Jazz Great Turned Pop DIVA HILARY KOLE releases new single “Without You”

Since launching her performing career as the youngest singer ever to grace the stage at NYC’s legendary Rainbow Room, Hilary Kole has conquered the hearts of jazz fans throughout the world with her intimate piano and vocal performances, themed shows with her jazz ensemble and special concert hall symphony performances. Capping nearly a decade of popular, critically acclaimed recordings showcasing her storytelling panache via fresh interpretations of pop and jazz standards, the multi-talented performer launches the next phase off her storied career with the infectious and emotionally compelling new pop single “Without You” – available NOW on iTunes, Google Music and other digital platforms.

Showcasing a more intimate side of her artistry than any previous release, Hilary co-wrote “Without You” with fellow multi-talented New York singing sensation Devin Bing, whom HuffPo has proclaimed as “a total original with the charisma of a ‘Golden Age’ entertainer.” Devin also produced the track and plays the haunting piano that introduces Hilary’s narrative of facing the crippling enduring realities of heartbreak and finding the renewed strength to move on in a healthy positive way. Driven by their similar backgrounds (she went to Manhattan School of Music, he to the University of Miami to study music) and a sharply intuitive musical chemistry, Hilary and Devin are currently working on several follow-up singles that they plan to release throughout the winter and spring 2018.

“I have never worked with a vocal producer like Devin before,” Hilary says. “On my earlier studio recordings, I would play off the band in a very similar way to what I did live. But doing pure pop as we are on ‘Without You’ was a totally different thing that took me to deeper places within myself. Devin set the bar really high and kept encouraging me to bring more power to the performance, saying ‘You can belt this.’”

Longtime Hilary fans know that in addition to being a brilliant song stylist and interpreter, she is an accomplished songwriter who has included in her shows original material among the Gershwin, Porter, Bernstein and Mercer pieces for the past five years. “Though I’ve made my living as a jazz singer,” she says, “I’ve sung a lot of pop songs, too. Most people don’t know that I studied composition in school and have been writing my own music for a long time. When you become known as an interpreter of standards, it’s a challenge to get people to see you in a different light.

“As much as I will always love singing those tunes, as I get older I am more excited than ever to break out of my comfort zone and explore all artistic colors. I’ve been fearless with other people’s music, and it’s taken me a long time to gain the confidence to share my own songs with the world. I felt like ‘Without You’ was the one that called out to me, and I asked myself, “what am I waiting for?”

In addition to headlining famed NYC venues as Town Hall, Birdland, The Blue Notes, Iridium, Jazz At Lincoln Center, The Jazz Standard and Carnegie Hall (with the New York Pops and with Michael Feinstein), Hilary debuted at the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel as the co-writer and star of the critically acclaimed, Off-Broadway revues “Our Sinatra” and “Singing Astaire.” She made her concert hall debut at Lincoln Center as part of the "American Songbook Series”.

In June 2007, Hilary appeared at Carnegie Hall in a Tribute to Oscar Peterson, a performance reprised in January 2008 at the Canadian Memorial to Dr. Peterson at Roy Thompson Hall alongside Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock and Nancy Wilson. Globally, she has headlined at the Umbria Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, the Nairn Jazz Festival in Scotland, and the Cotton Club and Blue Note in Japan. In 2016, upon releasing The Judy Garland Project, she toured the U.S. and Asia, performing Garland’s iconic repertoire with a small ensemble group and orchestras. Hilary is currently writing a new show for orchestra based on the top female composers of the past half century, from Peggy Lee to Alanis Morissette and Heart.

Her previous discography includes the John Pizzarelli produced Haunted Heart (2009); You Are There (2010), featuring vocal piano duets with legendary jazz pianists Dave Brubeck, Michel Legrand, Benny Green, Cedar Walton, Hank Jones and others; and the deeply personal A Self-Portrait (2014), which included interpretations of contemporary pop classics from the rock era. 

KATE REID’s “THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS,” featuring duos with Fred Hersch, Romero Lubambo, Taylor Eigsti and more…

Vocalist KATE REID performs stunning duets with some of the finest pianists and guitarists on the scene today. Reid is a nuanced singer, attuned to the subtleties of a song’s lyrics and harmonic structure. The duo setting is perfect vehicle for Reid’s jazz explorations and sexy, smoky, alto voice.  PETER ELDRIDGE, the critically acclaimed vocalist, pianist, composer, and founding member of the internationally acclaimed vocal group New York Voices, produced the CD. THE HEART ALREADY KNOWS is an intimate project that comprises a mix of standards, modern jazz compositions, and pop tunes that take on new life in the hands of these A-list musicians. 

Reid is also a pianist and performs in duo, trio, and quartet settings at jazz venues in the Los Angeles and Miami areas.  Her previous CD, “The Love I’m In,” featured tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts and pianist Otmaro Ruiz. Her first project, “Sentimental Mood,” received extensive airplay on jazz radio stations around the world.

Reid is also a working studio/session singer who has lent her voice to several films, including Star Trek Into Darkness and Men In Black III. Her voice can also be heard on several network television series as well nationwide commercial spots.

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/katereid/sets/the-heart-already-knows/s-GmteL

featuring

Kate Reid vocals

Paul Meyers guitar (1,7)

Larry Koonse guitar (2,4)

Fred Hersch piano (3,9,11)

Romero Lubambo guitar (5,10)

Taylor Eigsti piano (6,8)

Tracks

1. Something to Live For (4:46)

2. Confessin’ (3:33)

3. No More  (3:17)

4. Two Grey Rooms  (4:15)

5. Endless Stars  (3:15)

6. Busy Being Blue  (7:02) 

7. Just a Lucky So and So  (4:46)

8. Secret o’ Life  (3:58)

9. If I Should Lose You  (3:58)

10. Minds of Their Own  (5:13)

11. Lazin’ Around  (3:38) 

Haitian-American Singer MALOU BEAUVOIR Releases SPIRITWALKER; melding Haitian Folk, Soul, Hip Hop and Jazz

On her new release, Spiritwalker, Haitian-American singer-songwriter Malou Beauvoir communes with and for the spiritual traditions of her island heritage. The album is at once a celebration of the Vaudou spirits that embody and enrich the culture of Haiti, as well as a conveyance of their message of peace and awakening to the world at large.

