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Monday, October 29, 2012

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - October 29th, 2012 #jazz


TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Magical" - (Nordic Night)
2 - 3 - Euge Groove - "House Of Groove" - (Shanachie)
3 - 7 - Paul Brown - "The Funky Join" - (Woodward Ave)
4 - 4 - Chris Standring - "Electric Wonderland" - (Ultimate Vibe)
5 - 2 - Richard Elliot - "In The Zone" - (Artistry/Mack Ave.)
6 - 5 - Nils - "City Groove" - (Baja/TSR)
7 - 6 - Brian Culbertson - "Dreams" - (Verve)
8 - 10 - Fourplay - "Esprit de Four" - (Heads Up)
9 - 11 - Julian Vaughn - "Breakthrough" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
10 - 14 - Jackiem Joyner - "Church Boy" - (Artistry)
11 - 13 - The Rippingtons - "Built To Last" - (Peak/eOne)
12 - 8 - Vincent Ingala - "Can't Stop Now" - (Vincentingala.com)
13 - 9 - Peter White - "Here We Go" - (Concord)
14 - 12 - Gerald Albright/Norman Brown" - "24/7" - (Concord)
15 - 16 - Jeff Kashiwa - "Let It Ride" - (Native Language)
16 - 18 - Nicholas Cole - "Endless Possibilities" - (Cutmore)
17 - 23 - George Benson - "Guitar Man" - (Concord)
18 - 15 - Anita Baker - "Lately" - (Blue Note/Capitol)
19 - 20 - Lee Ritenour - "Rhythm Sessions" - (Concord)
20 - 22 - Four80East - "Off Duty" - (Boomtang)

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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Monday, October 15, 2012

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - October 15th, 2012 #jazz


TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 2 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Magical" - (Nordic Night)
2 - 3 - Richard Elliot - "In The Zone" - (Artistry/Mack Ave.)
3 - 1 - Vincent Ingala - "Can't Stop Now" - (Vincentingala.com)
4 - 4 - Julian Vaughn - "Breakthrough" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
5 - 8 - Paul Brown - "The Funky Join" - (Woodward Ave)
6 - 5 - Gerald Albright/Norman Brown" - "24/7" (Concord)
7 - 6 - Euge Groove - "House Of Groove" - (Shanachie)
8 - 15 - Nils - "City Groove" - (Baja/TSR)
9 - 7 - Chris Standring - "Electric Wonderland" - (Ultimate Vibe)
10 - 10 - Brian Culbertson - "Dreams" - (Verve)
11 - 12 - Jeff Lorber Fusion - "Galaxy" - (Heads Up)
12 - 11 - The Rippingtons - "Built To Last" - (Peak/eOne)
13 - 14 - Peter White - "Here We Go" - (Concord)
14 - 9 - Fourplay - "Esprit de Four" - (Heads Up)
15 - 17 - Anita Baker - "Lately" - (Blue Note/Capitol)
16 - 16 - Darren Rahn - "Speechless" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
17 - 13 - David Benoit - "Conversation" - (Heads Up)
18 - 18 - Jeff Kashiwa - "Let It Ride" - (Native Language)
19 - 20 - Jackiem Joyner - "Church Boy" - (Artistry)
20 - 22 - Lee Ritenour - "Rhythm Sessions" - (Concord)

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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Monday, October 08, 2012

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - October 8th, 2012 #jazz


TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 3 - Vincent Ingala - "Can't Stop Now" - (Vincentingala.com)
2 - 1 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Magical" - (Nordic Night)
3 - 4 - Richard Elliot - "In The Zone" - (Artistry/Mack Ave.)
4 - 5 - Julian Vaughn - "Breakthrough" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
5 - 2 - Gerald Albright/Norman Brown" - "24/7" (Concord)
6 - 11 - Euge Groove - "House Of Groove" - (Shanachie)
7 - 9 - Chris Standring - "Electric Wonderland" - (Ultimate Vibe)
8 - 16 - Paul Brown - "The Funky Join" - (Woodward Ave)
9 - 19 - Fourplay - "Esprit de Four" - (Heads Up)
10 - 8 - Brian Culbertson - "Dreams" - (Verve)
11 - 6 - The Rippingtons - "Built To Last" - (Peak/eOne)
12 - 10 - Jeff Lorber Fusion - "Galaxy" - (Heads Up)
13 - 7 - David Benoit - "Conversation" - (Heads Up)
14 - 14 - Peter White - "Here We Go" - (Concord)
15 - 12 - Nils - "City Groove" - (Baja/TSR)
16 - 13 - Darren Rahn - "Speechless" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
17 - 17 - Anita Baker - "Lately" - (Blue Note/Capitol)
18 - 15 - Jeff Kashiwa - "Let It Ride" - (Native Language)
19 - 20 - Najee - "The Smooth Side Of Soul" - (Shanachie)
20 - 31 - Jackiem Joyner - "Church Boy" - (Artistry)
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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Rick Braun trumpets the holidays. Sales benefitting Autism Society of America #jazz

