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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Playing For Change – Songs Around the World, April 28th (Videos)

Giving voice to an extraordinary effort to inspire peace through music and to connect diverse musicians worldwide, including those in conflict regions, Hear Music today announced the April 28 release of Playing For Change – Songs Around the World.



The special CD/DVD package, available at participating Starbucks company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and at traditional retail worldwide, contains a ten-song audio CD as well as a seven-track DVD, which features five of the songs performed live. The DVD also includes a trailer for the forthcoming PFC documentary and information on the PFC Foundation.

Grammy winning producer/engineer Mark Johnson and his Playing For Change team traveled for a decade with a single minded passion to connect the world though music. Their ambitious journey took them from post-apartheid South Africa , through the ancient sites of the Middle East, to the remote beauty of the Himalayas and beyond. Using innovative mobile technology, the PFC crew filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades, in doorways, on cobblestone streets and amid hilly pueblos. Each captured performance created a new mix in which essentially the artists are all performing together, albeit hundreds or thousands of miles apart. In a recent interview with PFC founder Johnson, PBS’ Bill Moyers called Playing For Change a remarkable example of “the simple yet transformative power of music...to touch something in each of us.”



Some of the magical moments include Ireland’s Omagh Community Youth Choir singing “Love Rescue Me,” written by U2 and Bob Dylan, and American street musicians Roger Ridley and Grandpa Elliott harmonizing with Clarence Bekker from the Netherlands amid an assembly of artists from Russia, Spain, Venezuela, France and Brazil on the Ben E. King/Leiber & Stoller classic “Stand By Me,” the video of which has already become a YouTube sensation with over seven million views.

Also included is an exhilarating version of the Marley classic “War/No More Trouble”. The track (and video) includes musicians from The Congo, Israel , India , Ireland , South Africa , the U.S. , Zimbabwe and Ghana , along with U2’s Bono and Bob Marley. Marley’s “One Love” proved to be an irresistible choice for the producers as well, enlisting American Keb’ Mo’ to sing with performers from India, Israel, Nepal, South Africa and Zimbabwe.



This unparalleled international collaboration of vocalists and musicians are also heard on versions of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ Bout A Revolution” and Peter Gabriel’s “Biko”.

The relationship between Playing for Change and Hear Music was facilitated by legendary television producer Norman Lear, co-owner of Concord Music Group, which formed the Hear Music label with Starbucks in March 2007.

“With Playing for Change, Mark Johnson and his team have created a movement that transcends language, border and culture, one that brings people together to a common purpose: peace,” states Lear. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity, along with our Starbucks partners, to bring this special project to the people.”

A five-city Playing For Change – Songs Around the World tour featuring some of the musicians on the CD and DVD will kick off at this year’s SXSW music conference in Austin , Texas on Friday March 20th. Other confirmed dates are:

March 23rd Knitting Factory Los Angeles
March 24th Slims San Francisco
March 25th The Showbox at the Market Seattle
March 31st Highline Ballroom New York

About Playing for Change
Playing for Change began a decade ago, the brainchild of Grammy-winning music producer and engineer Mark Johnson. In 1998 Mark teamed with producer Whitney Burditt to create Playing for Change: A Cinematic Discovery of Street Music. Following this award-winning 2004 documentary, PFC saw the April 2008 premiere of its latest film, Playing for Change: Peace Through Music, at the Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary features over 100 musicians around the world, combining their distant voices into a powerful group of collaborations.

Seeing great need in many of the locations where the crew filmed and recorded inspired PFC to establish the Playing for Change Foundation, which provides resources – including facilities, technology, musical instruments and education – to musicians and their communities. Completed in January 2009 is the Foundation’s first project, the Ntonga Music School in South Africa . Its second, the Mehlo Arts Center in Johannesburg , will open later in 2009.

