Upcoming Jazz Releases | 5/27/08

25 Best: Jazz Legends - 25 Best: Jazz Legends (Madacy Special MKTS )
Al Green - Lay It Down (Blue Note )
Ala Heiler - Changes (Zyx )
Andre Previn - What Headphones (DRG )
Andre Previn - What Headphones? (DRG )
Andreas Schmidt & D - In Berlin (Pid )
Art Kassel - Music, Maestro, Please (Living Era )
B.B Cooper - Saracubana-Stewart Curtis Trio Plays BB Cooper (Pid )
Basil Coetzee - Sabenza (Pid )
Bill Bruford / Michiel Borstlap - In Two Minds (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Bireli Lagrene - Gipsy Routes (Dreyfus )
Bireli Lagrene / Didier Lockwood - Gipsy Routes (Dreyfus )
Bjornstad / Steene / Tomter - Light (Pid )
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Best Of Early Singles / Japanese Edition (Universal Japan )
Bossa Nova 50 - Bossa Nova 50 (Pid )
Bruford Borstlap - In Two Minds (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Buddy Cole - Have Organ Will Swing/Buddy Cole Play (Collectables )
Cannonball Adderley & The Nat Adderley Sextet - Soul Zodiac (Pid )
Cannonball With Nat Adderley Adderley - Walk Tall-The David Axelrod Years (Pid )
Carlos Lyra - Sarava! (Pid )
Cartola - Verde Que Te Quero Rosa (Pid )
Cartola - 70 Anos (Pid )
Charlie Byrd - Bamba Samba Bossa Nova (Collectables )
Chick Corea - Inner Space (Collectables )
Cosmologic - Eyes In The Back Of My Head / Jewl (Cuneiform )
Costel Nitescu - Forever Swing, Grappelli Forever (Chant du Monde )
Curumin - Japan Pop Show (Pid )
Daniel Zamir - I Believe (Tzadik )
David Benoit - Heroes / Bonus Track (Universal Japan )
David Benoit - Heroes (Concord Records (USA) )
Eddie Gomez - Street Smart (Sony Japan )
Elmo Hope - Homecoming (Pid )
Eric Longsworth - Sans Souci (Pid )
Francois Lindemann - Thai (Amori )
Fumio Karashima - Piano Solo (Pid )
Furio Dicastri - Zapping (Pid )
Galliano / Louiss - European Jazz Masters: Richard Galliano & Eddy Lou (Dreyfus )
George Winston - Linus & Lucky Music Of Vince Guarldi (24 Bit K2 Re (Pid )
George Winston - Plains (BMG Japan )
Glenn Miller - Standard Book On Miller Sounds (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Glenn Miller Orchestra - Chesterfield Radio Shows (Pid )
Goodman / Lee - Where Or When (Pid )
Harumi Igarashi - Tears (Pid )
Herbie Hancock - Late Night Jazz Favorites (Cleopatra -- Navarre -- )
Hot Club De Norvege - Gloomy (Hot Club / Norway )
Hot Club De Norvege - Swing De Paris (Hot Club / Norway )
Humair / Koppel / Promalli - European Jazz Factory (Pid )
Ibomeka DK - I'm Your Man (Pid )
Ivan Lins - Modo Liver (Pid )
Jack Teagarden - Memories Of You (Collectables )
Jackie & Roy - Bits And Pieces/The Glory Of Love (Jasmine )
Jenny Scheinman - Jenny Scheinman (Koch Records (USA) )
Jens Joneleit - In-Between: Blues Pieces (Neos Productions )
Jens Joneleit - Maze Drum Solo (Neos Productions )
Joey Sommerville - Like You Mean It (Three Keys Music )
Joey Summerville - Like You Mean It (Three Keys Music )
Joey Summerville - Mean It (Three Keys Music )
Johnny Alf - Giagonal (Pid )
Lee Wiley - Lee Wiley (Pid )
Lee Wiley - Back Home Again (Pid )
Link Davis - Gumbo Ya Ya-The Best Of 1948-58 (Pid )
Lutzeier Quartet, Mi - Schlagerhitz (Pid )
Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle (Pid )
Mario Castro-Neves - Mario Castro Neves & Samba S.A (Pid )
Markus Stockhausen - Electronic Treasures (Pid )
Masahiko Sato - Amrphism (Sony Japan )
Maunalua - Ho'Okanaka (Pid )
Michiel Borstlap / Bill Bruford - In Two Minds (Summerfold Uk )
Miucha - & Antonio Carlos Jobim (Pid )
Mori / Parkins - Phantom Orchard (Tzadik )
Nils Wuelker - My Game (Pid )
Norma Winstone - Distances (Pid)
Ok I Ok - Eating Mantis (Now Forward )
Ok Ok - Eating Mantis (Kindred Rhythm )
Outhouse - Outhouse (Pid )
Pepi Taveira - Reunion (Pid )
Phantom Orchard - Orra (Tzadik )
Phantom Orchard - Phantom Orchard (Tzadik )
Plastic Art Foundati - Or (Pid )
Quadro Nuevo - Antakya (Pid )
Raul De Souza - Vontade Mesmo (Pid )
Rca Jazz! 100 - Rca Jazz! 100 (Pid )
Rebecca Jenkins - Blue Skies (Maximum Jazz) - Book
Red Garland Trio - Last Recording 1:My Funny Valentine (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Red Garland Trio - Last Recording 2:Autumun Leaves (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Rene Mailhes - Chtildo (Pid )
Revolutionary Snake Ensemble - Forked Tongue / Jewl (Cuneiform )
Richard Galliano - European Jazz Masters (Dreyfus Music )
Richard Galliano & Eddy Louiss - European Jazz Masters: Richard Galliano & Eddy (Dreyfus )
Richard Galliano & Eddy Louiss - European Jazz Masters (Dreyfus )
Sabina Hank - Music In A Mirror (Quinton )
Scorch - Brolt (Rune Grammofon )
Sergio Mendes - Encanto (Pid )
Simone - Simone On Somone (Koch )
Simply The Very B.O. Today's Smooth Jazz - Simply The Very B.O. Today's Smooth Jazz (Shanachie )
Simply The Very B.O. Today's Smooth Jazz - Simply the Very Best of Today's Smooth Jazz Guitar (Shanachie )
Simply The Very Best Of Todays Smooth Jazz Guitar - Simply The Very Best Of Todays Smooth Jazz Guitar (Shanachie )
Soo Choo Quartet - Prayer (Challenge Records )
Stanley Clarke - Hot Fun-Best (Pid )
Stephane Grappelli - Stardust-180 GR (Pid )
Sun Ra All Stars - Milan Zurich West Berlin Paris (Transparency )
Tamba Trio - Tamba (Pid )
Tina May - Tina May Sings The Ray BR (Pid )
Tom Mcdermott - All The Keys & Then Some: Piano Music From New (Parnassus )
Tommy Whittle - Tommy Whittle (Pid )
Various Artists - Verve Unmixed 4 (Verve )
Various Artists - Simply The Very Best Of Today's Smooth Jazz Guitar (Shanachie )
Verve Remixed - Verve Remixed Vol. 4-Verve Remixed (Verve )
Verve Remixed 4 - Verve Remixed 4 (Universal Japan )
Wardell Gray - Gray,Wardell Vol. 2-Memorial (Pid )
Yan Steindl - Ode To A Mermaid (Gnp/Cresndo )
Yitzhak Yedid - Oud Bass Piano Trio: Suite In Five Movements (Challenge )
Yusa - Haiku (Pid )
Zeena Parkins - Phantom Orchard (Tzadik )








