USA/NIGERIA: Zem Audu-Spirits( Origin Records 2017)

Zem Audu (saxophonist, composer, producer)
Mike Stern (guitar)
Benito Gonzalez (piano)
Ben Williams (bass)

John Davis (drums)

NIGERIA:Tony Allen Nouvel album The Source Sortie le 08/09/17 chez Blue Note

Tony Allen

Nouvel album The Source

Sortie le 08/09/17 chez Blue Note

En concert à Jazz à la Villette le 09/09/17

The Source, le premier album de Tony Allen chez Blue Note !

Tony Allen vient de réaliser un rêve d’enfant. Il assure même qu’avec The Source, douzième opus de sa discographie, il a enregistré le disque de sa vie. Il n’est pas anodin qu’un musicien de 76 ans dont la carrière s’étale sur plus de 50 ans et dénombre des centaines d’enregistrements en studio, fasse un tel aveu.

Premier album du batteur nigérian pour le prestigieux label Blue Note, The Source symbolise peut-être mieux qu’aucune autre référence du catalogue à la fois l’âge classique du label et son présent innovant. L’enregistrement de l’album s’est fait sur bandes analogiques et autour de Tony Allen sont réunis quelques-uns des meilleurs musiciens d’une scène que l’on peine à étiqueter jazz tant elle se caractérise avant tout par sa mobilité et sa créativité.

Au total 11 pointures, dont 5 cuivres, ont participé à l’enregistrement de “The Source”. Plus un guest de marque, Damon Albarn.

Tony Allen, nouvel album The Source, sortie le 8 septembre 2017

Tony Allen vient de réaliser un rêve d’enfant. Il assure même qu’avec  The Source, douzième opus de sa discographie, il a enregistré le disque de sa vie. Le saxophoniste Yann  Jankielewicz  qui l’accompagne depuis 10 ans affirme pour sa part : «  Tony n’a jamais aussi bien joué de la batterie. Il n’a jamais été aussi libre et puissant qu’aujourd’hui. » Il n’est pas anodin qu’un musicien de 76 ans dont la carrière s’étale sur plus de 50 ans et dénombre des centaines d’enregistrements en studio, fasse un tel aveu. Il n’est pas fortuit qu’un autre musicien, de 35 ans moins âgé mais déjà doté d’une longue expérience, lui reconnaisse une telle aura.

The Source est le premier album du batteur nigérian pour Blue Note, label parmi les plus prestigieux de l’histoire du jazz qui a considérablement ouvert son champ d’action depuis sa renaissance dans les années 80. Et Source symbolise peut être mieux qu’aucune autre référence du catalogue à la fois l’âge classique du label et son présent innovant. Il répond par son esthétique sonore d’une totale intégrité, résultat d’une scrupuleuse transcription de la musique au moyen d’une technologie exclusivement analogique,  à la philosophie vertueuse dont se réclamaient ses fondateurs, Alfred Lion et Marx Margulis. Mais il rejoint aussi par sa nature hybride,  le jazz n’étant en réalité ici qu’un mode de navigation permettant de remonter à sa source africaine, une exigence de modernité qui en fait un objet à part totalement captivant.

Début 2017, après avoir sorti un EP en hommage à Art Blakey, Tony entame la préparation de The Source où il entend refléter de manière plus complète ce voyage intérieur, musical et spirituel, entre l’Afrique et l’Amérique. Il requiert pour en partager l’écriture, et en assumer les arrangements, le saxophoniste Yann Jankielewicz, avec qui il travaille depuis l’album Secret Agent de 2009.  Les 11 titres de The Source sont le fruit d’un patient travail qui débute lorsque les deux musiciens se réunissent pour écouter et échanger certains disques. Ceux de Lester Bowie, Charlie Mingus, Art Blakey ou Gil Evans vont servir de boussole, ou plutôt de constellation qu’ils scrutent comme jadis les navigateurs à bord des caravelles pour s’orienter.