Playing for Change is headquartered in Los Angeles . For more information, please visit the website: www.PlayingForChange.com

Playing For Change – Songs Around the World Tracklisting:
DISC ONE - ALL VIDEOS
1. Stand By Me 5:10
2. One Love 5:01
3. Let's Don't Worry 3:22
4. Chanda Mama 3:30
5. War/No More Trouble 4:34
6. The Playing for Change Foundation 3:00
7. The Playing for Change: Peace Through Music Trailer 1:24

DISC TWO - ALL AUDIO TRACKS
1. Stand By Me 5:13
2. One Love 5:01
3. Let's Don't Worry 3:24
4. Chanda Mama 3:30
5. War/No More Trouble 4:34
6. Talkin' Bout a Revolution 3:52
7. Better Man 5:23
9. A Change Is Gonna Come 6:03
9. Love Rescue Me 2:50
10. Biko 4:48


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Friday, February 27, 2009

Wynton Marsalis | "He And She" 3/24

Ambitious new Blue Note album combines spoken word and Wynton's signature jazz style

On March 24, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, trumpeter and bandleader Wynton Marsalis will release his fifth Blue Note recording, He and She – an ambitious new album of 22 tracks that combines spoken word and music.

The album is tempered with flashes of humor and plenty of swing centered around the compelling and most elemental of subjects, the relationship between a man and a woman.

Before heading into the studio, the Wynton Marsalis Quintet traveled to the Iron Horse in North Hampton, MA to perform the new material in front of a live audience. The quintet subsequently cut the tracks live over a two-day period.
The minimally edited result became He and She.

Marsalis ended his last Blue Note studio album, From the Plantation to the Penitentiary, with a stunning spoken word piece, though on He and She, Marsalis’s voice is more prominent throughout, prefacing just about every track with his poetic words.

The new album draws its greatest power from telling a familiar story in such a compelling and richly entertaining manner, a unique variation on a theme that everyone, in some way, knows. One detects the sound of all our love stories in here.

“Since I was a boy, I liked talking. It’s easy to talk, but it’s hard to play. I never found talking that difficult.” – Wynton Marsalis

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Hiromi - Live In Concert (Video)



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Upcoming Jazz Releases | 3/3/09

A-Z Of Jazz - A-Z Of Jazz (Pid )
Abdullah Ibrahim - Senzo (Pid )
Alif Tree - Clockwork (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Allegre All-Stars - Alegre All Stars (Fania / Umgd )
Alphonse Mouzon - Virtue (MPS )
Andree Boudreau - Pourquoi (Effendi Canada )
Bela Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart Tales From Acoustic Planet 3 (Rounder )
Bela Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart: Tales From The Acoustic Planet Vol. 3 (Rounder )
Bela Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart/Tales From The Acoustic Planet Vol. 3 (Rounder )
Blossom Dearie - Teach Me Tonight (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Chick Corea - Hymn Of The Seventh Galaxy (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Chick Corea - Live In Europe (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Claude Nougaro - Armstrong (Universal France )
Claude Nougaro - Sa Majeste Le Jazz (Phantom Sound & Vision )
David Osborne - Chocolates, Roses & Love Songs (North Star Music )
Francois Richard - Ad Infintum (Effendi Canada )
George Winston - All The Seasons Of George Winston (Valley Entertainment )
Gianmaria Testa - Solo Dal Vivo (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Greg Amirault - Acadian Folk Songs (Effendi Canada )
Izabo - Super Light (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Jan Hammer - Maliny Maliny (MPS )
Jannick Top - Infernal Machina (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Jazz Canto - Jazz Canto (Righteous )
Jimmy Giuffre - Swamp People (Giant Steps Uk )
Jimmy Giuffre - The Swamp People (Giant Steps Uk )
Jimmy Giuffre Trio - Swamp People (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Jocylyn Menard - Men At Works (Effendi Canada )
John Coltrane - Standard Coltrane (Prestige Records/Concord Jazz )
Kate Ceberano - All That Jazz (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Lucky Thompson - New York City 1964-65 (Uptown Jazz (Upt) )
Madeleine Peyroux - Bare Bones (Rounder )
Master Brotherhood / Steve Reid - Rhythmatism (Universal Sound )
Miles Davis - Collectors' Item (Prestige Records/Concord Jazz )
Miles Davis - Live-Evil (Blu-Spec) (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Miles Davis - At Fillmore: Live At The Fillmore East (Blu-Spec) (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (Blu-Spec) (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Modern Jazz Quartet - Legendary Profile (Wounded Bird )
Monica Zetterlund - Swedish Sensation (El )
Monty Alexander - Calypso Blues: Songs Of Nat King Cole (Chesky )
Monty Alexander - The Music of Nat King Cole: Calypso Blues (Chesky )
Monty Alexander - Calypso Blues: The Songs of Nat King Cole (Chesky )
Nat "King" Cole - Absolutely Essential Collection (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Papa John DeFrancesco - Big Shot (Savant )
Radam Schwartz - Blues Citizens (Savant )
Raul Malo - Lucky One (Fantasy )
Return To Forever - Live At Montruex 2008 (Phantom Sound & Vision )
Roland P. Young - Isophonic Boogie Woogie (EM )
Sarah Vaughan - Everything I Have Is Yours (Shout! Factory )
St. Germain - Boulevard (La Tribu Canada )
Steve Reid - Nova (Deep Jazz) (Universal Sound )
Steve Reid - Rhythmatism (Universal Sound )
Stu Goldberg - Eye Of The Beholder (MPS )
Thom Gossage - Gossage Other Voices 5 (Effendi Canada )
Tierney Sutton - Desire (Telarc )