Art Farmer - Portrait Of Art Famer (Pid )
B.B Cooper - Uneasy Street Revisited (Pid )
Barney Kessel - Easy Like (Pid )
Barney Kessel - Some Like It Hot (Pid )
Benny Golson - Gone With Golson (Pid )
Benny Golson - New York Scene (Pid )
Blue Mitchell - Out Of The Blue (Pid )
Cannonball Adderley - Portrait Of Cannonball (Pid )
Charles Mcpherson - Bebop Revisited! (Pid )
Charlie Byrd - Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros (Pid )
Clark Terry - In Orbit (Victor)
Dinah Washington - Queen 1943-1957 (Pid )
Eric Dolphy - Far Cry (Pid )
Gadd Gang - Gadd Gang (Pid ) - SACD
Gene Ammons - All-Star Sessions With Sonny Stitt (Pid )
Gerry Mulligan & His Ten-Tette - Modern Sounds (DRG )
Hal McKusick - Triple Exposure (Victor)
John Coltrane - Believer (Pid )
John Coltrane - Wheelin' & Dealin (Pid )
John Coltrane - Cattin With (Pid )
Kenny Dorham - 2 Horns 2 Rhythm (Pid )
Mal Waldron - Mal-2 (Pid )
Mark Isham - Best Of (Lakeshore Records )
Mark Isham - The Best Of (Lakeshore Records )
Miles Davis - Miles Davis & Horns (Victor)
Milt Jackson - Live At The Village Gate (Pid )
Naoki Nishi - Giant From West (Pid )
Naoki Nishi - Straight No Chaser (Pid )
Naoki Nishi - Day By Day (Pid )
Naoki Nishi - Have You Met Miss Jones (Pid )
Phil Woods - Phil & Quill With Prestige (Pid )
Phineas Newborn Jr. - Great Jazz Piano (Pid )
Phineas Newborn Jr. - Newborn Touch (Pid )
Prestige All Stars - All Night Long (Pid )
Red Garland - Manteca (Pid )
Return To Forever - Where Have I Known You Before/No Mystery (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Return To Forever - Anthology (Umgd/Concord )
Sonny Rollins - Tour de Force (Victor)
Stan Getz - Brothers (Victor)
Steve Allen - Cool Quiet Bossa Nova (Universal Japan )
Tamba Trio - Tamba Trio (Universal)
Thelonious Monk - Thelonious In Action (Pid )
Thelonous Monk - Thelonious In Action (Pid )
Wes Montgomery - Movin' Along (Pid )
Wes Montgomery - Fusion! (Pid )
Yasuko Agawa - Ouro Do Manaus (JVC Victor)
Yasuko Agawa - Sunglow (JVC Victor)
Yasuko Agawa - Journey (JVC Victor)
Yuzuru Sera - Bacchus Groove (Pid )
Yuzuru Sera & His Friend - Sera,Yuzuru & His Friend Vol. 1-Smork Ring (Pid )
Zoot Sims - Zoot Sims Quartets (Pid )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