Autour de Tony sont réunis quelques uns des meilleurs musiciens d’une scène que l’on peine à étiqueter jazz tant elle se caractérise avant tout par sa mobilité. Le tromboniste Daniel Zimmermann, le saxophoniste Rémi Sciuto, le contrebassiste Mathias Allamane ou le claviériste Vincent Taurelle, qui avec Bertrand Fresel a produit l’album, figurent dans un casting frenchy où le guitariste camerounais Indy Dibongue apporte, avec Tony, l’indispensable pigment africain. Au total 11 pointures, dont 5 cuivres,  vont participer à Source. Plus un guest de marque, Damon Albarn, au clavier sur Cool Cats.

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- TRACKLISTING -
01.    Moody Boy
02.    Bad Roads
03.    Cruising
04.    On Fire
05.    Woro Dance
06.    Tony’s Blues
07.    Wolf Eats Wolf
08.    Cool Cats
09.    Push And Pull
10.    Ewajo
11.    Life Is Beautiful

AVAILABLE TODAY on OKeh Records: SOMI Breaks New Ground on Her Major Label Debut, "The Lagos Music Salon"

AVAILABLE TODAY on OKeh Records:  SOMI Breaks New Ground on Her Major Label Debut  The Lagos Music Salon Album Debuts at #1 on iTunes Jazz Chart New African Jazz and Soul Inspired  by a Journey to Lagos, Nigeria Featuring Guest Artists Common and Angelique Kidjo    Album Release Show Wednesday, August 6 @ The Cutting Room 7:30 PM - 44 E. 32nd Street, New York thecuttingroomnyc.com "Somi's songs gracefully fuse African-tinged grooves, supple  jazz singing and compassionate social consciousness;  they're both serious and seductive."  -  Jon Pareles, The New York Times  Stream "When Rivers Cry" (featuring Common) via The Wall Street Journal Listen to Somi's Interview on NPR's Weekend Edition Listen to Somi's feature on NPR's All Things Considered Read Somi's Feature in The Huffington Post Watch Somi Perform "Ginger Me Slowly" for ESSENCE Magazine Few contemporary albums bare as particular a narrative as The Lagos Music Salon. The new album by the superb chanteuse Somi, finds her breaking new ground with a hybrid style of music that organically integrates the essence of jazz and soul with the musical depth of her African heritage. "It's the first time ever that I put all other pursuits on hold to focus solely on the creative process," says Somi, who decided to move to Lagos, Nigeria from her New York home base without a game plan but with a passionate desire to find a new direction for her vision and voice. The Lagos Music Salon marks Somi's major label debut for Sony's OKeh Records and features a range of originals that are sublimely melodic and percussively textured. "Last Song" has already been added into rotation at VH1 Soul and REVOLT TV, and the vocalist was recently interviewed for The Tavis Smiley Show and The Bob Edwards Show - both critically acclaimed radio programs airing nationally. Additionally, Somi was recently featured in New York Magazine's Grub Street section and continues to receive accolades from major jazz outlets including JazzTimes and DownBeat. A socially informed and adventurous vocalist, Somi sings with a soulful beauty about her experiences in Lagos. While there, she kept a journal of her observations and collaborated with a community of musicians, writers and artists who helped her to envision what would become The Lagos Music Salon. The album covers a broad swath of styles and features a number of carefully matched guest performances. These include a fast-paced groove with Afro-pop sensibilities on the Fela Kuti-inspired "Lady Revisited" with Angelique Kidjo, and a rap-inflected cinematic reflection on Africa's pollution, "When Rivers Cry," that features Common. Also in the mix are field recording snippets, including an exchange at the Lagos airport with an immigration officer, heated rally cries from the Occupy Nigeria protests, and a parabolic story of an over-skilled monkey. "I'm excited about this album," Somi says. "I allowed myself to abandon the boundaries of my comfort zone, but that gave me the room to explore and play with new ideas and inspiration. Some people see me as an African artist and not jazz, while others see me as a jazz artist influenced by Africa. But I'm not focused on genre. My intent is to be honest with the songs and where they take me."   photo credit: Glynis Carpenter Born in Illinois, the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda, Somi's dramatic Salon story started ironically and sadly on the release date of her 2009 album, If the Rains Come First, when her beloved father passed away. "I had to weather the storm of his passing," Somi says. "The loss was so sobering that I began to question my own life's legacy and path. My dearest mentor Hugh Masekela knew about my personal loss and subsequent desire for change. He also knew that, more than ever, I wished I could move 'home' to Africa. Something about the idea seemed like it might be a way to get closer to my father's spirit and my own heart. It was Uncle Hugh that reminded me that to be a musician is to be a global citizen and that I should always listen to my heart should it long to travel. 'Stop thinking about it as a move,' he said, 'Think of it as an opportunity to spend time with another part of your global audience.' That's when I decided to make the bold choice of moving to Lagos in 2011. A true Africanist, I believe my father is proud of that choice." A TED Global Fellow and also founder of the New Africa Live nonprofit that champions African artists, Somi has for the last decade carved out a career of singing and being an activist. On The Lagos Music Salon, the best album of her young career, she magically combines the two facets of her life. As for her adopted city, she says, "It was a euphoric new place for me, an important journey. I wanted to tell honest stories in the spirit of gratitude."  Somi · The Lagos Music Salon OKeh  ·  Release Date: August 5, 2014     For more information on Somi, please visit: SomiMusic.com   "Like" Somi on Facebook:      "Follow" Somi on Twitter:     Sony Music Masterworks comprises the Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit  www.SonyMasterworks.com    ###     For more information, please contact:    DL Media · 610-667-0501 Amy Miller ·  amy@dlmediamusic.com Don Lucoff ·  don@dlmediamusic.com    Sony Masterworks/OKeh Angela Barkan ·  Angela.Barkan@sonymusic.com ·  212-833-8575 Larissa Slezak ·  Larissa.Slezak@sonymusic.com ·  212-833-6075

