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Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
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MARRIED SINGER-SONGWRITERS MARC JORDAN AND AMY SKY
SHOW OFF AN ENDURING LOVE ON TIME-CAPSULE TRACK “INTO YOU”
“Into You” YouTube and Spotify
It’s one thing for a couple to stay together for decades while plying their trade in different corners of the same business. It’s another for them to collaborate on a project that celebrates the durability of their bond with the deepest sincerity. And it’s still another thing entirely for them to sit on that document for a quarter century, then have it feel as fresh and honest as a newly written wedding vow when it finally does come out.
“Into You,” the new single by married singer-songwriters Marc Jordan and Amy Sky, is just such a wonder. Written in 1999 as a song for the hard-working pair to duet on during one of their rare shows together, it’s only now seeing the light of day in recorded form—ironically, as an appetizer for a tandem concert tour they’re undertaking as a rare treat for their fans. But no matter the era or context, the song is a showcase for the writing skills the duo have honed crafting hits for the likes of Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Chicago, Olivia Newton-John, Heart, Reba McEntire, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Cher, and Cyndi Lauper. Just as important, it’s a testament to why they work so splendidly as singing partners when they can manage it. Whether they’re trading lines or doubling up, Jordan’s jazz-trained voice meshes perfectly with Sky’s earthier, more intuitive approach as they lob mutual-appreciation tributes like “You tattooed your name on my skin/ And I can’t get back if I wanted to.”
“If you look at the lyrics and you know our writing styles, you can see who wrote what,” Jordan says. “I like to write with visual metaphors like ‘I see the signs/ I know that Jupiter aligns with Mars/ It’s clear to me our destiny was written in the stars/ and gravity is pulling you closer to me.’ And Amy uses more personal, interior language: ‘And I breathe you out and I breathe you in/ I don’t know where you stop and baby I begin.’”
The couple says the tune was influenced by their shared love of Southern California rock, but it also has an alt/roots feel that’s held up nicely over the years. The minor tonalities are met by refreshingly dark timbres, with some full-bodied acoustic guitar playing against electrics whose trebly bite keeps the lyrical theme of undying devotion from coming across as particularly saccharin.
In a further irony, this paean to simpatico-hood was written at a time when Jordan and Sky were spending plenty of time apart. Sure, they would write together incessantly, but when it came to taking performing gigs, they agreed that someone always had to be home to look after their then-young offspring. And there was another, just as sensible reason for them to maintain somewhat of a professional distance.
“One of the reasons we’ve had a long and successful marriage is that we’re in the same business but in very different departments,” Sky says. “We write with many of the same people, but we try not to collaborate too much. We aim to be a support to each other, rather than being the person causing you work problems.”
They’ve certainly racked up enough successes on their own. Jordan’s forays into jazz/pop won him a Juno Award in 1993 for his record Reckless Valentine and a nomination for 2019’s Both Sides, while Sky explored New Age/spiritual terrain with Olivia Newton-John on albums like Grace and Gratitude and Christmas Wish.
When they overcame their misgivings about working too closely together long enough to record and release 2022’s He Sang She Sang, the results were just as stellar. Boasting their renditions of classics like “Free Fallin’” and “Always on My Mind” plus five original compositions, the album was nominated for “Best Adult Contemporary Album” at the 2023 Junos. It also got plenty of radio and streaming play, appearing on many highly ranked playlists.
Now they’re taking the show on the road via a tour of Southern Ontario —their first road jaunt together since 2016—with “Into You” freshly rescued from their archives as an extra, non-album inducement. Dates are as follows:
May 1 Kingston – Grand Theatre
May 3 Orillia – Opera House
May 4 Milton – First Ontario Arts Centre
May 5 London – Aeolian Hall
May 6 Peterborough – Showplace Performance Centre
May 7 Ancaster – Memorial Arts Centre – Peller Hall
May 9 Oshawa – Regent Theatre
May 10 Meaford – Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre
May 11 Guelph – River Run Centre
May 13 St. Catharines – Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
As their touring keyboardist and opening act, Jordan and Sky have enlisted their son, Ezra Jordan, now a singer-songwriter based in Nashville. Yes, he’s one of the two children the couple were so careful to mind back when “Into You” was new. And now their audience gets to see the benefits of growing up with at least one highly musical parent in the household at all times.
