On Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we remember the civil rights leader's most famous speech, and King's remarkable legacy. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He gave the "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963 to 250,000 people who marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that created a federal holiday to honor King, celebrated on the third Monday in January.
On Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, we remember the civil rights leader's most famous speech, and King's remarkable legacy. He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta. He gave the "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963 to 250,000 people who marched to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that created a federal holiday to honor King, celebrated on the third Monday in January.
Video
http://www.insideedition.com/media/videos/remembering-martin-luther-king-jrs-famed-i-have-dream-39793
We're so excited about this performance we simply had to send it to you. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats made their late night television debut last night performing "S.O.B." on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
As Jimmy Fallon said, "If you believe in soul... if you believe in rock n roll... if you believe in performing your guts out... Enjoy the band on our show tonight."
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats debut album is out August 21st on Stax Records.
"This is a homecoming in more ways than one," Kenny Wayne Shepherd says of Goin' Home, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band's debut on Concord Records. "I felt like I was retracing my steps and reliving all the good times that I've had in my life because of this music. And hopefully, that amount of happiness comes through on the album." Order Goin' Home from amazon.com
In a 20-year recording career that began when he was just 16, Shepherd has established himself as an immensely popular recording artist, a consistently in-demand live act and an influential force in a worldwide resurgence of interest in the blues. Now, the five-time GRAMMY® nominee delivers one of his most personal projects to date with Goin' Home, his eighth album and his first to be recorded in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Recorded in a mere 11 days, Goin' Home finds Shepherd revisiting a dozen of the vintage blues classics that first ignited his love of the blues and inspired him to play guitar. The artist's sharp interpretive skills and sublime guitar work shine on his renditions of tunes originally popularized by such blues icons as B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
Goin' Home-which continues in the spirit of Shepherd's widely acclaimed 2007 album/film project 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads-came together when Shepherd decided to take advantage of an 11-day gap in his touring schedule. "Everybody was originally gonna fly home and have a break," he recalls, "but I saw it as an opportunity to make some music. I had been looking for songs and preparing to make a record like this, so I asked the guys in the band for some more song suggestions and we rerouted the tour bus down to Louisiana."
The process of choosing material for the project allowed Shepherd to relive some of his earliest musical epiphanies. "I dug through tons and tons of songs and artists' catalogues, trying to find songs that I thought would be right for this record," he explains. "That brought back all these distinct memories of sitting in the living room in front of the record player and cassette deck as a kid and learning how to play this material."
The fact that the album was recorded in Shreveport, where Shepherd had come of age musically but had never actually recorded, raised the project's emotional intensity. "Being in Shreveport really brought me back, and being surrounded by my family and the music that I cut my teeth on brought up a lot of vivid memories."
Although Shreveport didn't have a world class recording studio when Shepherd was growing up, the city is now home to Blade Studios, the celebrated facility run by respected drummer/producer Brady Blade, who's renowned for his work with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Dave Matthews. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of American Blues, Shepherd and his band-singer Noah Hunt, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, former Firm bassist Tony Franklin and keyboardist Riley Osbourn-cut 22 songs, with no studio trickery and minimal overdubbing.
"We did it the way records used to be recorded," Shepherd explains. "Everything, including the vocals, was basically cut live in the studio with everybody in the same room, with the instruments all bleeding together onto two-inch tape. I wanted to record these songs in the same spirit in which they were originally recorded, so the 11-day time frame was self-imposed. That put pressure on everybody to get it right the first time, and I had the utmost confidence in everyone's abilities and knowledge."
Also lending a hand on the project are several talented friends who shared Shepherd's enthusiasm for Goin' Home's back-to-basics concept. Those include fellow guitar icons Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb' Mo' and Robert Randolph, longtime friend Ringo Starr, Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson, the Rebirth Brass Band and co-producer Blade's father, Pastor Brady Blade Sr., who lends a bracing dose of preaching to Shepherd's version of Bo Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover."
"Everybody who performed on the record shared my passion, appreciation and respect for this music, but they're also all good friends of mine," Shepherd notes. "It was all pretty casual; I'd just run into people and ask if they wanted to be a part of it, and every one of them contributed something significant to the record.
