Dave Koz live with Jimi King on Sky.fm Smooth Jazz

Dave Koz talks with Jimi King on Sky.fm Smooth Jazz. Sunday 10th May 2009. Come and watch the live show every Sunday (5pm GMT, Midday EST, 9am PST) at liveshow. Listen every day 24/7 at smoothjazz



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Harry Skoler - Ed Saindon "Two Ones"

Two Ones will be jazz clarinetist Harry Skoler's fourth recording as a leader. He collaborates with vibist Ed Saindon to compose original jazz compositions featuring intimate musical portraits expressed in duo and quintet settings. The quintet's unique sound highlights the blend of clarinet, flute and vibes/piano. In addition to the quintet tracks, the recording showcases emotionally compelling clarinet and piano duo renditions.



Skoler, noted jazz clarinetist, teaches at internationally renowned Berklee College of Music as an Associate Professor and is an endorsement artist for Vandoren Reeds and Buffet Clarinets. He has charted in the Top Ten for national radio airplay as well as having garnered extensive press coverage. As an educator, the clarinetist has authored articles for publications including Down Beat magazine and Vandoren woodwind method books published by Carl Fischer Inc. While pursuing his Master's Degree at New England Conservatory of Music in the 80's, Skoler mentored with legendary jazz clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre.

In JazzTimes, Dr. Chuck Berg wrote, "Skoler speaks confidently with a poignantly transparent and vibrant sound." Skoler and Saindon have had a long history of collaboration. Michael Bieber, in Jazziz wrote that "the interplay between Skoler and Saindon reveals something more than cerebral and textural…It's heartfelt and enjoyable."

Saindon's previous releases featured Kenny Werner and Dave Liebman. Coming from the "four mallet school," the vibist has developed a pianistic approach to mallet playing. In addition to performing, Saindon's other passion is music education. He is a Professor at Berklee, where he has been teaching since 1976, and is active in the field of music education as a clinician and author.

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Jimmy Sommers - "Time Stands Still"

Time Stands Still is a luscious reflection on 14 of the most mesmerizing melodies of all time. Sommers was inspired to embark upon this sentimental journey after completing his 2004 Christmas album, A Holiday Wish. “What made doing that album so special,” Sommers shares, “was doing songs people already knew and loved.” This dreamy disc stretches from standards such as “Georgia On My Mind” (in memory of “The Genius” Ray Charles), “Besame Mucho” and a bossa nova take on “Fly Me to the Moon” to more modern gems such as “You Are So Beautiful” (dedicated to its late composer Billy Preston), Norah Jones’ Grammy-winning “Don’t Know Why” (buoyed by piano and harmonica) and Carlos Santana’s burning bolero “Europa,” which Sommers masterfully reworked into a modern alternative from the classic `70s recording by Gato Barbieri.

All of the music was arranged by Hollywood jazz and session veteran Bill Cunliffe and highlighted by three guest vocalists: soul-pop crooner Eric Bene’t (singing the Judy Garland signature “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”), traditional pop veteran Gloria Loring (mother of recent chart-topper Robin Thicke who graces the sexy Peggy Lee fire-starter “Fever”) and newcomer Dena Deadly (a singer Sommers discovered on all-powerful MySpace who sings the Etta James chestnut “At Last”).

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Reports Emerge of New Sade CD Said to Arrive in November

Will Sade finally release her first CD since ‘Lovers Rock’ in 2000? According to the web site www.sade2009.com, the answer is yes. The reclusive singer will deliver a new disc on November 24th, says the site. No title has been determined.

Is this report for real? Sade’s official web site is mum on the news, and her record company refuses to comment as well.

Singer Maxwell had this to say in March, ‘Sade is on her way [with a new album] and trust me, it’s so monolithic it’ll shake you in your shoes!’ That was posted on his Facebook fan page.

Hopefully we won’t have to wait until November to find out for sure!

Source: smoothjazznetwork

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Culbertson Wakes Up The Smooth Jazz Network

Broadcast Architecture’s Smooth Jazz Network has named Smooth Jazz musician, producer and broadcaster Brian Culbertson as the new weekday morning drive air talent for the network, replacing the Ramsey Lewis morning show with Karen Williams.

