Friday, May 31, 2013

André Vasconcellos - +brasileiro (2013)

The brand new album from André Vasconcellos Sextet bring to us back, the sound, feeling and flavor of Brazilian Original Jazz !
This Music is inspired on the music the great brazilians like Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Edson Machado, Tom Jobim and others did on past !
But this album is not just a reverence !It is a fresh and contemporary view about the brazilian harmonies, grooves and tradition !
The musicians are all very inspired and creative ! Rafael Barata e Xande Figueiredo on Drums, David Feldman on piano, Danilo Sinna alto sax, Josue Lopez on tenor sax and the 18yrs boy Pedro Martins on Guitar are the lead sextet together Vasconcellos on bass. The album has three special guests ! Hamilton de Holanda, one of the best mandolin player and inventor of a new musical language join the group on "Tempo de Partir". Gabriel Grossi, Toot's prodige, show why he is a revelation of harmonica on "Sem Adeus" and the Virtuoso Eduardo Neves, who came from the samba and choro tradition, plays the flute on "Bolero".
The Vasconcello's bass is a important piece on this context. He is the one who changes the feel of composition and intention of the group between the old and new ! The grooves can sometime be very traditional and cool and others, very contemporary and fresh ! The compositions bring to the audience the relax and smooth feel of the brazilian bossa-nova and jazz.
All the aspects of the album were carefully well done. The arrangements, sound and production are impecables !
We hope you enjoy this musical trip !

(AVMusic...)

https://www.facebook.com/andre.vasconcellos.127 

Dana Marcine - So Unexpected ( Buttons Off Music 2013)

Dana Marcine writes from the heart, and sings, with enchanting voice, the moments that have inspired her. 'So Unexpected' references her serendipitous journey from artful singer of beloved jazz standards, to singer/songwriter with a singular perspective. The eight original songs include emotional ballads, songs of introspection, and tunes that celebrate the best of life.
Rounding out the recording, are four cover songs from the standards repertoire, newly arranged by renown pianist/producer Vinnie Martucci. The album's collaboration with stellar musicians, and their amazing solo work, completes and creates the great music experience.

http://danamarcine.com/ 

NEW TERENCE BLANCHARD ALBUM MAGNETIC SET FOR RELEASE MAY 28 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS

NEW TERENCE BLANCHARD ALBUM MAGNETIC
SET FOR RELEASE MAY 28
ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS

Album Will Coincide With June World Premiere Of Blanchard’s First Opera, Champion,
“An Opera In Jazz”


Magnetic, Terence Blanchard’s stunning new album is set for release May 28 on Blue Note Records. The album features ten original songs written by Blanchard or a member of his quintet: saxophonist Brice Winston, pianist Fabian Almazon, bassist Joshua Crumbly, and drummer Kendrick Scott. Magnetic also showcases special guest appearances from bass legend Ron Carter, as well as label-mates saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and guitarist Lionel Loueke. Magnetic is yet another genre-defying chapter in this innovative musician and film composer's life - only to be followed June 15 by the World Premiere of Champion, an “Opera in Jazz.”  The release of Magnetic will be accompanied by tour dates worldwide including the Newport Jazz Festival in August. Purchase Magnetic today at this very special presale: smarturl.it/8y7a2p 

Magnetic is Blanchard’s first album since the critically-acclaimed 2009 album, Choices, and marks Blanchard’s return to Blue Note, which last released A Tale of God’s Will, his Grammy-winning triumphant 2007 requiem for his home city, New Orleans, in the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Magnetic was produced by Blanchard, Robin Burgess and Frank Wolf and recorded at Avatar Studios in New York City. The vast array of approaches undertaken by the ensemble throughout the album is striking, from the blistering bop of “Don’t Run” to the fragile ballad “Jacob’s Ladder”; the psychedelic electronic haze of “Hallucinations” to the urgent edginess of “Another Step.” As Blanchard says, “It’s a wide range of musical ideas that come together through the efforts of the guys in the band.”

On June 15th, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis will combine forces to premiere Blanchard’s first opera, Champion, an “Opera in Jazz” based on the story of the boxing champion Emile Griffith. Continuing their individual traditions of commissioning music that showcases the talents of the world’s best contemporary composers, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis have joined forces in the development of Champion, featuring a powerhouse team of writers and performers. With music by Blanchard and libretto by the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Michael Cristofer, Champion blends the uniquely American tradition of jazz with the dramatic power of opera. The opera will star Denyce Graves, Arthur Woodley, Robert Orth, Aubrey Allicock, and Meredith Arwady. Directed by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Artistic Director James Robinson and conducted by George Manahan, Champion will receive its world premiere June 15-30 as part of Opera Theatre’s 2013 Festival Season. Champion follows his recent score for Emily Mann’s Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.

