Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - April 27, 2020 #jazz

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World music fingerstyle guitarist Pierre Bensusan's "Azwan": A musical meditation on our connectivity #jazz

None of us are having the spring we imagined, and that includes world music finger-style guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan (www.pierrebensusan.com). The Paris-based musician had spent the last few years writing and recording a new album, authoring an instructional book and creating a signature guitar model, all of which were to be launched with the support of an extensive 110-city US and Canadian concert tour this spring before tours through Europe and China later in the year. One week into the trek and just as the “Azwan” album dropped, Bensusan had to pull the plug and return home with the North American portion of the tour pushed to 2021 because of the novel coronavirus.

With everything happening in the world, I am not sure if you received the “Azwan” CD we mailed. Happy to provide a link to download or stream it if you prefer. Bensusan wrote and produced the dozen tracks that comprise the collection of primarily solo acoustic guitar instrumentals showcasing the French-Algerian artist’s masterful DADGAD technique, improvisational rendezvous, melodic dalliances and atmospheric vocalizations. Crafting enchanting explorations by mixing world music, new age, jazz, classical, traditional, folk and pop with French, Arabic, Latin and Celtic cultural references, Bensusan’s guitarwork was conceived as an orchestra, delivering melody, bass, chords and counterpoint in the same space.

Bensusan’s message on “Azwan” – pronounced “as one” - is our oneness and interconnectivity, something we are all experiencing firsthand as we battle a global pandemic. The album is a study unifying people, animals and the whole of nature. Voted by Guitar Player magazine readers as Best World Music Guitarist, Bensusan’s “Pierre Bensusan Guitar Collection” book was published as planned and his handmade Lowden Guitars signature model is also now available. Bensusan is a captivating storyteller and with people eager for escape, his 15^th album inspires glee, healing and reflection as well as instills awe and wonderment of our planet and its creatures. Have you listened to “Azwan” and considered Bensusan for a feature, interview or an album review? Please let me know if you need anything on our end. Thanks for your consideration.

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Soul-jazz guitarist Gregory Goodloe works on keeping “Cool Like That” amidst crisis #jazz

The new single takes on a new perspective as uncertainty envelopes the globe

When R&B/jazz guitarist Gregory Goodloe dropped his new single, “Cool Like That,” at the beginning of March before the novel coronavirus outbreak hit the US with a vengeance, it was the No. 1 most added single on the Billboard airplay chart in its debut week and earned the most new spins in its second week. The song that he wrote with and features urban-jazz icon Bob Baldwin has taken on quite a different spin in the face of the health and economic crisis that have put lives, finances, and the future in peril. The track that was conceived to recreate the classic cool contemporary jazz sound and will serve as the title cut of his forthcoming album has become somewhat of an affirmation to Goodloe to stay calm and be fluid during this period of uncertainty.

“What’s on my mind is the unsureness of life. It’s very fragile. My mother, who is in her 80s, I worry about keeping her safe. My main concern right now is to be able to continue taking care of my mom,” said the Denver-based Goodloe who is doing his best to maintain his even-keeled cool despite so many unanswered questions about what’s ahead for musicians and the music industry.

“Like every other musician right now, we’re going through a transition. We don’t know what’s going to be at the end of the rainbow. We don’t know if everything is going to be more condensed. Is it the end of concerts? Is it the end of festivals? Is everything going to be digital now? Are we just going to be in-house songwriters? That’s the kind of thing that’s going through my mind. This time is about being able to work through that; to have the change, but not let it defeat me. To move like water into the flow of whatever change has to happen in order to continue to create music.”          

“Cool Like That” is Goodloe’s first single since last June when he landed his first Billboard No. 1 single, “Stylin’,” which also topped the Mediabase and Smooth Jazz Top 20 charts. With Baldwin producing and crafting the lion’s share of the new single’s production as well as contributing shimmering keyboard flourishes, Goodloe’s crisp electric guitar recalls two of the legendary guitarists who inspired the track’s conception: George Benson and Wes Montgomery.