Culbertson has been the weekend morning host for the network since early 2007, and says the transition to hosting the coveted 6-10 a.m. weekday position is a natural one. "I’m extremely thrilled and excited to be the new weekday morning show host for The Smooth Jazz Network," he says. "As a musician, it’s an honor to be able to speak directly to the millions of fans about my passion for the music, and as the host to give them a fun and energetic start to their day!"

Culbertson joins midday host Miranda Wilson, Smooth Jazz icon and afternoon driver Dave Koz and evening host Maria Lopez in the network’s lineup.

The network’s weekend lineup is enhanced by the addition of Allen Kepler 6-10 a.m., with "Smooth Jazz Weekend" and "The Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown," followed by the best-selling instrumentalist of all time, Kenny G from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Grammy winner Norman Brown from 2-7 p.m. and Paul Hardcastle from 7 p.m.-midnight.

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Upcoming Jazz Releases | 6/2/09

Al Di Meola - Cielo E Terra/Soaring Through A Dream (Bgo Uk/Zoomstar )
Al Haig - Ingluwood Jam 1952 (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Al Haig - Clef Session 1953 (Phantom )
Al Haig - Piano Interpretation (Phantom )
Antoinette - Verbal Crush (Pyramid )
Art Farmer - To Sweden With Love (Phantom )
Art Farmer Quartet - To Sweden With Love (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Art Pepper - Original Quartet 1952 (Phantom )
Art Tatum - Album (MSI Music )
Astrud Gilberto - Bossa Collection (Universal Records Asai/Zoom )
Bill Evans - Complete Triple Play Stereo Sessions (Jazzbeat Spain )
Billy Cobham - By Design (Phantom )
Briskey - Scarlett Road House (Phantom )
Charles Lloyd - Forest Flower (Phantom )
Charles Mcpherson - Live At The Five Spot (Phantom )
Charlie Byrd / Herb Ellis - Guitar/Guitar (Wounded Bird )
Chris Morrissey - Morning World (Sunny Side )
Chris Morrissey - The Morning World (Sunny Side )
Clarke-Boland Big Band - Clarke-Boland Big Band (Phantom )
Claude Williamson - Holography (Phantom )
Clifford Brown - Art Of Duo (Universal Records Asai/Zoom )
Dakota Staton - Time To Swing (DRG )
Dave Holland - The Monterey Quartet (Concord )
Dave Holland - Monterey Quartet (Concord )
Dave Holland - Live At The 2007 Jazz Festival (Concord )
David Fiuczynski - Kif Express (Fuzelicious Morsels (Fuz) )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Dear Ella (Emarcy )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Keeping Tradition (Emarcy )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Live At Yoshi's (Emarcy )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Victim Of Love (Emarcy )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Love And Peace: A Tribute To Horace Silver (Emarcy )
Dee Dee Bridgewater - This Is New (Phantom )
Deodato - Deodato Vol. 1-Bossa Nova Sessions (Phantom )
Diana Krall - Quiet Nights-Uk Edition (Phantom )
Eddie Lawrence - Jazzy Old Philosopher (Red Dragon )
Enrico Pieranunzi - Dream Dance (King Japan/Zoom )
Eric Dolphy - At The Five Spot, Vol. 2 (Fantasy )
Eric Dolphy - At the Five Spot, Vol 2 (Fantasy )
Eric With Booker Little Dolphy - At The Five Spot, Vol. 2 (Umgd/Fantasy/Prestige )
Flat Earth Society - Cheer Me Perverts (Crammed Disc Us )
Flat Earth Society - Cheer Me, Perverts! (Crammed Disc Us )
Francy Boland / Kenny Clarke - Kenny Clarke & Francy Boland (Wea Japan )
Freddie Hubbard - Without A Song (Blue Note )
Freddie Hubbard - Polar AC (Wounded Bird )
Freddie Hubbard - Without A Song - Live In Europe 1969 (Blue Note )
Freddie Redd - Extemporaneous (Phantom )
Great Jazz Trio - Chapter II (Test Of Time )
Greg Holsey - Can't Stop (Oarfin Distribution )
