrison)

14. 'The Party's Over' (Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne)

15. 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' (George Cory and Douglass Cross)

16. 'They Can't Take That Away from Me' (George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin)

Tracks on the album were recorded at Stormont Hotel, Co. Down; .The Courtyard, Clandeboye Estate, Co.Down; The Culloden Hotel, Co.Down; Slieve Donard Hotel, Co. Down; Dunluce Castle, Co. Antrim and Holywood Studio, Co. Down.

NEW RELEASES: MICKEY DOLENZ & THE AMERICAN METROPOLE ORCHESTRA - OUT OF NOWHERE; LIONEL LOUEKE & CELINE RUDOLPH - OBESSION; CORNELL THIGPEN - HISTORY

MICKEY DOLENZ & THE AMERICAN METROPOLE ORCHESTRA - OUT OF NOWHERE

7A Records presents a brand new album from Micky Dolenz - "Out Of Nowhere". Recorded in April this year with the sublime 30 piece American Metropole Orchestra, Dolenz sings all of the Monkees' greatest hits along with some outstanding deep album cuts. The orchestral backing adds a real unique depth to the recordings and Dolenz's voice is as good as ever. To quote Dolenz in his own words: "Words cannot express what a magical night it was. You really had to be there and thanks to this recording, you can be!" Includes Last Train to Clarksville; Sometime in the Morning; D.W. Washburn;  A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You; (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone; Hey Bulldog (Inst.); Porpoise Song; Randy Scouse Git; Since I Fell for You; Daydream Believer; Pleasant Valley Sunday; and I'm a Believer.

LIONEL LOUEKE & CELINE RUDOLPH - OBESSION

A singer playing the guitar. A guitarist who sings. An album on which these two exceptional musicians show that in music, too, the whole can be bigger than the sum of its parts. Their common "obsession" opens up musical horizons, sounds like Jazz and singer-songwriter-elegance, like Cotonou, Rio, Memphis and Berlin. It is music that speaks of the passion that loves, of deep moments, life, pleasure and the Blues. This duo, which most often sounds like a band, sometimes even like an orchestra, sings ten glorious, spontaneous songs, sometimes in English, sometimes French, sometimes in Celinish or Lionelish. You may think, after just one listen, that you ve known these songs all your life, but there is really only one cover among them (Caetano Velosos "O Leãozinho"), while the rest of the songs were written by either Céline Rudolph or Lionel Loueke or both of them. Make no mistake: this is a complex, diverse album, while at the same time homogeneous and subtle, aptly titled Obsession .

CORNELL THIGPEN - HISTORY

Album delivers a fresh new sound of sophisticated inspiration and poetic collaboration that illuminates pure talent! History displays a straight-ahead approach to modern jazz, but screams a blend of electrified fusion, funk, and highly progressive pop/rock influenced by the avant-garde. Energy is displayed in every song! Cornell Thigpen is a Chicago Illinois native and has traveled the world as musician and Music Director with such artist as Dave Hollister, Mary J. Bilge, Kenny Babyface Edmonds, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Daryl Coley, Stevie Nicks, Fred Hammond, Bobby Brown, Keshia Cole, Patti Labelle, Jagged Edge, the group 112, Ralph Tresvant, Kim Burrell, Chaka Khan, The Isley Brothers, Kenny Latimore, Tony Terry and Kirk Franklin to name a few. Cornell has also played many styles of music from gospel to blues to rhythm and blues to smooth jazz and to rock and is highly respected among the musical community. Thigpen boasts over one million views on YouTube with hundreds of videos attesting to his undeniable musical talent and abilities. Multi-Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award Winner Fred Hammond affirms, Cornell is not just a musician but one who connects with the listener! Cornell's extensive music career includes tours worldwide, as well as appearances on shows and events such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The View, PBS, and The Chicago Bulls Championship parade. This album should be in everyone's collection!

NEW RELEASES: DINAH WASHINGTON & QUINCY JONES: - THE COMPLETE SESSIONS; MARCUS ANDERSON – THIS IS CHRISTMAS; KYLE EASTWOOD - IN TRANSIT

DINAH WASHINGTON & QUINCY JONES: - THE COMPLETE SESSIONS

This 3-CD, 73-track set presents, for the first time ever on a single edition, all existing sessions featuring the singing of Dinah Washington with bands conducted by Quincy Jones, who was also responsible for most of the arrangements on these dates. Ranging from 1955 to 1961, the sessions include the complete contents of the classic albums For Those in Love (Emarcy MG-36011), I Wanna Be Loved (Mercury SR-60729), and The Swingin’ Miss “D” (EmArcy MG-36104), along with various other tunes issued on singles. Contained here are her unforgettable renditions of “Mad About the Boy”, “Blue Gardenia” and “I’ll Close My Eyes” (the latter two were selected by Clint Eastwood for the soundtrack to his movie The Bridges of Madison County).

