Smooth Jazz Chart
This chart from smoothjazz.com generally updates every Monday.
When it updates, this post will be repeated with the most recent chart.
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Grammy-winning & Towering Guitar Giants Larry Carlton and Paul Brown Align on Soul Searchin’ Creating A Thrilling Canvas For 10 New Originals #jazz
Carlton & Brown’s First Co-Led Album Out 9/24/21 Celebrates The Blues, The Power Of The Groove, The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Prince & More
What do you get when two of the greatest creative musicians of our time join forces for a friendly fire no holds barred guitar showdown? You get Soul Searchin’, an electrifying meeting of the minds that surpasses expectations and showcases unbridled joy and virtuosity. Grammy-winning guitar extraordinaires Larry Carlton, who has played on over 100 Gold and Platinum albums and Paul Brown, who has scored 60 #1 radio hits, join forces for a set of ten thrilling originals on their first co-led album together. Carlton, who was a member of the pioneering super-groups The Crusaders and Fourplay and who is a successful TV and Film scorer (including TV show themes “Hill Street Blues,” “Who’s The Boss” and film “Against All Odds”), first collaborated with Brown in the 90s when Brown produced tracks for his Finger Prints album. “Paul’s engineering and production speak for themselves but his guitar playing and creativity in writing is also very appealing to me,” says Carlton, a 19 time Grammy nominated and four-time Grammy winning artist. Brown’s extensive credits include work as an engineer having engineered for R&B divas Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, among others. Brown confesses, “Larry and I had been toying with the idea of doing a CD together for a few years. I always thought our styles and sounds would be beautiful together. From a production, writing, arranging and playing point of view, this is as good as it gets for me.” Collectively between Carlton and Brown, the dynamic duo has collaborated with everyone from Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan and Quincy Jones to George Benson, Patti Austin and Norman Brown, to name a few. The goal for Soul Searchin’ was simple. Paul Brown explains, “We hope it will be musical bliss and that you will allow it to take you on a ride and your mind and ears will be happy, happy, happy!”
“This is a marriage made in heaven,” states Danny Weiss, VP of Jazz A&R at Shanachie Entertainment. “Larry Carlton has rightfully achieved legendary status as one of the world's greatest guitarists, and Paul Brown, a great guitarist in his own right, is probably the finest contemporary jazz producer on the scene today. The fact that they both share the same soulful, bluesy style makes listening to this album a truly tasty experience,”
The synergy between Larry Carlton and Paul Brown on Soul Searchin’ is impalpable. Their telepathic interplay, and joyful exchange create numerous moments to willingly get lost inside the music. Larry Carlton reveals their ingredient. “We have different musical backgrounds but, the common thread for Paul and I is that we both like melodic music with a great groove.” Joining Larry Carlton and Paul Brown on Soul Searchin’ are bassist and guitarist, Shane Theriot (who co-wrote many of the compositions), drummer Gorden Campbell, keyboardists León Besquera and Gregg Karukas, bassist Travis Carlton (Larry’s son), drummers Roberto Vally, Doug Belote and Gordon Campbell, trumpeter Ron King, saxophonist Greg Vail and percussionist Lenny Castro (Tower Of Power). Soul Searchin’ was recorded this past year and afforded Carlton and Brown the opportunity to give the music their undivided attention. Carlton shares, “The advantage of recording the album during the pandemic was that we both had more available time. Paul worked at his studio in Los Angeles and would send me tracks while I created at my studio in my home outside of Nashville.” Brown adds, “Honestly it probably would not have been possible in normal circumstances because both of us would have been too busy to get it done.”
Soul Searchin’ opens with the mystical, cool and breezy “Miles And Miles To Go.” Taking divergent paths Carlton and Brown meet in the center lane crusin’ and soulfully trading choruses to beautiful effect. Paul Brown shares “More than any of the other songs on the album this tune shows off the difference in our sounds and styles and lets the both of us sing on the melodies with our guitars.” The dynamic duo roll up their sleeves and lay down a gritty but yet sweet and fun little groove on “Stomp.” It might hard to resist stomping your heels on this exhilarating and insatiable bluesy number. Carlton plays a Larry Carlton model SIRE H7 through his Bluedotone amp on all of the tracks while Paul Brown uses his arch top on most of the tracks. Brown’s heavy strings create a punchy sound while Carlton’s strings create a slinkier feel allowing him to bend his notes more easily.