Herb Ellis - Three Guitars In Bossa Nova Time (Wounded Bird )
Herb Ellis - The Midnight Roll (Wounded Bird )
Herbie Mann - At Village Gate (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Humphrey Lyttelton - BBC Jazz From The 70S And 80S Vol. 1 (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Jennifer Warnes - Hunter (Cisco )
Joe Farrell - La Catedral Y El Toro (Wounded Bird )
Joe Henderson / Hino Kikuchi - And Kikuchi.Hino In Concert (Universal Japan )
John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (Phantom )
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things (Phantom )
John Coltrane / Milt Jackson - Bugs & Trane (Wea Japan )
Johnny Hodges - Buenos Aires Blues (Disconforme )
Jonathan Butler - Falling In Love With Jesus: Best Of Worship (Maranatha Music )
Julie Lamontagne Trio & Donny Mccaslin - Now What (Phantom )
Kate Schutt - Telephone Game (Caracol )
Keith Jarrett Trio - Somewhere Before (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Ken Colyer - Serenading Auntie (United States Of Dist. (Uk) )
Ken Colyer - Captured Moments (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Kosuke Mine - Out Of Chaos (Universal Japan )
Kunihiko Sugano - On A Clear 18 (Universal Japan )
Kyle Eastwood - Metropolitain (Rendezvous )
Larry Packer - Eye Of The Sun (Woodstock )
Les Voix De Daia - Les Classiques En Chansons (Phantom )
Lisa Ono - Quiesta Bossa Mia (Virgin )
M-Swift - Evening Sun (Phantom )
Marcus Johnson - Poetically Justified (Three Keys Music )
Masabumi Kikuchi - End For The Beginning (Universal Japan )
Masabumi Kikuchi - East Wind (Universal Japan )
Masahiko Togashi - Spiritual Nature (Universal Japan )
Mikio Masuda - Trace (Universal Japan )
Miles Davis - Miles (Umgd/Fantasy/Prestige )
Milt Jackson - Bags & Trane (Phantom )
Milt Jackson - Bugs & Trane (Warner Japan/Zoom )
Milt Jackson / Jazz Giants - Bean Bags / Bag's Opus (Essential Jazz Album )
Modern Jazz Allstars - Modern Jazz In Tokyo (Universal Japan )
Monterey Quartet - Live At The 2007 Jazz Festival (Concord )
Myra Melford - Same River, Twice (Gramavision )
Nat King Cole & His Trio - The Complete After Midnight Sessions (Disconforme )
NHK All Stars - Dynamic Jazz (Universal Japan )
Pa triotic - Patriotic Smooth Jazz Tribue (CC Entertainment )
Pa triotic - Patriotic Smooth Jazz Tribute (CC Entertainment )
Pat Metheny - Day Trip (Nonesuch Records (USA) )
Pat Metheny - Day Trip/Tokyo Day Trip (Nonesuch )
Perry Robinson - Two Voices In The Desert (Tzadik )
Richard Baker - Favourite Guitar (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Rob Thorsen - Lasting Impression (Pacific Coast Jazz )
Roberto Occhipinti - Cusp (Alma Records )
Roberto Occhipinti - The Cusp (Almaviva )
Roland Hanna - Easy To Love (Phantom )
Roland Hanna - Finding John Lewis (Venus )
Roland Kirk - Inflated Tear (Phantom )
Sadao Watanabe - Sadao Watanabe Plays (Phantom )
Sadao Watanabe - Pamoja (Universal Japan )
Selaelo Selota - Lapeng Laka (Phantom )
Shirley Scott - Like Cozy (Phantom )
Shunzo Ohno - Something`s Coming (Universal Japan )
Sophie Milman - Take Love Easy (Phantom )
Stan Getz - & Light House Allstars 1953 (Phantom )
Steve Amirault - Rendezvous Point (Effendi Canada )
Steve Grossman - Perspective (Wounded Bird )
Tal Farlow - Guitar Genius: The Gibson Boy (MSI Music )
Teodross Avery - In Other Words (Phantom )
Terumasa Hino - Speak To Loneliness (Universal Japan )
This Is Fusion Guitar - This Is Fusion Guitar (Tone Center )
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Amazing (Universal Japan )
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Many Sides Of Toshiko (Universal Japan )
Una Mas Trio - Ritmo Del Futura (Phantom )
Zoot Sims - & Lighthouse All Stars (Amj Jap/Zoom )