“When the idea came for ‘Cool Like That,’ I sought out the writing expertise of Bob Baldwin because he’s almost like a pure jazz enthusiast. I wanted to use his expertise to create that kind of vibe of when jazz was cool. I went through an era of listening to people like Herbie Hancock and wanting to be a musician. We thought it would be cool to be a jazz musician. That era includes your Grover Washington Jr.’s, Wes Montgomery and George Benson when he first came out. It was an exciting time - when classic jazz was the poster of what cool really was. So, I wanted my song to be cool like that, like that whole era. I wanted to reproduce that vibe,” said Goodloe.

Goodloe has been working towards a summer release for the “Cool Like That” album, but the stay-at-home mandate may lead to a delay. For now, he prefers to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to the identities of the prominent hitmakers with whom he has been writing and recording for the collection. Goodloe admits to struggling to focus on songwriting since the outbreak.

“Some of the songs were written before the virus and I have yet to pen anything of any significance since  the virus hit and the economic downfall. It’s kind of a solemn time and people are reflecting. You have time to create and hone your craft because a lot of things are shutdown.”

At the suggestion of a fan, Goodloe has spent the last few Saturday nights in his home studio playing live and connecting with fans on Facebook Live. He is going to continue what he has now titled “Saturday Night Hang” (7pm Mountain Time), which he sees as an offering to help people get through the crisis.

“The idea is to interact and try to ease people’s minds during this pandemic because a lot of people are panicking. They are frustrated and some are freaking out. The quarantine itself, some people don’t know how to handle it. So, I want to provide an hour escape. I kind of mix it up. Because some of my followers are Christian, I may open with a couple of Christian songs and read a bible passage. After that, I try to play songs that people recognize and they can sing to. I play familiar tunes and throw in some of my own music.”         

Goodloe debuted as a solo artist in 2010 and has performed with an array of R&B, jazz and gospel greats including Howard Hewett, Surface, Tank, Ben Tankard, Shirley Caesar, John P. Key, The Rance Allen Group and Angela Spivey, and opened for Dave Koz, Brian Culbertson and Norman Brown. He also played one gig with award-winning blues artist Sista Monica Parker, an experience that perhaps answers the question about whether this crisis will diminish the joyous spirit that permeates his guitar play and songwriting as he works towards completing the “Cool Like That” album.

“I remember playing for Sista Monica and she only hired me one time because she said my blues is like happy blues. I don’t know if I would be able to write a song about the unhappy mood of current times because I don’t know if that part of me will come out. I’d probably just end up playing happy blues.”

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - April 20, 2020 #jazz

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"Essência" - Otmaro Ruiz and Bruno Mangueira Released on Blue Canoe Records #jazz

“Essência is a joyful romp through the musical landscape of the Americas guided by master pianist Otmaro Ruiz and exciting new guitar virtuoso, Bruno Mangueira. Their musical partnership is informed by their Venezuelan and Brazilian heritages fused with their deep love and understanding of American jazz and the European classical tradition.

Otmaro and Bruno flawlessly navigate this landscape with a program of eight original compositions and two standards. Each song feels like a suite, taking us through a wide range of dynamics and emotional territory. Impressively, their original compositions sound like they could be standards. They evoke the timeless feeling of classic songs by Tom Jobim, Hermeto Pascoal, and other Brazilian masters while maintaining the vibrancy of the present. There are hints of Bach, Chopin, and lush harmonic passages that will send music theory students racing for their notepads.

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I love the program’s intelligent balance of composition and improvisation. In the Brazilian tradition, one might expect the balance to be weighted toward composition and jazz, toward improvisation. Essência has managed to marry the two in a cohesive and natural way. The song construction is airtight while the performances and improvisations take us for a wild and exciting ride. Neither Otmaro nor Bruno shy away from taking chances. The gorgeous yet sometimes unexpected harmonies are constantly shifting and it takes a skilled improviser to make their way through this treacherous terrain and arrive safely on the other side. Otmaro and Bruno are our able guides.

