Soul/Jazz saxophonist Curtis Haywood offers the "Last Dance" as a soulful tribute and celebration of his mother's life #jazz #music

                               

The emotional new single featuring guitarist Steve Oliver is among the top new releases.

 

 

As his mother valiantly fought brain cancer in the final two years of her life, soul/jazz saxophonist Curtis Haywood struggled to let her go. But he knew he had to let go if only to relieve her of the crippling pain she endured. In that moment of clarity, he imagined dancing with her one final time. Haywood captured that intimate and emotional moment on “Last Dance,” the newly released single that he wrote. Billboard chart-topping guitarist Steve Oliver produced the track and is featured playing on the Megawave Records release that is among the most added new singles on the Billboard radio chart. 

 

While the poignant backstory may seem somber, Haywood’s “Last Dance” is a joyous celebration of life’s transient beauty. The soulful interplay of Haywood's soprano saxophone and Oliver's guitar creates a rich, downtempo R&B groove inviting listeners to dance. The accompanying video (https://youtu.be/G0ll_D4aJmI?si=c29W8ublnc4YE6NI) mirrors this vibrant energy, showcasing the track’s infectious spirit.

 

“‘Last Dance’ is about recognizing the necessity of releasing what no longer serves us, opening ourselves to new beginnings and brighter futures. This powerful message resonates throughout the song, making it a perfect anthem for anyone facing life’s inevitable transitions,” said Haywood who shot the video during a summer residency in the Hamptons.

 

The Brooklyn born and based Haywood is a saxophonist and steelpan player who attended the Berklee College of Music. He has released three albums incorporating classic R&B, soul, jazz, and gospel beginning with his 2007 self-titled debut set. Haywood also issued a couple of Christmas singles, “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Hark the Herald Angles Sing.” A dynamic concert performer, Haywood has performed with or been on marquees featuring contemporary jazz, classic R&B, soul, and gospel greats Chieli Minucci, Elan Trotman, Will Donato, JJ Sansaverino, Melissa Morgan, Melba Moore; Ray, Goodman & Brown; The Intruders and Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Dennis Edwards and The Temptations Review, Kirk Franklin, Sounds of Blackness, and Noel Pointer.

 

 

For more information:

 

Website: https://www.curtishaywood.com.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/curtishaywoodpage

Instagram: https://instagram.com/curtishaywood

YouTube: https://youtube.com/curtishaywood

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - November 18, 2024 #jazz #music

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SPYRO GYRA CELEBRATE MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY WITH JUBILEE #jazz #music

A NEW ANTHOLOGY OF CLASSIC SONGS AND FAN FAVORITES FROM THE LEGENDARY BAND’S FIRST DECADE OF RECORDING (1978-87), ARRIVES ON 2CD AND 2LP COLORED VINYL TODAY WORLD HEADLINE TOUR UNDER WAY 13x GRAMMY® Award-nominated jazz fusion icons Spyro Gyra share Jubilee, a 50th anniversary collection of songs that showcase the band’s ever-expanding palette in roughly its first decade of recording (1977-87). The release is available now on 2CD and 2LP gold and purple via Amherst Records/Reservoir Recordings. Both editions include never-before-seen photos from the band’s early days and more recent world tours plus exclusive liner notes from veteran music journalist Jonathan Widran. Orders are available now HERE.     Known for their melodic, adventurous fusion of jazz with R&B, Latin, and world music, Spyro Gyra first united in Buffalo, NY in 1974 and created an original new framework for contemporary jazz and instrumental music that has now endured for a remarkable half a century. The band have since performed more than 10,000 shows on six continents and released more than 35 albums, garnering them 13 GRAMMY® Award nominations along with multiple RIAA Gold & Platinum certifications for sales in excess of 10 million worldwide. Jubilee now commemorates the milestone 50th anniversary of Spyro Gyra’s formation with classic songs and fan favorites from their groundbreaking early repertoire, with highlights including their first Billboard “Hot 100” smash, “Shaker Song” and the #1 AC hit single, “Morning Dance,” the latter featured on the band’s RIAA Platinum-certified second album of the same name.    Long hailed for their relentless live schedule and dynamic, inventive performances, Spyro Gyra – Jay Beckenstein (saxophone), Julio Fernandez (guitar), Chris Fischer (keyboards), Scott Ambush (bass), and Lionel Cordew (drums) – will mark their Jubilee year with an eagerly anticipated world headline tour, including dates across the US and Europe through 2025. For complete details and ticket information, please visit spyrogyra.com/tour-dates.   # # #   SPYRO GYRA TOUR 2024/2025     NOVEMBER 9 – Stuttgart, Germany – BIX Jazzclub 10 – Milan, Italy – Blue Note Milano 11 – Leverkusen, Germany – Leverkusener Jazztage 12 – Munich, Germany – Unterfahrt Jazzclub 13 – Hamburg, Germany – NICA Jazz Club 21 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s 22 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s 24– Cerritos, CA – Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts    MARCH 2025 5 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theater 6 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theater 8 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Parker 9 – Melbourne, FL – King Center     # # #