Reissues
Carmen McRae - Great American Songbook (Wea Japan )
Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (Atlantic)
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Live in Paris (Universal)
Herbie Mann - At the Village Gate (Atlantic)
Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground (Atlantic)
John Coltrane - Giant Steps ( )
John Coltrane - Coltrane (Verve (USA) )
Keith Jarrett - Somewhere Before (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - Fontessa (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - European Concert (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - Plays No Sun in Venice (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - Last Concert (Atlantic)
Modern Jazz Quartet - No Sun In Venice (Wea Japan )
Nat King Cole & His Trio - Complete After Midnight Sessions (Essential Jazz Classics)
Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic)
Roland Kirk - Volunteered Slavery (Wea Japan )
San Francisco Express - Getting It Together (Family Groove Records) - LP
San Francisco Express - Getting It Together (Family Groove Records) - LP
Sonny Rollins - Reel Life (Universal Japan )

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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Smooth Jazz Chart | 5/25/09

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Jackiem Joyner - "Lil' Man Soul - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
2 - 2 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
3 - 3 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
5 - 4 - Richard Elliot - "Rock Steady" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
4 - 5 - Walter Beasley - "Free Your Mind" - (Heads Up)
7 - 6 - Paul Brown & Marc Antoine - "Foreign Exchange" - (Peak)
6 - 7 - Gregg Karukas - "GK" - (Trippin 'n' Rhythm)
8 - 8 - Oli Silk - "The Limit's The Sky" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
9 - 9 - The Rippingtons - "Modern Art" - (Peak)
10 - 10 - Euge Groove - "Born 2 Groove" - (Narada/Blue Note)
17 - 11 - Bernie Williams - "Moving Forward" - (Reform)
11 - 12 - Earl Klugh - "The Spice Of Life" - (Koch)
14 - 13 - Darren Rahn - "Talk Of The Town" - (NuGroove)
19 - 14 - Down To The Bone - "Future Boogie" - (Shanachie)
16 - 15 - Nils - "Up Close & Personal" - (Baja/TSR)
23 - 16 - Torcuato Mariano - "So Far From Home" - (NuGroove)
18 - 17 - Michael Lington - "Heat" - (NuGroove)
25 - 18 - Wayman Tisdale - "Rebound" - (Rendezvous/Mack Avenue)
13 - 19 - Pieces Of A Dream - "Soul Intent" - (Heads Up)
22 - 20 - Jeff Kashiwa - "Soul Intent" - (Heads Up)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

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Vanessa Williams - "The Real Thing"

Here's "Close To You" from Vanessa Williams' new album "The Real Thing". Produced by Kenny Babyface Edmonds, Keith Thomas, Rob Mathes, and Rex Rideout, "The Real Thing" features songs written by Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Babel Gilberto and Babyface. "The Real Thing" is available June 2nd everywhere music is sold.



Internationally-renowned singer and actress Vanessa Williams, releases her thirteenth album and debut on Concord Records entitled The Real Thing. The collection marks a return to her love for the rhythms of jazz and Latin music, a key part of her musical roots. In addition, The Real Thing delves into the sophisticated pop and R&B that have been the hallmark of her dynamic musical career.

The Real Thing is a passionate song cycle about relationships, and Williams hand-picked each song on the record as it relates to a phase of the modern-day love affair seen from a woman’s perspective. From the two new songs penned for the CD by Babyface (“Loving You” and “Just Friends”) to “Hello Like Before” by Bill Withers (Williams’ late father’s favorite artist) to Stevie Wonder’s “The Real Thing” to Babel Gilberto’s “Close To You,” The Real Thing taps into the wide breadth of Williams’ musicality and artistry.

“After playing a power-hungry character like Wilhelmina Slater on “Ugly Betty” on a soundstage for three seasons, it was a pleasure to step back into the recording studio and be myself behind the microphone,” stated Ms. Williams. “The familiarity and comfort of making music is always a joy to come home to. It was especially a treat to sing Phil Galdston's "I Fell In.” Our biggest hit together was "Save the Best for Last.”