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David Benoit - "Heroes" - 5/27/08

“The process of choosing the songs, arranging them and recording the music on Heroes, gave me a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to artists like these who engaged my musical sensibilities throughout the years.” - Benoit
Preview the Mountain Dance track click here

On Heroes, his latest Peak Records release, five-time Grammy nominated pianist/composer arranger and producer David Benoit celebrates 30-plus years as a recording artist by putting fresh, exuberant spins on classic songs by legendary pop, rock and jazz artists whose brilliance inspired his own.

While paying homage to jazz piano icons Dave Grusin, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver and Dave Brubeck, on Heroes he also lets those fans in on an exciting little secret--he's an unabashed lover of pop and rock music who was equally influenced by The Beatles, Elton John, Michael Jackson and The Doors. Benoit's re-imaginings of ten instantly recognizable hits by this array of artists paint a vivid portrait of the artist's own unique multi-faceted artistry.

Focusing more on intimacy, on Heroes, Benoit rediscovers his roots with a self-produced collection that features his Steinway piano surrounded by the engaging ensemble work of his regular touring band: acoustic and electric bassist David Hughes, drummer Jamey Tate, percussionist Brad Dutz and special guest saxophonist Andy Suzuki. The only other instrumentation is a string quartet featuring members of the Asia American Symphony-which Benoit has conducted for the past seven years-on a lush and poignant, classical flavored take on "She's Leaving Home." The pianist has long credited The Beatles 1967 landmark Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-which included that track--as an album that changed his life.