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Duo playing demands an extraordinary level of musicianship. Every note, every gesture is exposed. The musicians must breathe together and have an almost telepathic connection. Each player must fully grasp the entirety of each piece, as their constantly shifting roles require them to alternately supply melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic support for one another. It’s a daring high wire partnership calling for empathy and a deep commitment to the music and to one another. Otmaro and Bruno embody these qualities throughout. Essência celebrates the joy of two master musicians as they explore the essence of their beloved musical traditions in this intimate setting and guide us to new landscapes and possibilities.”

- Russell Ferrante (YellowJackets), August 2019

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Multimedia jazz artist Paolo Rustichelli created a charm to combat COVID-19 #jazz

The “Hot” new single and video drops May 4

Italy was the second country to be ravaged by the novel coronavirus disrupting and threatening life, economics and the freedoms perhaps we took for granted. While encamped at his house near Rome on the coast close to the Tyrrhenian Sea that is part of the Mediterranean basin, forward-thinking multimedia jazz artist Paolo Rustichelli began contemplating life after quarantine while surrounded by ancient Etruscan temple ruins. His vision created the sensual aural and visual feast titled “Hot,” the new single and video impacting radio on May 4. He intends the project to serve as a charm to ward off COVID-19.        

“‘Hot’ is a musical hymn implying the take back of our freedom from quarantine as we enter a summer of regeneration from our present burden with coronavirus. Reading between the lines in Europe and what happened in China, I composed a liberating song in March to celebrate regaining health and freedom from the threat and oppression caused by the virus. You can think of this song as a ‘spell’ or a charm to regain our health after a period of self-quarantine, thinking also that in ancient times, charms or spells were generally sung with the aid of musical instruments. ‘Hot’ is dedicated to a new summer of spiritual and physical regeneration,” said Rustichelli who composed, produced and performed the track using electronic plug-ins.

Accompanying the single is a steamy video directed by Rustichelli featuring two bikini-clad dancers dancing sensuously on cliffside bluffs and against fluorescent lime green skies and magenta sands. Waves gently wash over and purify the women and beach symbolizing humanity and the planet. The clip can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2Xzenkf. Rustichelli elaborates on the striking visuals and symbolism.

“The colorized shots with their dark colors represent the present burden of pandemia much like the color alterations presented by climate change and pollution. In the closing shots of the video, the beach regains normal warm and hot colors, which is a hope for us all to end the pandemic,” said Rustichelli who will include the single on his “Tempus Fugit” album slated for release next year.

“Since this is a song or a charm, as per tradition, it’s embedded with symbols. The two women represent beauty and youth, particularly the goddess Venus who was celebrated in ancient times as not only the goddess of beauty, but also as a potent helper for health. A precious gift today, it means reclaim our youth and health, regenerating our bodies and souls by permanently removing COVID-19 from our lives. The song is meant to work as an ancient musical charm that, in pagan tradition, has special powers of directing cosmic energies to regain health, to regenerate and in this case, to defeat the virus.”

Rustichelli has been a visionary technological forerunner since the 1970s when he was one of the pioneers of mono synthesizers and among the first to use Moog synthesizers, samplers and organs such as the ARP 2600, Mellotron, Fairlight CMI and Hammond C-3. He was an early adopter in the use of MIDI digital sequencers that empowered him to record and become a one-man band. As we move forward after the global pandemic, Rustichelli sees immediate changes in the way artists will harness technology to perform and record.

“Social distancing will enhance the ability of the single artist to work from home as I’ve done throughout my whole career. Gone are the days of thousands of people working on an album. This situation has the advantage to reveal a more honest and true picture of the artist’s creative vision and ability as they are forced to create alone without the cooperative input of others,” said Rustichelli, who has collaborated on his previous recordings with Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Andy Summers and Jill Jones.