"I feel like I've matured a lot as a musician," Shepherd concludes. "My purpose for making music is the same as it ever was, but I've also learned a lot over the years. Less can be more. The great blues musicians who originally moved me didn't always have to burn up the neck of the guitar by playing a bunch of notes. They knew how to play the right note at the right time, in a way that just pierces you right to your heart. That was an important lesson, and it's my goal to move people in that same way that my role models moved me."
The evolution continues: saxman Jackiem Joyner releases “Evolve”
Genre-blurring saxophonist Jackiem Joyner stretches his R&B, jazz, hip-hop, funk and gospel alchemy to imaginative dimensions on “Evolve,” his fifth album that was released today by Artistry Music. With his sweet and sticky sax melodies and impassioned horn play front and center, Joyner’s intricate rhythms and audacious soundscapes are equally present day and futuristic. Case in point: the set’s opener and first radio single, “Generation Next,” featuring Joyner and his band ripping through an edgy funk groove with soulful horn harmonies and distorted electric guitar. Order Evolve from amazon.com
“Evolve” is the first album that the award-winning Billboard chart-topper wrote and produced entirely on his own. Joyner has always had a knack for crafting catchy R&B-pop melodies and his deft touch with honeyed harmonies remains. What changed are the inventive rhythms and textured tracks he’s constructed under his gentle yet ardent horn work. The outer orbital backdrop stands in striking contrast to the organic sound of his sax. Recorded live with Joyner’s touring band, “Evolve” features high-profile contributions from Gerald Albright - Joyner’s Grammy-nominated sax idol while growing up - on “Big Step” and Keiko Matsui - with whom Joyner often tours – who adds haunting keyboard hues to “Europa.”
Joyner, who has a busy concert itinerary in June and July to support “Evolve,” will celebrate the record release at a May 10 concert at Spaghettini in Seal Beach just south of Los Angeles. To get a taste of his live shows, a performance clip of Joyner & Company performing “Generation Next” was released
Below is a sampling of some of the initial album reviews:
“Evolve is a dynamic, rhythmic, and harmonically rich experience.” – All Music Guide
“With Evolve, Jackiem Joyner elevates his game to the next level to stand alongside some of the finest contemporary saxophone players and deservedly so.” – Critical Jazz
“Saxophonist Jackiem Joyner is far from complacent and staid in his sound and style, and on his latest album, Evolve, he offers us a well-rounded, ripened and highly-rhythmic performance that is full (of) adventurous surprises.” – Hill Rag
“Jackiem Joyner has evolved and is a force to be reckoned with. Welcome to his new world” - ABYSSJazz
“The album, with eleven original and self-produced tracks, certainly exemplifies Joyner’s evolution as an artist, performer and saxophonist and so far, stands out as one of the most diverse and interesting projects to be released this year.”- Teen Jazz
“Someone not afraid to stretch the limits of what urban contemporary jazz can be while still delivering music that is massively accessible.” – Smooth Jazz Therapy
”With Evolve, Jackiem Joyner reveals the willingness and ability to share his talent with other sax legends at the forefront of smooth jazz. It's up to promoters and listeners to become familiar with this great genius.” – SmoothJazz Daily
“It’s been a most delightful and illustrious journey for Joyner since his discovery by saxman Richard Elliot and trumpeter Rick Braun years ago. As he continues on his clear path, he continues to shine and impress. Evolve takes yet another step down that path.” – The Smooth Jazz Ride
“A journey of songs through the evolution of Jackiem Joyner, this is an artist displaying his progression through his work and it is indeed a treasure to know that with each and every project that comes from this musician his continued contributions to the jazz world is worth the wait.” – Smooth Jazz Magazine
"Rock 'n' roll and jazz share so many of the same artistic bloodlines that it's remarkable the two don't fuse more often into the kind of inspired marriage of visceral clout and intellectual savvy conjured by the singer, songwriter and saxophonist Curtis Stigers." - New York Times
The lines between different genres of music continue to blur, and on Curtis Stigers lastest CD, Hooray for Love, the fusion of rock n' roll, blues, r&b and jazz continue to meld.
Hooray for Love is Curtis Stigers' eleventh album which includes classics from the Great American Songbook including such gems from the repertoire as George and Ira Gershwin's "Love is Here to Stay," Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight," and "If I Were A Bell," from Guys and Dolls, as well as three songs written or co-written by Stigers, including the title track, "Hooray For Love," "Give Your Heart to Me," and "A Matter of Time." Of his new album, Stigers comments, "On almost all of my Concord records, I've done a standard or two and lot of songs by modern songwriters. This time around, I've flipped it and recorded mostly standards with a few modern songs."