"The process of choosing the songs, arranging them and recording the music on Heroes," Benoit says, "gave me a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to artists like these who engaged my musical sensibilities throughout the years. The tracks chart the course from my childhood growing up in L.A.'s South Bay through my first professional gigs and even into my career as a jazz artist. I've done so much work over the years as an arranger, composer and conductor that it was nice to get back to my real bread and butter and make a true piano record.

"These songs are really a part of me and such a joy to play," he adds. "Being in the studio working with longtime friends was a very comfortable situation. I've covered Brubeck and Evans before, and ‘Blue Rondo A La Turk' is as much a staple of my live show now as ‘Linus and Lucy' once was. Oscar and Horace touched most pianists from my generation, and I'm a huge fan of Dave Grusin and was signed to his GRP label for many years. Beyond that, some of my other choices may surprise people, and that's exciting to think about. Listening back to some of these gave us goose bumps, and I want listeners to share in that excitement and magic that we felt in the studio. One of my favorite Peanuts strips has Charlie Brown walking into Schroeder's living room as Schroeder is listening to the stereo in a huge overcoat. Charlie Brown asks, ‘Schroeder, why do you have an overcoat on? His reply: "Because I get chills listening to Beethoven. That's the power of music."

Listening to Heroes is like taking a whimsical stroll through key consciousness shifting changing moments in Benoit's life. He considers Grusin's "Mountain Dance" one of contemporary jazz's finest compositions, and breaks from the traditional melody at one point for some lively improvisation with his core trio. Heroes' first single is "Human Nature," the hypnotic John Bettis-Steve Porcaro tune that was part of the historic Quincy Jones produced Thriller album and later covered by Miles Davis. Benoit's been an Elton John fan since his senior year in high school, and in recent years has come to appreciate John's talents as a pianist as well as an artist. On his recording of "Your Song," Benoit adds a jazz touch that captures the beautiful timelessness of the song's melody. As one of the first rock bands to incorporate rich keyboard textures into their music, The Doors captured the teenage Benoit immediately; he learned "Light My Fire" when he was 15, and his haunting and hypnotic arrangement does Ray Manzarek proud.

For "Never Can Say Goodbye," which he remembers playing on the Fender Rhodes at one of his first paid gigs when he was 17, Benoit creates a percussive Ramsey Lewis styled arrangement. After "She's Leaving Home," which gives listeners a glimpse into Benoit's other thriving career as a classical composer/conductor, he digs into the powerful traditional jazz influence of Horace Silver (on a coolly swinging, bass-driven take on "Song For My Father") and Oscar Peterson's "You Look Good To Me."

A lighthearted revisit of Bill Evans' "Waltz For Debby" keeps alive the tradition Benoit started when he recorded the song on 1985's This Side Up; he paid full homage to his hero on 1992's Letter To Evan. Before closing with a percussive piano/sax jam through Brubeck's "Blue Rondo A La Turk," Benoit spices Heroes with the album's one original composition, "A Twisted Little Etude," that draws directly from Brubeck's inimitable style.

Tracklisting
1. Mountain Dance
2. Human Nature
3. Your Song
4. Light My Fire
5. Never Can Say Goodbye
6. She’s Leaving Home
7. Song For My Father
8. You Look Good To Me
9. Waltz For Debbie
10. A Twisted Little Etude
11. Blue Rondo A La Turk

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Return To Forever | "The Anthology" - 5/27/08

Preview of Dayride track: click here

This summer Return To Forever, Chick Corea (keyboards), Stanley Clarke (bass), Lenny White (drums) and Al Di Meola (guitar), reunite for an unprecedented return to the concert stage after more than 25 years apart. To commemorate the World Tour 2008 they have personally selected and overseen the careful remixing and remastering of their ground-breaking repertoire, The Anthology, which will be released by Concord Records on May 27, 2008.

Selected out of their virtual explosion of creativity the band culls tunes from their classic albums Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973), Where Have I Known You Before (1974), the Grammy-winning No Mystery (1975) and their top-selling gold record Romantic Warrior (1976) - 20 tracks that propelled the band into history and made them a titanic influence on an entire generation of players. Free-form FM radio of the 70's played these tunes alongside rock peers Yes, King Crimson and Genesis and other burgeoning jazz crossovers like Headhunters and Mahavisnu Orchestra in a heady aural stew of progressive jazz & rock.