Reissues

Les Baxter - Fruit of Dreams (E!)
Sonny Rollins - Worktime (Prestige / New Jazz)

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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JazzWax Interviews Billy Joel

Marc Myers conducts another excellent interview, this time with Billy Joel:

"As Part 1 of my interview with Billy yesterday illustrated, the pianist actually has enormous respect for jazz and jazz musicians. He also admitted to being intimidated by the art form, which came as a shock to me. The great Billy Joel, antsy about improvisation and jazz legends? Apparently so.

In Part 2 of my interview with Billy, the legendary singer-songwriter talks openly about his experiences with jazz musicians, the physical toll that arena rock takes on headliners, the unspoken tensions between rock and jazz players, his upcoming concert tour with Elton John, and the wordless conversation he had with Ray Charles in 1986:"

Billy Joel inverview part 1
Billy Joel interview part 1

JazzWax.com

Marc Myers is a journalist and corporate consultant in New York City who develops content and marketing/media solutions for magazines and global clients.

He is author of three books, including "How to Make Luck: 7 Secrets Lucky People Use to Succeed," which has been published in 11 countries.

He received his masters in history from Columbia University and wrote his thesis on the American Federation of Musicians' recording ban of 1942-44—which inadvertently accelerated the popularity of bebop and modern jazz. His thesis is part of the archives at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University.

He has been listening to jazz since 1971.

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Obamas praise Stevie Wonder at White House

To hear Barack Obama tell it, he owes Stevie Wonder plenty.

"I think it's fair to say that had I not been a Stevie Wonder fan, Michelle might not have dated me. We might not have married," Obama said Wednesday as he and the first lady hosted a concert and award ceremony for Wonder. "The fact that we agreed on Stevie was part of the essence of our courtship."

Wonder was presented with a Gershwin Award for lifetime achievement during the event, which is scheduled to air on PBS Thursday.
Wonder's tune, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," was often played at Obama's campaign stops.

The president told guests at the White House that Wonder's music was also the soundtrack to his youth and marriage. Michelle Obama told the crowd that Wonder's love song, "You and I," had been the couple's wedding song.

Wonder accepted the award from President Obama and gave him a big hug.

"President and Mrs. Obama, I'm so excited to know that I was a part of. ... I needn't say more," Wonder said, drawing laughter and applause. "I want to first of all thank God for this moment, because only through him could all this happen."

Gospel duo Mary Mary, hip-hop musician will.i.am and jazz crooner Tony Bennett were among the other performers at the event. Obama staff members said the event was part of an effort to open the White House to a broader community

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Ray Charles Genius: The Ultimate Collection Available on April 7

Georgia On My Mind
Hit The Road Jack
WMP Streams:
Commencing an extensive Ray Charles reissue program for 2009, Concord Records will release a 21-song anthology of hits titled Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection. The volume, slated for a street date of April 7, 2009, presents Charles’ most influential recordings for the Atlantic and ABC-Paramount labels including 1955’s “I Got a Woman” plus “Busted,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” concluding with his signature 1972 rendition of “America the Beautiful.” All are digitally remastered from the original tapes.