A seamless combination of old and new songs, a classic pop album recorded with jazz musicians and a jazz sensibility, Hooray for Love is a celebration of this universal human condition. "I set out for this album to be like an old Nat King Cole record from the 50's. I've had a lot of people ask me to do more standards, not critics or record companies, but friends. So, I had a running list of songs that I love and have always wanted to record. This time it really made sense."
As with most of Stigers' recordings, he is very comfortable juxtaposing standards with modern songs. In addition to the songs penned by Stigers, Hooray for Love also includes a Steve Earle song called "Valentine's Day," included because, as Stigers notes, "I like songs with stories that are told from a point of view of someone that is flawed, and this narrator is, although he ultimately redeems himself with some very romantic wordplay. I think that, while it's important to keep the Great American Songbook alive, it's equally important to be open to adding to it."
"The guy in this song clearly has been in love and knows what love is, and perhaps he's still in love, but he's lost her. That's what makes it so heartbreaking. My favorite line is: 'You don't know how hearts burn for love that cannot live but never dies.' It takes my breath away."
Mindi Abair is one of the most dynamic performers on the music scene today. In addition to her acclaimed solo work, she was the featured saxophonist on the 2011 and 2012 seasons of American Idol, jammed with Paul Shaffer on the Late Show with David Letterman and joined rock legends Aerosmith for their 2012 summer tour. More recently, the powerhouse saxophonist/vocalist received a 2014 GRAMMY nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Summer Horns, a #1 recording with her friends Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot.
Several more friends join Abair on Wild Heart, her new album that includes guest performances by – and songwriting collaborations with – Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Booker T. Jones, Keb’ Mo’, Trombone Shorty, Max Weinberg, Waddy Wachtel and others. Produced by Abair and Los Angeles production trio The Decoders, Wild Heart is set for release May 27 on Heads Up, a division of Concord Music Group.
“I’ve had all these friends in rock ’n’ roll and pop for so many years. I’ve been a part of their music and careers, but I never quite knew how they could fit into my career.” Abair says. “I’ve worked hard to write songs that had more of an organic spirit about them – a little more rock ‘n’ roll, a little more soul, and a lot more abandon.”
Order Offiong Bassey from amazon.com Introducing you to the music of singer-songwriter-poet Offiong Bassey (www.OffiongBassey.com) is a privilege. Her self-titled global soul debut album signals the arrival of a cross-cultural artist of substance and breadth with a unique perspective and heritage. The Boston-born woman of Nigerian parents sings, raps and chants stories and commentary in English, Pidgin English and Efik, her native tongue, immersed in earthy body-moving Afro-Peruvian rhythms amidst R&B harmonies, danceable funk, jazz intonations, divinely-illumined gospel and colorful Nigerian Ekombi. The CD that will be released February 4th, after a limited release last year debuted at #2 on the CMJ New World Music chart, reached #4 on the SoulTracks chart and garnered a full-page feature in the Boston Globe.
Bassey authored the eleven multicultural songs that make up “Offiong Bassey,” which was produced by Blethy Emmanuel Tiegnon of the Ivory Coast. Authentic through and through, she recorded with African musicians, percussionists and vocalists as well as players from Mali, Morocco and other parts of the world. With lyrics rooted in traditional African storytelling along with modern day Western sensibilities, a pair of cuts will be worked at radio. Calling “Legitimate Child” one of her most important songs, Bassey sings over an invigorating Calypso workout about the value and worth of every human being in the eyes of our Creator no matter the circumstances of their birth and what they have or do not have. The celebratory “Conclusion” is her foray into Afrobeats that pays homage to countryman Fela Kuti, a pioneer of the genre and one of her musical influences.
After recently selling out a show at Boston’s famed Scullers Jazz Club, Bassey, a Yale graduate blessed with a name that means “God’s moon,” is eager to tour leading into the recording of an unplugged album this spring.
