Les Nubians - "Nu Revolution" Full CD Stream - Release 4/19/11 #jazz

Full CD Stream
Les Nubians, who managed the difficult trick of scoring an urban radio hit with French language neo-soul have returned with another fantastic release. Les Nubians, consisting of two bi-cultural sisters from France, Hélène and Célia Faussart--were being hailed as one of the most appealing and innovative artists on the urban music scene world-wide. There followed a near gold-selling album, collaborations with the likes of Talib Kweli and the Red, Hot and Riot collective, and Grammy nominations. Then suddenly they seemed to disappear but all along they were busy refining their craft. Now Les Nubians return with Nü Revolution, their highly-anticipated third album to be released on April 19, 2011 by Shanachie Entertainment. It fully delivers on the promise of their breakthrough efforts with a relentlessly enchanting and energized mix
of R & B, hip-hop, African music and other world elements. "The main difference between this album and the others," muses Hélène Faussart, "is that Nü Revolution is more uptempo. This album is a celebration of life! We wanted to bring and spread this energy, this joy in a time of uncertainty." Indeed Nü Revolution may be the most impressive representation of Les Nubians' "Afropean Soul" to date.

Featuring special guests ranging from African music legend Manu Dibango, whose "Soul Makossa" crossover classic gets a politically charged make-over to indie soul icon Eric Roberson, with South African
pop stars Freshly Ground, Ghanian-American MC Blitz The Ambassador and Polish MC John Banzaï along for the ride. Somehow, Les Nubians manage to make the blend of so many diverse elements seem logical and organic; it flows quite naturally from their multicultural lives. The infectiously funky dance track "Afrodance" expresses this reality by celebrating hairstyles as an expression of personal style and cultural identity. "Your hair is a statement of who you are and how you live with your true nature," Célia Faussart notes. "That's why since the first album we insisted on bringing back natural Black hair by using traditional braids and hair-dos and dreadlocks because we need to embrace ourselves to the fullest. Our mother always said "natural is beautiful" but it's not easy to cope with everyday! And, yes, it is a political statement saying who we are and that we will not compromise. This message has been used by the same way during the
70's as a symbol of liberation, destruction of the old establishment and affirmation of identity."

"Déjà vu," with guest vocal by Eric Roberson tells of a man and woman meeting in a club while "Fraicheur Souhaitée (Freshness Desired)" presents romantic longing through a personals ad. Nü Revolution also
delivers provocative messages, as on "Femme Polyandre (Polyandrous Woman)." "Polyandrous woman" is the female version of a polygamous man," Les Nubians explain. "This idea came from a conversation between women friends where we were wondering if there was a word for it. Why some man could 'marry' several women and not the inverse? We also appreciate the different qualities in a variety of people! Women are naturally very complex. If you listen to the voices in their mind, you would be amazed! There is a joke saying that a woman needs three men: one for the money, one for romance and one for sex. The ideal
situation would be to have all those three men in one!"

The women of Les Nubians were shaped by many influences. Les Nubians has its genesis in a small town in the South West region of France where the Paris-born sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart lived as teenagers after returning from several years' residence with their parents in the African country of Chad. With a French father and a Cameroonian mother, Hélène and Célia experienced cultural dissonance in the rural Bordeaux region. After their father's death, Célia joined her sister in Bordeaux and they helped found a cultural collective, Les Nouveaux Griots, a "griot" being a traditional African storyteller and historian, all with the goal of increasing awareness of African and Urban cultures. A chance meeting with jazz legend Abbey Lincoln,
who encouraged the sisters to sing, led to the formation of Les Nubians. In the beginning they sang acapella due to their difficulty finding musicians who would back them. Their unique sound led to a recording deal with Virgin Records and in 1998 their debut album, Princesses Nubiennes was released in Europe, where initially it enjoyed only modest sales. But the albums innovative mix of hip hop, neo soul and African music found an audience in America and "Makeda" the first single from Princesses Nubiennes became an urban radio hit. The video for "Makeda" garnered heavy rotation on BET and VH-1 Soul while a DJ Spinna re-mix generated strong club play. Characterized by a marriage between Sade and Erykah Badu, "Makeda" was the right sound at the right time. Massive media attention, successful tours and a Grammy nomination followed as well as nominations for two NAACP Image Awards and two Soul Train Lady Of Soul Awards; one of which Les Nubians took home as 1999's winner for Best New Artist Group or Duo.

In 2003, Les Nubians released their second album One Step Forward a conscious evolution of their style. They sang more in English on this album, largely as a result of their American experiences, which made
them far more fluent in English." Restlessly creative, the sisters graced 2005 not with a new Les Nubians album but with a spoken word project that brought together talented spoken word artists under Les Nubians' umbrella. By now Les Nubians was in demand around the world as a performing act, which they felt fostered both personal and artistic growth--the fruit of which is revealed on Nü Revolution. Their pan-African vision remains as vibrant and clear as ever, as expressed on "Africa For The Future" from the new album.

"Africa is our past, present and future," Les Nubians asserts. This song is about accepting and rejoicing through our body and mind that Africa is vibrant and 10,000,000 times ALIVE! Africa FOR the future
also to say that we have to prepare the future of the continent. It's in the NOW that we create the future. ACTION time is NOW!!!"

Search Amazon.com Music for Les Nubians
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Brubeck, Botti, & More Set for Blue Note Jazz Festival, 6/1-30

In honor of its 30th anniversary, the Blue Note Jazz Club is opening its doors throughout New York City during the month of June for the inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival. More than 80 shows featuring many artists who have performed at the Blue Note for years will take the city by storm at this year's largest New York jazz festival. More than 60,000 tickets are available. Ticket information and a complete schedule of events are available on the official festival website, www.BlueNoteJazzFestival.com.

The festival will feature a diverse group of high-profile artists including Dave Brubeck, Chris Botti, Nancy Wilson, Bobby McFerrin, Brian Wilson, The Roots, Chaka Kahn, Roberta Flack, El Gran Combo, Jon Hendricks, Kathleen Battle, McCoy Tyner, Youssou N'Dour, Bill Frisell, Meshell Ndegeocello, Madeleine Peyroux and many more. In addition to presenting a special series of shows at the Blue Note, the club has scheduled shows at the Beacon Theatre, Town Hall, BB King Blues Club & Grill, Highline Ballroom, Terminal 5, Joe's Pub, Mercury Lounge, Rose Hall at Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, The Lehman Center for Performing Arts, and the Katonah Museum of Art.

"Thirty years ago, I never could have dreamed that the Blue Note would become what it is today," owner and operator Danny Bensusan said of his famed jazz club. "It wasn't easy to convince the artists to play here at first. We had help from some of the musicians who believed in what we were trying to do - Ray Brown and Dizzy Gillespie, in particular - and as we started bringing in bigger names, the reputation of the club grew. Once they played the Blue Note, they always wanted to come back, because there is an intimacy here between the audience and the musician that is appealing to everyone."