Late last year, Concord Music Group announced it had entered into an exclusive arrangement with the Ray Charles Foundation to develop the artist’s post-1960 catalog, which contains his classic work for the ABC-Paramount and Tangerine labels. In addition to planning a series of CD reissues, Concord will make the catalog available digitally for the first time ever.

Ray Charles — Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection chronicles the high points in Charles’ catalog. As noted jazz writer Don Heckman writes in his liner notes, “The first feeling that comes to mind after even a short glance at the titles included here is a sense of wonder. The diversity of the material is impressive in its own right — blues, of course, transformed gospel songs, country tunes, an American Songbook standard, a Beatles classic and a climactic American anthem. But more than that, it’s what he does with all these variegated numbers. Good singers can do great interpretations. Great singers like Charles possess the material in a way that makes a song their own, while remaining true to the essence of each.”

Ten of the tracks on this collection made it to #1 on the R&B charts and three songs hit #1 on the pop chart. “That may sound like nothing more than numbers,” says Heckman, “but it represents an extraordinary string of successes in which Charles released a Top 10 R&B single in almost every year between 1954-67, and a Top 10 pop single almost every year between 1959-67.”

The album contains 21 of Charles’ biggest hits, each within its own unique history and meaning. “Hit the Road Jack,” penned by Percy Mayfield, a #1 pop hit and a 1961 Grammy winner for Charles, opens the collection. Also included are “What I’d Say (Part 1),” ranked #10 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time; the classic “Busted”; “I Can’t Stop Loving You” from the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which reached #1 on R&B and pop charts; the Bobby Sharp composition “Unchain My Heart”; Charles’ signature rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind, another #1 pop hit; “I Got a Woman” which was Charles’ first #1 R&B hit and was later sampled by Kanye West; “You Are My Sunshine,” the Jimmie Davis standard that Charles brought to #1 R&B; a soulful edition of Hank Williams’ “Take These Chains From My Heart”; the offbeat “Hide Nor Hair”; Ashford & Simpson’s “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” a #1 R&B hit by Charles; “You Don’t Know Me,” earlier a hit for Jerry Vale, which charted #2 pop; “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” originally a gospel hymn; “Crying Time,” a Buck Owens song which Charles brought to #6 on the pop charts; the funky “I’m a Fool for You,” which charted #1 R&B; “One Mint Julep,” Charles’ version of The Clovers’ hit with a big band arrangement by Quincy Jones; “Here We Go Again,” sung as a duet with Betty Carter; “Yesterday,” the Lennon/McCartney classic, in which Charles, according to Heckman, “embraces the song’s deep inner heart”; and finally his 1972 signature recording of “America the Beautiful,” the perfect ending and relevant once again.

Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection will be packaged in a handsome embossed digipack and presented with a 24-page collectors’ book of rare photos and Heckman’s notes.

“Genius Loves Company was Ray Charles' highest selling record ever," said Valerie Ervin, President of the Ray Charles Foundation. "In addition to the artistic quality of the music, the release was matched by Concord 's skill in finding new ways to market in the increasingly challenging environment. Their incomparable ability to innovate will also be seen in the upcoming
releases."

Concord will release several other Ray Charles reissues this year including Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Volumes 1 & 2, The Genius Hits the Road, A Message to the People and Genius + Soul = Jazz & More.

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John Scofield | "Piety Street" - 3/31

I'll Fly Away [WMP Audio Stream]
A principal innovator of modern jazz guitar, John Scofield has expressed himself in the vernacular of bebop, blues, jazz-funk, organ jazz, acoustic chamber jazz, electronically tinged groove music and orchestral ensembles with ease and enthusiasm. From early on, his versatility and technical mastery won him sideman gigs with Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker and Cobham/Duke among many. Regardless of the stylistic setting, his distinct guitar sound and compositions are unmistakably Scofieldesque, always coupled with an improvisational excellence dedicated to the finest in jazz tradition.

Scofield is proud to release his 36th solo album, Piety Street , which will be available March 31 on Emarcy. It's a blues inflected album with an adapted gospel repertoire.