UPCOMING LIVE APPEARANCES
MAY
5/29- 6/2 – Jazz Standard, New York, NY – Quintet

JUNE
6/12-6/13 – Whitaker Music Festival, St.Louis, MO
6/15 – Champion, An Opera in Jazz, St.Louis, MO
 6/19 – Champion, An Opera in Jazz, St. Louis, MO
6/21 - Champion, An Opera in Jazz, St. Louis. MO
6/22- Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, NJ
6/28 – Tanglewood Jazz Festival, Tanglewood, MA
6/30 - Champion, An Opera in Jazz, St. Louis. MO

JULY
7/7 – Love Supreme, London, England
7/8 Brick in the Wall  Manchester England
7/11 New Morning, Paris, France
7/12 – North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam, Holland
7/13 Copenhagen, Denmark
7/14 Perugia Festival, Perugia, Italy
7/16 – Bohemia Jazz Festival, Liberec, Czech Republic
7/17 Bossano, Italy
7/18- Almunecar Jazz festival, Almunecar, Spain
7/19 – Torrente Jazz Festival, Torrente, Spain
7/21 Madrid, Spain
7/26 – Lensic Arts Center, Santa Fe, NM with Special Guest Lionel Loueke
7/27-7/28  Dazzle Jazz Club  Denver, CO
7/30-7/31  Hollywood Bowl  Los Angeles, CA  with Dr. John

AUGUST
8/1  The Music Hall  Portsmouth, NH
8/2  Sculler's Jazz Club  Boston, MA
8/3  Newport Jazz Festival  Newport, RI With special guest Lionel Loueke
8/8-8/11  Blues Alley  Washington, DC
8/11  Richmond Jazz Festival  Richmond, Virginia
8/19-8/24  Dinaledi Stage  Johannesburg, S. Africa with Special Guest Lionel Loueke

For more information please contact:

Alisse Kingsley at Muse Media
(p) 323.467.8508 (e) AlissetheMuse@aol.com

Cem Kurosman at Blue Note Records
(p) 212.786.8634 (e) cem.kurosman@emimusic.com

For a complete tour itinerary please visit: www.terenceblanchard.com
Like Terence Blanchard on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter


Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services
272 Ste Route 94 S #1  Warwick, NY 10990
T: 845-986-1677 / F: 845-986-1699
E-Mail: jim@jazzpromoservices.com
 Web Site: www.jazzpromoservices.com/

Appaloosa : Il primo album di nostra produzione. Cd audio tradizionale + Files Flac 24bit a soli 15 euro

Un Buongiorno a tutti quanti. Ormai un lungo ponte è alle porte con tanta buona musica a farvi compagnia. ( A milano il 1 giugno ci sara' Bollani con Chailly in piazza del duomo per esempio )
Lunedi abbiamo presentato il primo album pubblicato sulla nostra etichetta Appaloosa Records. Si tratta di Blues And  Moonbeams On The Menu del grandissimo Luciano Federighi, un nome che per gli appassionati di blues e jazz dovrebbe essere una garanzia visto che ha speso tutta la sua vita scrivendo per riviste come musica jazz, pubblicando libri sul jazz e infine vivendo i  romanzi che pubblicava  oltre naturalmente a creare  e suonare lui stesso fantastiche short stories ( ogni sua canzone può essere considerata un piccolo racconto e ancora ieri facendo ascoltare l'album ad un paio di cantautori americani, di quelli tosti , la domanda è sempre quella : ma in Italia esistono persone in grado di scrivere testi blues in inglese in maniera cosi' perfetta ? )
Ora se si avesse 200.000 euro si potrebbe mandare Luciano su tutti i network nazionali e farvelo conoscere...... ma come potrete ben intuire quei soldi non li abbiamo. Ecco perchè abbiamo fatto un piccolo video dove ve lo presentiamo. Per guardalo clicca qui http://vimeo.com/67051167 
Inoltre vi ricordiamo l'offerta in corso
Cd di Blues On The Moonbeams On The Menu + Files Flac 24bit o Mp3   ( alta definizione ) : 15 Euro
Per chi non ama la musica liquida
Cd di Blues On The Moonbeams On The Menu + Cd Compilation etichetta Appaloosa : 15 euro
Per acquistare è suficiente rispondere a questa mail
Ora tocca a voi. L'osservazione che ci hanno fatto piu' spesso in questi giorni è stata : tu sei pazzo a comprare un'etichetta indipendente in questo periodo. La nostra  risposta è che la gente "cerca" la buona musica e che questa non morira' mai. Ora tocca voi darci ragione o torto.
Se siete un negozio  di dischi o di Hi Fi l'album è in distribuzione presso Ird Milano

Cuban Pianist HAROLD LOPEZ-NUSSA to Make 5-City U.S. Debut - June 12-21

Cuban Pianist HAROLD LÓPEZ-NUSSA to
Make 5-City U.S. Debut - June 12-21

Performing in Duo with Brother, 
Drummer Ruy Adrian López-Nussa
  
Harold López-Nussa U.S. Debut:
June 12 / Kuumbwa Jazz Center / Santa Cruz, CA
June 13 - 16 / SFJAZZ Center / San Francisco, CA
June 18 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY
June 19 / An die Musik / Baltimore, MD
June 21 / Regattabar / Cambridge, MA
** also appearing at the Montreal Jazz Festival on July 1 **

Harold       

"Young Harold Lopez-Nussa is among the greatest pianists of Cuba."
- Havana Times