Beauvoir’s music is a rich blend of Haiti’s folk traditions and a compelling weave of contemporary influences, melding soulful melodies, hip hop grooves and jazz virtuosity. The songs – a blend of original compositions, traditional folk tunes and beloved popular Haitian songs – convey a powerful message of acceptance and community at a time of turmoil in Haiti and polarization around the globe.

“If you have a voice, it’s to be used to communicate for someone or for something,” Beauvoir says. “It’s great to just sing songs, but we (as a group) wanted to focus our art on bringing about change. I wanted these songs that we grew up with – their values, their principles, the ideas behind them –to become hip, to become accessible to the younger generation so that we can use our own identity to express our frustration, and motivate each of us, as individuals, to bring about change.”

Spiritwalker, set for release on November 2 on Panthera Music International, was recorded at Brooklyn’s Kamoken Studios with a multi-national band of gifted musicians. The core group of Haitian musicians included co-producers and instrumentalists Chico Boyer (an activist and community leader who also owns Kamoken Studios) and Cheff Loncher along with acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Beaubrun and percussionists Sirgo Decius and Jean Guy Rene. In addition, the band comprised artists from Cuba (pianist Axel Laugart), Japan (pianist Yayoi Ikawa, guitarist Hiroyuki Yamada) and the U.S. (guitarist Jon Gordon, bassist Calvin Jones, and Haitian-American drummer Gashford Guillaume).

Born in Chicago to Haitian parents, Beauvoir was raised in Long Island while spending summers either in Paris, where her parents met, or in their native Haiti. “My father, who desperately loved Haiti, would constantly regale us with stories,” Beauvoir recalls. “Then every summer you would go and find yourself on this beautiful island with a whole community of friends and family, and it was such a different life from New York that it really tempted you to stay.”

Stream Tracks:

https://soundcloud.com/dlmedia/sets/malou-beauvoir-spiritwalker/s-rvC1Z

Another compelling aspect of Beauvoir’s time in Haiti was the tutelage of her uncle Max Beauvoir, a biochemist and high-ranking Vaudou priest, who ushered her into the island’s profound spiritual traditions. She considers herself a natural Vaudou priestess or mambo, a word that implies an ongoing quest for knowledge in the Vaudou belief system. “We believe that when someone becomes a priest or priestess, it’s the beginning of their journey,” Beauvoir explains. “It’s your invitation by the spirits to learn, to delve and to continue the rest of your life acquiring that knowledge. It has opened the door for me for a lifetime of learning, to cross that threshold and become a chalice to receive – and to give.”

Beauvoir followed a circuitous path on her road to giving back through her music. After studying at the American University in Paris she earned a master’s degree from the University of Hartford and began a successful career in marketing. A rapid ascent up the corporate ladder proved to be far less satisfying spiritually than it was financially, and she decided to pursue a more fulfilling, less secure life in music.

Malou’s muse drew her into the jazz world, where she performed in Paris, Belgium and New York, released three albums and shared the stage or studio with such modern greats as Donny McCaslin, Terrell Stafford and Donald Vega.

The escalating turmoil in her beloved Haiti following the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the further havoc visited on the island by Hurricane Matthew led Beauvoir to connect more directly with the music of her cultural roots. Hearing the voices of the Vaudou spirits in her ear, she decided to convey a message of pride and empowerment to the people of Haiti, while communicating the importance of spiritual awakening and togetherness to an increasingly divided world.

“I was tired of seeing things that started out as spiritual beacons being used by politicians and profiteers to forward divisive political messages and greedy economic causes,” Beauvoir says. “I started with Vaudou, saying these are our roots, this is what gave courage to slaves to revolt against Napoleon’s army and win our freedom; why don’t we dig deep down into our culture, our beliefs, our spirituality, and find the courage now to revolt against what’s going on in our country and in the world. Vaudou is not a well-known religion, but I want people to judge it on what it is, not what it is portrayed to be.”

The material on Spiritwalker stems from a variety of sources. The opening call to arms, “Rasenbleman,” was written by Haitian actress and singer Toto Bissainte, who herself brought together folkloric traditions with the modern music of her day. “Papa Loko,” and “Kouzen” are both traditional songs, the former invoking the spirit of the first Vaudou priest, the latter paying homage to the spirit of the land and the hard work of agriculture. “Yoyo” is a folk song about a Haitian street boy, translated into English by Beauvoir and given a twist of simmering, sultry groove. “Gran Bwa,” inspired by James Germain’s arrangement on “Kreole Mandingue,” pays respect to the ancient and venerable tree god who watches over the forest.

“Nwayé,” titled for the Kreyol version of the French word “to drown,” was co-written by Beauvoir and Beaubrun meditates on the tragedies wrought by hurricanes over the course of Haiti’s history, but more importantly addresses the issue of discrimination against marginalized groups in our society, imploring us to see through the lies and see and accept people for what they truly are. The two also worked together on “Simbi Dlo,” which calls to the Snake Spirit of the river and features the piercing guitar work of Jon Gordon, known for his work with Suzanne Vega and Madonna. Beauvoir’s original “There’s a Man” dates back to the time of her own spiritual awakening, referring to a troubling vision that led to her changing her life for the better. The album ends with a reprise of “Papa Damballah,” a jazz take on the Haitian classic “Papa Damballah” originally recorded for her 2016 album Is This Love and featuring Andy Ezrin (piano), Ben Whitman (durms, percussion), David Finck (bass) and Bobby Mann (guitar).