“Vanessa Williams in an artist of rare talent, depth and creativity,” states Concord Music Group executive vice-president of A&R, John Burk. “In this album she explores her musical range and influences perhaps more so than ever before. We couldn’t be more proud to have her as a member of the Concord family.”

With a career spanning over 20 years, Williams is the consummate performer. From her chart-topping pop star music career, to her Emmy-nominated role on “Ugly Betty” and her upcoming co-starring performance in the feature film “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” Vanessa Williams remains one of the industry’s most, versatile and accomplished artists. She has appeared in numerous films including “Soul Food,” “Eraser,” “The Pick-Up Artist” and “Shaft,” and has numerous television credits to her name as well as critically-acclaimed performances on Broadway in “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” and “Into The Woods,” which garnered her a Tony nomination.

Since the release of her first studio album, 1988’s The Right Stuff, Williams has garnered a total of 16 Grammy nominations, released seven albums of original material, as well as four compilations and two holiday-themed albums, selling millions of albums world-wide. She was nominated for yet another Grammy for her hit single, “Colors of the Wind,” from Disney’s “Pocahontas,” which went on to win an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy for “Best Song In A Motion Picture.” The Real Thing is her first studio album since 2005’s Everlasting Love.

Vanessa Williams’ charitable contributions are many and varied, embracing and supporting such issues as education, homelessness, abuse, women’s issues and health concerns, AIDS and anything having to do with children. She is also well-known for her outspoken support of gay rights, having won the Human Rights Campaign "Ally for Equality" award in 2008. She is on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics, as well as the Board or Advisors for the Westchester Children’s Museum and supports numerous other charitable and humanitarian organizations.

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A Memorial Day Worth Remembering

Andy Rooney On How Memorial Day Should Be Celebrated

The following is a weekly 60 Minutes commentary by CBS News Correspondent Andy Rooney.

"There is more bravery at war than in peace, and it seems wrong that we have so often saved this virtue to use for our least noble activity - war. The goal of war is to cause death to other people."



Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day we have set aside to honor by remembering all the Americans who have died fighting for the thing we like the most about our America: the freedom we have to live as we please.

No official day to remember is adequate for something like that. It's too formal. It gets to be just another day on the calendar. No one would know from Memorial Day that Richie M., who was shot through the forehead coming onto Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, wore different color socks on each foot because he thought it brought him good luck.

No one would remember on Memorial Day that Eddie G. had promised to marry Julie W. the day after he got home from the war, but didn’t marry Julie because he never came home from the war. Eddie was shot dead on an un-American desert island, Iwo Jima.

For too many Americans, Memorial Day has become just another day off. There's only so much time any of us can spend remembering those we loved who have died, but the men, boys really, who died in our wars deserve at least a few moments of reflection during which we consider what they did for us.

They died.

We use the phrase "gave their lives," but they didn’t give their lives. Their lives were taken from them.

There is more bravery at war than in peace, and it seems wrong that we have so often saved this virtue to use for our least noble activity - war. The goal of war is to cause death to other people.

Because I was in the Army during World War II, I have more to remember on Memorial Day than most of you. I had good friends who were killed.

Charley Wood wrote poetry in high school. He was killed when his Piper Cub was shot down while he was flying as a spotter for the artillery.

Bob O'Connor went down in flames in his B17.

Obie Slingerland and I were best friends and co-captains of our high school football team. Obie was killed on the deck of the Saratoga when a bomb that hadn’t dropped exploded as he landed.

I won’t think of them anymore tomorrow, Memorial Day, than I think of them any other day of my life.

Remembering doesn’t do the remembered any good, of course. It's for ourselves, the living. I wish we could dedicate Memorial Day, not to the memory of those who have died at war, but to the idea of saving the lives of the young people who are going to die in the future if we don’t find some new way - some new religion maybe - that takes war out of our lives.

That would be a Memorial Day worth celebrating.

Written By Andy Rooney © MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This segment was originally broadcast on May 29, 2005.

Smooth Jazz Radio is Alive in Chicago at 87.7 FM

On Friday morning the legendary WNUA switched to Spanish language radio, seemingly leaving a huge void in Chicago radio for Smooth Jazz. Within one hour Chicago had a new Smooth Jazz radio station at 87.7 FM. It is called “Smooth Jazz 87.7, The L”.