MARCUS ANDERSON – THIS IS CHRISTMAS

The gift of sound is fit for every season when Marcus Anderson comes to play. The saxophonist stands out with This Is Christmas, turning the traditional holiday cheer into something listeners can play throughout the year.    Breaking boundaries of soul and jazz, the tone is set and the vibe is just what one expects from a seasonal release with the reminders of home and family latticed throughout the compilation. Renditions of yuletide favorites such as Oh Christmas Tree, This Christmas and Oh Come All Ye Faithful welcome listeners with cheer and instrumental grace, enhanced by Anderson s natural musical trope. Every facet of his talented ensemble is enlisted to heighten the experience of the songs we've all come to love and enjoy.   What is not expected is the sensuality which Anderson channels to break traditional expectations of jazz-themed Christmas music to deliver an album that can turn any day into a holiday. Play Christmas with Her and Favorite Time of the Year for a romantic evening with someone special- the melodies are perfect for cuddling, whether it be rain, sun or snow. Jingle Jam is another surprise, as Anderson embraces the more funky aspects of his musical background so that you can bring this track to the cookout!   Plug in the tree and light the candelabra because it is officially ignited with This Is Christmas! Clever and exceptionally -mastered, this album brings out the best of every occasion from winter to summer, spring and fall. Charging the senses while keeping you in the mood to celebrate, groove with Marcus Anderson and share the spice of the holiday season any time of year!

KYLE EASTWOOD - IN TRANSIT

Bassist Kyle Eastwood has an unbridled passion for jazz and the innate talent to share it. He is an artist that strives to reinvent the genre by not only respecting its masters, but also pushing the boundaries in search of a new tradition that looks ever forward. Following on the success of his first two Jazz Village releases, Eastwood's In Transit features songs by some of his favorite composers as well as original tunes by Eastwood and his band. Guest artists include saxophonist Stefano Di Battista. The mood of the album's ten tracks ranges from hard bop and rhythm 'n' blues to a decidedly contemporary sound. With its powerful rhythms and catchy melodies, Eastwood's In Transit is guaranteed to please.

NEW RELEASES: KYOTO JAZZ SEXTET – UNITY; BILL O’CONNELL / NICO CATACCHIO / ALESSANDRO NAPOLITAN – THREE OF US; SOUL POTENTIAL: A COLLECTION OF NEW SOUL CLASSICS

KYOTO JAZZ SEXTET – UNITY

The Kyoto Jazz sound just keeps on getting better and better – from the time 20 years back, when it was a visionary club movement spearheaded by Shuya Okino – to the point now where it's focused into a core jazz combo that brings beautiful new life to Okino's music! The group are a wonderfully strong combo – with trumpet, tenor, piano, bass, and drums – a quintet at heart, but with Okino's leadership as the sixth sextet member – as well as guest work from some other players in the Japanese scene. But maybe the most amazing aspect this time around is the return of vocalist Navasha Daya – who you might remember from the sublime Fertile Ground group years back – and who contributes fantastic lyrics to two tracks on the set – pushing the already righteous energy of the instrumental jazz on the record into even more positive territory! Daya sings on two of the album's nine tracks – which might be worth the price of admission alone – but the rest of the group is wonderful, too – and titles include "We Are One", "Ancient Future", "Mission", "Song For Unity", "Peaceful Wind", 

BILL O’CONNELL / NICO CATACCHIO / ALESSANDRO NAPOLITAN – THREE OF US

You might recognize pianist Bill O'Connell from some of his bigger label recordings in recent years – but this set's a very special one, recorded for the excellent Albore label, and done in Italy – with a vibe that's maybe more lyrically flowing than we're used to hearing from Bill! The group's a trio – with Nico Catacchio on bass and Alessandro Napolitano on drums – both players who revel in that loose swing that we've always loved from the European scene. Bill's hands on the piano are breathtaking – wide in their scope, and very deft – but never overstating their strengths, and instead just wonderfully working their way through this larger sonic flow. The set includes the original tunes "Lost In Taranto" and "Piccolo Porticciolo" – plus "Estate", "Solar", "Blue In Green", and "Love For Sale". ~ Dusty Groove

SOUL POTENTIAL: A COLLECTION OF NEW SOUL CLASSICS (COMPILATION)

A whole new set of mod soul smokers – contemporary cuts, but mostly recorded with a vibe that hearkens back to the sound of London in the 60s – which means plenty of influence from Motown and other Northern Soul sources, plus an occasional touch of jazzy Hammond too! These tracks are all recent, but really showcase the Acid Jazz talent for getting an older style right – not exactly pure 60s, but more the best Brit blue-eyed modes – of the sort you might have heard when Style Council could hit a groover like this, or when some of the more recent Acid Jazz acts are at their best. Titles include "Pandora" by Men Of North Country, "Girlfriend" by The Filthy Six, "Return To Space" by Twisted Tongue, "Ordinary Joe" by Jasmine Kara, "No More Heroes" by Night Trains, "From Now On" by Magnus Carlson, and "Sex Is On Fire" by Jerk Juice. ~ Dusty Groove