Mick Guzauski, whom has a Grammy to his credit for Eric Clapton's Back Home and Latin Grammy's (Alejandro Sanz, Thalia), approached this with a sincere yet workmanlike esthetic taking the original master tapes right back down to the basics and building it all back up with studio tools certainly not available back then; most are considered cutting edge even in the present. Not a reinvention or reimagination - more a restoration of how the band really sounded before less-than perfect digital transfers and other vagaries of the industry's rapid transition to CD. You'll wonder if your stereo really wasn't that good back then - trust us, it was fine - no one has ever heard Return To Forever like this.



Truly, no one has ever held a collection such as this, uniting the Electric period from the vaults of two major labels (Sony & Universal) on a single must-have set. Nearly all the music from that startling and concussive Electric period is represented here, over two and a half hours of RTF-ness across the two discs. Highlights will be different for every fan though surely the frenetic "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" is on most people's list as well as Stanley's loping syncopated "Dayride", Lenny's funky radio hit "Sorceress" and Al's arena jazz-rock workout "Majestic Dance". Remember this band is comprised of four real leaders: gifted with huge chops and composers of melodic, challenging rhythms

Clearly, contemporary bands like Medeski, Martin and Wood, Rudder, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, the Flecktones et al have felt the imprint of RTF's iconic canon. Even the hip hop contingent has found riffs for clever sampling and artists including Lupe Fiasco and Dr. Dre acknowledge the power of the group's grooves.

The packaging of this new collection is no less definitive than the music it exhibits.

Designed by Peter Gabriel's (Real World) Creative Director, Marc Bessant the comprehensive and personal nature of this release is displayed in its ample parts.

Never-before-seen photos of the band, individual recollections from each band member and a deeply honorific and entertaining narrative liner essay from Miles Davis reissue producer Grammy-winner Bob Belden all contribute to the top-notch treatment this collection exudes on every page (and every groove.)

There is a moment in a short clip (view at www.return2forever.com) where the band ensconced at famed Mad Hatter studios rips through a tune fueled by the stomp funk bedrock of Stanley & Lenny, ignited by Chick's analog keyboards and gem-cutting flurries from Al's beautiful inlaid wood guitar and you can't imagine it's been 25 years plus. It's as though they just stepped out for a cup of coffee (albeit a long one) came back in and (jazz) rocked out again. A brief reunion in 1982 set a seed in the collective field for this reassembly of talents whom now, almost organically find it the right time to play together again. Long-time fans and new converts should also take heart that the ready for prime time again RTF is already talking about new material and recording as well as DVD projects and continued touring.

This collection will relight the fires of the loyalists and find new cachet in the hip, musical youth of the jam generation.

Tracklisting
Disc one
1. Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy
2. After the Cosmic Rain
3. Captain Senor Mouse
4. Theme to the Mothership
5. Space Circus, Part I & II
6. The Game Maker
7. Vulcan Worlds
8. The Shadow of Lo
9. Beyond the Seventh Galaxy
10. Song to the Pharoah Kings

Disc two
1. Dayride
2. Sofistifunk
3. No Mystery
4. Celebration Suite, Part I & II
5. Medieval Overture
6. Sorceress
7. The Romantic Warior
8. Majestic Dance
9. The Magician
10. Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant, Part I & II

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Yellowjackets | "Lifecycle" - 5/20/08

According to some basic, undeniable laws of nature, when two powerful forces collide, something explosive will occur, and a dramatic transformation is likely to take place as a result. It’s a law that applies to every dynamic in the known universe, including jazz.

It stands to reason, then, that when a formidable jazz quartet like the Yellowjackets convenes in the studio with a high-energy guitar virtuoso like Mike Stern, the resulting reaction will be a singular event – one that’s likely to create something entirely new on the jazz landscape. The new collaborative recording by the Jackets and Stern, and the first Yellowjackets recording in 15 years to feature a guitar player, Lifecycle illustrates the kind of energy and creative brilliance that results when five talented players pool their individual talents as songwriters and musicians and merge into an entity that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.