“Online technology made possible making concerts from remote locations available to the whole world. That is why I stopped playing live many years ago, strongly believing in the extraordinary possibilities of making home concerts or videos to replace live concerts and showcase the artist from home. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders will enhance the endless creative possibilities of the internet that otherwise never would have been possible. Technology makes it possible for artists to still be seen and create new content even during quarantine. This will become more important in the years to come when most likely our freedom to move throughout the world is likely to arise again due to pandemic concerns. The present pandemia shows us how fragile our freedom is and how easily we could be forced to shut down again. But with digital technology and the internet, we are still able to communicate ‘live’ and continue being creative without the mega concerts of the past. It’s an invaluable opportunity that I recognized many years ago when I took a different route than many mainstream artists.”

Rustichelli embraces this extraordinary time and is excited about the possibilities. 

“I will increase my live concerts, videos from home and improvised selfies shot on my iPhone where I can play my Steinway piano from home and a few minutes later, post it on YouTube to be seen by all.”

      

For more information, please visit https://www.paolo.org.

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - April 13, 2020 #jazz

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SINGER/SONGWRITER/SAXOPHONIST CURTIS STIGERS EXPLORES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GOOD MAN ON HIS CAPTIVATING NEW ALBUM #jazz

Gentleman, released April 10, 2020, on EmArcy/Universal, offers a set of wry yet hopeful songs about love, loss and elegant masculinity.

What does it mean to be a gentleman in this day and age? Vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist Curtis Stigers found himself confronting that question from a variety of angles as he was preparing for his latest album. On a personal level, he was watching his daughter leave home for college, beginning a new chapter in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp. Back at home, Stigers was reinventing his own life with a new romance and marriage.

On a grander scale, Stigers found himself, like so many others, enraged by the lack of role models in public life. From the divisive and openly corrupt dealings of politicians to the exposed underbelly of the entertainment industry, it became increasingly difficult to find an example of manhood worth looking up to.

Stigers’ new album, Gentleman, thus offers a wry yet elegant reassessment of the modern male. Released April 10, 2020, on EmArcy/Universal, Gentleman arrives with a spring bouquet of heartfelt songs that offer a unique view of love and loss from the perspective of a hopeless romantic who’s been through the gamut of emotion and lived to tell the tale. At times sardonic, not immune to drowning his sorrows in one (or two) too many, Stigers nonetheless remains a true gentleman, even when he comes bearing more thorns than roses.

Along with his own lyrical observations, penned in collaboration with longtime partners Larry Goldings and David Poe, Stigers also commiserates and celebrates with the words of top songwriters like Nick Lowe, Tom T. Hall and John Fulbright. He finds the perfect mood for each tune with a stellar band—pianist and organist Larry Goldings (James Taylor), bassist David Piltch (k.d. lang), drummer Austin Beede (Alastair Greene Band), trumpeter John “Scrapper” Sneider (Madeleine Peyroux), percussionist Doug Yowell (Duncan Sheik) and cellist Jody Ferber (Esperanza Spalding). Stigers and Goldings share the producer credit.

“Is being a gentleman about wearing a tuxedo and using the right fork for your salad?” muses Stigers. “Or is the idea just being a decent human being and taking care of your family?”

It’s clear what side the singer comes down on. Title track “Gentleman,” co-written with Poe, breaks down the concept into its constituent parts. The song counters the swaggering, macho concept of “being a man” with a kinder, gentler alternative. “How do you have integrity and still be tough when you need to be?” Stigers offers as one of the core questions he sought to answer in the song.

As anyone who follows the singer on Twitter is well aware, Stigers is also a political junkie who has been unafraid of sharing his disgust and horror at the current state of the union and the world. “I’ve suffered through this presidency as much as anybody,” he bemoans. “So I tried to talk about how you find a graceful place as a man in this era, rather than lying and stealing, grifting from an entire nation.”