The new radio station features personalities familiar to Chicagoans, like Chicago native and Smooth Jazz keyboardist Brian Culbertson in AM Drive. Saxophonist and former WNUA afternoon personality Dave Koz can be heard from 2 to 7 each afternoon. World famous Smooth Jazz musicians will be heard extensively as hosts on The L, including Kenny G, Norman Brown, and Paul Hardcastle.

The music mix will represent what Chicagoan’s are asking for based on feedback over the past 22 years. Over the next few months, based on extensive market research, “The L” will base an increasing portion of locally based programming on feedback it receives from Chicago-area listeners. The full line-up is as follows:

Weekdays:

6A-10A The Brian Culbertson Morning Show
10A-2P Miranda Wilson
2P-7P Dave Koz – Grammy nominated Saxophonist
7P-Mid Maria Lopez
Mid-6A Billy Raven – 7 NIGHTS

Saturday

SAT 6A-8A Smooth Jazz Weekend with Allen Kepler
SAT 8A-10A Smooth jazz Top 20 Countdown with Allen Kepler
SAT 10A-2P Kenny G – Saxophonist and biggest selling instrumentalist of all time
SAT 2P-7P Norman Brown – Grammy winning guitarist
SAT 7P-MID Paul Hardcastle – International recording artist

Sunday

SUN 6A-10A Sunday Morning Sunrise with Allen Kepler
SUN 10A-2P Kenny G
SUN 2P—7P Norman Brown
SUN 7P-MID Paul Hardcastle

For new developments over the coming weeks, check The L’s web site at http://www.wlfm877.com.


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Marcus Miller: Wayman's Light Will Shine For Eternity [Video]

Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Marcus Miller has worked with some of the greatest musicians in the World. He says Wayman Tisdale was a natural and had a light that will shine for eternity.



In addition to this video, you can view many more tribute, eulogy, and funeral videos for Wayman at KTUL by clicking here. Thanks to KTUL for making these available.

Rick Braun Set to Release First Solo Studio CD Since 2005

Rick Braun fans, rejoice. The trumpeter is set to release his first solo studio CD since 2005’s ‘Yours Truly’. Due to hit store shelves and be available for download on July 28th, the new CD will be titled ‘All It Takes’.

Most of the songs on the new recording find Braun artfully combining flugelhorn with muted trumpet. The perfect example of this approach is “Ever Changing World,” which has a bubbling electronic ambiance and soaring flugelhorn/muted trumpet melody over a booming electronic funk rock foundation.

Braun includes three equally seductive tracks that roll very much in the old school soul vein. One, ‘Freddie Was Here’ is a heartfelt tribute to one of Braun’s chief influences, the late great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. ‘Freddie was an incredible genius on his instrument,’ says Braun, who met the legend several times. ‘There was no player who was ever as confident, creative or innovative. He took improvisation to a whole new level and I have always considered his album ‘First Light’ with George Benson and Hubert Laws to be the original urban jazz album.’

Source: smoothjazznetwork.com

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Upcoming Jazz Releases | 5/26/09