Affectionately dubbed ‘Brother Paul Brown,’ Paul lays down a mean Hammond B3 on this track, which is also graced by the horns of trumpeter Ron King and saxophonist Greg Vail. “Gone Fishin’ is a good-get-together, feel-good anthem that is sure to rock any house. The snappy and pulsating swing of “Hip Pocket” is another winner and the funky “Aftershock” hits with a seismic force as Carlton and Brown pull out all the stops. Soul Seachin’ also features “Blue Skies,” which forecasts bright days and smooth sailing while the show-stopping “Keep Truckin’” is a special tribute as Paul Brown explains. “It is my homage to the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers and it really captures that southern rock vibe.” Carlton and Brown have a meeting of the minds on “Say What’s On Your Mind,” as the duo stretches out and struts their stuff illustrating why they are both at the top of their game. The track also features Larry’s son and bassist Travis Carlton and Shane Theriot on keys. “Shelter” offers refuge from life’s rainstorm with an intimate down home performance from the duo featuring vocals from Brother Paul Brown. The ethereal album title track is a gorgeous and pensive ballad, which Brown confides is inspired in part by Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
The iconic and revered Grammy-winning guitarist Larry Carlton picked up his first guitar at the age of six but it was in high school upon hearing Gerald Wilson’s album Moment of Truth with guitarist Joe Pass, that he got his first introduction to jazz. It was not long before Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, B.B. King and John Coltrane changed his world. Celebrated for his lithe technique, sweet-toned, blues-inflected sound, and distinctive use of volume pedals, Carlton first came to prominence as a member of crossover jazz and R&B ensemble The Crusaders. In the 70s he remained busy with a who’s who list of collaborations from Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson to Quincy Jones, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. Carlton made his debut as a leader in 1978 when he was signed to Warner Brothers and began a long stretch of releasing his own albums. A native of Torrence, California, he has been equally successful as a film and television scorer. By the 80s Carlton had amassed over 3000 studio sessions. In 1988, Carlton was the victim of a random gun violence crime that shattered his vocal cords and left him with severe nerve trauma. Through intensive therapy, a positive mind and sheer will, a courageous Carlton made a remarkable recovery proving to be as remarkable off the stage as he is on it. He founded the organization Helping Innocent People (HIP), a nonprofit group to aid victims of random gun violence. Carlton, has recorded 34 albums as a leader including his last album Lights On with the WDR Big Band.
“Music is my spirituality and has been my entire life. Everyday I’m either writing, playing recording or performing and I’m still loving it,” confesses two-time Grammy winning guitarist, producer and vocalist Paul Brown. Born in Los Angeles to musician parents who sang with Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, among others, Brown started playing drums at age five and picked up his first guitar two years later. His influences are as far reaching as Wes Montgomery, Peter Gabriel and Johnny “Guitar” Watson. Brown has been a foundational artist in Contemporary Jazz from since the late 80s. As accomplished as Brown is center stage as a guitarist he is equally revered for his Midas touch as a producer. The renaissance man has been first call for everybody from George Benson, Al Jarreau and Luther Vandross to Boney James, Kirk Whalum and Peter White among countless others. As a leader he has recorded ten albums and Soul Searchin’ make this his eleventh and his second recording for Shanachie. His first for the label was Love You Found Me in 2010.
Saturday, August 21, 2021
A Time for Celebration - Dave Zinno's Unisphere fab third recording, Fetish #jazz
While it was done predominantly within the constraints of Covid isolation, Dave Zinno’s third recording with Unisphere, Fetish, feels like a massive celebration, an uncorking of fizzy jazz freedom.