"He makes it all sound rich, rewarding and cohesive..."
- Montreal Gazette
Cuban pianist Harold López-Nussa will make his U.S. debut with five engagements from June 12-21, 2013. The tour, booked by Ted Kurland Associates, will include performances in Santa Cruz, CA (Kuumbwa Jazz Center, June 12),  San Francisco, CA (SFJAZZ Center, June 13-16), New York, NY (Jazz Standard, June 18), Baltimore, MD (An die Musik, June19) and Cambridge, MA (Regattabar, June 21). Following his U.S. tour, Harold will perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival on July 1. The pianist will perform in duo with his brother, drummer Ruy Adrian López-Nussa. Additionally, Harold is set to release a new album this fall, titled New Day (JazzVillage)
 
In December 2010, Harold came onto the radar of prestigious booking agent, Ted Kurland (Ted Kurland Associates), who considers Harold to be one of the best young talents coming out of Cuba. The following year, the pianist was one of the featured artists on Ninety Miles, a project that came together after Wynton Marsalis & Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra conducted a five-day residency in Havana, working and performing with students. The album was released on Concord Picante and also featured Stefon Harris, David Sánchez and Christian Scott. Soon after, Harold released his sophomore album, titled El Pais de las Maravillas (JazzVillage)
 
About Harold López-Nussa
Harold López-Nussa is a child of two worlds. Born into a musical household in Cuba and educated by his French grandparents, Lopez-Nussa took an early interest in classical piano before attending the prestigious ISA School in Havana. At the young age of 20, Lopez-Nussa shifted his focus to the fiery Cuban jazz of his youth, but not without the nuanced, classical touch of his education. Lopez-Nussa made his mark touring across Europe from Verdona and London to Vienna and Paris before winning the esteemed Solo Piano Contest at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival and recording his first solo piano album, Sobre el Atelier. 
 
About Ruy Adrian López-Nussa
Ruy Adrian López-Nussa has the ability, virtuosity and versatility that allowed him to play with the legendary Cuban musicians from the very start of his young career. He has performed not only on the main stages of Cuba but also at the prestigious international events such as Jazz sous les Pommiers, Jazz an Olreans, Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Archeo Jazz, Les Coleurs du Jazz, Jazz Mix, Barranquijazz, Marathon du Jazz, Vortex and Sunside in 2011 as part of the tour Herencia with the trio Lopez-Nussa.
 
Harold Lopez -
Harold Lopez - "Nussa Timbeando"
 

For more information on Harold López-Nussa, please visit: haroldlopeznussa.com
 
For more information on Ted Kurland Associates, please visit: tedkurland.com

For more information on JazzVillage: jazzvillagemusic.com

For media information, please contact:
DL Media ·  610-667-0501
Jordy Freed ·  jordy@dlmediamusic.com
Amy Miller ·  amy@dlmediamusic.com
 
Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos
and bios) on all DL Media artists can be found at our new website: dlmediamusic.com

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Kendrick Scott Oracle -Conviction (Concord Jazz 2013)

Kendrick Scott Oracle releases its second recording, Conviction, which showcases Kendrick Scott's incredible subtlety and intensity and highlights his strengths as a drummer, composer and a leader.

 “A true virtuoso, Scott is the rare drummer who can exploit the whole kit in one song without sounding contrived…Even with his intensity, Scott managed to make every tune feel like a meditation.”
- Michael J West, Washington Post

“There’s a deep glow to “Conviction”, a new offering by the expressive drummer Kendrick Scott and his band Oracle…Oracle consists of improvisers as fluent and perceptive as he is: John Ellis on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Mike Moreno on guitar, Taylor Eigsti on acoustic and Fender Rhodes piano, and Joe Sanders on bass.”
-Nate Chinen, New York Times

http://kendrickscott.com/


Don Braden & Julie Michels - The Braden Michels Project: Come Together (Judith Humenick Production 2013)

Julie Michels’ soulful, hugely powerful voice and Don Braden’s soulful, virtuosic saxophone and flute playing are a perfect "soulful" match! The CD features hip arrangements of Jazz standards, original compositions & funky covers that will make you move.

Come Together”, recorded at Number Nine Studio in Toronto, is just what the title says: the coming together of 5 wonderfully talented jazz artists, from Toronto and New York. The result is magical! At the core of the recording are Julie Michels’ “startling voice, hugely powerful, yet completely controlled and fearless, too” and Don Braden’s soulful, virtuosic saxophone and flute playing – and they are the perfect match. There are 11 tunes, from hip, unusual arrangements of jazz standards and original compositions, to stunning vocal arrangements by pianist David Restivo, to funky covers that will “make you move”. Supported by Kieran Overs on bass and Daniel Barnes on drums, “Come Together” promises honest and joyful musical connections along with a soaring sense of energy. It’s modern jazz that crosses many boundaries.

Julie Michels’ “glorious holler” [Mark Miller, The Globe & Mail] has been a unique and important feature on the Toronto jazz scene for more than two decades, after studying with legendary bassist Richard Davis at University of Wisconsin, and spending time gigging across Europe and North America. Her recordings include "Singing Naked" (1995) with bassist George Koller, “Live at Statler’s” (2003) with guitarist Kevin Barrett, "She Sings, He Plays" with Kevin Barrett (2010), and her latest, "Bass and Voice" with George Koller (2011). More information about Juie Michels is available at www.juliemichels.com.