"To celebrate our 30th year, we're presenting musicians all over New York who have played the Blue Note since the beginning, as well as new ones who we hope will continue to come back for many years," Mr. Bensusan said of the festival. The Blue Note shows in particular will feature many of the club's long-time artists, like Jon Hendricks, who will be celebrating his 90th birthday, Lee Konitz, who performed at the Blue Note within the first few weeks of the club's opening, and Dave Brubeck among others.

While the Blue Note Jazz Festival celebrates the club's accomplishments and legendary artists, Mr. Bensusan believes the Blue Note's future success will come from exposing new artists, captivating new audiences and investing in jazz education. In light of this, the Blue Note Jazz Festival will include a series at the Mercury Lounge devoted to young up-and-coming artists in a variety of genres, as well as the new Spontaneous Construction Series at the Blue Note presented by Search & Restore, which pairs young, experimental artists together for the first time. Additionally, the Blue Note Jazz Festival will sponsor educational programs for the non-profit organization JazzReach and its "ELLINGTON!" program at the Highline Ballroom which will host hundreds of New York City Public School students each day over a period of three afternoons.

For Mr. Bensusan, the Blue Note Jazz Festival is a reflection of where the Blue Note has been, but most importantly, an indication of what lies ahead. "I'm proud that after 30 years, the Blue Note has become an important institution in New York and that with the Blue Note Jazz Festival, we are continuing to expand and work toward making the Blue Note as good as it can be."

About Blue Note

Since its inception in 1981, the Blue Note has become a cultural institution in New York and one of the premier jazz clubs in the world. Jazz is undoubtedly America's music, and while the Blue Note strives to celebrate the music's great history, the club is a place where progression and innovation - the foundation of jazz - are encouraged and practiced on a nightly basis. After 30 years of success, the Blue Note continues to carry the torch for jazz proudly.

Located at 131 W. 3rd St. between 6th Ave and McDougal St., in the heart of Greenwich Village, the Blue Note offers music every night at 8pm and 10:30pm. On Friday and Saturday nights at 12:30am, Blue Note hosts the Spontaneous Construction Series and the Late Night Groove Series, respectively. The Blue Note Brunch is held every Sunday with sets at 12:30pm and 2:30pm.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Upcoming New Jazz Releases - April 19 2011 #jazz

Al Jolson - Very Best Of ( )
Alex Pangman - 33 (Phantom )
Andy Snitzer - Traveler (Native Language Music )
Anita O'Day - Swing The Winners / At Mister Kellys ( )
Azimuth - Aurora (Phantom )
Bad Plus - Never Stop ( )
Beatnik Jazz Anthology - Beatnik Jazz Anthology (Phantom )
Becca Band Stevens - Weightless (Sunnyside Commu )
Becca Stevens - Weightless (Sunny Side )
Ben Waters - Boogie For Stu (Eagle Rock Media/Fontana )
Ben Waters - Boogie 4 Stu (Eagle )
Ben Webster - Ballads (Essential Jazz Album )
Bill Anschell - Figments (Origin )
Bill Dixon - Intents & Purposes: The Jazz Artistry Of Bill Dixon (International Phonograph )
Bill Dixon - Intents And Purposes (International Phonograph )
Bill Evans - Sharp Notes (Phantom )
Bill Orchestra Dixon - Intents & Purposes (International Phonograph )
Bill Ramsey - Ramsey Swings! 1958-99 (Bear Family )
Bill Ramsey - Ramsey Swings! 1958-1999 (Bear Family )
Blues-La Discotheque Ideale En 25 Albu - Blues-La Discotheque Ideale En 25 Albu (Phantom )
Canadian Jazz QRT - Brazilian Reflections (Phantom )
Canadian Jazz Quartet - Brazilian Reflections (Out )
Charles Trenet - Definitive (Phantom )
Coleman Hawkins - Saxes Inc ( )
Count Basie - On The Beatles (Disconforme )
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (Phantom )
Debbie Poryes - Two And Fro (OA2 )
Debbie Poryes & Bruce Williamson - Two & Fro (OA2 )
Dexter Gordon - Gotham City ( )
Duke Ellington - Early Years 2 ( )
Elemer Group Balazs - Memories (Phantom )
Ella Fitzgerald - Mack The Kinfe: Ella In Berlin ( )
Fats Waller - 20 Greatest Hits (JDC )
Garland / Keezer / Locke - Storms/Nocturnes (Origin )
Garrison / Kinsey / Novak / Tuncboyaciyan - Human Element (Abstract Logix )
Gary Novak - Human Element (Abstract Logix )
Geoffrey Keezer - Storms / Nocturnes (Origin )
George Lewis & His New Orleans Stompers - Vintage George Lewis 1954-55 (Phantom )
Greta Matassa - Live At Tula's (Jazz Stream ) - SACD
Harriet Tubman - Ascension (Sunny Side )
Harriet Tubman Band - Ascension (Sunnyside Commu )
Helen Merrill - Nearness Of You / Youve Got Date With The Blues ( )
Henry "The Skipper" Franklin - Soul Of The World (Skipper Productions )
Henry Franklin - Shanghai (SP )
Henry Franklin - Soul Of The World (Skipper Productions )
Hugh Hopper - Stolen Hour ( )
Jack Jezzro - Jazz Tastings: Light Jazz Guitar (Green Hill Productions )
James Brown - Please Please Please / Think ( )
Jazz Giants - Jazz Giants ( )
Jim Wilson - Sanctuary By The Sea (Green Hill Productions )
Joe Candullo - 1926-28 (Vintage Music Prod. )
Joe Candullo - 1926-1928 (Vintage Music Productions )
Joelle Leandre - Can You Hear Me-Live At The 'Ulrichsberger Kaleido (Leo Records -- City Hall -- )
Joelle Leandre - Can You Hear Me: Live At Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon ( )
John Coltrane - Complete Recordings ( )
Julie London - Julie Is Her Name (Boxstar Records )
Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnics - It's Time (Katalyst Entertainment )
Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio - It's Time (katalyst entertainment )
Katja Cruz - Mi Corazon (Leo )
La Vern Baker - La Vern / Rock & Roll ( )
Late Night Jazz - Late Night Jazz (Intro )
Laura Ann - Summer Samba (& Quatro Na Bossa) (Phantom )
Lee Gunness - Reckless Blues (GHB )
Lee Morgan - Midtown Blues (Phantom )
Liam Sillery - Priorite (OA2 )
Linda Ronstadt - What's New (Lim )
Lionel Hampton - Lionel Hampton In Paris (JDC )
Lou Donaldson - Sunny Side Up (CLASSIC )
Louis Armstrong - Live In Paris 65 ( )
Louis Armstrong - And The Good Book / Louis & The Angels ( )
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Best Of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Wounded Bird )
Mahavishnu Orchestra - Best Of Mahavishnu Orchestra (Wounded Bird )
Mathias Eick - Skala (Ecm )
Melissa Collard - In A Mellow Tone (Audiophile )
Metro - Live At The A-Trane ( )
Miles Jaye - Attenergy (Three Keys Music )
Mongo Santamaria - Afro Rhythm (Phantom )
Mort Weiss - Mort Weiss Meets Bill Cunliffe ( )
NDR Bigband - 21 Spices (MIG )
Nina Simone & Her Trio - My Baby Just Cares For Me ( )
Pee Wee Ellis - Tenoration (M.I.G. Music )
Peppy Prince - Dance Time (Phantom )
Prince Lasha / Sonny Simmons - Cry ( )
Putter Smith - Home (SP )
Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Mircacle ( )
Ralph Flanagan & His Orchestra - One Night Stand & Afrs All Star Parade Recordings (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Ralph Flanagan And His Orchestr - One Night Stand And Afrs All Star Parade Recordings (Sounds of Yester Year )
Roger Eno - Anatomy (Burning Shed )
Roy Eldridge - Swing Goes Dixie ( )
Sam Levine - Smooth Sax Romance (Green Hill Productions )
Samuel Blaser & Paul Motian - Consort In Motion (Kind Of Blue )
Samuel Blaser Quartet - Consort In Motion (Kind Of Blue )
Shirley Scott & Soul Saxes - King Curtis / Hank Crawford / David Newman ( )
Stan Getz - Cool Sound Of (Phantom )
Stan Getz - Cool Sound Of Stan Getz (Not Now )
Stan Kenton & Depaul University Jazz Ensemble - Kenton,Stan & Depaul University Jazz Ensemble Vol. 1-Double Feature (Tantara Productions )
Sun Ra - Jazz In Silhouette (Disconforme )
Sun Ra - Bad & Beautiful ( )
Sych - Lunar Roulette (Strange Attractors/Carrot Top )
Tex Beneke - Glenn Miller Formula (Sounds of Yester Year )
Tex Beneke & His Orchestra - Glenn Miller Formula (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Tim Garland & Geoffrey Keezer - Storms/Nocturnes (Origin )
Tommy Whittle Quintet - Complete Recordings 1958-59 (Phantom )
Tony Williams & Lifetime - Emergency ( )
Tony Williams & Lifetime - Turn It Over ( )
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Last Live In Blue Note Tokyo (Wounded Bird )
Trilog Gurtu - 21 Spices (Phantom )
VR SMith - Beautiful Love (Skipper Productions )
Walt Weiskopf - Live (Capri )
We3 - Amazing (Kind Of Blue )
Woody Herman - That's Where It Is (Sounds of Yester Year )
Woody Herman & His Orchestra - Thats Where It Is (Sounds Of Yesteryear )
Yusef Lateef - Doctor Is In & Out ( )