Credits: Russell Ferrante: keyboard Jimmy Haslip: bass Bob Mintzer: sax Marcus Baylor: drums Mike Stern: guitar

Track Listing:

Falken's Maze
Country Living
Double Nickel
Dreams Go
Measure of a Man
Yahoo
I Wonder
3 Circles
Claire's Closet
Lazaro

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Lalah Hathaway | "Self Portrait" - 6/3/08

Self Portrait is the critically acclaimed vocalist and song stylist Lalah Hathaway's newest musical offering. This release is Lalah's fourth solo project, and marks the beginning of her new affiliation with the recently revived Stax Records label which is distributed via Concord Music Group. It also brings Lalah together once again with noted producer Rex Rideout. Rideout served as the producer of the 2004 Grammy-nominated all-star tribute album dedicated to the music of the R&B balladeer Luther Vandross, "Forever, For Always, For Luther", for which Lalah achieved her first #1 single for Forever, For Always, For Love."

Self Portrait also calls upon the talents of co-writers and vocalists Rahsaan Patterson and Sandra St. Victor, and producers Terrace Martin, who has worked on several of Snoop's recent releases, Kenneth Crouch, and Paula Gallitano.



Stax/Concord Music Group's Vice President of A&R, Collin Stanback, is very enthusiastic about Self Portrait . "This is basically a dream come true for me as an A&R person," stated Stanback. "The reason I got into this game is to work with artists of Lalah's stature. I have been a fan of hers ever since Heaven Only Knows, and I am proud to be associated with her project."

The first single, "Let Go," is a mid-tempo track. Lalah co-produced "Let Go" with Rideout, which was written by Lalah, Rideout and Patterson, who also does "double-duty" on background vocals. "'Let Go' is a song that came out of a need for me to let go of the worry, a few pairs of old jeans, and old ideas as well as some people who were taking up too much space in my life. I had to let go in the most literal and metaphorical sense, and breathe through it all with a goal of moving toward peace," says Lalah of the first single.

Garth Trinidad, the noted host of KCRW's "Chocolate City," said of Let Go: ""Lalah continues to fortify her legacy as a modern day vocal priestess. This album is her most personal, laden with severe emotional voodoo and sublime passion."

Standout tracks on Self Portrait, include "Breathe," "On Your Own," "Learning To Swim" and "That Was Then," where Lalah's phrasing and skillful playfulness are reminiscent of the classic works of her iconic father, Donny Hathaway.

"I'm very excited about this album. It's very introspective," states Hathaway. "I'm also excited about being at Stax Records because it is truly the home of soul music in this country."

Tracklisting:
1. Let Go
2. Breathe
3. On Your Own
4. For Always
5. That Was Then
6. Learning To Swim
7. 1 Mile
8. Little Girl
9. What Goes Around
10. Naked Truth
11. UDO
12. Tragic Inevitability

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Smooth Jazz Chart | 5/19/08

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
2 - 1 - Jessy J - "Tequila Moon" - (Peak)
1 - 2 - Kenny G - "Rhythm & Romance" - (Concord)
4 - 3 - Chris Standring - "Love & Paragraphs" - (Ultimate Vibe)
9 - 4 - Brian Culbertson - "Bringing Back The Funk" - (GRP/Verve)
5 - 5 - Norman Brown - "Stay With Me" - (Peak)
6 - 6 - The Sax Pack - "The Sax Pack" - (Shanachie)
3 - 7 - Euge Groove - "Born 2 Groove" - (Narada/Blue Note)
7 - 8 - Mindi Abair - "Stars" - (Peak)
12 -9 - Earl Klugh - "The Spice Of Life" - (Koch)
8 - 10 - Marcus Miller - "Marcus" - (3 Deuces/Concord)

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Warren Hill | "La Dolce Vita" - 6/24/08

Pre-order at amazon.com: La Dolce Vita

Legendary smooth jazz saxophonist, vocalist, and talented composer Warren Hill is set to release his 11th studio album, "La Dolce Vita," on June 24th, 2008. "La Dolce Vita" is Hill's first studio album since 2005's "PopJazz" and features an amazing cast of all-stars, including first call bassist Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Fourplay), renown guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. (Elton John, Lionel Richie, Chicago) and Dean Parks (Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon), drummer extraordinaire Ricky Lawson (Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, George Benson), iconic keyboardist Greg Phillingaines (Michael Jackson, Toto, Quincy Jones) plus KOCH recording artists Jeff Golub and Philippe Saisse.