Don Braden is a world class musician of the highest calibre, and has toured the world and recorded with the Who's Who of Jazz, including Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Tony Williams and Betty Carter. His own groups have included some of the most respected musicians today; among them: bassists Christian McBride & Joris Teepe, pianists Benny Green & Darrell Grant, drummers Carl Allen, Cecil Brooks III & Billy Hart, trumpeters Tom Harrell & Randy Brecker, trombonist Steve Turre, organists Jack McDuff & Larry Goldings, and guitarist Russell Malone. Braden has composed music for everything from duo to full symphonic orchestra, in many styles, for recordings (including 18 CDs as a leader and over 80 as a sideman), film and television, and worked several years as composer for Bill Cosby. His appearances include countless performances in Jazz festivals and venues like New York’s Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, Blue Note, Sweet Basil, Birdland, and many others in the Americas, Europe, Japan, Russia and Australia. Television appearances include Saturday Night Live, David Brenner, Joan Rivers (all with Wynton Marsalis) and several others. He is also a renowned Jazz educator. Find more information about Don Braden at www.donbraden.com

Notes from Julie and Don

From Julie...
So, how did we, “Come Together”? When I met Don Braden at JazzWorks Jazz Camp, in the beautiful Canadian Laurentian Mountains, in the summer of 2010, it felt like I was meeting up with an old friend. And when we played together, unrehearsed and choosing tunes on the spot, that feeling happened again. There was a sense that we’d always made music together, and the joy was there for all to hear!
In the fall of 2011, I had invited Don to be my guest at a gig in Toronto, when the unthinkable happened - the venue owners, called to apologetically say that there had been a “double booking” and that the gig would need to be rescheduled. Of course, Don’s busy performing and teaching schedule, which takes him across the US and also to Groningen in the Netherlands several times each year, seemed an insurmountable obstacle to finding a new date.
Enter, Judy Humenick, (who is not only my friend, but also my manager) who said , “I can salvage this, for the scheduled date – the two of you should be playing together!” So, I said, “go ahead”, and waited to see what she could do. Well, she did it. Within 2 days, a new venue was booked and a new group formed in anticipation of a mid November performance.
On Saturday, November 12, 2011 we found ourselves at Gallery 345 in Toronto - with Don on saxophone and flute, Kieran Overs on bass, Daniel Barnes on drums and David Restivo on piano. It was a magical night of music. We had come together to play with our friends, and have fun, and were left, grinning like crazy people, in the light of the music that was made. (I’m still grinning.) By Sunday, the 13th Don, Judy and I were already planning a recording –no one wanted to let go of the magic.
It has taken a year, and a great deal of wonderful, intense work, and love, and talent to create what you are listening to - Don’s contributions as co-producer, composer and engineer, Judy’ s tireless managerial efforts, David’s spectacular arrangements and the joy and talent of Kieran and Daniel. Honestly, I just wonder at the fact that I’m in such company – it is joyous and humbling and I am so very happy to be part of this wonderful music! Enjoy this in health and happiness!

From Don...
There certainly was a clear, "magical" connection when Julie and I first played together at JazzWorks -- right away there was comfort, synchrony, mystery and FUN! There was also an immediate mutual respect. It was like we'd been playing together for years. Our gigs since then have only reinforced the connection, as has this recording. Julie is one of the most soulful vocalists I've worked with. She sings very expressively, and her voice comes from right from her core: mentally, physically, and spiritually. It is a special experience to make music with her!
I met Kieran and David also at JazzWorks, and their playing was terrific. They were an obvious fit for joining Julie and me for future music making. Daniel came to the band after JazzWorks, and has worked in beautifully. Daniel and Kieran laid a rock solid and musically flexible foundation throughout the gigs and do so on this recording. David Restivo's work overall has been nothing short of brilliant. Youthful virtuosity and energy blend with a mature sensitivity and creativity to make him a wonderful and essential part of the lift that lets the band fly.
The tunes are an eclectic mix of pop tunes, classic standards and original compositions. I believe they reflect our varied backgrounds and experience in an honest way, and the arrangements (many are David’s) infuse the tunes with a strong modern Jazz sensibility. The music is very substantive, with plenty of sophisticated harmony and rhythm, and has been a worthwhile challenge for all us. Happily, we explored the music on the gigs before recording, which really helped us to embrace the challenge and be free with the music in the studio.

http://www.juliemichels.com

 

Rob Mazurek- The Space Between (Delmark 2013)

(CD + DVD) The Space Between is a multi-faceted sound/visual orchestration based on multiplying forces and the space between these forces. It pursues the idea of the Indra's Net, a continuous reflection of, but always changing reality of, our universe and what is not seen or heard. Featuring the dynamic flute of Nicole Mitchell, the Wellsian voice of Damon Locks, and stellar contributions from the other members of the Ensemble, along with Marianne M. Kim's multi-layered visual poem, The Space Between represents a step into the direction of sound as vision / vision as sound. Contains one CD and DVD (in PCM stereo, DTS and Dolby 5.1). Also contains Illumination Drone #17, Mazurek's silent video. DVD is NTSC all region, 47 minutes. 
http://www.robmazurek.com