Tracklist: Morning Dance Heartbeat Shaker Song Song for Lorraine Catching the Sun Jubilee Sunflurry Old San Juan It Doesn’t Matter 50/50 Del Corazon Bob Goes to the Store Carnaval Incognito Nu Sungo Cachaça A Ballad   # # #   CONNECT WITH SPYRO GYRA WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - November 11, 2024 #jazz #music

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Feeling Good: R&B/Jazz band John Smith & DA'JA connect on new single #jazz #music

 

“Make Me Feel Good,” the latest release from the “Life After Life” album, is presently collecting playlist adds.

 

Some lines from movies resonate on a deeper level. As multi-instrumentalist John Smith watched Halle Berry’s Academy Award-winning performance in “Monster’s Ball,” her character said something so simple, yet it had a profound impact on him, inspiring the title of his band DA’JA’s new single, “Make Me Feel Good.” The DA’JA Entertainment contemporary jazz release written and produced by Smith is currently collecting radio playlist adds as it hits streaming and retail platforms including Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music.

 

“When Halle’s character leaned in and said, ‘Make me feel good,’ it was simple, but something about the way she delivered the line hit me. It felt raw, like she was asking for more than just a moment. She was asking for connection, to be truly understood. That line stayed with me. It captured a feeling of vulnerability and desire, this universal need we all have to feel alive, wanted, and seen. Whether it’s being close to someone, feeling free, or breaking away from everything that holds us back. That’s where the song came from. It’s more than just words; it’s a request, a plea for something real and unforgettable,” said the Detroit-based Smith about the latest single from DA’JA’s “Life After Life” album, which dropped last year.

 

A cool electric jazz guitar lead speaks evocatively on “Make Me Feel Good.” The downtempo R&B/contemporary jazz groove is carved by bassist Rob Skinner and drummer Jeff Canady while the melodic backdrop is draped by Moe Whitsett’s understated keyboards and warmed by Dennis Lee’s horns.

 

Smith’s mission is to use music to unite and unify, bridging generations, races, and the cultural divide. Inspired by the death of GRAMMY-winning crossover superstar Selena, he crafted an alchemy of jazz, funk, R&B, and Latin music that he branded Latin Funk. DA’JA’s first album release, “Straight Up John Smith,” dropped in 2002. The band’s fourth collection, “Life After Life,” has spawned seven singles: “Life After Life,” “Takin It Easy,” “Paradise (Full Mix),” “After Five,” “Magical,” “True Love (Acoustic),” and now, “Make Me Feel Good.”

 

Nominated for Instrumental & Jazz Artist of the Year at the Los Angeles Music Awards, John Smith & DA’JA have played popular Detroit-area venues and festivals at which they shared the stage with Anita Baker, Martha Reeves, Force MDs, and The Time.

 

In its touring configuration, Smith anchors the DA’JA band septet from the drum throne and is flanked by Derrick Bow (bass), Rodney Walker (guitar), Eddie Payne (keyboards), Neyo Jones (percussion), Terrell Williams (trumpet), and Moe Garcias (horns).

 

For more information, visit https://dajaent.net.

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Miles Davis Quintet – Miles in France 1963 & 1964 #jazz #music

Over six compact discs or eight LPs, this superb survey of the great Miles Davis band on tour in France is a gift that just keeps on giving, with over four hours of previously unreleased music from one of the greatest small groups in the whole of jazz. And there are actually two groups, as while the rhythm section of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams remains the same, Wayne Shorter replaces George Coleman on tenor sax for the 1964 shows, which form the final two discs. What, on the face of it, might seem like a minor personnel change has the seismic impact of a universe reforming. Recorded at festivals in Antibes/Juan-Les-Pins and Paris, with the performances reconstructed from various tape sources, the box set is at once a formidable portrait of the latest editions of a truly legendary group heard at the absolute peak of its powers; a thrilling compendium of some of the most famous tunes from the Kind of Blue era, and a tension-filled narrative that moves from one definition of modern jazz to another. As the blurb on the CD box says: “The music heard on ‘Miles in France’ represents the sound of an end and a beginning coming through at once.” 