Like most musicians for most of the past 18 months, Zinno and his bandmates—Mike Tucker on tenor sax, Eric Benny Bloom on trumpet and flugelhorn, Leo Genovese on keyboards, Tim Ray on piano, Rafael Barata, drums and percussion, and special guest Rafael Rocha on trombone—have been, no surprise, writing and practicing, biding their time until the light of day began again to shine through life’s window. Somehow, Zinno and friends took advantage of the down time and recorded a brilliant album.
“The song ‘Fetish’ grew out of pandemic isolation,” he says. “I came up with the bass figure for this piece one day while improvising. It's kind of over the top and I was calling it ‘Bass Fetish.’” Zinno then took that motif and turned it into a song for Unisphere.
Without question, Zinno’s 2020 fetish was his bass, and we’re all the better for it. Zinno and the boys recorded Fetish in late November 2020 in two six-hour sessions. Because everyone was writing at the time, the band’s set list had grown to a whopping 16 numbers. They ended up recording 12 of them. All told, Zinno believes the tunes on the record are incredibly diverse, reflecting the personalities and styles of all his accompanists. “Everyone contributed compositions or arrangements to the project, which I feel creates a picture of the diversity of the group. Tim Ray, for example, arranged a beautiful tune from Edu Lobo that is a wonderful breathing point and definitely a highlight of the record.” Further to Zinno’s point, Mike Tucker contributes three originals in three different styles. Leo Genovese's tunes are strongly rooted in modern jazz and are written with strength and energy. Eric Bloom contributed two tunes that reflect his love for contemporary jazz styles. Zinno’s own tunes - “Fetish,” “So Close So Far,” and “Nile” all vary in style as well. “‘Fetish’ begins sounding like ‘the sky is melting,’ but settles into a joyful groove meant to offer hope. ‘So Close So Far’ experiments with an Afro groove framing a hummable theme, and ‘Nile’ explores exotic soundscapes.”
The colorful panorama, tonal palette, and sonic breadth featured on Fetish are breathtaking. Zinno’s Unisphere is—through all three of its recordings for Whaling City Sound—jubilant, rapturous, and free. It could be that walls aren’t closing in on us any longer; the prospects of playing out and unleashing the spirit of live music is finally at hand. And this may be the sound of that catharsis, a primal release of beautiful energy. “This project is the culmination of a year without live music,” says Zinno. “Every ounce of energy and ambition, in reserve from not expending it for so long, is on this record. I hope people feel what we felt while creating it.”
Friday, August 20, 2021
Lawson Rollins "Rise" Release date September 17, 2021 on Infinita Records #jazz #world #guitar
With the release of RISE, Lawson Rollins offers a bold collection of ten original songs that showcase his signature virtuoso guitar style and eclectic compositional flair for melody and rhythm. Lawson explores new collaborations with Haitian vocalist Jeff Pierre, saxophonist Mary Fettig, and Grammy winning violinists Charlie Bisharat and Mads Tolling on several tracks, while deepening his connection with regular band mates Stephen Duros, Davo Bryant, and Dan Feiszli throughout the album. Each song finds Lawson rising to his peak abilities as a guitarist and composer. Lawson states, “This album was forged during the unprecedented difficulties the world has seen over the past year, but as the Latin motto “Ad Astra Per Aspera” proclaims, we can reach the stars through difficulty. It is in that spirit that this album was made."
Few artists inhabit their music as seamlessly as multiple award-winning, Billboard Top 10 ranked guitarist and composer Lawson Rollins. He plays his instrument with a soulful intensity that combines the stimulating rhythmic drive of rumba, salsa, and samba with graceful melodic finesse and free-flowing improvisational flair. Acoustic Guitar Magazine describes his playing as 'impeccable' and 'dazzling', while the prestigious Guitar Player Magazine ranks Lawson as one of the “50 Transcendent Acoustic Guitarists” of all time and writes, "Lawson Rollins is a bona fide star...The key to Rollins' mass appeal is his signature artistic balance between classically influenced compositional refinement, infectious exotic rhythms, and the unbridled intensity of full-on shred."