Al Haig - Ingluwood Jam 1952 (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Girl From Ipanema (Universal Japan )
Astrud Gilberto - Shadow Your Smile (Universal Japan )
Astrud Gilberto / Walter Wanderley - Certain Smile A Certain Sadness (Verve )
Benny Goodman - 100th Anniversary Box Set (Sony Legacy )
Bill Perkins - Confluence (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Billie Holiday - Purely Billie Holiday (Delta (Uk) )
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition) (Legacy )
Clarence Bucaro - 'Til Spring (Megaforce )
Coco Schumann - Rex Casino (Trikont Records/Lita )
Count Basie / Ray Charles - Count Basie & Ray Charles Together (Legacy )
Dave Brubeck - Time Out: 50th Anniversary Legacy Edition (Sony Legacy )
Dave Brubeck - Time Out (50th Anniversary Edition) (Sony Legacy )
Dick Todd - You Can't Brush Me Off (Delta (Uk) )
Donald Byrd - Steppin Into Tomorrow (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Duke Jordan - Dangerreuses (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Elvin Jones - Live At The Lighthouse (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Fully Celebrated - Drunk On The Blood Of The Ho (AUM Fidelity )
Fully Celebrated - Drunk On The Blood Of The Holy Ones (AUM Fidelity )
Fully Celebrated Orchestra - Drunk On The Blood Of The Holy Ones (AUM Fidelity )
Gary Burton - Quartet Live! (Concord Jazz )
Gene Harris & The T - Elegant Soul (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Grant Green - Alive (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Harvey Averne - Avenue Anthology (Fania )
Hotel Bossa Nova - Boosa Nova Hotel (EMI Japan/Zoom )
J.Dee - Smoove On The Move (NuGroove )
Jack 'Brother' Mcduff - Moon Rappin (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Jazz Masterpieces - Jazz Masterpieces (Legacy )
Jimmy McGriff - Electric Funk (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Jimmy Sommers - Time Stands Still (NuGroove )
Linda Merrill - Sings (3D Japan/Zoom )
Lonnie L. Smith - Drives (EMI Japan/Zoom )
Luciana Souza - Tide (Verve )
Luiz Bonfa - Composer Of Black Orpheus Play & Sings B (Phantom )
Luiz Bonfa - Composer Of Black Orpheus (Universal Japan )
Luiz Bonfa / Stan Getz - Soft Samba (Universal Japan )
Marcello Giombini - Ehi Amico C'E Sabata Hai Chiuso Sabat (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Marcello Giombini - Tornato Sabata? Hai Chiuso Un'Altra (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Marilyn Scott - Dreams Of Tomorrow (Wounded Bird )
Michael Kaeshammer - Lovelight (Phantom )
Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (50th Anniversary Edition) (Legacy )
Nick Brignola - La Bound (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Our Ladies Of Jazz - Our Ladies Of Jazz (Legacy )
Paul Hardcastle - Collection (Trippin & Rhythm )
Paul Hardcastle - The Collection (Trippin & Rhythm )
Paul Taylor - Burnin (Concord )
Richard Galliano - French Touch (Phantom )
Simply Jazz - Simply Jazz (Simply )
Simply Swing - Simply Swing (Simply )
Splinters - Split The Difference (Reel Recordings )
Stan Getz / Joao Gilberto - Getz & Gilberto (Universal Japan )
Stan Getz / Joao Gilberto - Getz & Gilberto 2 (Universal Japan )
Sweetbottom - Angels Of The Deep (Wounded Bird )
Sweetbottom - Turn Me Loose (Wounded Bird )
Tito Puente - Puente In Percussion (Fania )
Wicked Jazz Sounds Band - Biggest Sin (United Recordings NL )

Reissues
Annette Hanshaw - Ain't She Sweet (Sounds Of Yesteryear)
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Tide (Universal)
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave (Pid )
Astrud Gilberto - Album (Universal)
Astrud Gilberto - Beach Samba (Universal)
Astrud Gilberto - Look to the Rainbow (Universal)
Astrud Gilberto - Windy (Universal)
Bobbi Humphrey - Satin Doll (Blue Note)
Bobby Hutcherson - Montara (Blue Note)
Charles Mingus - Ah Um (Columbia/L )
Luiz Bonfa / Stan Getz - Jazz Samba Encore (Universal)
Marcos Valle - Samba 68 (Universal)
Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (Columbia/L )
Moacir Santos - Saudade (Blue Note)
Stan Getz / Gary Mcfarland - Big Band Bossa Nova (Pid )
Tamba 4 - Samba Blim (Universal)
Walter Wanderley - Batucada (Universal)
Walter Wanderley - Cheganca (Universal)
Walter Wanderley - Rain Forest (Universal Japan )

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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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Wayman Tisdale Celebration of Life Thursday, May 21st

A Wayman Tisdale Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, May 21st at 11 AM local time. The public is invited. Here’s the address:

BOK Center
200 South Denver
Tulsa, OK 74103

The number for more information is (918) 894-4200. Thousands of people are expected to attend the service, which will be streamed live on KTUL.com.