“Swingin’ In The Snow” showcases a stellar cast on timeless seasonal classics with album sales benefiting the Autism Society of America
 
As cool as a winter’s eve, as warm as a holiday dinner with loved ones, and as beautiful as an exquisitely ornamented Christmas tree , Rick Braun’s “Swingin’ In The Snow” is a celebration of “the most wonderful time of the year” featuring some of the contemporary jazz star’s talented friends.  Braun produced the elegant 11-song set that will be released by Brauntosoarus Music on October 16th.  The merry band of musical elves who joined the trumpeter-vocalist in his workshop include Mindi Abair, David Benoit, Gregg Karukas, Dave Koz, Philippe Saisse, Kirk Whalum, Peter White, a string quartet and a gospel choir led by R&B crooner Jeffrey Osborne.  Braun will donate one dollar from each album sale to the Autism Society of America.          
 
“Since I was a kid, I spent every Christmas enjoying classic holiday recordings by artists like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald, which inspired ‘Swingin' In The Snow.’  I had a blast recording these great tunes and am honored that so many of my dearest friends, who happen to be incredible musicians, shared their talent with me to create this wonderful project.  This is real music being played by real musicians and my hope is that you will enjoy listening to us as much as we enjoyed making the record,” said Braun, who will again be touring this holiday season as part of A Peter White Christmas with White and Abair, an 18-city U.S. trek that begins the day after Thanksgiving (November 23) in Austin, Texas and concludes December 22nd in San Diego.   
 
Counting off with a dose of big band bombast, the album opens in full swing on “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.”  Wide-eyed with excitement, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is as enchanting as ever.   The flugelhorn and piano intro for “Oh Tannenbaum” adds a moment of seasonal solemnity before a pitter patter beat sets the stage for Braun’s suave and sophisticated vocals and a children’s chorus.  Braun and Abair’s charming voices flirtingly frolic on “Baby Its Cold Outside.”  Saisse crafted a traditional arrangement for “The Christmas Song” whereas Braun and White’s fresh take on “Sleigh Ride” is a cheerful acoustic guitar and percussion powered jaunt.  Braun bewitches on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with an assist from an embracing Koz sax solo.  The Allentown, Pennsylvania native gives a shout out to his home state on “No Place Like Home For The Holidays” followed by a mesmerizing rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”  In an imaginative tribute to The Drifters, “White Christmas” becomes a finger-popping doo-wop number.  “Silent Night” is beatified by a celestial choir and inspired offerings from Braun’s flugelhorn and Whalum’s sax.
 
Stylistically, “Swingin’ In The Snow” is a continuation of Braun’s mid-career reinvention that began with last year’s “Sings With Strings” disc.  After 18 years as an instrumentalist who repeatedly topped the contemporary jazz albums and singles charts both as a recording artist and as an in demand producer, songwriter and featured guest musician, the suburban Los Angeles resident realized a dream by stepping up to the microphone to sing standards.  Although he sung backup for Rod Stewart, Sade and others earlier in his career, the horn man had never sung before as a frontman on a gorgeously orchestrated project.  His consistently growing catalogue of radio hits and years of performing on the concert stage has made Braun an enduring fan favorite.  For more information, please visit www.rickbraun.com
 
Braun’s “Swingin’ In The Snow” contains the following holiday chestnuts:
 
“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”
“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
“Oh Tannenbaum”
“Baby Its Cold Outside”
“The Christmas Song”
“Sleigh Ride”
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
“No Place Like Home For The Holidays”
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
“White Christmas”
“Silent Night”

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Thursday, October 04, 2012

Dennis Haklar's 'Lizard's Tale' Featuring Music Legends Jon Anderson and Larry Coryell Now Available! #jazz


The music community is buzzing with excitement about the debut CD release by guitarist Dennis Haklar titled 'Lizard's Tale', featuring guest performances by music legends Jon Anderson (YES) and Larry Coryell. Also featuring Mark Egan on bass (known for his work with Pat Metheny) and Thierry Arpino (known for his work with Jean-luc Ponty) on drums, 'Lizard's Tale' is an enchanting, dynamic jazz-inspired album filled with emotional virtuosic performances.


"Dennis Haklar asked me to sing on his very inspired album earlier this year, we had already been working on a large scale project dealing with Ancient Asian music, so it was such fun to hear what he was creating. I said I would enjoy singing ideas as they came to me, and to join vocally with such great musicians. It has been a pleasure for me to sing on this album, I hope that people will find time to relax and enjoy." - Jon Anderson

Hailing from Amboy, New Jersey, Haklar studied jazz guitar at an early age. At Rutgers University he became interested in Electronic music and worked with a modular Arp 2600 synthesizer with many osc modules, sequencing, as well as several reel-to-reel tape machines, creating sounds in unorthodox ways. After college he joined the Improvising Structures Ensemble, which was an avant garde outfit that performed the music of John Cage, Terry Riley, as well as original compositions. Dennis entered one of his pieces into a young composers competition and won a student membership to IRCAM in France. This culminated in a master class with Pierre Boulez at Carnegie Hall; an evening he conducted and premiered his masterpiece "Explosante Fixe". Haklar confesses "I was never the same after that divine experience!"