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SOMI Breaks New Ground on Her Major Label Debut "The Lagos Music Salon" - Available August 5 on OKeh Records

SOMI Breaks New Ground on Her Major Label Debut The Lagos Music Salon - Available August 5 on OKeh Records New African Jazz and Soul Inspired  by a Journey to Lagos, Nigeria Featuring Guest Artists Common and Angelique Kidjo    "A potent brew from the first sip to the last drop." - NPR, All Things Considered    "All elegance and awe...utterly captivating!" - Billboard  Few contemporary albums bare as particular a narrative as The Lagos Music Salon. The new album by the superb chanteuse Somi, finds her breaking new ground with a hybrid style of music that organically integrates the essence of jazz and soul with the musical depth of her African heritage. "It's the first time ever that I put all other pursuits on hold to focus solely on the creative process," says Somi, who decided to move to Lagos, Nigeria from her New York home base without a game plan but with a passionate desire to find a new direction for her vision and voice. The Lagos Music Salon marks Somi's major label debut for Sony's OKeh Records and features a range of originals that are sublimely melodic, percussively textured.  A socially informed and adventurous vocalist, Somi sings with a soulful beauty about her experiences in Lagos. While there, she kept a journal of her observations and collaborated with a community of musicians, writers and artists who helped her to envision what would become The Lagos Music Salon. The album covers a broad swath of styles and features a number of carefully matched guest performances. These include a fast-paced groove with Afro-pop sensibilities on the Fela Kuti-inspired "Lady Revisited" with Angelique Kidjo, and a rap-inflected cinematic reflection on Africa's pollution, "When Rivers Cry," that features Common. Also in the mix are field recording snippets, including an exchange at the Lagos airport with an immigration officer, heated rally cries from the Occupy Nigeria protests, and a parabolic story of an over-skilled monkey. "I'm excited about this album," Somi says. "I allowed myself to abandon the boundaries of my comfort zone, but that gave me the room to explore and play with new ideas and inspiration. Some people see me as an African artist and not jazz, while others see me as a jazz artist influenced by Africa. But I'm not focused on genre. My intent is to be honest with the songs and where they take me."   photo credit: Glynis Carpenter Born in Illinois, the daughter of immigrants from Uganda and Rwanda, Somi's dramatic Salon story started ironically and sadly on the release date of her 2009 album, If the Rains Come First, when her beloved father passed away. "I had to weather the storm of his passing," Somi says. "The loss was so sobering that I began to question my own life's legacy and path. My dearest mentor Hugh Masekela knew about my personal loss and subsequent desire for change. He also knew that, more than ever, I wished I could move 'home' to Africa. Something about the idea seemed like it might be a way to get closer to my father's spirit and my own heart. It was Uncle Hugh that reminded me that to be a musician is to be a global citizen and that I should always listen to my heart should it long to travel. 'Stop thinking about it as a move,' he said, 'Think of it as an opportunity to spend time with another part of your global audience.' That's when I decided to make the bold choice of moving to Lagos. A true Africanist, I believe my father is proud of that choice." While she spent part of her youth in Africa with her parents, Somi hadn't lived there since her first year out of college when she landed a medical anthropology research fellowship in Kenya and Tanzania. After frequent holiday visits and touring extensively on the continent (visiting over 12 countries with her band), Somi fell in love with Lagos, "where there's a huge volume of cultural production, including literature, film and fashion - let alone music," she says. "For an artist, it is a very exciting place. There's an energy there that reminds me of New York. Twenty million people live there-it's cosmopolitan, fast, hard and yet so inspiring." While Somi's goal was to live in Lagos for 15 months she ended up being there for 18 months. She began her journey with an international