Strunz & Farah’s new studio recording, Tales of Two Guitars #jazz

Strunz & Farah’s new studio recording, Tales of Two Guitars, is the latest chapter in the continuing story of the two virtuoso guitarists who have created an original and enduring body of guitar music. Rhythmic and colorful, and recorded with 11 guest musicians, Tales is a musical storybook of a fully evolved style of playing and composing which has been highly influential among guitarists everywhere. The new recording has 13 original pieces, full of contrasts both compositionally and instrumentally, ranging from rhythmic to romantic to jazz, incorporating in varying degrees their classic mix of Latin, Middle Eastern and Jazz influences.




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Happy New Year to the JazzHQ subscribers #jazz

A very Happy New Year year to all the visitors of the JazzHQ blog, Facebook and Twitter. We're pleased that you found your way here and grateful if you've done it more than once.

Best wishes to you all. Good health and peace in the new year.

The Late Show's very own Jon Batiste & Stay Human fittingly wrap up 2018 with a performance of 'Auld Lang Syne.'

Merry Christmas from JazzHQ #jazz

Our very best wishes to all of you who took the time to visit JazzHQ during the year, whether at jazzhq/blogspot.com, twitter.com/jazzhq, or facebook.com/jazzhq.
White Christmas - The Drifters (Video/cartoon)
Sung by The Drifters. Cartoon by Joshua Held.
Featuring Bill Pinkney on lead bass and Clyde McPhatter on tenor.



Sing along:

Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where those treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow, the snow.

Then, I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.

I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells all the way.
Ooooh.

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - December 17, 2018 #jazz

TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 4 - Bob James - "Espresso" - (Evosound)
2 - 1 - Vincent Ingala - "Personal Touch" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
3 - 3 - Paul Hardcastle - "Hardcastle VIII" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythem)
4 - 2 - Jeff Lorber Fusion - "Impact" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
5 - 6 - Boney James - "Honestly" - (Concord Music Group)
6 - 5 - Dave Koz & Friends - "Summer Horns II: From A to Z - (Concord)
7 - 7 - Kayla Waters - "Zephyr" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
8 - 9 - Lindsey Webster - "Love Inside" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
9 - 10 - Jazz Holdouts - "Summer Nights" - (Palm Beach Jazz)
10 - 8 - Nils - "Christmas Everyday" - (Baja/TSR Records)
11 - 12 - Gerald Albright - "30" - (Bright)
12 - 16 - Michael Lington - "Silver Lining" - (Copenhagen)
13 - 15 - Phillip Saisse - "On The Level" - (Bandar Log Music)
14 - 13 - Blake Aaron - "Color And Passion" - (Innervision)
15 - 20 - Walter Beasley - "The Best Of Walter Beasley" - (Affable)
16 - 11 - Adam Hawley - "Double Vision" - (Kalimba)
17 - 14 - Peabo Bryson - "Stand For Love" - (Perspective)
17 - 19 - The JT Project - "Backyard Brew" - (JT Project Records)
18 - 22 - Bob Baldwin - "Abbey Road & The Beatles - (City Sketches)
19 - 23 - Jeff Ryan - "Up And Up" - (Woodward Avenue)
20 - 18 - Greg Adams & East Bay Soul - "Conversation" - (Ripa Records)

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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Nancy Wilson, Legendary 'Song Stylist' and Jazz Icon, Dead at Age 81 #jazz

Nancy Wilson, the iconic jazz vocalist, self-described “song stylist” and three-time Grammy winner died Thursday at the age of 81.

Her rep confirmed the news to the Associated Press, saying that the singer succumbed to a lengthy illness at her home in Pioneertown, California — in the vicinity of Joshua Tree Park.

Nicknamed “The Girl with the Honey-Coated Voice,” Wilson’s passionate interpretations of torch songs and jazz standards made her a platinum-selling artist and an in-demand concert draw until her retirement in 2011. At the time, she wished “to spend all of her time with her family, especially her grandchildren,” according to a quote on her website.