In 1968, Eric Clapton
was at a crossroads. A virtuoso lead guitarist and the crown prince of
heavy rock, with Cream he had quickly risen to the very pinnacle of
popular music's hierarchy. Yet his exposure to the work of American
mavericks The Band led him to lose faith in his own group, and to embark
on a bold musical journey across the following decade.
This film, from the makers of Eric Clapton - The 1960s Review, follows
Clapton's journey through the seventies, from his immersion in musical
collectives such as Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and Derek and the
Dominos, through his re-emergence in 1974 as a phenomenally successful
solo artist and onwards across a series of critically acclaimed albums
and tours in the latter half of the decade which cemented EC's
reputation as not just an extraordinary musician but as a composer of
majestic material and a performer of quite startling intensity.
Featuring
new and archive interviews, rare performance footage, contributions
from the likes of Bonnie Bramlett, Bobby Whitlock, The Albert Brothers ,
George Terry, Willie Perkins, Bill Halverson, Clapton biographer Marc
Roberty and more, plus a host of other features.
Bassist,
vocalist, composer and bandleader Esperanza Spalding has just
released “We Are America,” a new music video highlighting the injustice
of prolonged indefinite detention at the prison at Guantánamo
Bay:
Spalding
says she was motivated by nagging concerns that grew as she was on tour
with her band. “It was the first time I heard about the hunger strike. I
was touring in Europe, and I was appalled and embarrassed about what
was happening.
When I returned home, I remember I started researching online to see
what I could do about it, and I saw that I could download this action
pack. With that you had some important info to use to call your
representative. And I did, I did call my representative
and Senators. In fact, I got a letter back from one Senator who
basically said that she was not going to proactively deal with it but
that they would ‘keep my comments in mind', or something like that. But I
really wanted to do more. And my band actually came
to me first and said they wanted to do something too.”
Next
week, the U.S. Senate can take a major step toward closing Guantanamo
by passing this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). To
email your Senators now and tell them to vote “No” on any amendments to
the Guantanamo provisions
in the NDAA:
“A vivid experience…I sat there watching and just wiping tears away… tears of joy.” —Herbie Hancock
The Girls in the Band is a documentary about female jazz and big band instrumentalists that
chronicles their inspired journeys and struggles for recognition from the late 1920s to the present
day. The film will be screening for one week beginning May 10 at the Elinor Bunin Munroe
Film Center at Lincoln Center. Written and directed by Judy Chaikin and executive produced
by Michael Greene, who are also the film’s producers, The Girls in the Band is being hailed as a
“real crowd-pleaser” by Variety and “extraordinary” by The Hollywood Reporter. The film won
the Audience Choice Awards at the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Victoria Film Festival and
the Omaha Film Festival as well as the Best Music Documentary Award at DocUtah Film
Festival. The film has also screened at many other festivals including the Atlanta Film Festival,
the Dubai International Film Festival, the Cleveland International Film Festival and the
Washington D.C. International Film Festival. Screen Daily International declared The Girls in
the Band to be “a fascinating, moving and wonderfully tuneful documentary.” Tickets go on sale
April 25 at http://www.filmlinc.com/pages/tickets; please see below for complete screening
schedule. More info on the film can be found at: http://www.thegirlsintheband.com/home/.
Combining archival footage and interviews with musicians including drummer Viola Smith,
saxophonists Roz Cron, bassist Carline Ray and trumpeter Clora Bryant, Chaikin explores how
even in the face of extreme prejudice, sexism and racism these women helped shape the history
of American music and bravely challenged the racial barriers that prevented white and black
musicians from working together. The film also reveals how female jazz musicians of today,
including Maria Schneider, Anat Cohen, Sherrie Maricle and Esperanza Spalding, are continuing
to build upon the talent and courage of their predecessors.
Judy Chaikin, a graduate of AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, first came to recognition
when she wrote, produced and directed the 1987 Emmy-nominated PBS documentary Legacy of
the Hollywood Blacklist. In 2004 she received her second Emmy nomination for the
documentary Building on a Dream. Chaikin has also worked on the ABC series “FBI: The
Untold Stories,” the CBS Movie of the Week Stolen Innocence and the PBS documentary Los
Pastores. Michael Greene is President and CEO of Artist Tribe and previously served for 15
years as the President/CEO of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
(GRAMMY AWARDS) where he founded the Grammy Educational Foundation and The
Musicares Foundation, providing financial grants and assistance to music professionals in need.