Reissues
Art Blakey - Jazz Messengers (Sbme Special MKTS. )
Clifford Jordan - Soul Fountain (Wounded Bird Records )
John Coltrane - Giant Steps ( )
Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (Columbia/L )
Modern Jazz Quartet - Pyramid ( )
Wynton Kelly - Complete Live At The Half Note (Lone Hill Jazz (Spain) )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Paul Simon - "So Beautiful or so What"

Paul Simon's new record, his first since 2006's dense Brian Eno-collaboration Surprise, is a career-spanning, sometimes duskily ruminative, quirk-splashed triumph—simultaneously bold in its constructions and timeless in its themes. There's a freedom, perhaps, that comes from going it alone: After 30 years with Warner Bros., Simon paid for the lengthy sessions that eventually produced So Beautiful or So What, then signed with the Concord Music Group. The album is due out on Tuesday; a sold-out tour of theaters and small clubs will then follow, beginning on April 15 in Seattle.

Simon has, with this long-awaited effort, found a way to combine the subtlety and directness of his early work with the complexity—both musical and emotional—of subsequent exotic sideroads like Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. You hear every piece of that long history, sometimes inside of one song: A percussive South Indian rhythm signature opens “Dazzling Blues," but then Simon encircles the tune with finger-picking, bluegrass-infused guitar line, a stirring reminder of his perhaps forgotten abilities on the instrument.

Yet the album is more than an interesting interpolation of the leaping clickety clack of “Cecilia," the frank self examinations of “Still Crazy After All These Years," and his later fascination with supple Afropop. Simon, 69, ended up taking more than two years to complete So Beautiful or So What, and his patient craftsmanship imbues the project with a striking inventiveness. There's also a growing sense of mystery and of forebearance, away from the thrilling din of music made with a core band that included longtime guitarist Vincent Nguini and percussionist Steve Shehan (Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel). Simon, in his quietest moments, seems to be engaged in a desperate fight against the gloaming. And not always winning.

[ONE TRACK MIND: “The Afterlife," an advance tune from So Beautiful or So What, is almost like a long-lost discovery from Graceland. Not that there's anything wrong with that.]

He dabbles, I think brilliantly, in distinctly modern studio experimentation, laying a portion of a fiery 1941 sermon by the Rev. J.M. Gates into “Getting Ready for Christmas Day" with such skill that it sounds like a found-object field holler. “Love Is Eternal Sacred Light" rumbles out with a caverous harmonica-driven beat, like a space-station bar band. It was only later, after some time with it, that I pinpointed the sample as the late Sonny Terry. That's him, wailing away on the harp, a ghost forever playing the train whistle blues.

With “Rewrite," Simon employs a West African kora harp and djembe drum—but also, occasionally echoing low in the mix, the gutteral bleets of a wildebeest and other night sounds recorded while on a family trip to Kenya. “Rewrite" is so sinewy, so itchy and sharply rhythmic, that it sparked a realization, perhaps for the first time, that there is no bass guitar on this record. So Beautiful or So What is that rarest of listening experiences, one that rewards time spent with these shimmering new insights.

And it's not just the music. Simon, probing and wry, revisits many of the questions that have defined his work. But this album's sprite rhythms, its flinty experimentation, those kinetic stringed instruments, they all work in arresting contrast to some of the darker notions crossing his mind these days. The title track has an attitude—life is what you make of it, he sings, so get going—that's as tough minded as its beat. But things aren't always that easy, and Simon knows it. There are times, in fact, where he sounds genuinely angry.

Still, Simon keeps going, and that becomes its own kind of affirmation. On “Rewrite," about a Vietnam vet trying to weave his way into society again, as on “Love and Hard Times" and “Questions for the Angels"—and further back, almost all the way back into his past—people never stop grasping for meaning in an angry, confusing world. What they find, one song at a time, isn't always salvation ("Afterlife" actually makes the whole process sound like a frustrating day at the DMV) so much as it is a rediscovered passion for living, step after step, one day at a time.

There are small, good things along the way. Paul Simon's new record is one of them.