“Spiritwalker has always been a term that I use to describe myself and all people who are in communication with the spiritual world,” Beauvoir concludes. “I believe that everything in our world has a soul, from the grass to the stones to the air, which all have different energies that find their place and create a balance in the world. Spiritwalker strives to walk in step with the spirits that surround us.”

Malou Beauvoir · Spiritwalker
Panthera Music International · Release Date: November 2, 2018
www.maloubeauvoir.com

OSTINATO PRESENTS TWO NILES TO SING A MELODY: THE VIOLINS & SYNTHS OF SUDAN

In Sudan, the political and cultural are inseparable.

In 1989, a coup brought a hardline religious government to power. Music was violently condemned. Many musicians and artists were persecuted, tortured, forced to flee into exile — and even murdered, ending one of the most beloved music eras in all of Africa and largely denying Sudan’s gifted instrumentalists, singers, and poets, from strutting their creative heritage on the global stage.

What came before in a special era that protected and promoted the arts was one of the richest music scenes anywhere in the world. Although Sudanese styles are endlessly diverse, this compilation celebrates the golden sound of the capital, Khartoum. Each chapter of the cosmopolitan city’s tumultuous musical story is covered through 16 tracks: from the hypnotic violin and accordion-driven orchestral music of the 1970s that captured the ears and hearts of Africa and the Arabic-speaking world, to the synthesizer and drum machine music of the 1980s, and the music produced in exile in the 1990s. The deep kicks of tum tum and Nubian rhythms keep the sound infectious.

Sudan of old had music everywhere: roving sound systems and ubiquitous bands and orchestras kept Khartoum’s sharply dressed youth on their feet. Live music was integral to cultural life, producing a catalog of concert recordings. In small arenas and large outdoor venues, musical royalty of the day built Khartoum’s reputation as ground zero for innovation and technique that inspired a continent.

Musicians in Ethiopia and Somalia frequently point to Sudan’s biggest golden era stars as idols. Mention Mohammed Wardi — a legendary Sudanese singer and activist akin to Fela Kuti in stature and impact in his music and politics — and they often look to the heavens.

Such is the reputation of Sudanese music, particularly in the “Sudanic Belt,” a cultural zone that stretches from Djibouti all the way west to Mauritania, covering much of the Sahara and the Sahel, lands where Sudanese artists are household names and Sudanese poems are regularly used as lyrics until today to produce the latest hits. Sudanese cassettes often sold more in Cameroon and Nigeria than at home.

But years of anti-music sentiment have made recordings in Sudan difficult to source. Ostinato’s team traveled to Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Egypt in search of the timeless cultural artifacts that hold the story of Africa’s most mesmerizing cultures. That these cassette tape and vinyl recordings were mainly found in Sudan’s neighbors is a testament to Sudanese music’s widespread appeal.

With our Sudanese partner and co-compiler Tamador Sheikh Eldin Gibreel, a once famous poet and actress in ’70s Khartoum, Ostinato’s fifth album, following our Grammy-nominated “Sweet As Broken Dates,” revives the enchanting harmonies, haunting melodies, and relentless rhythms of Sudan’s brightest years, fully restored, remastered and packaged luxuriously in a triple LP gatefold and double CD bookcase to match the regal repute of Sudanese music. A 20,000-word liner note booklet gives voice to the singers silenced by an oppressive regime.

Take a sail down the Blue and White Nile as they pass through Khartoum, carrying with them an ancient history and a never-ending stream of poems and songs. It takes two Niles to sing a melody.

Release date: Septe,ber 14, 2018

Stream: 

https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/two-niles-to-sing-a-melody-the-violins-synths-of-sudan

Award-winning pianist Walter Gorra releases "In Due Time" mixing Jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian music

Award-winning pianist and composer Walter Gorra launches the worldwide distribution of his first CD that blends United States Jazz with Afro-Cuban Music, Brazilian music and the music of South America. It took Gorra two years to produce the CD, but the release on Aug. 1 is the culmination of his being true to all of these influences. Gorra calls it “a snapshot” of his life.

Denver jazz station KUVO/KVJZ 89.3 will air an interview and live performance with Walter Gorra and his quartet on August 17 at 2 p.m. hosted by KUVO’s music director, Arturo Gomez.

“The last composition on the CD entitled Rumba Pa’ Senen is a Cuban Rumba dedicated to my grandfather,” said Gorra. “It combines the effects my Cuban and Honduran heritage have had on my musical identity with my memories of my grandfather.”

Earlier this year, Gorra was recognized at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola/Jazz at Lincoln Center as the winner of the prestigious DownBeat magazine winner of the Student Jazz Award for original composition for small ensemble.

Originally from western Colorado, Gorra moved to New Jersey to pursue a master’s degree in jazz composition and arranging at William Paterson University. Gorra has performed with NEA Jazz Master and 15-time Grammy Award winner Paquito D’Rivera at the KUVO Jazz studios in Denver. He has also played his original music and arrangements with his Colorado quartet at Denver jazz clubs, and performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival, the Telluride Jazz Festival and the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival.

Gorra, 24, graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2017 with a master’s degree in structural engineering, along with bachelor’s degrees in jazz piano and civil engineering. He creates and performs music because he finds it an even more powerful way to connect with others than words.

The album features the Cuban Rumba, along with one Cuban Bolero and six original compositions played by Gorra and band members, Greg Tanner Harris, Gonzalo Teppa and Manny Lopez with guest artist Josh Quinlan on four of the tracks. As of Aug 1, the songs will also be available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Google Play.