Caro Emerald - The Shocking Miss Emerald (Grandmono Records 2013)

01. Miss Emerald: Intro (00:39)
02. One Day (04:33)
03. Coming Back As A Man (03:35)
04. Tangled Up (03:15)
05. Completely (02:29)
06. Black Valentine (05:04)
07. Pack Up The Louie (03:33)
08. I Belong To You (03:28)
09. The Maestro (02:37)
10. Liquid Lunch (04:00)
11. Excuse My French (03:53)
12. Paris (04:47)
13. My Two Cents (03:46)
14. The Wonderful In You (03:12)
15. Tell Me How Long (02:29) 

http://www.caroemerald.com/


How it all began
In 2007, Caro Emerald was called upon to cut a demo for producers Jan van Wieringen, David Schreurs and Canadian songwriter Vincent Degiorgio. Caro seized the opportunity, and recorded 'Back It Up'. When she performed the song on a local Dutch TV station a year later, the song exploded onto the scene. Viewers were constantly calling, e-mailing and commenting about that lovely girl with her catchy tune. A low-budget video on YouTube created a similar effect and suddenly, viewers wanted to know where they could buy her music.
However, with only one track on the repertoire, David, Vince, Jan and Caro started working on a full album before releasing anything. Inspired by films and music from the 40s and 50s, they wrote and produced “Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor”, an exciting, hugely accessible collection of 12 original songs. The album featured ballroom jazz, cinematic tangos, groovin' jazz tracks and infectious mambos that sounded as if they were recorded in the golden age of Hollywood. However, the smoking beats, catchy songs and inventive production marked Caro out as a present-day phenomenon.
An album with such a distinctive style required its own label approach. Adding Vince’s A&R background to the mix, Schreurs and van Wieringen set up Grandmono Records to release their music and manage the project. It was an overnight success. Debut single ‘Back It Up’ became an instant radio hit in July 2009, and follow up 'A Night Like This' went on to reach #1 in the Dutch single charts in January 2010. That same week, Grandmono Records released the highly anticipated 'Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor'. It entered at #1 in the album charts and reached platinum status within 6 weeks. Overall, the album spent 30 weeks at #1, breaking a record set by Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and selling a stunning 260,000 copies within the year in Holland alone.
The album was then released in many other countries, with a similar effect. So far, ‘Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor’ is IFPI certified platinum with sales over 1.3 million in Europe (NL 6x Platinum, Poland 2x Platinum, UK Platinum, Germany Platinum, Austria & Switzerland Gold) and has been released in over 40 countries. Caro and her production team received numerous national and international awards, including an MTV EMA award (Best Dutch/Belgian), EBBA award, Goldene Kamera and Echo Award. Caro performed at almost every major radio and TV show in Europe.
The Shocking Miss Emerald
In between conquering Europe, Caro and the team reserved as much time as possible gathering and recording ideas for their second album. Not surprisingly when you consider how much they travelled across Europe, the lively European arts, entertainment and fashion scene of the 1920s-1960s sets the stage for this album. Caro, David, Vincent and Jan found ideas in pictures, stories and people living in the world’s centre of haute couture, Paris. They aimed for an edgy sound, vivid, dark, romantic and intense, yet still glamorous.
Picture Man Ray and his Bohemian friends roaming the street of Montparnasse, famous hotels, shady cabarets and bars where fashionable dames, struggling artists and foreign visitors mingle. Caro takes part in it, reminisces about her life in the spotlights, but never fails to take her listeners backstage, away from the spotlight, to where the work is done, the tears are shed and the credits are earned, not just cashed in.
The main theme, if you will, of ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’ is style. Style has always played an important role in the Caro Emerald world, and this album emphasizes Caro not only as a great singer, but also a sophisticated and timeless style icon. The album ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’ will be released in Europe beginning of May. Caro Emerald and her band will play several shows this spring and summer.


Al Di Meola - All Your Life (Innsbruck Records 2013)

Guitar Superstar Al Di Meola Pays Personal Tribute to The Beatles – “All Your Life”
May 1, 2013


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Like millions of other American boys growing up during the 1960s, guitarist Al Di Meola was forever affected by seeing The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show back in the era of black & white TV. His early encounter with the Fab Four lit a passion in him and may be directly responsible for the New Jersey native first picking up the guitar. “Had they not existed, I probably would be, who knows…a fireman today or some other job,” says the celebrated guitarist. “And beyond just me, they changed the whole world. There is no music in my lifetime that made as huge an impact on the world like that of the Beatles. What they did to modern pop music in the ‘60s changed everything.”