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson began her singing career in church at just 4 years old. After winning a talent contest as a high school student, she was briefly given her own local television program before heading out on the road to sing with big bands. It was during these early tours that she met jazz artists including Cannonball Adderley, with whom she’d later collaborate on the 1961 disc, Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley. Adderley encouraged her to move to New York, where Adderley’s manager arranged for her to record a demo. This would become her breakthrough single, 1960’s “Guess Who I Saw Today.”

A formidable run of albums soon followed, eight of which would break the Top 20 in just the ’60s alone. She earned her first Grammy (for best R&B performance) in 1965 for How Glad I Am, and later took home the prize for best jazz vocal album in 2005 for R.S.V.P (Rare Songs, Very Personal) and in 2007 for Turned to Blue. She was honored in 2004 by the National Endowment for the Arts, who bestowed upon her their prestigious lifetime achievement award.

In addition to her musical output, Wilson also made regular appearances on television and film — scoring roles in Hawaii Five-O, Police Story, and the 1995 feature The Meteor Man.

Married twice — first to drummer Kenny Dennis, whom she divorced in 1970 — she’s preceded in death by her husband Wiley Burton, who died in 2008. She leaves behind three children. 

John Legend was one of many stars to pay tribute to the late icon.

“So sad to hear about the passing of the great Nancy Wilson. She was a magical performer,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m so glad I was able to spend time with her and hear her beautiful voice in person.”

My soul mourns the loss of my dear friend #NancyWilson. She was such a beautiful person & songstress that the world of jazz will forever miss. Her polished vocals & style were unmatched as the #SongStylist. I will miss her dearly as friend & mentor. RIP Nancy 💜 pic.twitter.com/0zAsY2jbsz

— Chaka Khan (@ChakaKhan) December 14, 2018

Chaka Khan added, “My soul mourns the loss of my dear friend Nancy Wilson. She was such a beautiful person & songstress that the world of jazz will forever miss. Her polished vocals & style were unmatched as the #SongStylist. I will miss her dearly as friend & mentor. RIP Nancy.”

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - December 10, 2018 #jazz

TW - LW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Vincent Ingala - "Personal Touch" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
2 - 2 - Jeff Lorber Fusion - "Impact" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
3 - 3 - Paul Hardcastle - "Hardcastle VIII" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythem)
4 - 4 - Bob James - "Espresso" - (Evosound)
5 - 5 - Dave Koz & Friends - "Summer Horns II: From A to Z - (Concord)
6 - 6 - Boney James - "Honestly" - (Concord Music Group)
7 - 7 - Kayla Waters - "Zephyr" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
8 - 12 - Nils - "Christmas Everyday" - (Baja/TSR Records)
9 - 8 - Lindsey Webster - "Love Inside" - (Shanachie Entertainment)
10 - 11 - Jazz Holdouts - "Summer Nights" - (Palm Beach Jazz)
11 - 9 - Adam Hawley - "Double Vision" - (Kalimba)
12 - 14 - Gerald Albright - "30" - (Bright)
13 - 17 - Blake Aaron - "Color And Passion" - (Innervision)
14 - 20 - Peabo Bryson - "Stand For Love" - (Perspective)
15 - 16 - Phillip Saisse - "On The Level" - (Bandar Log Music)
16 - 10 - Michael Lington - "Silver Lining" - (Copenhagen)
17 - 19 - The JT Project - "Backyard Brew" - (JT Project Records)
18 - 13 - Greg Adams & East Bay Soul - "Conversation" - (Ripa Records)
19 - 23 - Nate White - "Up Close" - (Phat Bass)
20 - 18 - Walter Beasley - "The Best Of Walter Beasley" - (Affable)

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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“Imagine” the Beatles in an urban-jazz context #jazz

 The release of “Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles” marks the pianist-keyboardist’s 30^th anniversary as a recording artist. The first single, “Imagine (Living As One)” featuring

Euge Groove, was shipped to radio.