Trombonist Peter Nelson Triumphs Over His Five-Year Struggle with Mysterious Chronic Pain on New Album Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema

With the evocatively titled Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema, trombonist/composer Peter Nelson retraces his five-year struggle with a debilitating condition that threatened to end his career as a musician just as it was entering its ascendancy. The album's vivid compositions and enthralling playing draw the listener in to experience the grueling emotional journey that Nelson undertook, from the onset of mysterious symptoms through the isolating battle with physical and mental pain through the rigor of healing and the joy and revelation of recovery.

Due out August 31 via Outside In Music, Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema enlists three different ensembles to tell its compelling story, all featuring Nelson on trombone: an ethereal trio featuring vibraphonist Nikara Warren and the wordless vocals of Alexa Barchini; a hard-swinging quartet with pianist Willerm Delisfort, bassist Raviv Markovitz, and drummer Itay Morchi; and a brilliant septet supplementing the quartet with alto saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, trumpeter Josh Lawrence, and bass clarinetist Yuma Uesaka.

A native of Lansing, Michigan, Nelson earned his degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, where he studied with heavy hitters like bassist Rodney Whitaker. After recording two albums in his home state he decided to move to Brooklyn in 2013, and soon found himself performing with longtime heroes like pianist/bandleader Orrin Evans and drummer Matt Wilson. Almost simultaneously, however, he started to develop strange symptoms while playing.

At first the issues were minor: small, localized pain and subtle feelings of anxiety. Before long, the symptoms escalated to include chronic hyperventilation, severe shortness of breath, and excruciating pain in the face down his back and arms. "Here I was playing with a lot of my heroes, in musical settings that I'd dreamed about and I spent a lot of time trying to cultivate," Nelson recalls. "And it became very difficult to be on the bandstand while at the same time fighting my horn and fighting my body. It felt like a physically violent way of losing my medium for relating to the world, and was emotionally and spiritually crippling."

Nelson sought the help of innumerable doctors, physiologists and educators, failing to find satisfactory answers from any source. After more than a year and a half of intense pain and frustrating questions, Nelson found his way to physiologist and trombonist Jan Kagarice, one of the world's leading authorities on musicians' health. Kagarice diagnosed him with focal dystonia, chronic hyperventilation and Chvostek sign, and in a single lesson reversed 60% of his pain, immediately allowing him to play again.

His symptoms, it turned out, were the result not of some curious illness but of bad pedagogy - bad habits inherited from teachers working from a misunderstanding of the human body and the physical process of making music. "The stereotype is that brass players have chops problems and difficulty with endurance," he explains. "But the entirety of brass pedagogy is not only physiologically destructive but physics-wise has very little to do with how sound is actually made."

Five years after the onset of his symptoms, Nelson is fully recovered and playing as beautifully as ever, pain-free. Writing the ten compositions on this album meant excavating a number of difficult feelings, but the trombonist was intent on engaging fully and honestly with the full spectrum of his ordeal. He brings his experiences vividly to life with the help of his gifted collaborators, each of whom have played an important part in his life in one context or another, from the bandstand to the classroom.

Nelson is hesitant to reveal the meaning behind his somewhat cryptic album title, but a few themes emerge: Ash and Dust make obvious references to things crumbling away and left behind, referring perhaps to the composer's symptoms or incorrect approaches. The Chalkboard Cinema, meanwhile, suggests the somewhat illusory nature of education, jazz education in particular - lessons taught as gospel but more akin to the flickering images of the silver screen.

Ash, Dust, and the Chalkboard Cinema traces each step along Nelson's road to recovery, from the creeping onset in "It Starts Slowly (First in Your Heart)" to the confounding spiral of "Cyclical Maze (Round and Round We Go)" through the zen-like mantra "Do Nothing (If Less Is More)," a tribute to Kagarice and her life-altering teachings. "Behind Kind Eyes (Thank You)" is a meditation on the loss of a loved one, a nod to the tragedies that can occur around us while we're struggling through our own, while "Closure is a Wasted Prayer (Release, Relax)" ends with the ambiguous acknowledgment that expecting any chapter of life to neatly draw to a conclusion is a fool's errand.

"We always want closure," Nelson says, "but it's an almost laughable concept. I'm always going to be dealing with dystonia, but it's not something that controls my life. The idea of putting a cap on this whole process does a disservice to the process of excavating these feelings and dealing with them. Everything that I learned about brass playing -- and more importantly about myself and what music-making really means to me -those lessons are priceless and I wouldn't change a thing."

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Peter Nelson discovered the trombone at age 10. Earning a bachelors degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University allowed him to study and perform with some of today's top jazz artists, including Rodney Whitaker, Etienne Charles, Diego Rivera, Michael Dease and Vincent Chandler. After spending a year after college producing and recording his second album as a leader, Nelson moved to Brooklyn, NY where he currently performs, composes, and teaches in a number of settings. Nelson has been a finalist in every major North American jazz trombone competition and in 2012 was awarded the prestigious Sudler prize in the Arts. He leads multiple groups and is also a sought after section player, having performed with jazz orchestras backing the likes of John Hendricks, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Jamie Cullum and Terence Blanchard. As a composer, Nelson has amassed a body of work that includes everything from jazz ensemble to contemporary pop. His versatility as a performer has led to a wide variety of performances and recordings with artists such as Christian McBride, Verve Pipe, Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band, Jamie Cullum, The Hudson Horns, Marianne Solivan, the Dan Pugach Nonet, Matt Wilson, Grupo Ayé, The George Gee Swing Orchestra, Fleur Seule, Valerie Ponomarev, Michael Dease Big Band, and a score of others.

peternelsonmusic.com

Liz Beebe, Front-Woman of Dustbowl Revival, To Release Hush Now: Lullabies for Sleepy People

Liz Beebe is best known as the female powerhouse of the critically acclaimed band Dustbowl Revival. With an international touring schedule that spans over continents, and months on the road, Beebe found herself becoming an aunt in the midst of the madness. A desire to be present and contribute to the lives of her family and loved ones became what is her first lullaby album, Hush Now, Lullabies for Sleepy People.