Over the past 20 years, Lawson’s 10 solo albums and 4 albums with his prior group Young & Rollins have landed in the Billboard Top 10 World Music Chart and spawned several Billboard Top 30 contemporary jazz hits, winning him an ever growing fan base attracted by his melodic, exhilarating solos and exotic, cross-genre instrumentation performed by internationally renowned musicians. Sensational videos like “The Fire Cadenza” and "Locomotion" - a jaw dropping display of his electrifying speed and gift for merging rhythm and melody - have attracted millions of broadcast television and internet viewers including over 10 million views alone on YouTube.
Lawson's critically acclaimed, award-winning, genre defying solo albums - INFINITA, ESPIRITO, ELEVATION, FULL CIRCLE, TRAVELER, INFINITE CHILL, 3 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, AIRWAVES: THE GREATEST HITS, DARK MATTER: MUSIC FOR FILM and TRUE NORTH - landed high on the contemporary jazz radio charts and produced a Billboard #1 song - "Moonlight Samba" from ESPIRITO. For two consecutive years, he earned a 1st Place award in the prestigious USA Songwriting Competition. He also won three Gold Medals in the Global Music Awards for Instrumentalist, Album, and Top 10 Albums of the Year for his TRAVELER album. As a testament to his enduring appeal on radio he was asked to serve as "Celebrity Guest DJ" on Sirius-XM Radio, available to listen to here.
His albums feature numerous collaborations with artists from around the globe, including Grammy Award winners and nominees like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Charlie Bisharat (of Shadowfax), Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Mads Tolling, Kayhan Kalhor (of the Silk Road Ensemble) and Horacio Hernandez, as well as Billboard #1 charting contemporary jazz masters like 3rd Force and Praful. An ever growing cast of eclectic, notable artists continues to expand his world-fusion sound, with musicians such as Idan Raichel, Buckethead, William Aura (of 3rd Force), and Shahin Shahida (of Shahin & Sepehr) contributing to the mix.
In his globally-inspired music, Lawson incorporates the propulsive drive of Afro-Cuban rhythms with a style based on the music of Spain, India, Persia and the Arab world. "All music has a hybrid quality," Lawson believes. "Thousands of years of travel, trade and communication between cultures created new forms of musical expression. The Spanish guitar embodies this with its ties to the Arab oud, the Persian tar, even the sitar, so weaving those strands together seems natural to me."
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
Healing through music and art: Multidisciplinary artist Harley Cortez dropped the Avant-classical album "An Inventory of Memory: Vol. II
Healing through music and art
Multidisciplinary artist Harley Cortez dropped the Avant-classical album “An Inventory of Memory: Vol. II” on Friday
Composing, producing and performing the music for “An Inventory of Memory: Vol. II,” which dropped last Friday, was cathartic for multidisciplinary artist Harley Cortez. The album release represents the next phase in his healing process after losing his mother and nephew last year. The musician, painter, filmmaker and writer created a collection of aural examinations of genetic memory purposed with turning loss into something beautiful, which is a fitting description of the eight ambient-classical tracks that comprise the second volume of the four-volume “An Inventory of Memory” recording series.
With a history that includes being part of indie solo, duo and band projects and touring as the opener for alt-rock icon Morrissey, Cortez now records electronic instrumentals that are introspective, meditative and moody ruminations. Etching simple yet exquisite melodies and haunting minimalistic refrains, he crafts intimate compositions on piano and keyboards with sparse accompaniment by Modeste Colban (flute and saxophone), Andy Baldwin (violin) and Nancy Kuo’s (Janelle Monae) strings.
Cortez’s art over the last few years – music, paintings, drawings, sculptures, writings and experimental films – has focused on the “An Inventory of Memory” theme. He released the first album in the series last December. Early next year, he plans to publish “An Inventory of Memory” book, which is a collection of short stories, poetry and recollections tied to the motif.
“One of the things I think is really interesting about genetic memory is the idea behind how so much of what our ancestors did can dictate where we’re at, what we’re doing or who we are. Memories we perhaps didn’t know we had, so on and so forth. My mom was a very mystical person; being Native American, she was very spiritual, and my father, who I really didn’t know growing up, was a writer and a pretty well-known painter and musician for where he was. That’s how he made a living. I never really knew him, yet our trajectory was very similar. That’s what really sparked my curiosity in genetic memory, along with the theme of mortality. Those are both very apparent themes in my work,” Cortez recently told the Monster Children website.