teaching artist residency at a university in Ilorin, Nigeria while also doing occasional European shows to keep her career visible. After six months, Somi began to realize the impact of her choice to be in Lagos. "Initially I was a little panicked," she says. "Was I going to disappear? Would people forget about me? But after months of writing in my journal, I discovered a body of work was emerging." Somi set out to work on her new material, but Lagos doesn't have the cultural infrastructure of small clubs like New York. "I needed to develop my work and test it on Nigerian audiences," says Somi. "So I started producing intimate salons at art galleries and other nontraditional venues in Lagos where I would perform my new music. It grew into a series where I'd invite local artists to perform as well. That work greatly enriched my experience, challenged me to think more about African notions of cultural intimacy, and gave birth to The Lagos Music Salon concept." Somi accumulated a collection of music steeped in the culture of Lagos and collaborated with two colleagues who share co-producer credit with her on The Lagos Music Salon: Lagos musician Cobhams Asuquo (who happens to be blind and is impressively self-taught) and New York's Keith Witty. "Cobhams has a deep understanding of traditional African music as well as strong pop sensibilities," Somi says. "And Keith, the modern jazz head on the project, made sure the artful sense of the music was always privileged amidst the African pop influences." In New York, they assembled Somi's core band: drummer Otis Brown III, pianist Toru Dodo, guitarist Liberty Ellman, background vocalist Alicia Olatuja, and bassist Michael Olatuja. Guests to the ensemble include acclaimed Nigerian-American trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire who blows a moving, melancholic solo through "Brown Round Things," an original lamenting the prostitutes Somi observed in Lagos; and rising-star trumpeter, Etienne Charles, who arranged the horn section for the celebratory, pop-tinged "Akobi: First Born S(u)n." Somi weaves through the collection of captivating songs with a socio/cultural poignancy. The R&B-vibed "Two Dollar Day" tells the story of a domestic worker Somi met during the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests and who struggles because of the oil-rich government's decision to hike fuel prices 200 percent. While the provocative "Four. One. Nine." takes its name from the police criminal code for the Nigerian email swindles, Somi likens the scam to fraudulent love affairs, while a friend offers her a tongue-in-cheek reprimand about unsavory men. The most dynamic piece is the bass line-driven "Four African Women," inspired by a Nina Simone original. It's a sketch of four African women who each experienced a different hardship-genocide, skin bleaching, circumcision, prostitution. Other highlights include the percussive, string quartet-colored tune "Ankara Sundays," the sobering "Last Song" and the gently swinging love song "Ginger Me Slowly" about playfully telling forthright men how to romantically treat their woman. There are also two versions of the upbeat original "Love Juju." "Juju is African magic," Somi explains. "Throughout the album, I'm singing about the magic of Lagos and the spell it cast on my heart." A TED Global Fellow and also founder of the New Africa Live nonprofit that champions African artists, Somi has for the last decade carved out a career of singing and being an activist. On The Lagos Music Salon, the best album of her young career, she magically combines the two facets of her life. As for her adopted city, she says, "It was a euphoric new place for me, an important journey. I wanted to tell honest stories in the spirit of gratitude."  Somi · The Lagos Music Salon OKeh  ·  Release Date: August 5, 2014     For more information on Somi, please visit: somimusic.com   "Like" Somi on Facebook:        "Follow" Somi on Twitter:     Sony Music Masterworks comprises the Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit  www.SonyMasterworks.com    ###     For more information, please contact:    DL Media · 610-667-0501 Amy Miller ·  amy@dlmediamusic.com Don Lucoff ·  don@dlmediamusic.com    Sony Masterworks/OKeh Angela Barkan ·  Angela.Barkan@sonymusic.com ·  212-833-8575 Larissa Slezak ·  Larissa.Slezak@sonymusic.com ·  212-833-6075