“Even though everyone in the family is a musician, I can count the number of times we’ve all played together in a professional capacity on one hand,” says Ezra (who also contributed keys and backing vocals to He Sang She Sang.) “I feel very grateful to have the chance to work with my parents not just as a family member, but as a peer, and to get the chance to stretch my creative muscles in a variety of ways that so few gigs can offer.”
To his mom, the tour is the capper to a recording/performing campaign that’s been a true labor of love between her and her husband—one that might not be repeated any time soon.
“We are both very busy with our own projects, so we may never do an album together again,” Sky says. “This will be a unique opportunity for people to hear us together.”
He’s the One: R&B/Jazz guitarist Blake Aaron scores his third Billboard No. 1 single from the “Love and Rhythm” album that dropped on Friday.
The timing was serendipitous. After four weeks of hanging out in the second spot on the Billboard singles chart, R&B/jazz guitarist Blake Aaron’s “She’s the One” claimed the No. 1 position days prior to the release of his new Innervision Records album, “Love and Rhythm,” which arrived on Friday (April 19). The soulful and sensual midtempo instrumental groove that he wrote with Adam Hawley and Carnell Harrell and was produced by Hawley captured the top spot on four charts simultaneously: Billboard, Mediabase, Radiowave and Smooth Jazz Network. “She’s the One” is Aaron’s third Billboard No. 1 single from “Love and Rhythm,” the guitarist’s seventh album.
It’s been said that whenever Aaron releases an album, it’s essentially a greatest hits collection because he traditionally issues a handful of Billboard chart-topping singles before bundling them as an album. That thesis definitely proves true for “Love and Rhythm.” The ten tracker scored three Billboard No. 1 singles - “Dreamland,” “Feels So Right” and “She’s the One” – and one No. 3 hit, “Crush,” even before the album was released.
“Love and Rhythm” is a project centered on Aaron’s ardent joy for making music that explores and experiments with a variety of genres and rhythms. The songs on the new album, all penned by Aaron, are energetically groovy, vibrantly melodic, and guided by the fretman’s adept and agile guitar play. The settings traverse contemporary and Brazilian jazz, fusion, R&B, worldbeat, pop and dance music.
Aaron utilizes an accomplished ensemble of hitmakers and first-call session players to illuminate “Love and Rhythm.” Multi-time Billboard chart-toppers Hawley and Greg Manning produced the album with Aaron and they deployed layers of dynamic and dramatic horn section (David Mann, Trevor Neumann, Donald Hayes, Michael Stever, Bob Mintzer, Jimmy Reid, Andrew Neu and Nick Lane) parts throughout the record. In addition to Manning’s skilled hand on keys, Harnell and Tateng Katindig contributed keyboards and piano. The all-important rhythms were crafted by drummers Eric Valentine, Tony Moore and Will Kennedy and bassists Mel Brown, Alex Al and Hussain Jiffry.
There are more singles – and more hits - to come from “Love and Rhythm,” an album of the year contender that Aaron will support with concert dates through the end of the year. He’ll hit the stage with his band for gigs in Milford, CT this Saturday (April 20), the Los Angeles area where he is based (May 4 and June 28), Houston (May 11), London, England (May 23), the Netherlands (May 24-26), the San Diego Jazz Festival (June 22), San Antonio (July 19), Charlotte (August 16), and Branford, CT (August 22). Aaron was recently added to the star-studded Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival on October 11. Additional shows will be added to the itinerary.
To date, Aaron has collected seven Billboard No. 1 singles as a solo artist plus three more as a producer. For more information, please visit https://www.blakeaaron.com.
“With Aaron’s outrageously dexterous playing…‘Love and Rhythm’ will without doubt be one of the best smooth jazz albums of 2024.” – Smooth Jazz Therapy
“Rarely do you find a guitarist who creates an album with such meticulousness as Blake Aaron… every listener will find something valuable for their personal taste.” – Smooth Jazz Daily
A “Blue” tribute: Urban-Jazz saxophonist Reggie Codrington remembers his late father with “Three Shades of Blue,” the first single from the forthcoming “The Ray Codrington Signature Collection.”
There would be no music career for soprano saxophonist Reggie Codrington had it not been for his father, trumpeter Ray Codrington. Born with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy that required nine major surgeries even before the saxman was a teenager, Ray found a small, curved saxophone that made it physically possible for Reggie to play the instrument. After Ray succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease last May, Reggie decided to pay tribute by recording one of his father’s favorite compositions, “Three Shades of Blue,” a song that Ray wrote and performed in his live sets, but never recorded. The urban-jazz single produced by Phil Davis (Boney James, Alex Bugnon, Al Jarreau) is now collecting radio airplay and Spotify spins.