The idea of a children’s album focused on lullabies was something that had been brewing for a year or so before Liz started creating the demos. Inspiration came from her friends and family who sent her lists of songs they loved and sang to their own children. From there, she put her own unique twist on each song. Liz recalls, “I wanted to challenge myself and make something of my own. I work with seven talented musicians who, mostly, came up in the industry knowing that working and touring would be part of their career. As someone who fell in sideways, unexpectedly, I have been known to treat myself, with more doubt and skepticism. Making this album was an exercise in creativity and joy.”

While on the road with Dustbowl Revival, Liz could be found in her makeshift recording booth, a hotel closet stuffed full of winter sweaters, jackets, pillows, comforters- anything she could find to create soundproofing material. Back at home and demos in hand, Liz set out to lay down the album - with the same ingenuity she learned from the road, turning her home closet into a booth. Her bandmate, Connor Vance, lent her a hand in tracking the album’s gorgeous natural guitar, violin and viola. Daniel Gordon (Phoenix Asteroid, Sun Domingo) and Brahm Bourque (Echoes De Luxe, and Liz’s husband) produced the album and brought the playfulness and dreamy sweetness of the tracks to life.

From Liz, “I took care of children from the age of 11 until about a year after moving to Los Angeles as an adult. I used to sing those children to sleep for every nap and bedtime. I hope this album is a way of continuing that tradition, with songs people know and love.”

The standout tracks include a cover of James Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James”, Liz’s favorite “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” a song she first heard when sung by Shawn Colvin on “Elmopalooza” when her baby brother was born. Alongside classics like “Baby Beluga”, “Blackbird”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “ You are My Sunshine”. Hush Now: Lullabies for Sleepy People proves itself a soundtrack for all ages and generations and their loved ones. The album out now on Mensch House Records and available everywhere. 

Track List

1. "Baby Beluga"

2. "You Are My Sunshine"

3. "I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon"

4. "Edelweiss"

5. "Baby Mine"

6. "Blackbird"

7. "Sweet Baby James"

8. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

9. "Stay Awake"

10. "Dream of Powder Blue"

Justin Kauflin's New Album "Coming Home" Produced By Quincy Jones and Derrick Hodge

Home is where you hang your hat, or so the old adage goes. For Justin Kauflin, critically acclaimed and accomplished jazz pianist and composer, the last few years home has been many places. Originally from Virginia, Kauflin’s touring schedule, has taken him across the nation and abroad expanding and growing the idea of home. Kauflin lost his sight when he was 11 years old, but his travels are still a visual experience. Through the sounds and feelings of a city or space, he can see vibrant and captivating scenes of moving psychedelic colors. On the forthcoming album, Kauflin invites others to experience the world from his perspective as he sonically paints the homes he has found throughout his global travels.

Coming Home will be Kauflin’s third release, and second with the tastemaker imprint Qwest Records. With this release he ventures into new sonic territory bringing in more modern influences of synths, electric guitar and bass. Kauflin said, “I’ve always loved music that had a good groove to it, whether it was swing or funk. With Corey Fonville’s help, we got into all sorts of great feeling grooves that I can’t wait to share.”

From the start, recording Coming Home was electric. Quincy Jones and Derrick Hodge produced the album at Quincy Jones’ infamous Westlake Studios (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Frank Ocean). Kauflin was joined by Chris Smith on acoustic and electric bass, Corey Fonville on drums and percussions, and Alan Parker on acoustic and electric guitar. The musicians had a blast bringing the album to life. Kauflin recalls, “Derrick was in there with us bringing such positivity and encouragement. I feel as if I was able to be more authentically me because Derrick was there to give me that confidence. He was an incredible catalyst for much of how the songs took shape. And if that wasn’t enough, to have Quincy overseeing the proceedings and giving his guidance and experience brought everything together in such a beautiful way.”

The album is 13 tracks that resonate emotions and transport the listener across space and time. The lead single “Coming Home,” due out August 17, opens the album and evokes Kauflin’s southern sensibilities. He comments “This song serves as an invitation to join me as I share how I experience the world around me through colors and vibrant ever-shifting textures and shapes. Alan Parker’s acoustic guitar inserts that down home feeling from my home in Virginia.” Another standout is “Lost,” Kauflin mentions, “As exciting as traveling the world has been, there have certainly been times where I’ve felt disconnected and out of my element. This is not just a feeling that is connected to where I am physically. This also delves into how I feel emotionally at times. Life itself can leave one feeling quite lost.”

The album also includes an ode to his time spent living in Brooklyn with the cover of “John My Beloved.” An impromptu on the spot session with Derrick Hodge created “ Something Somethin.” A tribute to Kauflin’s favorite food, fried chicken, most famously found in his home state on the track, “Country Fried.” “Pendulum” is about New York, and the feeling that at times it is the greatest place on earth and at others it is overwhelming. And “Strawberry Fields” as solo and band-accompanied tracks, Kauflin comments “I’ve always found the idea of an imaginary place where one can find refuge to be incredibly attractive. It is such a perfect marriage of harmony and melody and it conjures up this barely out of reach sensation, as if the place for which I’m looking is just right around the next corner.” He continues, “When I know what I’m really looking for is actually inside.”