Zeal Onyia - Trumpet King Returns (Tabansi Records 2014)

Zeal Onyia was a fine jazz musician with trumpet in the 'mainstream' mould. If you like the Music of Louis Armstrong, you will love this Album. Louis Armstrong Approved of Zeals Music. He is regarded as one of the Grand Patrons whose influence led to the spread and popularity of Hylife Jazz Music. Zeal recorded many Songs but is widely known for this Special recording of "Zeal Anata,'' a 6 Track vigorous rhythmic sound for Tabansi Records. The Album includes major hits like - "Zeal Anata - which means Zeal has Returned", "Nnata Na Aso Uso - Meaning Home coming is sweet", "Eluem Asaba - Meaning I've Reached Asaba", "Zealingo Nno - Means Zealingo Welcome", "Egwu Olili" and others. Through the years, he maintained acquaintances and played alongside many of Africa's Hylife Jazz Musicians including Bobby Benson, E T Mensah, Art Alade, Osita Osadebe, Chris Ajilo, Bayo Martins, etc and developed a special friendship with American Jazz Musician Loius Armstrong who when he heard Zeals welcome Tune for him on visiting Nigeria, described Zeal as the "Hip Cat" Trumpeter. Such friendship led to many other collaborations between them. Academically, Zeal studied music in Germany, the home of great composers such as Beethoven, Bach and Handell, but rather than allow this orientation to change his love for highlife and African music, the knowledge strengthened his melodic inventiveness in terms of writing highlife songs such as Zeal Anata, Nata Na Aso Uso, Eluem Asaba and other Songs in this Album. Zeal played with E T Mensah and was able to introduce a good sense of harmony, which he imbibed from the culture of Ghanaian highlife into Nigerian highlife. His trumpet was always heard as being more forceful, more exciting, more powerful and more relaxing than any other.
If you love Hylife Jazz, Buy this Album - You'll be so fond of it that you'll recommend it to friends, relatives and others. Happy Listening.

http://www.tabansirecords.com

The Lagos Jazz Series 2013

The Lagos Jazz Series 2013 presents the biggest ever live music festival in Nigeria yet!!!
 Headlining the 2013 festival is the following list of stunning artistes:
Pat Metheny; Marcus Miller; Jill Scott; Branford Marsalis; Seun Kuti;
Robert Glasper; M.I. Abaga, Efya and Antibalas along with many others.