Bob Baldwin was a kid listening to pop radio in the outskirts of New York City when he fell in love with the melodies of the Beatles. For his 25^th album, the pianist-keyboardist embarks upon a magical mystery tour through the hit-filled pages of the legendary group’s storied songbook, plying his trademark urban-jazz sheen to the iconic harmonies. The Red River Entertainment release that dropped last Friday (November 30), “Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles” was produced and arranged by Baldwin who wrote an original song in tribute to the band, “Abbey Road,” along with composing new passages that add unique elements to the eleven reimagined Beatles classics.

Having issued albums that honor the landmark works of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Thom Bell, Baldwin set his sights on the Fab Four’s influential catalogue that first captured his interest decades ago.

“My childhood listening tendencies before I was ten-years-old were quite broad, including Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, the music of Motownand Aretha Franklin. On the pop side, the catchy hooks of the Beatles crept into my ear from days of listening to pop radio. For this project, I wanted to interject my own reharmonized view of the Beatles music while keeping the original melodies pure. Doing the Beatles was a different twist for me,” said Baldwin, who plays piano, keyboards, bass, drums, melodica, vocoder and plies his soothing tenor voice to the session. “It would be cool to know if Sir Paul McCartney could hear it, and more importantly, if he digs the attempt.”  

The first single recently serviced to radio is a reading of John Lennon’s signature piece that Baldwin soulfully reinvents as “Imagine (Living As One)” and adds sweet soprano sax from Euge Groove. Other prominent soloists include vocalist CeCe Peniston on “(Don’t Wanna Be) The Fool on The Hill”; flutist Ragan Whiteside serenely illuminates “Michelle (My Girl)”; and noted jazz-R&B singer Lori Williams, who brings a nuanced grace and elegance to Paul & Linda McCartney’s “My Love.” Williams also charms on the Beatles salute that she wrote with Baldwin, “Abbey Road,” which the pair perform as a vocal duet. Songs like “Come Together (Can We All Just Get Along?),” “(Mellow) Yellow Submarine,” “And I Love Her,” “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby” swing and groove like never before, rebuilt from the ground up on the back of Baldwin’s meticulous jazz and urban arrangements. Anchoring the rhythm section are drummer Tony Lewis and bassist Dave Anderson, who craft deep pockets seasoned with a smattering of percussion from Café Da Silva.  

The arrival of “Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles” coincides with Baldwin’s 30^th anniversary as a solo recording artist. The 1988 release of “A Long Way To Go” was discovered by Roberta Flack, who was a finalist judge at the time for the Sony Innovators Award, a prestigious honor bestowed upon Baldwin. The debut album was the first entry in a library consisting of jazz, R&B and gospel discs, of which over a dozen have entered the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Top 20 sales chart. At radio, Baldwin’s track record boasts 15 Top 20 Billboard BDS hits, the most recent being this year’s “Be Blessed (No Stress).” He is the creative force behind The Groove Pact’s “Club Life,” a late summer smash from an all-star collective consisting of Baldwin, Marion Meadows, Marcus Anderson, Nils, Joey Sommerville, Oli Silk, Tom Browne, Whiteside and others. Enjoying a remarkably prolific period, Baldwin released seven full-length albums over the last twelve months.  

Ten years ago, Baldwin launched his nationally-syndicated radio program, “The NewUrbanJazz Lounge,” which reaches over half-a-million listeners weekly with a mix of contemporary jazz influenced by urban and Brazilian music. A creative, Atlanta-based entrepreneur who leads a music production and event planning company, he authored “You Better Ask Somebody,” a 2012 book about his experiences in the music business. Baldwin, who also designs and markets a hat collection, has a patented invention that will soon be revealed.

“Bob Baldwin presents Abbey Road and the Beatles” contains the following songs:

“Come Together (Can We All Just Get Along?)”

“(Mellow) Yellow Submarine”

“And I Love Her (Real Talk)”

“(Don’t Wanna Be) The Fool on The Hill” featuring CeCe Peniston

“Imagine (Living As One)” featuring Euge Groove

“Michelle (My Girl)” featuring Ragan Whiteside

“Something (In The Way She Moves)”

“My Love” featuring Lori Williams

“Abbey Road” featuring Lori Williams

“Yesterday”

“Eleanor Rigby”

“Something (In The Way She Moves)” vocal version

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