Stigers’ anger bubbles to the surface on “Here We Go Again,” a new Stigers/Poe lyric written to Goldings’ composition “Roach.” The vitriolic lyrics, taking on the business as usual of warmongers and one-percenters, puts a jaundiced new spin on the piece, originally written as a tribute to the iconic drummer Max Roach—though it’s hard to imagine that the composer of the Freedom Now Suite would disapprove.

While the music business itself is not always the most gentlemanly one, fatherhood forced him to redefine his own views 19 years ago. “Being a dad has taught me how to be a man,” Stigers says. “Before that I was just a guy who played music, and as a musician you’re able to maintain your childhood well into your adult years. When my daughter was born in 2000, suddenly everything changed. My priorities switched from someone who just looked out for himself to someone who was there to protect somebody, to take care of them and teach them what’s out there.”

Facing the prospect of life without his daughter in the house was daunting for Stigers, who found himself responding with songs that focused on abandonment. While his own situation was specific, his gift for storytelling and curation led him to pieces with a more resonant view on lost love, relatable to anyone who’s ever been left behind. The idea is most touchingly expressed on the album’s closing number, “Learning to Let You Go.”

The bachelor’s lament “Lately I’ve Let Things Slide” is Stigers’ latest reimagining of a tune by the eloquent Nick Lowe, whose classic “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” Stigers recorded for the smash hit soundtrack to The Bodyguard in 1992.

“I’m a Nick Lowe fanatic,” Stigers says. “He’s become a friend, and his ability to write an old-fashioned song in a very literate and intelligent way just amazes me. It’s the perfect ‘I’m a mess, how could you leave me this way?’ song, but done in a very erudite, literate fashion.”

The album’s sole jazz standard, the vintage “After You’ve Gone,” offers a slightly less reserved reaction to being jilted. The song has long been a favorite of the singer’s, especially in the version recorded by his mentor, pianist Gene Harris, though this rendition came about after some unexpected twists. When the studio’s Steinway grand went out of tune at the end of a day’s recording, Goldings switched to the nearby upright piano, leading to a last call version of the classic tune. “It’s still a bit out of tune, but it wants to be out of tune,” Stigers says with a laugh. “It sounds like we went next door to a honkytonk, had a few drinks and then played some strange Dr. John/Tom Waits version. It’s not perfect, and that’s the kind of music I play.”

“As Usual” is another Goldings composition, a melancholy ballad with a wistful lyric by Nashville songwriter Bill Demain. With Sneider’s forlorn trumpet moaning in the distance, “Shame on the Rain” is a classic country lament by revered songwriter Tom T. Hall, while “She Knows” is a song Stigers discovered by the up-and-coming Oklahoma Americana artist John Fullbright. “Remember” and “Under the Snow” are solo offerings from the pen of David Poe.

“Under the Snow” is one of two songs on the album that offer glimpses of a happy ending. The tune, about green grass growing under the wintry blanket, looks to a more optimistic future. Stigers’ own current happiness in his new marriage is captured on the airy “A Lifetime Together,” a stunningly graceful duet with Goldings.

Gentleman is an album about being a good man from one who aspires to that title and seems to exemplify its finer aspects in his tasteful choices and expressive delivery, fully capturing the standard of humanity that we all should reach for and cleverly chronicling the myriad ways that we fall short on a daily basis. The result is Stigers’ most personal, resonant, and vibrant collection to date.

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Jim Robitaille - "Space Cycles" - Release April 24, on Whaling City Sound - #jazz

The Great Unknown

Jim Robitaille's Space Cycles escorts us to beautiful and unexpected places

After a brief interlude in a group format, Jim Robitaille is back inside the sparse and generous spaces of his trio. Flanked by Bill Miele on electric bass and Chris Poudrier on drums, Robitaille sounds as if he’s returned home after being away for a while. Originally, the trio evolved out of a jam session series Robitaille ran out of UMass Dartmouth and today it has certainly become a part of his musical DNA.