8 Events on 5 Different Stages


27th November

The French Connection
The Moorhouse Hotel
From 7pm
28th November

Afrobeat Night
Intercontinental Hotel
From 7pm
28th November

The Africa Stage
Muri Okunola Park
From 3pm
29th November

Jazz Masters
Intercontinental Hotel
From 7pm


29th November

The Africa Stage
Muri Okunola Park
From 3pm
30th November

The Soul Night
Federal Palace Hotel & Casino
From 7pm
30th November

The Africa Stage
Muri Okunola Park
From 3pm
1st December

Party in the Park
Muri Okunola Park
From 3pm

http://lagosjazzseries.com

At 43 Nigeria’s Jazz Diva, Yinka Davis Comes Of Age

When Popular Names Like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith And Renee Olstead Of Blessed Memory, Who Have Made A Mark Globally In The World Of Jazz Music Are Being Dropped, Nigeria’s 43 Year-Old Highly Eclectic Vocal Power-House, Elfreda Yinka Davies Is Unarguably Her Country’s Foremost And Most Experienced Surviving Female Jazz Act. She Spoke To Adedayo Adejobi Recently

How do you label a woman who has composed a number of timeless folk songs based on the realities of the African daily life and struggles? The mixed grill of a husky voice that is clear and cool, yet slippery and swirling around you.

Likewise, imagine touching thick pile, silk velvet. The response is warm, breathy, deep, soft, so cushy and absolutely luxurious. When you hear Yinka’s voice in the art of delivering different genres, she puts in varying characters thus creating various pictorial and emotive scenarios through her voice, yet when we listen, the response is the same. You melt in the luxury of Elfreda Yinka Davies’ sound.

The tones of the singer and songwriter, is no doubt a delight to the pop, classical audiences  with a taste for rich African music laced with jazz improvisations, in addition, a confusion to music critics.

At 43 Nigeria’s Jazz Diva, Yinka Davis Comes Of Age

http://www.yinkadavies.com.ng

Lagos Jazz Series 2012 November 16 to 18

“This year, we invite Fourplay ft. Bob James, Roy Hargrove, Lura and a host of other fantastic international acts,” he said. He, however, added: “For Lagos Jazz Series, charity begins at home.  We are making jazz more accessible to fans of Nigerian popular music. Last year, we hosted Tiwa Savage, Omawumi and Bez on our stage, this year, we will place Lagos under the influence of jazz with collaborations from Nigerian pop music acts such as 9ice, and Waje apart from re-presenting their music in jazz style.”
The Guardian Nigeria
http://www.lagosjazzseries.com

SPAIN, Cordoba: Afro-Mediterranean Jazz @ Casa Árabe with Sinouj

Sinouj toma las raíces de su música de las diferentes tradiciones del Magreb y de Oriente, fusionadas con la música africana, el funk y el jazz. 

Casa Árabe organiza el 22 de febrero un concierto del grupo Sinouj, cuya originalidad se basa en la diversidad de orígenes geográficos (Túnez, España, Nigeria e Italia) y musicales de los componentes del grupo.
La banda actuará el miércoles 22 de febrero en la sede de Casa Árabe a las 20.00 horas y la entrada es libre hasta completar el aforo, según informa la organización.
El grupo actuará un día antes, el 21 de febrero, en la sede de Casa Árabe en Madrid, donde las entradas se agotaron pocas horas después de ponerse a disposición del público.
Sinouj toma las raíces de su música de las diferentes tradiciones del Magreb y de Oriente, fusionadas con la música africana, el funk y el jazz. (cordoba informacion)
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