Search Amazon.com Music for Paul Simon
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - April 11, 2011 #jazz

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
2 - 1 - Dave Koz - "Hello Tomorrow" - (Concord)
1 - 2 - Fourplay - "Let's Touch The Sky" - (Heads Up)
4 - 3 - Boney James - "Contact" - (Verve)
3 - 4 - Steve Oliver - "Global Kiss" - (SOM)
5 - 5 - Brian Culbertson - "XII" - (GRP/Verve)
6 - 6 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Diamonds" - (Nordic Night)
12 - 7 - Drew Davidsen - "Spin Cycle" - (Creative Soul Jazz)
10 - 8 - Steve Cole - "Moonlight" (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
9 - 9 - Nate Harasim - "Rush" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
7 - 10 - Nils - "What The Funk?" - (Baja/TSR)
8 - 11 - The Rippingtons - "Cote d' Azur" - (Peak/Concord)
13 - 12 - Eric Darius - "On A Mission" - (Shanachie)
18 - 13 - Norman Brown - "Sending My Love" - (Peak/Concord)
15 - 14 - Keiko Matsui - "The Road" - (Shanachie)
11 - 15 - Paul Brown - "Love You Found Me" - (Shanachie)
19 - 16 - Gerald Albright - "Pushing The Envelope" - (Heads Up)
16 - 17 - Jackiem Joyner - "Jackiem Joyner" - (Artistry/Mack Ave)
17 - 18 - David Benoit - "Earthglow" - (Heads Up)
20 - 19 - Mindi Abair - "In Hi-Fi Stereo" - (Heads Up)
14 - 20 - Nate Najar - "Groove Me" - (Woodward Ave.)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

New Music from Sade, The Ultimate Collection out May 3 - (article w/streams)

Streams of unreleased track:
Love Is Found
As a follow up to the platinum-selling Soldier Of Love, which spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard album chart and garnered a well-deserved Grammy, Sade is back with The Ultimate Collection to be released on May 3rd. In addition to classic Sade songs, the must-have, two-disc album will include four new, never-before heard songs including “The Moon And The Sky” (Remix Featuring Jay-Z).

Here for the first time, fans can find all of their favorite Sade classics from their most iconic albums including songs from the Best Of collection and the greatest hits off of Lovers Rock and Soldier Of Love. Fans who pre-order The Ultimate Collection at http://www.myplaydirect.com/sade will also receive The Ultimate Collection of Sade music videos on DVD.

Sade will be joined on tour this summer by fellow Grammy winner John Legend, performing in top arenas across North America, in an effort to reach their vast and loyal fans (dates below). Sade’s classic sound set to haunting, unmistakable vocals creates the most intimate of concert experiences in a way that only an unforgettable Sade performance can. Sade performed for more than a million fans during their last tour in 2001.

The accomplishments of Soldier Of Love so far are astounding. The single, “Soldier of Love” - which Sade co-produced with Mike Pela, and was written by Sade along with longtime collaborators Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman made radio history upon its release. In less than four weeks “Soldier of Love” propelled into the top five at both Urban Hot AC and Smooth Jazz radio charts, making it one of the fastest moving records of the year. The track held the #1 spot at Urban Hot AC radio for four weeks straight and topped the Smooth Jazz chart for two weeks. Sade is now the first group since the Isley Brothers in 2001 to earn a #1 spot as a lead act on the R&B Chart.

Known for their one of a kind timeless sound, Sade has enjoyed phenomenal success both internationally and stateside throughout the span of their twenty-seven year career. Since the release of their debut album Diamond Life in 1984, the band has seen all five of their studio albums land in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart selling a total of more than 50 million albums worldwide to date. They’ve been nominated for American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and have won four Grammy Awards – first in 1986 for Best New Artist, then in 1994 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group for “No Ordinary Love”, again in 2002 for Best Pop Vocal Album with Lovers Rock and most recently in 2011 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group for “Soldier Of Love”.

Search Amazon.com Music for sade ultimate collection
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Upcoming New Jazz Releases - April 12 2011 #jazz