Like most of his previous trio work, Space Cycles explores the lexicon of post-bop jazz, but also features a variety of roots and branches. The sonic spectrum spans delicate ballads and energetic funk. The recording features seven Robitaille originals along with three covers—the jazz standard “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” “Never Never Land” (from the 1954 Broadway musical Peter Pan), and the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere.” The canvas is vast and allows for the trio to paint in vibrant colors as it spreads out before them.

From the moody opener, “Natural Selection,” to the closing, epic ensemble jam “Chance Meeting,” the session is dazzling, even sublime. The colors throughout these arrangements pulse and glow, while Robitaille’s guitar tone—born in the legato tradition of names like Hall, Abercrombie, and Scofield—articulates a palette of explosive creativity. At his side, Miele and Poudrier support Robitaille’s work with sturdy, confident rhythm and gentle explorations of their own. Miele shines frequently, in spots such as his melodic solos on “All the Things You Are” and “When We Passed.” Poudrier is loose on “Baubles, Bangles, and Beads,” and he comes out swinging on “Chance Meeting,” helping the trio to close out the session with freewheeling brio. It is a fitting end to an album that feels like a journey, punctuated by exhilarating straightaways, gorgeous viewpoints, and chilled out rest areas.

Like a flowing, casual conversation among old friends, the comfort level of the musicians here feels brisk, amusing, impressive, and, above all, satisfying to hear. Robitaille is coming into a new level of expression. His musical scope has evolved, as has the tone from his guitar, leaping over traditional jazz into the great and jazzy unknown, a place where Robitaille, with the help of his longtime accompanists, clearly feels wonderfully familiar. 

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Chart-topper Brian Culbertson drops his twentieth album, “XX” - #jazz

The first single, “Get Up!,” climbs into the Billboard top 6 as the diverse collection streets

Instead of being on stage in Pittsburgh Friday night, one week into a planned 70+-date coast-to-coast concert tour set up to launch his milestone twentieth album release, the aptly titled “XX” (Roman numerals for twenty), R&B/jazz/funk multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson will be home, marking the occasion by hanging out with a glass of wine and entertaining fans via his popular Facebook Live broadcast “Friday Night Studio Hang” (8pm ET/5pm PT). 

While The XX Tour that was to start April 1 with shows booked through June had to be pushed to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the new album’s retro-charged first single, “Get Up!” is already at No. 6 on the Billboard chart, easily within striking distance of becoming the hitmaker’s 33^rd No. 1 single. Culbertson went all in on the 1980s vibes, even creating a “Get Up!” ringtone that is available for iPhones.        

Issued on the BCM Entertainment label, Culbertson wrote and produced “XX,” taking a fresh approach by incorporating a bit of everything he has done throughout his versatile career. 

“This album was about creating lots of different moods, which is a little different for me in terms of what I’ve done over the last several albums that were more conceptual and consistent from beginning to end – either the romantic side of things, a funk album, straight-ahead jazz trio or what not. I deliberately set out to have no one genre or one style in mind; just give people a total mix of everything that I do – funky instrumentals, jazz, R&B slow jams, gospel, pop and straight-up funk” said Culbertson, who hopes the collection will uplift listeners during this unprecedented time of social distancing and economic uncertainty.    

“The fact that it’s coming out during this time when everyone is under stay at home orders, I hope it does lift people up. That’s what music does. That’s the beauty of music. It makes you feel better. It takes you out of whatever place you’re in at the moment. It transports you. That’s why I love making music.”