And how did Dennis Haklar secure such music icons as Jon Anderson and Larry Coryell to perform on his debut album? Dennis explains, "A few years ago I began to collaborate over the internet with Jon Anderson on a large-scale work. Charka Music, very involved. I had also sent him some music I had written. He sang on several pieces and we continue to collaborate. When I was working on composing the music to 'Lizard's Tale', I had sent Jon four compositions we had just recorded in the studio – 'Leap Of Faith', 'Prelude To Dawn', 'Dawn Of An Era' and 'Crossing Over'. He quickly responded with the perfect vocal tracks and really helped convey the meaning of the songs. I love working with Jon!" As far as connecting with guitar legend Larry Coryell, says Dennis, "I had known Larry Coryell for several years studying jazz improvisation and composition with him. I had presented some songs to him that I was preparing for this project and asked if he would be interested in playing on the recording session and producing it. He agreed and we got to work straight away. We had composed the title track in one sitting. As the project developed we had agreed that the best rhythm section for this would be bassist Mark Egan and drummer Thierry Arpino."

"This was a great session - it was a real 'Jersey-New York' thing complete with bedbugs in the hotel down the street from the studio, which was either too hot or too cold - plus there was all kinds of equipment and mechanical problems. Nothing went smoothly - hence it was a great record, sometimes it's like that. Dennis's European-inspired work ethic also paid off - especially for his compositions and arrangements. One twelve-string part he wrote for me was not easy to play, and he was makin' me sweat - but I got it after he showed me the correct fingering. Mark Egan and Thierry Arpino were superb - we've been playing together for some years now, and they are a tight team. I was blown away by the beautiful contribution made by the great Jon Anderson - I've always been a fan, and he certainly has evolved to a special place in the vocal spectrum. And so in tune!! It was a crazy session - and a good one - that's why I nicknamed this date as 'Denny and the Mad Hungarians'." - Larry Coryell

The concept behind 'Lizard's Tale' is awareness. The lizard represents friendship, and is quick to escape from harms way. The lizard can survive for long periods of time in harsh environments. The pieces on 'Lizards Tale' evoke the ability to look inward for peace and harmony with the universe, to flow with it. "Leap Of Faith" is about courage to face the unknown and leap without fear. "Dawn Of An Era" is about the realization that this is not the same world as your fathers and we must adapt to survive, like the lizard. As the lizard runs across the desert, he looks to the heavens and dreams of crossing over. We journey with the lizard.

In closing, Dennis has this message to impart to his listeners: "Look inward to find that place of peace. Move towards the realization that we all come from a place of love. There are always conflicts surrounding. Unrest is an ever-changing world. Let go of bad energy and amp the good. My wish is that people hearing the music will become a part of it, and allow it to become part of them."


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Monday, October 01, 2012

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - October 1st, 2012 #jazz


TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Magical" - (Nordic Night)
2 - 3 - Gerald Albright/Norman Brown" - "24/7" (Concord)
3 - 2 - Vincent Ingala - "Can't Stop Now" - (Vincentingala.com)
4 - 4 - Richard Elliot - "In The Zone" - (Artistry/Mack Ave.)
5 - 6 - Julian Vaughn - "Breakthrough" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
6 - 8 - The Rippingtons - "Built To Last" - (Peak/eOne)
7 - 7 - David Benoit - "Conversation" - (Heads Up)
8 - 10 - Brian Culbertson - "Dreams" - (Verve)
9 - 11 - Chris Standring - "Electric Wonderland" - (Ultimate Vibe)
10 - 5 - Jeff Lorber Fusion - "Galaxy" - (Heads Up)
11 - 12 - Euge Groove - "House Of Groove" - (Shanachie)
12 - 13 - Nils - "City Groove" - (Baja/TSR)
13 - 17 - Darren Rahn - "Speechless" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
14 - 9 - Peter White - "Here We Go" - (Concord)
15 - 14 - Jeff Kashiwa - "Let It Ride" - (Native Language)
16 - 19 - Paul Brown - "The Funky Join" - (Woodward Ave)
17 - 15 - Anita Baker - "Lately" - (Blue Note/Capitol)
18 - 16 - Nicholas Cole - "Endless Possibilities" - (Cutmore)
19 - 37 - Fourplay - "Esprit de Four" - (Heads Up)
20 - 21 - Najee - "The Smooth Side Of Soul" - (Shanachie)

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.
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com Jazz from Amazon.com
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