Alex Hoffman - Dark Lights (Smalls )
Andy Scherrer & Larry Grenadier / Wolfgang Muthspiel - Drumfree (Phantom )
Art Blakey - Paris Jam Session (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Attila Zoller - When It's Time (Enja )
Avery Sharpe - Running Man (JKNM )
Barry Green New York Trio - Music Of Chance (Phantom )
Bassey' Shirley - Magic Is You ( )
Ben Allison - Action-Refraction (Palmetto )
Benny Green - Source (JLP )
Bernard Peiffer - Piano Et Rythmes (Universal Distribution )
Bernard Peiffer - Piano Et Rythmes (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Bigband Deutsche Ope - How Long Is Now (Phantom )
Bobby Jaspar - Mordern Jazz Au Club Saint Germain (Jazz In Paris (Phantom )
Burgstaller Martignon 4 - Bach's Secret Files And More (Summit )
Caroline - Garden Parti & Caroline, Yes (Zig )
Carsten Dahl - Carsten Dahl: Effata (Storyville )
Charito - Heal The World (Zoho Music )
Christian Escoude - Au Bois De Mon Coeur: Escoude Joue Brassens ( )
Cookers - Cast The First Stone ( )
Cubop City Big Band - Que Sensacion! (Tam Tam )
Darius Jones - Cosmic Lieder (AUM Fidelity )
Darius Jones / Matthew Shipp - Cosmic Lieder (AUM Fidelity )
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Changes (Phantom )
Dave Pell Octet - Swingin' In The Ol' Corral (Phantom )
Django Reinhardt - Great Artistry Of Django Reinhardt (Universal Distribution )
Django Reinhardt - Great Artistry Of Django Reinhardt (Jazz In Paris (Phantom )
Don Byas - Swiss Radio Days, Vol. 23 (TCB )
Don Byas / Bill Coleman - Swiss Radio Days Vol. 23 (TCB Music )
Donald Byrd - Jazz In Paris: Donald Byrd Quintet Parisian Thoroughfare ( )
Donald Byrd - Byrd In Paris (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Donald Byrd - Parisian Thoroughfare (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Elek Bacsik - Guitar Conceptions ( )
Elek Bacsik - Guitar Conceptions (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Ensemble Fisfuez - Ashure (Phantom )
Equilibrium - Walking Voices (Songlines )
Eva Jagun - My Blue Hour (GMC )
Evgeny Ring - Ya Tashus' (Double Moon )
Georg Breinschmid / Roman & Frantisek Janoska - Brein's World (Preiser )
Gerald Cleaver - Be It As I See It (Fresh Sound New Talent )
Gordon Goodwin - That's How We Roll (Telarc Distribution )
Guy Lafitte - Blue & Sentimental (Universal Distribution )
Guy Lafitte - Blue & Sentimental (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Harr Allen / Rebecca Kilgore - Live At Feinstein's At Loews (Arbors )
Harris Eisenstadt - Canada Day II (Songlines )
Harry Allen - Live At Feinstein's At Loews Regency (Arbors )
Iro Haarla - Vespers (Ecm )
JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC - Les Tricheurs (Universal Distribution )
JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC - Les Tricheurs (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Jazz Award - Jazz Award (Phantom )
Jazz Boom No.1 (Jazz In Paris Collection) - Jazz Boom No.1 (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Jean-Luc Ponty - Jazz In Paris: Jazz Long Playing (Universal Distribution )
Jean-Luc Ponty - Jazz Long Playing (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Jerome Berney - 3 + 3 ( )
Joachim Kuhn - Chalaba (Amv )
Joja Wendt - Im Zeichen Der Lyra (Phantom )
Jon Thorne - Watching The Well (Naim )
Kenny Drew - Undercurrent (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Ladies In Satin - Ladies In Satin (Phantom )
Lalo Schifrin - Invocations: Jazz Meets The (Alh )
Lalo Schifrin - Invocations: Jazz Meets The Symphony #7 (Aleph )
Larry Coryell - With The Wide Hive Players (Wide Hive )
Lightnin' Hopkins - Pepper Cake Presents (Phantom )
Lionel Hampton - Jazz In Paris: Lionel Hampton & His French New Sound, Vol. 1 ( )
Lionel Hampton - Jazz In Paris: Lionel Hampton & His French New Sound, Vol. 2 (Universal Distribution )
Lionel Hampton - And His French New Sound Volume 1 (Jazz In Paris C (Phantom )
Lionel Hampton - And His French New Sound Volume 2 (Jazz In Paris C (Phantom )
Lisa Ekdahl - Live A Lolympia ( )
Lucky Thompson - Jazz In Paris: Modern Jazz Group (Universal Distribution )
Lucky Thompson - Modern Jazz Group (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Magnus Ostrom - Thread Of Life (Amv )
Manhattan Transfer - Chanson Damour: Very Best Of ( )
Marc Wasilewski Trio - Faithful (Umgd/Ecm )
Marcin Wasilewski - Faithful (Ecm )
Marcin Wasilewski Trio - Faithful (Ecm )
Mariano Otero - Rojo (Phantom )
Mary Lou Williams - At Rick's Cafe Americain (Storyville )
Mary Lou Williams - At Rick's Cafe American (Storyville )
Maschmeyer Quartet - Circle Of Elements (Phantom )
Matthias Eick - Skala (Ecm )
Maurice Meunier - And His Orchestra (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Maurice Meunier - Maurice Meunier & His Orchestra (Emarcy )
Max Roach - Jazz In Paris: Parisian Sketches (Universal Distribution )
Max Roach - Parisian Sketches (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Metamorphic - Rock Between (Phantom )
Michel Legrand - Jazz In Paris: Paris Jazz Piano (Universal Distribution )
Michel Legrand - Paris Jazz Piano (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Mike Figgis - Hotel (Burning Shed )
Miles Davis - We Want Miles (Phantom )
Miles Davis - Cookin' At The Plugged Nickel (Phantom )
Moleskins - Bittersweet ( )
Msg - Tasty (Select )
Nels Cline - Silencer (Enja )
Nels Cline Trio - Silencer (Enj )
Niklas Barno - Snus (Phantom )
NYJAZZ Initiative - Mad About Thad (JZH )
Omer Avital - Free Forever (Smalls )
Orchestra Superstring - Easy ( )
Patty Ascher - Bossa, Jazz 'N' Samba (Zoho Music )
Patty Ascher - Bossa, Jazz `N' Samba (Zoho Music )
Phil DeGreg - Melodious Monk (Summit )
Phil DeGreg / Kim Pensyl - Melodious Monk (Summit )
Pierre Michelot - Round About A Bass (Universal Distribution )
Pierre Michelot - Round About A Bass (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Quartet / Ring, Evgeny - Ya Tashus' (Challenge )
Quincy Jones - I Dig Dancers (Universal Distribution )
Quincy Jones - I Dig Dancers (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Rebirth Brass Band - Rebirth Of New Orleans (Basin Street )
Rebirth Brass Band - Why You Worried 'Bout Me? (Basin Street ) - CD Single
Rene Thomas - And His Orchestra (Universal Distribution )
Rene Thomas - And His Orchestra (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Rene Urtreger - Jazz In Paris: Joue Bud Powell (Universal Distribution )
Rene Urtreger - Joue Bud Powell (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Rick Fay - Live In 1991!: The Dixieland We Love (Arbors )
Ronnell Bright - Ronnell Bright Trio ( )
Ronnell Bright - Ronnell Bright Trio (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Round Trip - Round Trip (Phantom )
Rufus Reid - Hues Of A Different Blue (MTM )
Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan A Paris (Universal Distribution )
Sarah Vaughan - Sarah Vaughan A Paris (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Simeon Quintett, Ale - Roots & Influence (Phantom )
Slide Hampton - Exodus (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Slide Hampton - Jazz In Paris: Exodus (Emarcy )
Sonic Liberation Front - Sonic Liberation Front Meets Sunny Murray (High Two Records (sub of AUM Fidelity) )
Sonny Criss - Mr Blues Pour Flirter (Universal )
Sonny Criss - Mr Blues Pour Flirter (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Stanley Turrentine - Salt Song (Masterworks )
Stefan Schultze Large Ensemb - Run (Challenge )
Stefan Schultze Large Ensemble - Run (Double Moon )
Stephane Grappelli - Django (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Subtone - Morningside (ENJA Records)
Sun Ra - Mayan Temples (Black Saint )
Tim Whitehead - Colour Beginnings (Phantom )
Toots Thielemans - Jazz In Paris: Blues Pour Flirter (Universal Distribution )
Toots Thielemans - Blues Pour Flirter (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )
Wagner Quartet, Domi - Virtual Green (Phantom )
Willie "The Lion" Smith - Jazz In Paris: Willie The Lion Smith (Emarcy )
Willie Smith - Willie The Lion Smith (Jazz In Paris Collection) (Phantom )

Reissues
Art Blakey - Paris Jam Session (Emarcy)
Don Sebesky - Giant Box (King)
Donald Byrd - Byrd in Paris (Emarcy)
Freddie Hubbard - First Light (Sbme Special MKTS. )
George Benson - Beyond The Blue Horizon (Mosaic Contemporary)
Hank Mobley - Dippin' (Blue Note)
Jimmy Smith - Midnight Special (Blue Note Records (USA) )
Miles Davis - Workin' (Fantasy)
Red Garland - Groovy (JVC XRCD )
Stephane Grappelli - Django (Universal )
Wynton Kelly - Kelly Blue (Universal Japan )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Patti Austin "Sound Advice" Releases May 17th #jazz

Austin Creates Tapestry Of Diverse Songs With Powerful Messages From The Rolling Stones, Depeche Mode, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan And More!


Soundcloud Stream: “Let ‘Em In” “Round And Round” “Gotta Serve Somebody” “Enjoy the Silence”)
From the stirring, gospel-flavored intro of her inspiring reading of Des’ree’s 1994 hit “You Gotta Be” to the final bars of a highly distinctive, ethereal and moody remake of the Depeche Mode staple, “Enjoy The Silence,” Patti Austin has created what is destined to be another musical gem in a catalog that, at last count, consists of seventeen albums and dozens of guest appearances.

Sound Advice, Austin’s eighteenth album releasing May 17 via Shanachie Entertainment, showcases this GRAMMY®-winning, internationally-popular entertainer doing what she does best, using her innate ability as a superb lyrical interpreter to touch, move, inspire and connect with music lovers globally. Whether it’s breathing new life into such classics as Frank Sinatra’s evergreen “My Way” (delivered in an intimate, almost understated and tender manner with piano accompaniment from the renowned Shelly Berg) and Bill Withers’ classic “Lean On Me” (with its rousing climatic build) or shining a new musical light on Brenda Russell’s “A Little Bit Of Love” and The Jacksons’ “Give It Up” (from the 1980 LP, Triumph which she notes is “my homage to my brother Michael Jackson), Patti Austin is at her brilliant vocal best.