Nearly 50 years after the first wave of Beatlemania washed onto Stateside shores, the six-string superstar returns to his early roots in paying a personal tribute to that seminal influence with All Your Life. A virtual one-man show of virtuosity, All Your Life features the guitar great interpreting 14 familiar Beatles tunes in the stripped-down setting of strictly acoustic guitar. On some tracks, like “In My Life” and “Because,” he overdubs three guitars to get the rich, shimmering textures and intricate patterns created on his signature Al Di Meola Conde Hermanos nylon string guitar, his Gibson steel string guitar and a 1948 Martin acoustic. Others like “Penny Lane,” “I Am The Walrus” and “I Will” utilize two guitars while “And I Love Her,” “Blackbird” and “If I Fell” utilized a single guitar track. All the percussion heard throughout the recording is Di Meola himself slapping the wood body of his instrument or strumming muted strings for percussive effect.

All the tracks are imbued with the guitarist’s signature flamenco flourishes, intricate arpeggiating and dazzling cross-picking. Only on one track does he employ other musicians (a dramatic reading of “Eleanor Rigby” that features a string quartet). Recorded in analogue at Abbey Road Studios in London, where the Beatles created most of their records during their heyday, All Your Life stands as a triumph in the long and illustrious career of a bona fide guitar hero.

“I’ve come full circle with this,” says Di Meola, who was inducted into Guitar Player’s Gallery of Greats in 1981 after four consecutive wins as Best Jazz Guitarist in the magazine’s Readers Poll. “I started out my life loving the Beatles, and I never stopped, just like a lot of so many other guitarists from my generation. In the middle, we all went into whatever music we pursued in our careers — fusion, jazz, whatever it might be. We all wanted to further our craft. But when you come back to the Beatles’ music, it’s like, ‘Man, this stuff is still happening! All of it!’ And there’s not a day that goes by that we’re not somehow touched by the Beatles, whether it’s a story online or something we hear. It’s almost every day that we see some connection in our lives with the Beatles.”

Back in the ‘70s, Di Meola blazed the fusion trail with supergroup Return To Forever and with his own powerhouse Latin-tinged fusion group. He focused on the purity of acoustic guitar during the early ‘80s with a trio of international virtuosos in Spain’s flamenco master Paco de Lucia and British-born founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin. For the past 20-plus years, Di Meola has been courting a different muse with his World Sinfonia, a dynamic group that blends world music elements and also specializes in interpreting the work of Argentine tango master Astor Piazzolla. The acoustic All Your Life follows on the heels of Di Meola’s 2011 recording, Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody, which incorporated everything from Argentinian tango to Spanish flamenco to Middle Eastern and North African music and included an electrifying interpretation of The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

Di Meola says that playing that Beatles tune on his last album may have triggered something. “I thought, ‘Why stop there?’ These tunes are so familiar and beloved by everybody. And to be able to record them at Abbey Road Studios was really special. Being there, I felt like a kid for the first time since I was a kid. It’s an amazing place, like going to Disney World at five years old. Between that and getting to meet Paul McCartney last summer while I was preparing the record…the whole experience and what it meant to me is like a dream come true.”

Di Meola’s serendipitous encounter with the ex-Beatle was a personal highlight for 2012. As he explains, “I had already recorded three tunes at Abbey Road and decided to rent a house for Labor Day weekend in the Hamptons, with the idea of working on arrangements for the rest of the pieces out there. And as I finalizing the deal with the realtor to rent this house, he tells me, ‘Oh, by the way, your next door neighbor is a famous pop star.’ And when I found out it was Paul McCartney, I got chills. So my wife and I drove out there and as we’re pulling into the driveway, there he was pulling out of his driveway right next to mine. No security, no nothing. And he was driving an old Ford Bronco. We finally got to meet on the third day. I saw him pulling out of the driveway and said hello. He rolled down the window and we talked for a while. I told him I was recording at Abbey Road, and all the time I’m thinking, ‘Here I am, talking to Paul McCartney! What the hell!’

No doubt McCartney would be impressed by Di Meola’s personal interpretations of the 14 Beatles tunes featured on All Your Life. “The idea was to keep it simple,” says the guitarist. “Things always sound better when they’re not cluttered together. Essentially, I wanted to include all the syncopation in there while trying to keep the essence of the tune in tact in terms of melody. There’s been a lot of jazz guys who have done their own interpretations, but there’s usually so much reharmonizing and altering of the melody that you would never even know that it’s a Beatles tune. And I did not want to do that. My intent was to bring in the sophistication through rhythm as opposed to altering of harmony, which really would take the prettiness away. I wanted to preserve the beauty of these tunes.”

While he says that certain tunes like “She’s Leaving Home” and “I Am The Walrus” were relatively easy to execute, others like “Penny Lane” and “Michelle” were extremely difficult. “Some of this stuff was as hard to practice and get right, in terms of the way that I syncopated it, as anything of Piazzolla’s. Even though you could view the Beatles as more simplistic music, it’s in the way that you approach it. And some of them were really tricky.”

The May release of Di Meola’s All Your Life is the culmination of his own personal magical mystery tour. “This project is a lifelong dream, long overdue and immensely fulfilling!” says the guitar great. He plans to follow up this summer with a “Beatles and More” tour featuring his World Sinfonia augmented by string quartet.