THE GIRLS IN THE BAND LINCOLN CENTER SCREENING SCHEDULE
May 10, 11:00AM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 10, 1:00 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 10, 3:00 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 10, 5:00 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 10, 9:15 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 11 – 16, 11:30 AM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 11 – 16, 2:00 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 11 – 16, 4:30 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 11 – 16, 7:00 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
May 11 – 16, 9:30 PM The Beale Theater at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center New York, NY
Premiere Screening
May 10, 7:15 PM Walter Reade Theater (Invitation Only) New York, NY
“Just Keep Holding On” goes to radio while a “Summer Rain” perfume permeates the horizon
The way Jeanette Harris sees it, summer rain is sensual, an ideal
backdrop for love at first sight. Oozing saxuality, she wrote and
produced her fourth album, Summer Rain, as the soul-jazz soundtrack for romance. To enhance the experience, she created a Summer Rain
perfume that will be available soon after the record is released April
2nd on J&M Records. A mid-tempo R&B sax and guitar groove, “Just
Keep Holding On” will arrive at radio ahead of the storm forecasters
expect to generate steadily growing showers of airplay accompanied by
warm winds of critical praise.
Summer Rain features Harris, who was
classically trained on both saxophone and piano, playing alto sax,
flute, keyboards and drum programming. She wrote or co-wrote eleven new
songs and recorded a moving rendition of Luther Vandross’ classic “Here
& Now.” Her rainmakers are producer-songwriter-keyboardist Chuck
Cymone, guitarist Darrell Crooks, keyboardists and drum programmers
George Freeman and Andrew Dorsette, saxophonist Marcus Anderson, soul
crooner Joel Bowers, and Harris’ brother, Michael, who contributed as a
producer and songwriting partner. Harris has an amiable relationship
with melodies and is capable of crafting compelling cosmopolitan
grooves, instantly appealing hooks, sultry, cuddle-up close urban
ballads, funky rhythm tracks, throbbing electronic dance floor fillers,
and gospel-tinged inspirationals. She sagely lets her sax emote in the
service of the song with the horn moving the narrative along free from
grandstand theatrics.
“The music of Summer Rain is all about a
positive vibe. It’s about staying in love - never falling out of love,
feeling good, being faithful and always following a positive route.
Great things have happened for me in the last year. I’ve learned what’s
really important in life – my family and my music,” shared Harris, who
already has a dozen concert dates booked this spring to support the
album release with more to be added.
As for the “Summer Rain” fragrance, she said, “I've been working on this
project for a few months and finally came up with a scent that I'm
digging. I love perfume and I think people of all ages will enjoy my
smooth, sensual perfume, which adds another dimension to the love
story."
Harris spent a year playing in Teena Marie’s band in the final year
before the legendary R&B vocalist passed away. She credits her stint
with Marie for teaching her how to be “a strong, professional female
leader.” The Fresno, CA-born and based musician earned a scholarship to
attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Harris landed on the
Billboard charts with her version of Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do,” which
appeared on her third album, Saxified (2010).
Last year, she co-penned a track, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” with
Grammy-winning guitarist Norman Brown for his Grammy-nominated
collection of duets, “24/7,” with saxophonist Gerald Albright. On stage,
Harris has impressed on U.S. shores and at festivals in Europe and
Japan - whether she was backing R&B vocalists Howard Hewett and
Deniece Williams or playing her own set opening for Babyface, KEM, Phil
Perry, Kirk Whalum, Najee and The Rippingtons.
Activist Singer's 80th Birthday Celebrated During Black History Month
* * * * *
"I think she was the greatest female artist of the 20th century" – Elton John
"I
always loved the passion in her voice. She’s inspired me as a composer,
a pianist, a singer and as a woman with a voice." – Alicia Keys
" Nina Simone’s impact on both jazz and culture will remain monumental; there was simply no one like her.." - Bonnie Raitt
"She
was ahead of her time as a concert-level piano player who sang, wrote
and spoke her mind…I aspire to be more like her." – india.arie
* * * * *
Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of
Sony Music Entertainment, commemorates the life and music of
Nina Simone
on the occasion
of the singer's 80th birthday and celebrates the iconic High Priestess
of Soul as the label's Artist of the Month for February 2013.