Speaking of her thematic approach to Sound Advice much of which she produced with longtime musical pal, musician extraordinaire Greg Phillinganes (known for his stellar work with Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and dozens of others) – the ever-genial native New Yorker says, “All the tunes are giving some sort of advice, whether introspectively or directly and I figure I’m old enough where I should be able to give advice of some sort!”

Sound Advice is, meant per Patti, particularly for the segment of her wide-ranging audience who first became aware of her in the ‘80s through songs like “Baby Come To Me,” her chart-topping duet with James Ingram. “For the last five years, I’ve been in the ‘classical’ jazz world,” she explains, referencing For Ella, her acclaimed 2002 tribute to the legendary Fitzgerald and her 2007 CD, Avant Gershwin, which garnered Patti a long-deserved first Grammy win for Best Jazz Vocal Album. “The GRAMMY®-Award did raise my profile and gave me a notch in my gun. I was on the road doing gigs with symphony orchestras and the Duke Ellington and Count Basie bands, and essentially began performing in an area that my biggest audience is not familiar with. I decided to do this record because of the pull and tug from the fans who know me from the ‘80s…it’s my ‘going back to my roots’ album!”

Intentionally designed to “keep the production and arrangements as simple as the material would allow,” Patti notes that a couple of the songs – notably Don McLean’s “Vincent” (his 1971 ode to painter Van Gogh), given a stark and poignant reading and “My Way” – had their genesis in a proposed piano/vocal album, which, she says, “I will ultimately do,” adding what she terms her “weird sideways choice!” of the McLean classic was motivated by her own musical journey: “If you are going to be an artist, you cannot expect to be understood…so be who you are and let the chips fall where they may.”

Exemplifying her approach, the goddaughter of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington imbues Bob Dylan’s “You Gotta Serve Somebody” with some soul-plus while giving The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” a whole new vibe. “I didn’t remember “Serve Somebody” as a Dylan tune,” Patti notes. “But wow, he got everyone on the list in that song! As for the Stones’ song, I wanted to rock something out. I had never really understood what Mick Jagger was saying so I created my own interpretation. My generation grew up with this ‘you can have it all’ idea and it’s a crock and we were wishing out loud. The truth is, something has to be sacrificed and you always get what you need…even if it’s not always what you like...”

Never one to shy away from social and global issues – her own composition “By The Grace Of God” has been adopted as a musical theme by The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence while Patti sang “Lean On Me” on television’s Larry King Live to draw attention to the plight of people in Haiti affected by the devastating 2009 earthquake there – she chose Paul McCartney’s “Let ‘Em In” partly because “it represents an issue here in the US, the issue of immigration, which is the basis of our country and is what has made the country as great as it is so it’s time to stop the nonsense, the isolationist mentality and embrace everybody…”

A dedicated humanitarian who has devoted considerable time to performing for AIDS-related organizations over the years, her “Blue Movement” is Patti’s personal crusade to bring awareness and new insights into the domestic violence crisis in the USA and around the world. It was a domestic violence-related segment of “Oprah” that inspired “By The Grace Of God,” one of the key cuts on Sound Advice. Patti was one of the producers as well as one of the feature artists on the 2010 single, “We Are The World: 25 For Haiti” and she has also co-created an organization dedicated to mentoring, the “Over My Shoulder” foundation (http://www.overmyshoulderfoundation.org)

Patti’s lifelong commitment to inspiring others both personally and musically is evidenced by the material on Sound Advice, which includes a second Austin composition, the upbeat “Round And Round,” which began as a musical groove with Phillinganes when the two were with musical mentor Quincy Jones in Sardinia after the passing of Michael Jackson in 2008: “When we got in the studio to work on the album, we finished the melody and I wrote the lyrics that night and we cut it the next day. There are people who don’t know me as a songwriter and may be surprised,” says Austin, whose 1976 LP debut (End Of The Rainbow) consisted almost entirely of original compositions.

Expressing her appreciation and gratitude for working with Phillinganes – another graduate of what she calls “QU, Quincy’s University!” – Gregg Field and Shelly Berg as producers along with the level of musicianship with players like Trevor Lawrence (Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Alicia Keys), Ian Martin (Barry Manilow, David Foster) and Paul Jackson Jr. (Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston), Patti concludes, “I wanted to accomplish a lot with Sound Advice – including original material, covers and focusing on vocal performances for certain tunes. I’m very happy with the record: I went through a lot of ups and downs about how it was going to flow, about the material, if it would be cohesive and if it was going to have any point of view musically, lyrically, thematically. Now I’m having a lot of fun performing the material live: I am really enjoying this record,” a sentiment that will no doubt be echoed by Patti Austin’s audience the world over.

Patti Austin "Sound Advice"
1. You Gotta Be (Des’ree)
2. By The Grace Of God (Patti Austin)
3. Round And Round (Patti Austin)
4. You Can't Always Get What You Want (The Rolling Stones)
5. Let 'Em In (Paul McCartney & Wings)
6. Gotta Serve Somebody (Bob Dylan)
7. Vincent (Don McLean)
8. A Little Bit Of Love (Brenda Russell)
9. Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
10. Give It Up (The Jacksons)
11. My Way (Frank Sinatra)
12. Enjoy The Silence (Depeche Mode)

Patti Austin Tour Dates
Apr 09 Duluth, MN, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra
May 13 Birmingham, ENG, w/ BBC Big Band
May 14 Trondheim, Norway
May 16 Essen, Germany
May 19 Bern, Switzerland
May 20 Milan, Italy
May 25 Morocco, N. Africa (w/ Quincy Jones Global Gumbo All Stars)
May 26 Slovenia
Jun 02 New York, NY, B.B. Kings
Jun 04 Seneca NY (Niagara Falls)
Jun 05 Columbia MD (Capital Jazz Festival)
Jun 19 Rijswijk, Netherlands, The Hague Jazz Festival
Jun 24 Harstad, Norway
Jun 30 Los Angeles, CA (Benefit w/ Glendale Pops Orchestra)

Search Amazon.com Music for Patti Austin
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Larry Coryell and the Wide Hive Players - Releases April 12 #jazz

"A true pioneer of rock-jazz fusion" - The New York Times
"The Godfather of Fusion" - Down Beat Magazine

"Return of Shirtless" Stream:Soundcloud Link
Larry Coryell joins forces with The Wide Hive Players for 13 electrifying new tracks on this new album, to be released on April 12, 2011. Well-known for his driving tone and intricate flurries, Coryell delivers amazing and intense performances atop solid and expansive grooves established by The Wide Hive Players. The Players, now consisting of the enormously talented rhythm section of bassist Matt Montgomery (Calvin Keys and Variable Unit) and Thomas McCree (Lyrics Born’s drummer), horn players Mike Rinta (Sly Stone, Santana), Doug Rowan (Jazz Mafia) and Pianist Adam Shulman, all contribute to create a cohesive live sound, reminiscent of Coryell’s popular Offering (1972) or Eleveth House (1974) era. Primarily Jazz-Funk, the new album also glows with overtones of soul, blues, and has a definitive rock undercurrent. Overall the record is timeless, both reflective of past craftsmanship while remaining progressive and original.