Justin Kauflin is a pianist extraordinaire and an undeniably rare talent. He is an alumnus of the William Paterson University jazz program, mentee, protégé, and bandmate of legendary Clark Terry (winner of the 2010 Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz), signed to Quincy Jones’ management artist roster and label, and featured in the critically acclaimed film “Keep On Keepin’ On” which chronicled Kauflin’s friendship, and mentorship with Clark Terry. He has appeared on The Queen Latifah Show and the TODAY show and he was invited to perform at the Library of Congress. Kauflin has toured with Quincy Jones on a few world tours and is currently playing at international jazz clubs, and festivals.

Justin Kauflin is planning a tour to support the new album. He is excited to get back on the road and create new experiences with his music. He comments, “We had a great time in the studio, but I’m confident that each of the tracks will take a whole new life once we get a chance to take them out and play them in front of audiences. What will happen on tour will be a combination of what we created for the album and the energy we feel from the crowd.” Check out and follow his tour dates here.

Coming Home is due out on September 14th.

GRAMMY® Award-winning Yellowjackets Return with New Album & Collaboration with Vocalist Luciana Souza

While the Los Angeles-based Yellowjackets have been a creative force on the jazz scene since 1981 when they recorded their eponymous debut, their fourth Mack Avenue Records album, Raising Our Voice, once again ups the ante with bold new strides by inviting vocalist extraordinaire Luciana Souza to collaborate with the group for seven of its thirteen tunes as well as subtly taking a resistant stand against the status quo of the cultural and political undercurrent of our times.

The Yellowjackets have consistently forged ahead in their evolving artistic statements. The band has recorded close to 30 albums, been nominated for 17 GRAMMY® Awards, and has adventurously amplified the eclectic, electro-acoustic soundscape, creating a unique jazz sound since its fusion beginnings.

“The band keeps moving forward,” says saxophonist Bob Mintzer who joined the group in 1990. “It’s one of the few partnership bands in the last four decades. It’s democratic, laissez-faire and accommodating to everyone in the band to contribute. We’re constantly reinventing ourselves as a reflection of what’s happening in the world.”

The Jackets are comprised of pianist/keyboardist/co-founder Russell Ferrante, bassist Dane Alderson in his second recording with the group and drummer Will Kennedy, who joined the band in 1987 and then in 2000 took a 10-year hiatus before returning to the drum chair. As a relative outsider, Souza contributes wordless vocals as well as songs sung in Portuguese and English. She was quickly won over by the band.

“They’re killers,” she says. “They’re so serious yet also so much fun. We laughed a lot during the sessions. Their curiosity is alive, and their joy is to make great music. I was originally going to just do three songs, but it ended up that I’m on over half the record.”

The collection features three old Yellowjackets tunes arranged for a fresh ride with Souza’s contributions, two co-writes with Ferrante and Souza, three new originals each for Ferrante and Mintzer, and Alderson’s first original piece for the band along with two short electronics interludes.

Unlike the last album, 2016’s Cohearence, where the music was toured before the studio recordings, Raising Our Voice grew organically from the collaborative nature of the sessions. “There was a gap between the last album and this one,” says Ferrante. “We hadn’t been playing a lot live, so most of these tunes came alive in the studio and were sparked by the electricity and chemistry with Luciana.”

Kennedy adds, “This is the album where we were the least prepared for the writing and rehearsals. It was a bit of a cram. But that gave it an excitement. And then Luciana, who came in at the last moment, was a great discovery for bringing her talents as a gift to the band.”

The Ferrante and Souza collaboration began years earlier when talking about working together. “As they were thinking of the next album, Russ came to the house and we went into my studio and we talked,” explains Souza. “He played some music and I sang along, and it was very sweet and unguarded.”

“We looked through some music that had a Brazilian feel to it,” Ferrante says. “We chose songs that lyrically fit her musicality.”

Raising Our Voice leads off with the vibrant reworking of the grooved “Man Facing North” (originally recorded on the Jackets’ 1993 album Like a River). Ferrante on piano and Mintzer on tenor sax take swinging breaks while Souza follows Alderson’s bass lines and sings counterpoint to the tenor with sweet, lilting wordless vocals that lift the song with storytelling.

Other Souza conversation-like contributions include the gorgeous ballad “Quiet” (she wrote the first half with Portuguese and English lyrics and Ferrante wrote the second half), the reworking of the Brazilian-tinged “Timeline” (a Ferrante composition from the Jackets’ 2011 album of the same name with Souza taking the lead with wordless vocals and conversing with Mintzer) and another re-orchestrated band number, “Solitude” from Like a River, written by Ferrante, with new Portuguese lyrics by the singer who playfully engages in a fetching call-and-response with both Alderson and Mintzer.

Souza also heartens Ferrante’s sprightly “Everyone Else Is Taken” and spices his mysterious “In Search Of” which was inspired from a quote by Thomas Merton: “There is no one so wrong as the one who knows all the answers.”

Ferrante contributes the moving, introspective tune “Mutuality,” based on the Martin Luther King Jr. speech, “Network of Mutuality.” In the midst of Souza’s musing support, the harmony goes through every key (minor and major). “This is a good example of making a statement but on a subtle side,” he says. “It really connects to the title of the album, which has a political slant. It’s about waking up to see what’s going on. A lot of musicians get in their own bubbles of charts and harmony, but don’t connect to the world we live in. We need to be less preoccupied and see the urgency of making music as a resistance.”

Mintzer’s three new songs include the deep-grooved “Ecuador” (his tenor saxophone takes the tasty role of a rhythmic instrument) and the upbeat “Strange Times.” He also contributes the most unusual Yellowjackets tune, “Swinging With It,” a pure swinger complete with walking bass lines. “Straight-ahead music is a big part of my legacy,” he says.