Making music with Culbertson on “XX” is a prominent assortment of featured guests: Bootsy Collins, Ray Parker Jr., Avery* Sunshine, Maze’s Jubu Smith, Everette Harp, Marcus Anderson, DW3, Byron “Mr. Talkbox” Chambers, Noel Gourdin and Patches Stewart. Filling up the tracks is an accomplished array of musicians including Paul Jackson Jr., Nicholas Cole, Eric Marienthal, Ricky Peterson, Alex Al, Michael Thompson, Khari Parker, Lenny Castro, Gerey Johnson, Chance Howard, Ouiwey Collins, Candice Cheatham and Derek “D.O.A.” Allen. Vocalist Micaela Haley (aka Michelle Culbertson, Brian’s wife) and a gospel choir add celestial and soul luster to a couple tracks. In addition to playing piano, keyboards, Minimoog, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, bass, synth bass, drum programming, vocals, string machine and percussion, Culbertson picks up his trombone to form a powerhouse horn section with Marqueal Jordan and Michael Stever.

“XX” taps into Parliament-Funkadelic influences on “Dance Like This.” Culbertson explained, “Bootsy (Collins) and I randomly do things together. He liked the track that Chance Howard and I started and two days later, he sent me his vocal parts.”

Something different on “XX” is that two songs – “The Hangout” and “Keep Movin’”- were conceived during soundcheck while Culbertson was on tour with his band. One of the album’s centerpiece tracks is “More Than Thankful,” a big-scale production on which Sunshine shines and the gospel choir graces. Other standout numbers are the sensual “It’s A Love Thing,” which has a mesmerizing Zen vibe; the poppy “Time Flies” that takes flight via its blossoming chorus and Haley’s layered angelic ahhh’s; “Sexy Love” on which Culbertson sings on the chorus; and a reunion with R&B crooner Gourdin on the old-school soul ballad “The Truth” (Culbertson and Gourdin scored a hit with “You’re My Music” from Culbertson’s “Dreams” album). The collection closes with “Looking Back,” which starts out with a poignant jazz-oriented solo piano intro with lots of deep chord changes before breaking into a neo soul groove that Stewart’s muted trumpet illumines.

The release of “XX” caps a remarkably prolific fourteen months for Culbertson, who released three very different albums and a Blu-Ray concert video during the span. Although he’s home unexpectedly for the time being, he’s far from idle as planning continues for the annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway and Chicago Jazz Getaway music and lifestyle festivals that he founded and curates. In the meantime, Culbertson will continue “Friday Night Studio Hang,” which he began broadcasting several years ago on the rare occasion he didn’t have a concert to play that evening. 

“It would be random that I’d actually be in the studio on a Friday night, but starting a few weeks ago, I’ve been going live every Friday night. Now that everyone is home, I’ve gotten more viewers and comments than ever before. I talk about recording techniques, songwriting and end up playing songs live along to TV (backing) tracks. I’m looking forward to celebrating my twentieth album release with fans Friday night.”  

“XX” contains the following songs:

“Get Up!” featuring Mr. Talkbox and Marcus Anderson

“Dance Like This” featuring Bootsy Collins

“The Hangout” featuring Ray Parker Jr.

Prelude to “More Than Thankful”

“More Than Thankful” featuring Avery* Sunshine

“It’s A Love Thing”

“Time Flies”

“Sexy Love” featuring Jubu Smith

“Keep Movin’” featuring Everette Harp

“The Truth” featuring Noel Gourdin

Intro to “Looking Back”

“Looking Back” featuring Patches Stewart

For more information, please visit http://www.brianculbertson.com.

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“Somehow Someway” R&B-jazz singer Tracye Eileen will drop her new record on June 12 #jazz

The single arrives Friday in advance of the release of the “It’s Time.” EP

The first weekend in March, Tracye Eileen exuberantly danced and sang “Somehow Someway” at the video shoot from a perch high atop a downtown Los Angeles building. The R&B/jazz singer had spent the last eleven years building towards this moment, excited about the upcoming release of her “It’s Time.” EP prefaced by the single that drops Friday. Taking direction from Emmy Award winner Ali LeRoi (“The Chris Rock Show,” “Everybody Hates Chris”), the Chicago native’s time seemed to finally have come. Moving rhythmically in front of a brilliant blue-sky backdrop as wind tossed her curly hair, Eileen never could have anticipated having to push the project’s release date back because of a global pandemic. The set of intimate love songs that she wrote and is eager to share with the world is now slated to drop June 12.