As one of the pioneers of jazz-rock, Larry Coryell earned an important place in music history. He brought what amounted to a nearly alien sensibility to jazz electric guitar playing in the 1960s, a hard-edged, cutting tone that owed as much to blues, rock and even country as it did to earlier, smoother bop influences. Yet as a true eclectic, armed with a brilliant technique, he is comfortable in almost every style, covering almost every base from the most decibel-heavy, distortion-laden electric work to the most delicate, soothing, intricate lines on acoustic guitar.

The Wide Hive Players were perhaps best described by BBC Music Magazine: “The Wide Hive Players are a collective of talented in-house players from the San Francisco-based label Wide Hive Records. Producer and label-owner Gregory Howe, who clearly has a great ear, has penned a striking selection of soul-fused jazz tracks for his house band. From surprisingly fast drum intros, to gorgeous gutsy horn harmonics, which in the case of Mending Gravity have a curious dirge-like feel, this disk is topped off by Thomas McCree's rippling B3 organ. Producer- led UK labels such as Tru Thoughts have drawn in a wide net of music fans- this Stateside band deserves to do likewise.”

Larry Coryell with The Wide Hive Players

1. Torchlight
2. Cobalt
3. Terco
4. The Last Drop
5. Return Of Shirtless
6. December Blues
7. Moody On My Mind
8. Moose Kuckle
9. Beauty and Failure
10. Honey Dijon
11. Tilden
12. Dream Scene
13. One For T.G.

Search Amazon.com Music for Larry Coryell
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Kurt Elling Puts Jazz Spin on Classic Rock With Producer Don Was

The first time we came across Kurt Elling was in June of 1997 during a guerilla campaign of gigs in the Northeast over a six-week stretch. It was towards the end of that run and the singer was walking with crutches after a hiking mishap. His iconoclast reputation as a divinity school dropout (one credit short of his Masters degree) only seemed to be heightened by the incongruent idea of a jazz singer performing in a dingy East Village rock club where we saw him. Though the setting was weird, we don't remember a lot about the set, but they closed it out with Herbie Hancock's 'Hurricane.'

“I remember being exhausted and often terrified and hopeful,” Elling tells Spinner, recalling that crazy tour during a recent stop in Munich while out in support of his recently issued album, 'The Gate.' “I remember critics being piled into Birdland the first time I was there, and the judge-y looks on some of their faces. It was a hard time, but I believed in what we were doing then, and I believe in what we are doing now.”

Back then, Elling was something of a curiosity. Then and now, he is articulate to the point of verbosity. He projects a kind of a hip-cat persona that would seem to indicate lounge schmaltz, but ends up being edgy because of his choice of material and what he does with it. But perhaps what was most unique at the time was the fact that he was a younger male jazz singer.

“I knew at the time and I know now that there are very few jazz singers out there who are men,” he points out. “There are more guys coming on now, more guys younger than me who are out there trying to figure it out anyway. But when I was coming on, the only other singer under the age of 70 was Kevin Mahogany. I knew that there was a window open for someone to do something. I have no qualms about it: I play the right instrument.”

In the years that followed his 1995 debut, 'Close Your Eyes,' Elling has been nominated for a Grammy nine times before finally winning Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2010 for 'Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman,' which he's following up with 'The Gate.' Produced by Don Was, who led pop-funk group Was (Was Not) and produced albums by Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, the Rolling Stones and countless other A-list acts, it's no surprise that 'The Gate' is a different kind of jazz album from Elling. But that's not entirely the of the producer's influence—Elling had dreams of getting away from the smart, straight-ahead jazz and ballads of his previous albums and ended up finding a middle ground in songs by the Beatles, Joe Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire and others.

“As always, I'm just sort of following my instincts,” Elling explains. “I had some of these songs on mind for a while. I originally had more of a John Scofield or Charlie Hunter kind of record in mind. I wanted to make something that people can dance around to. But in true jazz fashion, you have to let the music lead you. You let transparency be the only inflexibility and be true to yourself. I'm more introspective so that's what we did.”

Was actually introduced himself to Elling years ago. The two kept in contact and it seemed only a matter of time until they ended up doing something together. With the album that Elling seemed to have in mind, it was the ideal time to make the collaboration happen.

“It was kismet or fate, but to have someone like Don Was come on at this time was a nicely fated situation for me,” Elling explains. “Obviously, he comes a lot more from the rock world, yet he definitely respects what Laurence and I have been doing. He really didn't want to mess with anything, especially when we have such clear ideas coming into the sessions. We were still able to gain from experience and wisdom. We learned some things and we had a really great time together.”

Like most jazz artists, Elling and his longtime collaborator and pianist Lawrence Hobgood typically come into the studio prepared because time and budgets are tight. They moved away from the groove-based style they originally had in mind, but nonetheless still tackled such untested tunes as King Crimson's 'Matte Kundasai' and Herbie Hancock's 'Come Running to Me.' Miles Davis's 'Blue in Green' (with Al Jarreau lyrics) was revived after a long hiatus.

According to Elling, Was' reputation was such that it allowed the band to try new things that may not make label and management people comfortable, but because he's Don Was they have to stand down and leave them to exploring the music.

“He's a real cat, man,” Elling says of the producer. “I really feel that he's going to be a long-term partner. We haven't decided on the specifics of the next project because we are so busy right now, but we hope to work together in the future. I'll be happy to hit it with Don anytime.”

The other notable figure on this album—and all Kurt Elling's albums from the very beginning—is the aforementioned Laurence Hobgood. Elling and Hobgood came together when Hobgood was a regular pianist in saxophonist Ed Peterson's band. After Peterson and Elling did some weddings together, Peterson thought enough of him to invite the singer down to play with his band, which was enough to pique Hobgood's interest.

“There is no way my music situation would be as coherent, with the same qualities and depth, if it wasn't for Lawrence being on board,” Elling says. “Our talents and our skills complement each other very well. We are equally focused but I tend to point the way in a broad way and he's the guy who puts pen to paper and really writes them down in notation form that what we discuss and decide upon together.”

It's a partnership that continues to flourish after 10 albums together. These days, it would seem that little has changed, as the two still barnstorm on long tours. But with Elling's meteoric rise to the upper echelon of jazz performers, they play in the world's finest jazz clubs and jazz festivals rather than their home base at the Green Mill or some forgotten dive. Music still drives Elling, Hobgood and the band after all these years, but the singer takes none of their success for granted.

“I'm out here working and singing for people and working really hard, admittedly, without a lot of sleep,” the singer says without a hint of weariness in his voice. “But there are people out there suffering. And even in the places where there aren't earthquakes and tsunamis, people are having a hard getting work these days. I've very, very happy to be out here right now, having the chance to do my little thing.”