“The third and fourth ‘An Inventory of Memory’ records are essentially done. I’m putting the finishing touches on both. The third volume will be out in the autumn or early next year around the book release. I’m still adding a couple of little things to the book. Traveling abroad this summer has been great inspiration for the book as well as for my upcoming art exhibitions,” said Cortez while traveling in the Greek Isles.
The artist who has exhibited his work in New York City, Los Angeles and Tokyo has several exhibitions slated to open this fall. Late next month, Cortez’s work will be exhibited for two weeks at the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City. In October, he will be part of a major exhibition in New York City curated by noted art critic and poet Donald Kuspit at the Georges Bergés Gallery. A third show taking place at La Galleria Nuevo Progreso in Mexico in November will include a performance element.
“For my solo show opening in Mexico in November, I will conduct a string quartet playing ‘Y (Be Still)’ from “’An Inventory of Memory: Vol. II.’ I’m very excited that the live music will be accompanied by a special dance performance in collaboration with renowned Mexican choreographer Diego Vega,” said Cortez who recently found out that his short film, “The Sick Oyster,” will premiere at the Kinsasha International Film Festival in September.
“This is a bit of a big deal because the lead actors are African and the characters in the film are Congolese. It is a Pan-African film,” said the Los Angeles-based Cortez.
For more information, please visit https://www.harleycortez.com.
Monday, August 16, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - August 16, 2021 #jazz
Smooth Jazz Chart
This chart from smoothjazz.com generally updates every Monday.
When it updates, this post will be repeated with the most recent chart.
Saturday, August 14, 2021
MPS Records’ summer reissue parade concludes on a high note #jazz
Albums by jazz vocalist Mark Murphy and pianist Monty Alexander dropped Friday on vinyl and CD via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment.
It’s been a special summer for jazz lovers and record collectors and another treat arrived on Friday when MPS Records reissued jazz vocalist Mark Murphy’s “Midnight Mood” and pianist Monty Alexander’s “Montreux Alexander: The Monty Alexander Trio Live! at the Montreux Festival” on vinyl and CD. With these two releases, Germany’s first jazz label that was founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer has reissued 31 titles by legendary jazz figures, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke, over the last two months in the US and Canada via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment.
A quintessential post-bop jazz singer, Murphy was viewed as underrated and revered as one of the finest jazz vocalists of all-time by many. 1967’s “Midnight Mood” finds the inventive singer who crooned blues, scatted bebop and emoted standards with panache paired with eight members of the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band. However, Murphy opens the collection with a mesmerizing a cappella version of Duke Ellington’s “Jump For Joy.” Murphy swings elegantly on “I Don’t Want Nothin’” and he cowrote the cool “Why and How.” His articulate phrasing stands out on “Alone Together” while the ardent “You Fascinate Me So” is a romantic overture. The singer wrote the somber ballad “Hopeless” and “Sconsolato” cha cha’s to an exotic Latin rhythm. Murphy interprets Ira Gershwin beautifully on “My Ship.” “Just Give Me Time” swings to a bossa nova groove. The set closes with Hoagy Carmichael’s poignant and powerful “I Get Along Without You Very Well.”
The Jamaican-born Alexander teams with bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton for the 1976 set “Montreux Alexander: The Monty Alexander Trio Live! at the Montreux Festival.” Blues, soul and gospel reign on this stellar jazz trio session that rightfully earned Alexander comparisons with his MPS label mate Oscar Peterson. Alexander’s nimble piano is centerstage on this six-song date anchored by the taut rhythm section with each member of the trio afforded equal time to solo.
Alexander opens with Ahmad Jamal’s “Nite Mist Blues” before going pop on “Feelings.” He swings on the Ellington, Johnny Mercer and Billy Strayhorn standard “Satin Doll” and then shows off his remarkable speed and dexterity on “Work Song.” Blues and gospel intersect on “Drown in My Own Tears.” The disc marches to an unexpected conclusion with a note of whimsy on “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Another tranche of albums from the MPS catalogue will be reissued this fall. For more information and to see what else is coming soon from MPS, please visit https://www.mps-music.com.