When Shorter replaces Coleman, it’s as if after assembling the most perfect machine imaginable, a musical form capable of anything, at any tempo and of communicating emotion at whatever intensity might be required, the members of the group then decide to smash it up and start again. When Shorter begins his solo on “So What” (the third and final version of the tune in the box, from the Paris Jazz Festival at the Salle Pleyel in January 1964), following Davis’s already deconstructive, neighing like a donkey take on the melody that immediately precedes him, the beautifully flowing, bluesy style of Coleman – who sounds at the top of his marvellous form throughout his sides – gives way to a typically Shorterian (Shorteresque?), almost parodic, loony-tune approach, boldly going into the outer reaches of who knows where. And the band just has to go with him. With the rhythm section hammering along at ninety miles an hour, and an 18 year old Tony Williams dropping explosive bombs all over the place, Shorter first slows things down with some heavily Coltrane-influenced deep growls before building up a new head of steam with a bravura series of clustered repetitions, gospel wails and almost Ayleresque squawks before passing the baton over to pianist Herbie Hancock. And as if to show what an absolutely perfect all-rounder Shorter is, he then plays an infinitely tender solo on the impeccably in the tradition version of “Stella by Starlight” that follows. Wow. 

Previously, as on the version of “So What” that opens the first disc of the box, and “All Blues” that immediately follows it, it’s the contemporary Miles Davis repertoire including those two Kind of Blue modal classics, plus “Autumn Leaves”, “Walkin’”, “Joshua”, “Bye Bye Blackbird”, etc., but played at hard-bop tempos with plenty of intensity. The sense of all-out attack is relentless, with Tony Williams – only seventeen then! – driving things on at a ferocious pace. “I’m really in the nosebleed territory”, Ron Carter says of his high-register playing on “If I Were a Bell” in a brief interview included in the box. “And it got faster every night, I think….I had never played with anyone like that, of course, and certainly not for this extended period of time. It was just stunning to hear him play like this, play with that intensity, play with that tempo, play with that direction night in and night out and not turn it on to the band and say ‘Stop that.’ He allowed us to do whatever the chemist allowed his proteges in the lab to do.”

And, indeed, Miles Davis himself sounds audaciously good throughout, perhaps as good as one has ever heard him, and in complete control of his instrumental gifts, fiery and contemplative by turn, but with more fire than contemplation. “Being with these young guys”, George Coleman remembers for the box, “he could do his thing and they’d be right there with him. They listened to him and he listened to them. That’s why we were able to play with spontaneity…And he was stepping into another realm too, because before, he was playing straight bebop. But when I joined the band, he started stretching out. This was a transition for Miles, too.”

All in all, this box is quite a listen, and a stretching intellectual exercise just to hear and then process what you have heard. There’s an illuminating essay, ‘Miles in France’, by Marcus J. Moore, some excellent photos and a few contemporary quotes from Downbeat. The box was produced by Steve Berkowitz, Michael Cuscuna and Richard Seidel, and dedicated to Cuscuna, who died earlier this year, and whose scholarship and taste lay behind so many great releases over the last decades. The late Wayne Shorter and Tony Williams receive dedications too. One feels truly gratified that such great historic music should be packaged with such evident love and care, which is not always the case.

Miles in France 1963 & 1964 released 8 November.  

from https://ukjazznews.com

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Jazz Legends Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke to Release New Project “United” on Nov. 8th, 2024 | LISTEN! #jazz #music

 
Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke United
The New Album
 
Jazz Legends Dave Holland and Lionel Loueke celebrate diversity in their new album United
 
In a world where connection often feels elusive, jazz legends Lionel Loueke and Dave Holland offer a remedy with their upcoming album, United. This highly anticipated release transcends mere collaboration; it embodies a soulful conversation between two masters from distinct backgrounds, merging their unique voices into something beautifully transcendent.

What began as an impromptu moment during a soundcheck has blossomed into an album that reflects the spirit of two musicians dedicated to pushing boundaries and exploring new horizons. Holland recalls, “It was one of those rare moments where everything clicked. Lionel and I were improvising, and suddenly it wasn’t just sound—it was something bigger. I turned to him and said, ‘We have to do this.’ The result is United.”

This album is a profound testament to true collaboration, beautifully fusing Loueke’s rich West African roots with Holland’s profound influence on modern jazz. Loueke shares, “Recording with Dave has been a dream. I’ve always looked up to him, and creating this album together has been an incredible journey. The music we’ve made feels like the culmination of everything we’ve experienced individually, coming together in this moment.”

The title United encapsulates the heartbeat of the album. Loueke elaborates, “We may come from different parts of the world, but through music, we find a place where we are truly connected. This album represents that shared space where love, struggle, and hope intersect.”

At a time when division often dominates the narrative, United serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty that can be achieved through unity. “This album is about human connection,” Holland adds. “In a fragmented world, United is our statement that there is beauty in collaboration, in listening, and in being present with one another.”