SOURCE: ALL ABOUT JAZZ @ SPINNER BY TAD HENDRICKSON

Search Amazon.com Music for kurt elling
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 20 - April 4, 2011 #jazz

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
2 - 1 - Fourplay - "Let's Touch The Sky" - (Heads Up)
1 - 2 - Dave Koz - "Hello Tomorrow" - (Concord)
3 - 3 - Steve Oliver - "Global Kiss" - (SOM)
5 - 4 - Boney James - "Contact" - (Verve)
4 - 5 - Brian Culbertson - "XII" - (GRP/Verve)
7 - 6 - Jonathan Fritzen - "Diamonds" - (Nordic Night)
6 - 7 - Nils - "What The Funk?" - (Baja/TSR)
8 - 8 - The Rippingtons - "Cote d' Azur" - (Peak/Concord)
10 - 9 - Nate Harasim - "Rush" - (Trippin 'N' Rhythm)
9 - 10 - Steve Cole - "Moonlight" (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
11 - 11 - Paul Brown - "Love You Found Me" - (Shanachie)
15 - 12 - Drew Davidsen - "Spin Cycle" - (Creative Soul Jazz)
13 - 13 - Eric Darius - "On A Mission" - (Shanachie)
14 - 14 - Nate Najar - "Groove Me" - (Woodward Ave.)
17 - 15 - Keiko Matsui - "The Road" - (Shanachie)
16 - 16 - Jackiem Joyner - "Jackiem Joyner" - (Artistry/Mack Ave)
18 - 17 - David Benoit - "Earthglow" - (Heads Up)
22 - 18 - Norman Brown - "Sending My Love" - (Peak/Concord)
20 - 19 - Gerald Albright - "Pushing The Envelope" - (Heads Up)
12 - 20 - Mindi Abair - "In Hi-Fi Stereo" - (Heads Up)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Jazz saxophonist Richard Elliot keeps movin’ on up

When smooth jazz saxophonist Richard Elliot set out to make his latest album, “Rock Steady,” he did so with three distinct songs in mind.

He framed the entire album around Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up,” “Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, and “Keep on Truckin’” by Eddie Kendricks.

“Most of the time when I start a CD, I have some kind of theme in mind. With my CD prior to ‘Rock Steady,’ ‘Metro Blue,’ my goal was to draw on my R&B influences growing up in the ‘70s. That is how it started, but it morphed into this Euro-jazz influenced thing. It completely went away from the original concept,” he said. “I was thinking to myself, ‘How can I come up with a theme and stay focused on the original idea? The way I did it was, I took three covers that were significant songs to me growing up. (Then) I could build originals around those three songs, I recorded those songs first, and that put me in the mind-set. As I wrote the remaining songs, they carried that theme.”

Why those particular songs?

“There’s a lot of music from that period that I love. I made a list of songs from that period and those three stuck out,” he said.

He became re-acquainted with the song “Move on Up” from the movie “Bend it Like Beckham,” which is used at the end of the movie.

“I was like, ‘I remember that song; that is a great song,’” he said. “‘Rock Steady’ I think was used in a car commercial. That painted that in my head.”

“Keep on Truckin’” contained the big, epic, orchestral sound and feel he was looking for, he said.

Elliot, who was named Best Wind Player at the 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards, performs April 2 in North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall.

A former horn section member of the legendary jazz band Tower of Power, Elliot has more than 15 recordings and thousands of live performances under his belt. He has had six albums reach No. 1 on Billboard’s new adult contemporary chart.

Elliot was born in Scotland and raised in Los Angeles. He picked up the saxophone at age 11, during summer school.

“I thought it would be fun to take up an instrument. I looked around at all the instruments and saw the sax, and it looked cool,” he said. “I liked the shape and thought it would be fun to give it a try. I am definitely a product of music programs in the public school systems. I am a big believer in those kinds of programs. When I do clinics in schools, I tell them music is a great thing, regardless of whether you are considering it as a career. It fills in so much in the kids’ development. It helps in math and other logical types of thinking as well as developing the creative side.”

His high school music teacher was a professional musician — he did recording sessions for Hanna-Barbera cartoons and movie soundtracks.

“He was able to offer insight into being a professional musician. That locked it up for me,” Elliot said. “My first year of high school, I thought, ‘This is what I want to do for a living.’”

He learned a lot from that teacher, including the maxim: no matter how good you are, there is always someone better. That is why although he values the title “Smooth Jazz Player of the Year,” he doesn’t set too much stock by it.

“I kind of look at it as a form of recognition and acknowledgement, and that’s wonderful. It’s a great thing to be acknowledged by my fans and my peers,” he said. “It’s wonderful, but it’s not the core reason why I do what I do. I love making music and if it touches people in a positive way, I have achieved my goal. But it was really nice and very unexpected.”

Elliot landed his first professional gig touring with Natalie Cole and The Pointer Sisters while he was still in high school. He played with the adventurous fusion band Kittyhawk and recorded with his Motown heroes Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and The Temptations.

He later performed with Melissa Manchester and Yellowjackets, which led him to five years’ service with Tower of Power. He released his debut album “Trolltown” in 1986. His solo career took off with his cover of “When a Man Loves a Woman.”

For many years, Elliot was known for his near non-stop touring schedule. These days, he has cut back in order to spend time with his wife and their five children, ages 6 through 20.

However, the touring season starts now and continues through the summer, so he will be out on the road for awhile.

Other upcoming projects include a new, as-yet-untitled CD that will be out midsummer. Naperville audiences will probably hear a sneak preview of that new material, he said.

In addition to the new songs, audiences can expect a lot of fun and the high energy of a rock show, he promised.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We try to have a lot of fun. We play jazz or jazz-influenced music, but we come from an R&B and rock ‘n’ roll background,” he said. “As a result, we put a lot of energy in our show and we try to convey that energy so it feels more like a rock show than a jazz show.”

Search Amazon.com Music for Richard Elliot
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Playboy Jazz Festival Free Community Concert In Beverly Hill

Playboy Jazz Festival presents Justo Almario's Afro-Colombian Ensemble and award winning Israeli jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman's trio, in free community concert, Sunday May 1st at the Beverly Hills Civic Center

The Playboy Jazz Festival will launch its annual free community concert series with Justo Almario’s Afro-Colombian Ensemble and award-winning Israeli jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman and his Trio. The event, to be held at the Beverly Hills Civic Center Plaza, will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 1st.

Justo Almario and his Afro-Colombian Ensemble will open the show with their unique fusion of Jazz, South-American, and enticing world rhythms. Also performing is Israeli pianist and arranger, Tamir Hendelman who will play a diverse selection of Brazilian rhythms, blues, and music derived from his Israeli roots.

The concert is the first in the Festival’s acclaimed series of free community events to be held in conjunction with the upcoming 33rd Annual Playboy Jazz Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, June 11th and 12th at the renowned Hollywood Bowl.

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase. Glass containers, alcoholic beverages and audio/video recorders are not permitted. Two free hours of parking are available at the Civic Center parking structure, adjacent to the Beverly Hills Public Library.

For more information regarding the free community concert series of the Playboy Jazz Festival, visit www.playboyjazzfestival.com

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com