Ray Codrington was a professional musician who played with Little Richard, Gladys Knight and Jackie Wilson. His son was ten years-old when the trumpeter composed “Three Shades of Blue.” Reggie remembers seeing his father perform the song with the North Carolina Symphony. A prolific composer, recording “Three Shades of Blue” was one of Ray’s long-held desires, which was unfinished business upon his passing. He left a wealth of original music that he never got around to recording. Reggie has made recording music from his father’s songbook a personal mission, honoring his father’s legacy by creating “The Ray Codrington Signature Series.” “Three Shades of Blue” is the first single from the forthcoming collection.
“Seeing the joy on my father’s face when he performed this song provoked the desire for me to record it. My father penned a lot of music, but ‘Three Shades of Blue’ was significant because it was a schematic of his life. After his earthly transition, this song became a signature selection in my heart. He told me that this song explained the various transitions his life encountered. I was able to embody this song by looking at my life and determining from birth to now, that my life has been the epitome of 'Three Shades of Blue,'” said Reggie Codrington, who is based in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Davis crafted the ethereal groove by playing all the instruments surrounding Reggie’s poignant melodic soprano sax phrases and heartfelt solo, the latter to which the producer responds by issuing an elegant piano solo.
After studying music at Howard University, Reggie Codrington debuted in 1990 with “Never Let You Go,” the first of eleven albums released to date. Throughout the years, Ray maintained a regular presence at Reggie’s recording sessions, including during the tracking of last year’s “Light,” Reggie’s single that peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard chart. Although Ray wasn’t physically present during the “Three Shades of Blue” recording date, Reggie felt his father’s presence.
“Feeling Dad's presence in the studio caused me to reflect on when he would be beside me while recording. Recording my part was melodic, smooth, and colorful. As I experienced the presence of my father in the studio booth with me, my solo became a symphonic conversation between my father and me. I could hear him playing his horn licks and making his musical suggestions. After one of my recording takes, my studio engineer, Andy Pow, allowed me to hear the playback. Previously, my father would be the one writing out notes for me to play and providing creative ideas for me to try, in hopes of creating a musical experience for the listener. I took that exchange with Andy and reworked a portion of my solo realizing that my father was still giving me his insight through others in the studio,” shared Reggie, who has performed for President Barak Obama, recorded with Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr. and Nils; and opened for Ramsey Lewis, Charlie Wilson, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Peabo Bryson, Kenny Latimore, Kim Waters and Kevin Toney.
There’s a lot of Ray’s music for Reggie to sift through as he curates and records “The Ray Codrington Signature Series” over the next year or two. Reggie Codrington is excited about preserving his father’s works while introducing his father’s music to new audiences, beginning with “Three Shades of Blue.”
“Funny to note, I never knew how much blue was in my closet until I recorded this song,” Reggie said ebulliently.
For more information, please visit https://www.reggiecodrington.com.
Jazz Trumpet Maestro Lin Rountree Releases New Single “A Little Closer”
LIN: Get ready to groove to my new single “A Little Closer” which hit C-Jazz radio a few weeks ago! Teaming up with Greg Manning was pure fire 🔥🔥. We brought back that 70’s vibe with tight horn arrangements and soulful melodies, creating a fun and laid-back track. When you catch it on the radio, let it lift your spirits and get you moving! Trust me, this collab is a must-listen.
Tour Dates
Saturday, May 18 @ 3:00pm
Algarve Smooth Jazz Festival, Algarve, PT, PT
Saturday, June 1 @ 12:00pm
Weber Point Event Center, Stockton, CA
Sunday, June 2 @ 12:00pm
Hyatt Newport Beach Jazz Festival, Newport Beach, CA
Saturday, June 8 @ 5:30pm
Centennial Terrace, Sylvania, OH
Saturday, June 15 @ 6:00pm
Mercer County Park, Windsor, NJ
Saturday, June 22 @ 6:00pm
Smooth Chicago Jazz, Rosemont, IL
Friday, June 28 @ 6:30pm
Jefferson Center, Roanoke, VA
Saturday, July 6 @ 7:00pm
WGIII Productions pres. Horns and Keys, Louisville, KY
Sunday, July 7 @ 4:00pm
Ocean City Jazz Festival, North Topsail Beach, NC
Source: Lin Rountree
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com