Born and raised in Canada, Hill actually began studying guitar at age 7. An insatiable passion for music gained him early recognition as a true virtuoso and lead to his fronting various Toronto high school rock bands as a multi-instrumentalist as well as a singer/guitarist. Expanding his musical horizons and satisfying a growing passion for saxophone eventually landed him a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, where his graduation performance attracted the attention of legendary record producer Russ Titleman. At Titleman's urging Hill moved to Los Angeles, immersed himself in the local music scene and an RCA record deal soon followed. His first CD, "Kiss Under the Moon," was released in 1991. He has since gone on to record innumerable #1 radio chart hits, receive countless industry awards/accolades and sell over a million albums worldwide.

Revered among industry insiders as an artist whose records have consistently repositioned the musical target, Hill's career truly has been one of the most successful and critically acclaimed in the history of Contemporary Jazz. Fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed with "La Dolce Vita" as it blends the sultry and soulful with the rhythmic and funky in such a unique way that this collection seems destined to again push the bar of Contemporary Jazz more than a bit higher.

Tracklisting:
1. Mojo
2. La Dolce Vita
3. Sunshine
4. Daydreamer
5. Gimme Some
6. The Jive Samba
7. Skinny Dippin'
8. We'll Survive
9. Warm Rain
10. Hill Be Jammin'
11. Light My Fire

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Sergio Mendes | "Encanto"

On June 10th, 2008, Concord Records and Starbucks Entertainment will release "Encanto" (Enchantment), the newest record from the legendary Brazilian musician Sergio Mendes. "Encanto" is the follow-up to 2006's highly acclaimed collaboration with will.i.am called "Timeless," which won the Latin Grammy for best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album.



On Encanto, Sergio takes us even deeper into Brazil recording all the basic tracks in Rio and Bahia, finishing up in Los Angeles. Mendes enlists several guest nusicians from all over the world including Latin superstar Juanes from Colombia, multi-talented Carlinhos Brown and Vanessa da Mata from Brazil, the foremost Japanese pop group, Dreams Come True, Belgium's Zap Mama and Italian rapper Jovanotti, as well as American stars like Fergie, Ledisi, Natalie Cole, Herb Alpert and his wife, original Brasil '66 singer, Lani Hall.

Encanto is classic Sergio Mendes, highlighting the maestro's ear for enticing melodies and contagious rhythms. On the new album, Mendes recorded four seminal Antonio Carlos Jobim compositions: a hip-hop version of "Agua De Beber" with Toninho Horta on guitar, Mendes' wife and longtime vocalist Gracinha Leporace, and the man himself showcasing his instrumental chops on a bewitching Rhodes piano solo; "Waters of March," which is features 2006 GRAMMY(r)-Award nominee Ledisi and is also reprised in French by Afro-European vocal ensemble Zap Mama; "Somewhere In The Hills," with vocals by none other than Natalie Cole; and "Dreamer," which marks the first time that former mentor Herb Alpert joined Sergio on record.

Perhaps the boldest cover on Encanto is a new version of Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love," which Mendes had originally transposed to bossa nova heaven in 1967. This new interpretation, produced by Black Eye Pea will.i.am, preserves the alluring melody of the original while bringing the song into the new millennium with crisp drum programming and a sexy rap by Fergie. "Every time I make a new record, it's a new adventure," says Mendes. "My main motivation is to record wonderful songs. In the process, I enjoy sharing with the world the diversity of Brazilian music-- both in terms of rhythm and melody." Mendes, who lived in Brazil during the istoric era between the late '50s and the early '60s when the samba-based bossa nova was born, was one the first practitioners of the new genre. Mendes established his legend by taking several albums and singles, such as "Brasil 66," "Mas Que Nada" and his most successful hit, "The Look of Love," to the top of the pop charts throughout the mid 1960s to the late 1970s.

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