"I've always wanted to record and tour a blues project,” says Scofield. “That's where I started as a guitarist and I'm feeling that music more than ever of late. I launched a personal search for musical inspiration beyond the standard 12 bar blues and found it in "old time gospel" music - the closest relative to and inspiration for the R&B that we all love. I've always treasured Gospel but never really dug deep into it. My search led to countless songs that really move me. It's really powerful stuff. Of course, it will be Gospel done my way - all the arrangements are mine."

Joining Scofield on Piety Street are the spectacular musicians, Jon Cleary (piano, keyboards and vocals), George Porter Jr. (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums), John Bouttè (vocals) and Shannon Powell (percussion).

Track highlights include Dorothy Love Coates' “That's Enough”, the Thomas A. Dorsey classics, “Never Turn Back” and “Old Ship Of Zion”, Rev. James Cleveland's “Something's Got A Hold On Me”, and the traditional “Sometimes I feel Like A Motherless Child.”

Tour Dates
Piety Street Band with Jon Cleary, Ricky Fataar, and George Porter, Jr.
4/2 Port City Music Hall , Portland , ME
4/3 Regattabar, Cambridge , MA
4/4 Regattabar, Cambridge , MA
4/5 B.B. King's Blues Club, New York , NY
4/10 Kuumbwa Jazz Center (2 shows), Santa Cruz , CA
4/11 Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, San Francisco , CA
4/12 Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis , MN
4/13 Majestic Theatre, Madison , WI
4/14 Shank Hall, Milwaukee , WI
4/16 The Pour House, Charleston , SC
4/17 The Handlebar, Greenville , SC
4/18 Carrboro Arts Center , Carrboro , NC
4/19 Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte , NC

Piety Street Band with Jon Cleary, Ricky Fataar, and Donald Ramsey
4/21 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta , GA
4/22 State Theatre, Falls Church , VA
4/23 8 x 10, Baltimore , MD
4/24 McCarter Theatre, Princeton , NJ
4/25 Tri-C Festival, Allen Theatre , Playhouse Square , Cleveland , OH
4/27 Jazz at the Sheraton, Sheraton Hotel, Salt Lake City , UT
4/28 Hodi's Half Note, Fort Collins, CO
4/29 Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
5/1 Jazz & Heritage Festival Blues Tent, The Fairgrounds, 5:30, New Orleans , LA

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The Rippingtons | "Modern Art" - 3/10

The band’s 18th album is available March 10th via Peak Records (Concord Music Group), and features founder Russ Freeman alongside Dave Karasony, Bill Heller, Rico Belled and Jeff Kashiwa. Also featured is special guest trumpeter Rick Braun.

Modern Art breaks new stylistic ground, incorporating exotic world music elements on the sensuously romantic, acoustic guitar driven “Paris Groove” and adds an Eastern authenticity to the hypnotic “Black Book” with an electric sitar. With the sizzling interaction between Freeman’s slow burning electric guitar and Kashiwa’s wild sax improvisations, the easy grooving “One Step Closer” and bluesy “Body Art” will remind longtime fans of the band’s glory days of the '90s, but with a souped up twist!

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Stevie Wonder's White House Honor To Feature Special Guests

Jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall, multiple Grammy winner Tony Bennett, singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding, hip-hop artist and producer Will.I.Am, country star Martina McBride, and gospel duo Mary Mary will all be on hand to help salute singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder when he is honored in Washington, D.C., this Wednesday (February 25th). President Barack Obama himself will present the Motown legend with the Second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at a special concert in the East Room of the White House in celebration of African American History Month.

The program will be taped as part of PBS'In Performance At The White House series, and will air on PBS stations the following evening, Thursday, February 26th, at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Wonder will be just the second person to receive the honor after Paul Simon. In addition, Wonder was commissioned by the Library of Congress to create a new work in honor of the Gershwin Prize, named for American composers George and Ira Gershwin. Wonder performed the piece Sunday (February 23rd) in the Library's Coolidge Auditorium.

In the meantime Wonder is scheduled to begin recording a CD of duets with Tony Bennett that will be produced by Quincy Jones. In mid 2008, though, Wonder was still considering the project, as he told us: "I'm the last one to hear about it and the first one to agree. Definitely, Tony and I talked about doing some stuff together. And Quincy and I have always wanted to work together on a project. So if this is something that Quincy is doing and Tony and everyone has decided to kind of go in that direction. Obviously I'm a great fan of Tony Bennett and I've been since a little kid, you know, so I'm excited to be a part of it."