The album also acts as a call to action. “Right now, the world needs unity more than ever,” Holland emphasises. “We’re all part of the same human family, and this album is our way of expressing that shared responsibility.” Loueke echoes this sentiment, highlighting the deeper message: “Music is what we do, but it’s not who we are. Who we are is about listening, about being open to one another. That’s what United is really about—a collective effort to understand, to connect, and to move forward together.

Scheduled for release on 8th November 2024, United promises to be a landmark recording for anyone who believes in the power of music to bring us closer together. It stands as a testament to what can be achieved when two artists, united by their craft and humanity, create something truly special.

All music composed by Lionel Loueke except “United” composed by Wayne Shorter
Produced by Lionel Loueke. Executive producer Dave Stapleton and Louise Holland

Source: Edition Records

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Flautist Jef Kearns to Release New Single “Dream State” on Nov. 7th, 2024 #jazz #music

ENTER THE DREAM STATE

Prepare yourself for an auditory odyssey, where mystery and emotion collide. Flautist Jef Kearns is ready to unveil his latest instrumental single, “Dream State,” hitting all major streaming platforms on November 7th, 2024.

Jef’s masterful sound on the flute is like a stroke of genius on a canvas, instantly recognizable, with a unique flair that captures a profound sense of intrigue and urgency. “Dream State” is a masterwork, embodying the essence of searching for the unknown within a dreamscape cloaked in fog and wonder. Each note serves as an emotional sound clue, subtly guiding you deeper into this immersive experience.

“I wanted to evoke the feeling of wandering through a dark dream, where each sound is a whisper of a greater truth,” Kearns reveals. “With ‘Dream State,’ listeners can dive into a world of exploration, unearthing the emotions that lie beneath the surface.”

Blending R&B and hip-hop influences, Kearns crafts a sound that is both fresh and resonant, merging soulful melodies with atmospheric textures. “Dream State” is not just a song; it’s an invitation to get lost in layers of sound that envelop and transport you.

Source: Jef Kearns

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - November 4, 2024 #jazz #music

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Quincy Jones, pop mastermind and 'Thriller' producer, dies At 91 #jazz #music

Quincy Jones pictured in Beverly Hills in 2017.

Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Quincy Jones, whose decorated music career ran from the early 1950s through the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died Sunday. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement to NPR that did not mention the cause of death. The statement said that Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by his family.

"Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing," the family said in the statement provided by Jones' publicist, Arnold Robinson. "And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."

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Quincy Jones, The Man Behind the Music

In the 1980s, Jones helped oversee some of music's biggest and most widely loved moments: He produced or co-produced three of Michael Jackson's best-selling albums, including 1982's record-setting Thriller, and was heavily involved in crafting USA for Africa's 1985 charity single "We Are the World." But his career extended for decades in each direction. Jones long held the record for most Grammy nominations with 80, before Jay-Z and Beyoncé surpassed the total earlier this decade, and his 28 wins rank him third behind Beyoncé (32) and conductor Georg Solti (31).

Born Quincy Delight Jones in 1933, Jones got his start in jazz — at 19, he played trumpet in Lionel Hampton's band — and soon performed on stages with some of the world's best-known stars: Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley.

In the 1960s, Jones became a decorated film composer — he collected three of his seven career Academy Award nominations in 1968 and '69 — as well as a high-profile music-industry executive, arranger and producer. On albums like The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones and Quincy Jones Plays Hip Hits, he was the headliner, but he also worked behind the scenes, producing (among many others) a string of bestselling hits for Lesley Gore.

In the '70s, Jones remained in the spotlight as a performer and executive, expanding his reach with high-profile projects such as the soundtrack to The Wiz. But the 1980s found his name attached to a remarkable string of successes, from "We Are the World" and Thriller to his first foray into film production: 1985's The Color Purple, which made movie stars of Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg. Jones' star-packed Back on the Block, released in 1989, won the Grammy for album of the year in 1991.

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Living Legends: Quincy Jones

Jones' successes extended well beyond music and film. Shortly after launching Quincy Jones Entertainment in 1990, he was presiding over long-running TV hits such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and MADtv. His 2001 book Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones detailed his many intersections with music's biggest moments and stars, as well as his mental-health battles and rocky upbringing in Chicago. Jones' philanthropic works extended well beyond USA for Africa and benefited causes such as music preservation, arts education and aid for underprivileged youth.

Jones' tumultuous personal life included three marriages and seven children, including actresses Kidada and Rashida Jones — his daughters with actress Peggy Lipton — and Kenya Kinski-Jones, a fashion model whose mother is German actress and model Nastassja Kinski.

NPR's Ayana Archie contributed reporting.

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