A key component to Raising Our Voice is the band’s stellar rhythm section of Kennedy and Alderson. “We provide a good foundation for our other band mates to stand on” says Kennedy. “Inspired by music from around the world, we all listen, grow, and incorporate those influences in our sound.”

“They gave me the freedom to explore,” says Alderson, the Perth, West Australia native who now lives in Virginia. “I’m a huge fan of the RC-300 Loop Station by Boss combined with the Roland VB99 midi unit, which I used on the two short pieces, ‘Emerge’ and ‘Divert.’”

Alderson’s first full composition for the Jackets is the upbeat “Brotherly,” which buoys with his tumbling bass lines. “It was just a bag of ideas at first,” he says. “But then I corresponded with Will and we talked about grooves. We’re both big fans of the UK band Brotherly, so we were influenced by it when we put this tune together.”

“It’s a different and unusual snapshot of where the Yellowjackets are today,” says Kennedy. “We’re getting older, but we’re still inspired and listening.”

Mintzer sees a bright future for the Yellowjackets. “What attracts me about the group is how stylistically broad we are,” he says. “There are no barriers. We’re free to try new things without making the music overly complex. I always say this is the band you always wanted to be in. We’ll see where we go next.”

Yellowjackets · Raising Our Voice

Mack Avenue Records · Release Date: September 14, 2018

Soul Jazz Guitarist Dee Brown Remembers His Late Love on New Release "Remembering You"

Two years ago, soul-jazz guitarist dee Brown (http://deebrownmusic.com) was preparing for an August wedding to gospel singer Shaunia Edwards. When Edwards unexpectedly took ill and passed away, Brown was shattered. A spiritually-rooted man, he purposely chose to be purposeful with his grief and preserve for posterity “the season” that they shared. The Detroit native wrote what became the newly released “Remembering You,” an upbeat album of R&B, jazz, funk and instrumental pop originals that recalls many of their intimate memories and amorous moments while celebrating the vibrant joy and positivity Edwards exuded. 

  

Brown’s expressive and lyrical electric jazz guitar serves as an evocative narrator throughout the set list that chronicles their connection, shares the cheer in Edwards’ own voice that she infused into the lives of those who knew her (the first single, “Hey Baby”), reflects the glee of their summer romance, honors the pledge they made, captures the energy and enthusiasm of their commitment and gratitude for having found each other, appreciates the soulful beauty they shared, and ends with a resonant parting, a promise that their love will endure. 

Keyboardist Valdez Brantley (Usher’s former music director) co-wrote and co-produced most of “Remembering You” with Brown. Other notables contributing to the session, urban-jazz keyboardist-pianist Bob Baldwin helmed “I Will,” adding class and sophistication to the cosmopolitan sonicscape; flutist Althea Rene lends quixotic qualities to “Our Summer”; and keyboardist Nate Harasim co-penned and produced the sultry “Beauty Within.” The current single climbing the radio charts from Brown’s fourth album is the playful frolic “Pop the Question.”           

                                          

The blessed circle of life becomes complete when Brown’s August wedding will happen after all. He takes marriage vows with “a beautiful child of God” on the 18th – a week after he performs at the River Raisin Jazz Festival outside of Detroit on August 11. 

New Music From: Meli’sa Morgan; Dave Holland with Evan Parker; Tenderlonious featuring the 22 Archestra

Meli’sa Morgan – Love Demands

R&B megastar Meli’sa Morgan returns with a brand new set of recordings, her first in over 10 years! A former backup singer for Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston and others, Morgan launched her solo career in the mid-’80s with a massive hit single that topped the R&B chart, a cover of Prince’s “Do Me Baby!” This unique release combines six original songs, including the gorgeous title track “Love Demands,” with covers of some of Morgan’s favorite artists including Al Green, Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, Otis Redding and more plus versions of Morgan’s smash hits “Do Me Baby” and “Fool’s Paradise!”

Dave Holland with Evan Parker – Uncharted Territories

A really fantastic meeting of the minds – as legendary musicians Dave Holland and Evan Parker come together here in a quartet that's maybe more powerful than either of their recent recordings! Parker's got this focus and tunefulness at times – not a jazz swing, but a sense of spacious direction that really fits Holland's work on bass – and the group also features some really inventive work on piano, organ, and other keyboards from Craig Taborn – whose open sense of structures fits the mood as well. Drummer Ches Smith may well be the most restrained member of the group – but in a great way – and the tracks on the set feature different groupings of musicians – some straight quartet, some duo or trio tracks – spun out over the extra-long space of the album. ~ Dusty Groove

Tenderlonious featuring the 22 Archestra - Shakedown

We kinda want to hate the guy for such a hokey name like Tenderlonious – but this album's a surprisingly great little gem, and one that mixes lots of openly-blown work on flute with some sweet keyboards and other jazzy rhythms! The approach is maybe a bit like the Jason Lindh or Chris Hinze albums of the early 70s – and by that, we mean their better sets – with a flute approach that's less biting than the generation of Herbie Mann and Roland Kirk, using the instrument more in these spacious ways that are pretty darn great – especially against the heavy percussion and basslines of the 22Archestra! There's a few nice moments that almost have a Bobbi Humphrey sort of warmth – and titles include "Togo", "SV Interlude", "Expansions", "The Shakedown", "Yussef's Groove", "Red Sky At Night", and "You Decide". ~ Dusty Groove