Eileen has been meticulously planning and preparing to take her music career to a new level. A slight delay in the release of her third recording isn’t going to stop her.

“It took a while to bring this project and my career to where I’m ready to move to the next level. My dream and goal have always been to be an internationally known soul/R&B artist. This project represents my next leap. It’s time now for that transition to happen. It’s time for all these projects to come to fruition,” said Eileen, who will begin introducing music from “It’s Time.” to fans this Friday at 6pm ET/5pm CT/3pm PT via Facebook and Instagram on what she calls “Meet Me In My Parlor: A Musical Interlude with Tracye Eileen.” Subsequent episodes will air at that time every other Friday leading up to the EP release date.

Eileen linked up with producer-songwriter Kendall Duffie in his Nashville recording studio, crafting an EP that delivers a sophisticated blend of soothing soul and sensual R&B grooves.     

“I co-wrote the new songs with Kendall and it was pretty ironic that what he came up with was in line with my thoughts and emotions, expressing how I feel. I think the music composition flowed well with the sentiment of each song,” said Eileen about the disc that opens with the first radio single.

“‘Somehow Someway’ felt so soothing to me. I had taken a solo vacation to Belize and I remember being in a hammock, swinging over the ocean, listening to the instrumental track over and over and having the lyrics just come to me. ‘Somehow Someway’ describes a relationship that says, ‘You’ve got to find your way to me somehow someway’ and the experience of what that’s going to feel like being in that relationship.”

Eileen acknowledges that the songs on “It’s Time.” are about her romantic life. “The three new songs are aspirational. Now it’s time. I’ve done a lot of work on myself and now I’m ready for the type of love that I want in my life.”

Cruising on a midtempo groove with a soulful sax caress from Donald Hayes, “Now That We’re Here” is about committing to the relationship. Eileen’s jazz vocal roots are evident on the rousing “Sweeter With Time,” a tune about how love grows, anchored by a deft drum and bass rhythm track played by Terry Baker and Simeon Baker respectively.  

The EP closes with two versions – including a house mix - of the first song Eileen ever wrote, “Why Did I Say Yes,” the title cut of her 2018 album.

“I started my professional music career after I got divorced, deciding to invest in myself to release a jazz album, ‘Love’s Journey’ (2012), after having previously invested in my ex-husband’s dreams. I decided to be self-revealing because I want my music to be authentic and real, songs that people could connect to, so I knew it had to be truthful. I’ve had both men and women connect with ‘Why Did I Say Yes,’ which I wrote with the longtime keyboardist in my band, Tom Viatsas. It’s about being in a relationship that you know is not good for you, but you’re in love. When you finally make your way out of it, maybe you run into the person again and you find yourself right back to where you started. Eventually, you make a choice for yourself. You choose you and you choose to operate and stay on a higher plane. The song comes from a very positive place of growth and change.”

While Eileen didn’t set out to write a theme EP where all the songs are connected, it happened organically.    

“I didn’t recognize how connected the songs were until I started thinking about an EP title. ‘It’s Time.’ came to me in addition to how the songs tie together and why. I knew I wanted to write about a love that I wanted in my life having grown from my past experiences, but I didn’t plan for the songs to flow in a sequence the way they do naturally.”

Eileen’s monthly residency with her five-piece band at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago is on hold for the moment because of coronavirus concerns. Over the years, she’s opened for Babyface, The Stylistics, Mary Wilson, Chante Moore, After 7 and Buddy Guy himself. In the meantime, Eileen eagerly anticipates debuting the “Somehow Someway” video on Facebook and Instagram on May 1 followed by the arrival of the EP the following month. For more information, please visit http://www.tracyeeileen.com.

“It’s Time” contains the following songs:

“Somehow Someway”

“Now That We’re Here”

“Sweeter With Time”

“Why Did I Say Yes”

“Why Did I Say Yes” (house mix)

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