By Bill Milkowski

Innsbruck Records


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Charnett Moffett-The Bridge (Motema 2013)

New Release APRIL 9.  The Bridge is one of a very limited number of solo acoustic bass discs ever recorded, and is an astounding project in musical range and sound. It features 20 dynamic tracks that will delight all fans of music. The recording showcases Charnett's uncanny ability to play melody and harmony while evoking sound that sometimes is like a trumpet, a sitar or a band - and is always real music. The thoughtful musical selections reflect his entire 30-year-plus career and showcase his compositional excellence. "Caravan," which opens the recording, connects to Charnett's 25-year history performing with the Manhattan Jazz Quintet and performing this tune as his signature piece with the group. The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," taps into Charnett's distinctive ability to inhabit any sound within the entire musical spectrum - jazz, contemporary, pop, classical, Middle Eastern - and make it resound deeply for the listener. "Black Codes" links to Charnett's experience with the Wynton Marsalis Quintet when he was fresh out of Juilliard at age 16. The idea of pairing the early 19th century Negro spiritual "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" with 21st century Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" came from Mary Ann Topper, the co-producer of The Bridge, who was also a key figure in Charnett's '80s career breakout. Other selections represent additional pivotal influences such as Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, McCoy Tyner and Tony Williams. Charnett contributes eight compelling originals, including the electric-leaning "Free Your Mind," which closes this remarkable disc - his 12th as a leader.  
Motema 

Fredrik Ljungkvist & Yun Kan 10 - Ten ( HOOB records 2013)

 Acclaimed Swedish reed player Fredrik Ljungkvist's key solo outfit is the Yun Kan band. This band, in its incarnation as a quintet, released two remarkable albums, Yun Kan 12345 and Badaling (Caprice, 2004 and 2007) and in recent years operated in a slimmed down version as Yun Kan 3 and as an ambitious outgrowth of the quintet as Yun Kan 10. Now, finally, more than five years after its last documentation, this ensemble has been beautifully recorded by Swedish Radio.
EYAL HAREUVENI/allaboutjazz.com

Track Listing: CD1: Lackritz; How To Break A Fever; Hold On To Your Hat!; Fighter; Kun Lun. CD2: Dolphinian Motion; Tuulikki; No Panic, Just Curious; Abraxas; Russia.

Personnel: Fredrik Ljungkvist: soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, clarinet; Sofia Jernberg voice; Mats Äleklint: trombone; Per-Åke Holmlander: tuba; Klas Nevrin: piano; Mattias Risberg: hammond, ARP pro soloist and Moog Taurus; Katt Hernandez: violin; Mattias Welin: bass; Jon Fält: drums; Raymond Strid: drums.

http://www.yunkan.se/

Laura Ainsworth "Necessary Evil" CD Release Party! Fri., June 28th Stoney's Wine Lounge Dallas, TX


Laura Ainsworth "Necessary Evil" CD Release Party

EVENT DETAILS

Laura Ainsworth "Necessary Evil" CD Release Party!
Time: June 28, 2013 from 7pm to 11pm
Location: Stoney's Wine Lounge, 6038 Oram Street, Dallas, TX
Event Type: cdreleaseparty
Organized By: Laura Ainsworth
Latest Activity: on Wednesday
 
 
 

Laura Ainsworth’s 2011 debut, Keep It To Yourself, scored worldwide radio play (landing on Jazz Week’s Top Airplay chart tied with Stanley Clarke) and critical hosannas. Jazz Inside devoted a lead review in its Vocalists issue, raving, “You can keep all those pop divas, the only one for me is Laura Ainsworth… A wonderful modern interpreter of the Great American Songbook, as well as thoroughly modern styles.” SomethingElseReviews dubbed it “transcendent” and said that with her “satiny, impossibly old-fashioned, nearly three-octave voice, Ainsworth is the very portrait of West Coast cool.” AllAboutJazz.com said she is “gifted with a sultry, swoon-inducing croon,” and her debut was “among the year's most consistently engaging jazz releases, performed with class and heartfelt passion.” The Dallas Morning News called her voice “sublime,” and Robert Sutton at JazzCorner.com lauded her as “a funny lady with a jewel of a voice” who “weaves past and present with stunning power.”

Now, Laura Ainsworth and her partner, producer/arranger/pianist extraordinaire Brian Piper are back, bigger and better, with her new album, Necessary Evil, joined by some of the top jazz artists in Texas. Tracks include fresh twists on standards, revitalizations of forgotten obscurities and great new songs in elegant styles, such as the potential AC smash, “The Lies of Handsome Men” and the instant Big Band classic, “Last Train to Mercerville,” featuring an all-star 13-piece horn section.

Necessary Evil’s theme is love songs with a twist: some heartbreaking, some with a touch of the wicked humor that has made Laura’s syndicated parody songs a mainstay of radio shows around the world. In the end, we learn that for pure, true romance, we must turn to the great old songs of writers such as Johnny Mercer, the type of tunes Laura grew up with as her dad, renowned sax/clarinet player Billy Ainsworth, accompanied Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme and other icons of the Great American Songbook.