Nina
Simone, who would've turned 80 on February 21, was a strong and vocal
civil rights advocate who carried the message of universal rights and
personal empowerment, freedom, equality
and dignity throughout her career. Whether it was political or
emotional or personal, she never failed to tell the truth through her
music.
One
of the most powerful and uncompromising artists of the 20th century,
Nina Simone was a natural talent who developed into a virtuosic
performer--an ineffable song stylist with concert
hall piano skills and a transcendental on-stage presence. Singer,
songwriter, arranger, and pianist, Nina wove classical, blues, jazz,
pop, rock, R&B, folk, gospel, torch songs and world music into a
body of work as eclectic as it is incomparable.
She
began her career as a recording artist in 1958 with her version of "I
Loves You, Porgy," from George and Ira Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," her
first US chart success, and made more
than 40 albums before her death, at 70, in France on April 21, 2003.
In 2008, Legacy Recordings released
To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story,
a deluxe four-disc (three CDs + DVD) box set that stands as the most
comprehensive and wide-ranging collection of Nina Simone’s music ever
compiled. Containing 51 audio tracks – eight of them previously
unreleased – the collection covered her recording years
from 1957 to 1993 for the Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA (for whom she
cut nine LPs that are considered the pinnacle of her output), CTI, and
Elektra record labels, plus another nine performances on the 23-minute
documentary DVD.
"Nina
Simone was one of those controversial figures American pop music puts
forward from time to time," wrote Ed Ward in his liner notes for
To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story.
"To see this African-American woman get angry about the racial
situation in her country, right there
on stage, was a shock to people who’d come to hear her sing 'I Loves
You, Porgy.' Not that she cared; she figured that it was the artist’s
job to deliver the truth, and if the truth hurt, so be it. Of course,
events wound up proving her right, but she never
stopped being prickly about one thing or another. It was just part of
who she was, and part of why her music has endured while that of some of
her contemporaries has faded: she’s still contemporary."
Nadje Noordhuis, Australian Jazz Musician, Celebrates Release of Debut Album on Australia Day
On
Saturday, January 26, fall in love with Australian-born
trumpeter/composer Nadje Noordhuis at Culture Project in the East
Village. Nadja will be celebrating not only Australian Day, but also
the release of her long-awaited self-titled album, delivering a decade
of tailoring every note with care and perfection. The audience will be
seduced with lush romanticism, elegant melodies and pulsating
improvisation that are influenced by a range of genres such as Irish
folk, tango and film scores.
As
a special addition to our evening, fellow Australian songstress Jo
Lawry will be our highly anticipated opening act. Lawry is currently
touring with the legendary, world-renowned musician Sting.
All ticket holders will receive a complimentary digital copy of Nadje's self-titled record.
A very Happy New Year year to all the visitors of the JazzHQ blog, Facebook and Twitter. I'm 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.
Genre-blurring saxophonist Jackiem Joyner stretches his R&B, jazz, hip-hop, funk and gospel alchemy to imaginative dimensions on “Evolve,” his fifth album that was released today by Artistry Music. With his sweet and sticky sax melodies and impassioned horn play front and center, Joyner’s intricate rhythms and audacious soundscapes are equally present day and futuristic. Case in point: the set’s opener and first radio single, “Generation Next,” featuring Joyner and his band ripping through an edgy funk groove with soulful horn harmonies and distorted electric guitar. Order Evolve from amazon.com
Introducing you to the music of singer-songwriter-poet Offiong Bassey (www.OffiongBassey.com) is a privilege. Her self-titled global soul debut album signals the arrival of a cross-cultural artist of substance and breadth with a unique perspective and heritage. The Boston-born woman of Nigerian parents sings, raps and chants stories and commentary in English, Pidgin English and Efik, her native tongue, immersed in earthy body-moving Afro-Peruvian rhythms amidst R&B harmonies, danceable funk, jazz intonations, divinely-illumined gospel and colorful Nigerian Ekombi. The CD that will be released February 4th, after a limited release last year debuted at #2 on the CMJ New World Music chart, reached #4 on the SoulTracks chart and garnered a full-page feature in the Boston Globe. 
A very Happy New Year year to all the visitors of the JazzHQ blog, Facebook and Twitter. I'm pleased that you found your way here and grateful if you've done it more than once. 