In lieu of sending flowers, Wayman’s family asks that you please send donations & financial contributions to:

Wayman Tisdale Foundation
c/o Paul Samuels
Morgan Stanley
2200 S. Utica Place, Suite 500
Tulsa, OK 74114
(918) 582-3211 or (800) 877-8651

Cards and letters can be sent to:

Regina K. Tisdale
c/o Friendship Church
1709 N. Madison Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74106

Information provided by: smoothjazznetwork.com

Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 1 & 2

WMP Streams:
You Are My Sunshine
You Don't Know Me

Although it may have shocked some people at the time, Ray Charles' fascination with country and western music was anything but an overnight development. As a child in Florida, he'd listened to the Grand Ole Opry's radio broadcasts through the Southern skies. Thus his 1962 gold-certified album Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music and its encore Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volume 2 represented a lifelong dream - and may have transformed country music along with it.

The two albums, which featured the hits "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Take These Chains From My Heart" and "You Don't Know Me," will be reissued together in an expanded reissue titled Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2 by Concord Records on June 2, 2009. New liner notes by musicologist Bill Dahl are included alongside original notes by Rick Ward and Charles' longtime recording supervisor Sid Feller.

The reissue release is part of Concord's ambitious Ray Charles reissue program that launched this year. A 17-time Grammy winner, Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee and #10 in Rolling Stone's Greatest Artists of All Time, Charles has sold more than 10 million CDs in the SoundScan era alone.

"Since joining ABC's roster in late 1959 after permanently altering the rhythm & blues landscape that sired soul, Charles had been contemplating an LP of country chestnuts for years," Dahl writes. "So to him it wasn't a radical concept. What was earth shattering was the way he redefined each song. When Ray unleashed the roaring horn section from his recently formed big band, those country evergreens swung like never before."

In preparation for the album, Charles asked Feller to bring him the biggest country and western hits from the preceding 20 years. According to Ward, "Completely confused and wondering what possible use Ray could make of such material, Sid began collecting songs. The more he thought about Ray's idea, the more excited Sid became. And by the time the sessions rolled around, he was nearly the most enthusiastic person on the studio."

Initially skeptical at first themselves, ABC Records gave Charles artistic freedom and was pleased when Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music became the label's first million-selling album. A lot of this was due to the success of its first single, "I Can't Stop Loving You." Never intended to be a single, the Don Gibson-penned track was buried deep in the album sequence.

Yet when actor Tab Hunter covered the song, Feller quickly edited Charles' rendition to single length and got it into the marketplace in enough time to bury the Hunter version. It topped the pop and R&B hit parades and won a Grammy for Best R&B Recording. "You Don't Know Me" also proved a massive R&B and pop seller.

A few months later, Ray and his team convened at Capitol Studios in New York to plan Volume 2, Ray mining another dozen country standards. Within the month, the album was at retail and proceeded to reach #2 on the pop album chart. Hank Williams' "Take These Chains From My Heart," which kicked off the "ballad side" of Volume 2, became another huge Charles hit in mid-1963.

Having made countless new country converts by giving these 24 songs a soul-steeped urban dimension, Charles continued to dip into the country and western songbook. He covered Johnny Cash's hit "Busted" to Grammy-winning acclaim in 1963, and his remakes of Buck Owens' "Cryin' Time" and "Together Again" hit during the mid-'60s. "Then again," Dahl writes, "Ray's unique vocal interpretations inevitably made any song from any genre entirely his own."

Track Listing:
01. Bye Bye Love (2:09)
02. You Don’t Know Me (3:14)
03. Half as Much (3:24)
04. I Love You So Much It Hurts (3:33)
05. Just a Little Lovin’ (3:26)
06. Born to Lose (3:15)
07. Worried Mind (2:54)
08. It Makes No Difference Now (3:30)
09. You Win Again (3:29)
10. Careless Love (3:56)
11. I Can’t Stop Loving You (4:13)
12. Hey, Good Lookin’ (2:10)
13. You Are My Sunshine (2:58)
14. No Letter Today (3:02)
15. Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You) (2:38)
16. Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles (2:04)
17. Midnight (3:14)
18. Oh, Lonesome Me (2:10)
19. Take These Chains from My Heart (2:52)
20. Your Cheating Heart (3:30)
21. I’ll Never Stand in Your Way (2:15)
22. Making Believe (2:48)
23. Teardrops in My Heart (3:00)
24. Hang Your Head in Shame (3:12)

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