Wonder has also talked about releasing an album of new material dedicated to his late mother, Lula Mae Hardaway.

By: Janine Coveney

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Beasley Honors Many

With the inclusion of "Barack's Groove," a silky, African rhythm-tinged instrumental piece as cool and self assured as the man it pays homage to, on his latest Heads Up project Free Your Mind, saxophonist Walter Beasley became the first urban jazz artist to officially honor in song our 44th president and the hope he inspires.

Perfect timing too, as the album came out just a week after the Inauguration. While the tune comes somewhat surprisingly late in the tracking, it's indicative of Beasley's goal to create a laid back yet often playful, stress-busting vibe geared towards telling people to let go and cast your burdens to the seductive musical wind.

Easier said than done, maybe, but the 11-track collection -- anchored by five irresistible tracks penned, produced and performed on by Beasley's labelmate James K. Lloyd of Pieces of a Dream -- is still a compelling, often emotional listen. Obama's not the only man on the saxman's heart. In a dynamic break from the overall urban pop-jazz flow, Beasley pays homage to late trumpet great Mark Ledford on the gently free flowing and introspective "Message To Mark," which features a wistful trumpet solo by Derek Cannon.

The polyrhythmic, Brazilian flavored "DukeZillia," which features Beasley doubling on sax and "vocalese," captures keyboard great George Duke's blend of global aesthetic with jazzy R&B. The graceful closer "Miss Minnie" is the saxman's heartfelt soprano led tribute to his aunt Minnie Dangerfield, an important influence in his life while he was growing up in California.

JONATHAN WIDRAN concordmusicgroup

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Duke Ellington becomes first African-American on U.S. coin

Jazz legend Duke Ellington is the first African-American to appear on an American coin, the U.S. Mint says in introducing the latest in its line of state-themed quarters.

The District of Columbia commemorative quarter showing Ellington playing the piano will be introduced by U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy at a news conference Tuesday at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Ellington won the honor by a vote of D.C. residents, beating out abolitionist Frederick Douglass and astronomer Benjamin Banneker.

Also on the coin is the phrase "justice for all." The mint rejected the first inscription choice of D.C. voters, which was "taxation without representation," in protest of the District's lack of voting representation in Congress.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington received 13 Grammy Awards and was a pioneer in jazz, according to his official Web site.

Ellington was born in the District and composed more than 3,000 songs, including the notable "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," a song that helped usher in the swing era of jazz.

Ellington performed with other famous artists, including John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, and he traveled around the world with his orchestras.

He died in 1974 at age 75.

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Smooth Jazz Chart | 2/23/09


LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
2 - 2 - Michael Lington - "Heat" - (NuGroove)
3 - 3 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
5 - 4 - Warren Hill - "La Dolce Vita" - (Koch)
7 - 5 - Chris Standring - "Love & Paragraphs" - (Ultimate Vibe)
4 - 6 - Euge Groove - "Born 2 Groove" - (Narada/BlueNote)
9 - 7 - Fourplay - "Energy - (Heads Up)
8 - 8 - Oli Silk - "The Limit's The Sky" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
10 - 9 - Earl Klugh - "The Spice Of Life" - (Koch)
6 - 10 - Tim Bowman - "Tim Bowman" - (Trippin 'n' Rhythm)
12 - 11 - Kim Waters - "I Want You" - (Shanachie)
11 - 12 - Walter Beasley - "Free Your Mind" - (Heads Up)
17 - 13 - Wayman Tisdale - "Rebound" - (Rendezvous)
20 - 14 - Jeff Lorber - "Heard That" - (Peak)
18 - 15 - Eric Essix - "Birmingham" - (Essential/Lightyear)
15 - 16 - Vibes Alive - "After Hours" - (Swingding)
16 - 17 - Mindi Abair - "Stars" - (Peak)
13 - 18 - Paul Hardcastle - "Hardcastle V" -(Trippin 'n' Rhythm)
19 - 19 - Kenny G - "Rhythm & Romance" - (Concord)
14 - 20 - Eric Darius - "Goin' All Out" - Blue Note)



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

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