Nw Music From: Joyce Moreno, Barbara Ingram, Nathan Haines

Joyce Moreno - 50 

A beautiful little record – one that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first album from Joyce – one of our favorite Brazilian singers of all time! Joyce revisits all the songs from that record – including a few written by Caetano Veloso, Toninho Horta, and Marcos Valle – and the change in sound is amazing – given all the maturity and sophistication the singer has brought to her sound over the decades! Make no mistake, Joyce was tremendous right from the start – but the change here from the first album is amazing – music that's full of subtle brilliance, jazzy inflections, and this way of completely inhabiting the lyrics, but without ever overdoing things – all qualities that were not in place on Joyce's debut. The set features work from Toninho Horta, Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal, Zelia Duncan, Danilo Caymmi, and others – and titles include "Improvisado", "Anisedade", "Superego", "Litoral", "Choro Chorado", "Me Disseram", and "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho". Also includes two new tracks – "A Velha Maluca" and "Com O Tempo".  ~ Dusty Groove

Barbara Ingram – Philadelphia Sweetheart

One of the few albums we've ever seen to foreground the talents of the great Barbara Ingram as a lead act – even though her vocals had been a huge part of the Philly scene from the 60s onward – in a legacy that includes work with Ray Charles as a Raelette, lead vocals with her brothers in Ingram Family, and countless studio work as a member of The Sweeties backup trio! Barbara's got this mature, sophisticated style that recalls the shifts that other Philly females were taking in the 80s as they were growing up – and the set features some production work from brother Butch Ingram, and other help from LB Young. Titles include "What Else Can I Say", "Let The Love Begin", "Spirit Of Love", "Someone's On My Side", "She's All Alone", "Tried It & Liked It", and "Music Is The Message".  ~ Dusty Groove

Nathan Haines – Zoot Allure

Nathan Haines returns to Papa Records with the aurally astounding long player, Zoot Allure. Originally released back in 2014 only in New Zealand, Zoot Allure has been replayed, re-mastered and remixed for a special new version for 2018. Nathan Haines again teams up with long time collaborators, Mike Patto, Vanessa Freeman and Marc Mac, plus he welcomes some masterful vocal contributions from Marlena Shaw, Kevin Mark Trail and fellow Kiwi Tama Waipara. To round off this outstanding album are two fresh remixes of the single Got Me Thinking from Opolopo and Bugz In The Attic to bring the extra dance-floor funk and groove.

Ella Fitzgerald's Acclaimed 1956 Live Album 'Ella At Zardi's' To Be Released On Vinyl

Following the limited-edition Record Store Day release of Ella Fitzgerald's unreleased 1956 album Ella At Zardi's on pink and blue vinyl, which earned Fitzgerald her first No. 1 on the 24-year-old Jazz Albums Chart and her second No. 1 on the Traditional Jazz Albums chart, the acclaimed live album will receive a wide release as a double LP on black vinyl on August 17 via Verve/UMe. 

First released on CD and digital in December 2017, the album capped off a year-long celebration of the jazz legend's centennial. The collection earned rave reviews and topped many year-end lists including the Los Angeles Times and NPR who exclaimed, "It's a real find: two sets of blithe vocal brilliance recorded in a club in 1956, before Ella became a trademark," continuing, "Get this to savor Fitzgerald's assured sense of swing, and unmatched (still!) vocal dexterity."

Recorded on February 2, 1956 at Zardi's Jazzland in Hollywood, Ella At Zardi's features the entirety of the evening's two-set, 21-song performance, which captures an inspired Fitzgerald, backed by a stellar trio comprised of pianist Don Abney, bassist Vernon Alley and drummer Frank Capp, singing and swinging in front of an animated, adoring crowd, just days before she'd go on to record the album that would catapult her to stardom. The concert was originally recorded by Norman Granz to celebrate the creation of, and Fitzgerald's signing to, Verve Records, which Granz founded largely to give Fitzgerald the attention that he felt she wasn't receiving at her then-current label, Decca. Ella At Zardi's was planned as the label's inaugural release but shelved in favor of the now-classic studio album Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book, which kicked off a best-selling, signature series of Song Book releases. The Zardi's tapes languished in Verve's vaults for six decades.

Ella At Zardi's captures the brilliance and inspiration Fitzgerald's performances embodied at the time. As veteran jazz journalist Kirk Silsbee observes in the album's liner notes, "We can hear a fluid and joyous singer who operates with almost giddy authority. Ella manages to find a way of swinging almost every number, no matter the tempo. She anticipates her studio songbook albums with Duke Ellington's 'In A Mellow Tone,' Cole Porter's 'My Heart Belongs To Daddy,' the Gershwins' 'S'Wonderful' and 'I've Got a Crush On You,' and Jerome Kern's 'A Fine Romance'... Ella uses her intelligent phrasing and rhythmic sense in inventive and exhilarating ways. Her repertoire was vast and she didn't always remember the correct lyrics of a song. But the way she spontaneously redesigns the text in the most musical of ways is Fitzgerald's signature."

Ella At Zardi's stands out for its history-making rediscovery of a vintage performance by one of jazz's greatest artists. As Granz enthuses in his stage introduction, "This is for real; for me she's the greatest there is—Miss Ella Fitzgerald!"

ELLA AT ZARDI'S TRACK LISTING

LP1 – FIRST SET

SIDE A

1.   It All Depends On You 

2.   Tenderly 

3.   Why Don't You Do Right 

4.   Cry Me A River 

5.   In A Mellow Tone

SIDE B

1.   Joe Williams's Blues 

2.   A Fine Romance 

3.   How High The Moon 

4.   Gone With The Wind 

5.   Bernie's Tune

LP2 – SECOND SET

SIDE C

1. 'S Wonderful 

2. Glad To Be Unhappy 

3. Lullaby of Birdland 

4. The Tender Trap 

5. And The Angels Sing 

6. I Can't Give You Anything But Love

SIDE D

1. Little Boy (a.k.a. Little Girl)

2. A-Tisket, A-Tasket 

3. My Heart Belongs To Daddy 

4. Airmail Special 

5. I've Got A Crush On You