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About MPS
Jazz history was forged in the rustic Black Forest of Germany in 1968 when Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer launched MPS and recorded some of the genre’s seminal artists. Legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke released albums on the prestigious label known for its high-level recording technique and distinctive aesthetic.
About Bob Frank Entertainment
Bob Frank Entertainment (BFE) was formed in 2012 by longtime entertainment business executive and entrepreneur Bob Frank. BFE divisions include Admiral Lane Music Publishing, Bob Frank Distribution (BFD), independent label Red River Entertainment, and Damson Lane Film Production. BFE has teamed with Germany’s Edel to reissue albums in North America from the famed MPS label.
Wednesday, August 11, 2021
MPS Records reissued albums by seminal jazz artists Bill Evans and Joe Henderson on Friday #jazz
The albums dropped on vinyl and CD via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment.
Germany’s first jazz label, MPS Records, reissued a couple of albums from their historic catalogue last Friday when pianist Bill Evans’ “Symbiosis” and saxophonist Joe Henderson’s “Mirror Mirror” dropped on vinyl and CD in the United States and Canada via Edel Germany in partnership with Bob Frank Entertainment.
Best known for recording primarily in piano, drums and bass settings, Evans was recognized as the leader of one of the most influential jazz trios and lauded for his work on Miles Davis’s iconic “Kind of Blue” album. 1974’s “Symbiosis” finds Evans in the rare company of an orchestra led by Claus Ogerman, a prolific arranger-composer who has crafted noteworthy recordings in an array of genres by legendary artists such as Frank Sinatra, Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim to modern day figures like Diana Krall. Ogerman had a flair for melding contemporary classical and jazz, utilizing New York Philharmonic and jazz musicians.
The set list on “Symbiosis,” which was reissued last month as a limited-edition orange vinyl LP, is devoid of standards and Evans’ originals. With Evans dispensing lyrical solos on acoustic and electric keyboards, the album’s audacious repertoire is diverse, spanning minimalistic passages, samba-tinged big band numbers, and grand tunes highlighted by lavish string section tracks and cinematic selections typical of the 1970s era. Throughout, Evans inventive finger work remains the captivating centerpiece.
Henderson possessed a distinctive sound and style that remained consistent throughout his remarkable career that included a star-making stint playing in Horace Silver’s Quintet and a run as a member of Herbie Hancock’s band. On 1980’s “Mirror Mirror,” which was reissued last month as a limited-edition green vinyl disc, the GRAMMY winner is accompanied by a stellar acoustic lineup recorded in Los Angeles featuring Chick Corea on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Corea and Carter each contributed two compositions to the set list while Henderson’s “Joe’s Bolero” is a piece typical of this hard bop, avant-garde recording, a cut that reflects one of the saxman’s primary influences, John Coltrane. The hornman’s virtuoso tenor emotes mellow melodies on the disc’s lone standard, “What’s New?” Although credited as a solo Henderson album, each member of the all-star quartet is given equal opportunity to shine.
Since June, MPS has been reissuing albums from their catalogue in North America by jazz royalty, including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke. For more information and to see what else is coming soon from MPS, please visit https://www.mps-music.com.
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About MPS
Jazz history was forged in the rustic Black Forest of Germany in 1968 when Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer launched MPS and recorded some of the genre’s seminal artists. Legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, The Count Basie Orchestra and George Duke released albums on the prestigious label known for its high-level recording technique and distinctive aesthetic.
About Bob Frank Entertainment
Bob Frank Entertainment (BFE) was formed in 2012 by longtime entertainment business executive and entrepreneur Bob Frank. BFE divisions include Admiral Lane Music Publishing, Bob Frank Distribution (BFD), independent label Red River Entertainment, and Damson Lane Film Production. BFE has teamed with Germany’s Edel to reissue albums in North America from the famed MPS label.