Laura Ainsworth "Necessary Evil"
(Eclectus Records ER-1002)
Street Date June 25, 2013

 
Brian Piper: All keyboards,  John Adams:  Bass,  Steve Barnes:  Drums and percussion,  Chris McGuire:  Sax solos on tracks 1, 4, 10, 12; clarinet on 5 & 8,  Rodney Booth: Trumpet solo, tracks 2 & 11,  Steven Story: Violin solo, track 6 , Pete Brewer: Flute solo, track 9, Big Band horns on Tracks 1 & 12:  Trumpets:  Jay Saunders, Keith Jourdan, Rodney Booth, Peter Clagett,  Trombones:  Carl Murr, Greg Waits, Simon Willate, Eric Swanson,  Alto Sax:  Randy Lee, Jim Pritchard  Tenor Sax:  Chris McGuire, Clay Pritchard  Baritone Sax:  Pete Brewer

1 Necessary Evil (4:06) Big Band/Jazz Radio Pick
2 One More Time (3:20) Sultry ‘30s jazz ballad
3 The Gentleman Is A Dope (4:17) Jazz Radio Pick
4 Just Give Me A Man (3:18) Funny cocktail jazz
5 Love Is A Dangerous Thing (3:23) Breezy swing/jazz
6 My Foolish Heart (4:34) Standards Radio Pick
7 The Lies Of Handsome Men (4:37) AC Radio Pick
8 Get Out And Get Under The Moon (3:22) ‘30s swing
9 Out Of This World (5:21) Exotic, Jazz Radio Pick
10 Hooray For Love (3:18) Jazz/Standards Radio Pick
11 I’d Give A Dollar For A Dime (3:28) Nostalgic ballad
12 Last Train To Mercerville (4:24) Standards Radio Pick




STREET DATE: JUNE 25, 2013 RADIO ADD DATE: JULY 1, 2013
 
PRESS CONTACT: Jim Eigo, 845-986-1677 or jim@jazzpromoservices.com
 
ARTIST: To arrange interviews, CD giveaways or bookings, contact Pat Reeder at Eclectus Records, 972-263-3381 or webmaster@lauraainsworth.com

TWITTER: @LauraAinsworth1

For Interviews and Promos Contact:
Jim Eigo
Jazz Promo Services
T: 845-986-1677
E-Mail:
jim@jazzpromoservices.com
http://www.jazzpromoservices.com/

New Jazz-Inspired Album Lineage Uses Musical Deconstruction to Balance Past, Present and Future

New Jazz-Inspired Album Lineage Uses Musical Deconstruction to Balance Past, Present and Future (via PR Newswire)
Rock, pop classics revisited by veteran jazz artists Dave Liebman and Michael Stephans Download image Download image Lineage Cover. (PRNewsFoto/David Liebman) NEW BEDFORD, Mass., May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Since he began to seriously pursue a career as a jazz artist back in the 1960s, Dave Liebman…

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Jared Gold-Intuition(Posi-Tone 2013)

Clear your mind and get in tune with the mood as Jared Gold sets loose with his sixth release for Posi- Tone, titled "Intuition." Strong showings by guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer McClenty Hunter lend their able and sensitive support in keeping the session in the pocket. With an amazing program, comprised of Gold's original compositions and a few soulful covers thrown in for good measure, Jared Gold's latest record "Intuition" will succeed as a hard hitting performance that is certain to captivate the interest and imagination of straight-ahead jazz enthusiasts everywhere.
Posi-Tone






David Murray Infinity Quartet - Be My Monster Love (feat. Macy Gray) (Motema 2013)


An exciting, R&B-infused jazz album from Grammy Award winning composer/saxophonist David Murray, which features an A-list quartet and standout vocal features from platinum-selling Grammy winner Macy Gray and twice Grammy-nominated soul/jazz sensation Gregory Porter.

Motema

Pascal LeBoeuf - 'Pascal's Triangle' - an enhanced cd

Nineteen-Eight Records - www.nineteeneight.com
Nineteen-Eight Records
Pascal LeBoeuf - 'Pascal's Triangle' - an enhanced cd

Hello There and Happy May!

Along with the springtime, we are pleased to offer a new release from pianist Pascal LeBoeuf. 'Pascal's Triangle' is an intriguing collection of original acoustic music and features bassist Linda Oh and drummer Justin Brown. This recording is already catching ears with it's fresh approaches and compositional storytelling.

*** Both the physical CD and the download are ENHANCED and include free scores for this music. This is only available through Nineteen-Eight.

"this group has an impressively self-assured new album, which reaches for the gleaming cosmopolitanism of our present era." - The New York Times
Nineteen-Eight Records

The Le Boeuf Brothers have returned with a daring new recording. 'Remixed' is a melding of acoustic and electronic textures. Composers, instrumentalists and electronic collagists, the Le Boeuf Brothers have reworked and recombined their music on this forward-thinking new release. Remixed fuses their New York jazz background with a fresh blend of electronica, trip-hop and drum 'n' bass. Featuring new remixes by Remy & Pascal Le Boeuf, David Binney, Tim Lefebvre, "Wolff Parkinson White" (AKA: Jochen Rueckert), Kissy Girls, Lucky Luke & Armand Hirsch.

To see a preview video, click here