Legendary Pianist Chick Corea Posthumously Releases "Akoustic Band Live" Due September 24 from Concord Records #jazz
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R&B-jazz guitarist Adam Hawley certain to stay on top with “Risin’ Up” #jazz
His fourth album, dropping September 10, features collaborations with Steve Cole,
Vincent Ingala, Julian Vaughn, Riley Richard and Kat Hawley.
Dropping his third album two weeks prior to last year’s stay-at-home order due to the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t halt guitarist Adam Hawley’s remarkable chart domination. His R&B-jazz collection “Escape” proved inescapable, scoring three No. 1 singles, including the No. 1 single of 2020, “To The Top.” The musician-songwriter-producer who to date has amassed nine No. 1 singles returns on September 10 with his fourth album, “Risin’ Up,” which will be preceded by the horn-powered title track as the first single that goes for playlist adds on August 16.
The second release on Hawley’s MBF Entertainment label, “Risin’ Up” is purposely upbeat after what the world has endured since his last album.
“Risin’ Up” represents us as a country ascending over the past year and a half with a sense of renewed purpose and vigor. It’s about overcoming and feeling inspired and hopeful. The title track, featuring a great horn arrangement from David Mann, encapsulates the positivity of this album,” said Hawley, who wrote nine new songs for the set, three of which were cowritten by keyboardist Carnell Harrell.
“I started writing as soon as my last album was released, which coincided with the pandemic. Like many others, I found myself at home with a great deal of time on my hands and spent most of it in the studio writing, experimenting with new sounds, and exploring my creativity.”
One of the other things that Hawley did during quarantine was launch “AH•Live!,” a weekly Facebook Live show on which he interviews and jams remotely with other prominent musicians from the R&B and contemporary jazz worlds. Connecting with his fellow artists from a different perspective opened the door to new collaborations. That’s how Hawley got saxophonists and fellow chart-toppers Steve Cole, Vincent Ingala and Riley Richard to appear on the album.
“Many of the musicians on the record were people I got to know better through the show and collaborating virtually via my broadcast. It was natural to think of them for this album and I was excited that they agreed,” said Hawley, who will support the new album with concert dates through the end of the year.
Other featured soloists on “Risin’ Up” include bassist Julian Vaughn, who appeared on Hawley’s second album, “Double Vision,” and Kat Hawley, his wife who sings on all of his projects. Kat Hawley’s vocals command the spotlight on “Tell Me You Love Me,” a reimagined Demi Lovato tune that closes the collection.
The album explodes out of the gate with “Gotta Get Up,” a danceable number that recalls the mighty Earth, Wind & Fire horn section. The powerhouse horn arrangement in this case was provided by Michael Stever, Hawley’s former bandmate when the two toured with hitmaker Brian Culbertson.
“I always like to make a statement with the opening track and this funky tune is no exception. Look out for the killer horn break!” said Hawley, who released his first two albums on Kalimba Records, the label founded by EWF visionary Maurice White.
As charismatic as he is a nimble-fingered fretman, Hawley was an in-demand sideman and versatile session player who played with Jennifer Lopez, Natalie Cole, Dave Koz, The Manhattan Transfer, Brian McKnight and Backstreet Boys among others before dropping his 2016 debut disc, “Just the Beginning.” He’s performed as a solo artist at festivals, theaters and clubs around the world. An educator who earned a doctorate in music arts from the University of Southern California, Hawley has played in the house band on “American Idol.” For more information, please visit https://adamhawley.com.
“Risin’ Up” contains the following songs:
“Gotta Get Up”
“Keep It There” featuring Steve Cole
“Right On, Right On” featuring Julian Vaughn
“Let’s Get Down Tonight” featuring Vincent Ingala
“On The One”
“Keep On Dancin’” featuring Riley Richard
“Risin’ Up”
“Come On And Dance”
“Undeniable”
“Tell Me You Love Me” featuring Kat Hawley
Monday, August 09, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - August 9, 2021 #jazz
Smooth Jazz Chart
This chart from smoothjazz.com generally updates every Monday.
When it updates, this post will be repeated with the most recent chart.
Friday, August 06, 2021
Hiromi 'Silver Lining Suite" due out October 8, on Telarc #jazz
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