Saturday, June 30, 2007

Upcoming Jazz Releases | 7/3/07





Alain Caron - Conversations (Norac )
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (+2 Bonus Tracks) (P-Vine )
Beck / Sanborn - Beck & Sanborn (Mosaic Contemporary)
Ben Birchall & The Corrections - Last Ditch Brigade (Cavalier )
Bev Kelly - Live At The Jazz Safari (Jpn LP Sleeve) (24 Bit Remastered) (3D )
Bud Powell - Strictly Powell (RCA Victor )
Charlie Rouse - Yeah! (Epic/Legac )
Dave Grusin - Kaleidoscope (Legacy/Col )
Dave Pike - Pike's Peak (Epic/Legac )
Dick Farney - Eternally Stylish (El Records (UK) )
Donati / Fierabracci / Gambale - Made In Australia (Wombat Records )
Emilie Claire Barlow - Very Thought Of You ( )
Erik Truffaz (Quartet) - Arkhangelsk (Limited Edition) (EMI)
Ernest Ranglin - Order of Distinction (Image) - DVD-Video
Francois D'Amours / Carbou Thomas - In Motion (Effendi )
Gleason / Hackett - Complete Sessions ( )
Joe Beck - Beck & Sanborn (CTI/CBS )
Joe McPhee - Soprano (Roaratorio) - LP
Jostein Gulbrandsen - Twelve (Fs New Talent )
Julia Kent - Delay (Shayo )
Kelly Eisenhour - Seek And Find (BluJazz)
Lester Young & The Oscar Peterson Trio - Lester Young With The Oscar Peterson Trio (Verve )
Lou Levy - Most Musical Fella (Aal/Bmg He )
Manteca - Onward (Manteca )
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage (Heads Up)
Mio Sawachi - Il Pleut Sur La Route (Pid)
Music Company - Rubber Soul Jazz (BGP)
Paul Jazz Orchestra Ferguson - Live At The Bop Stop (Azica )
Paul Zauner's Blue Brass - Soil (BluJazz / PAO)
Pony Poindexter - Pony's Express (Epic/Legac )
Ray Lema - Paradox (Pid)
Room Eleven - Six White Russians & A Pink Pussycat (Emarcy )
Ruby Turner - Live At Ronnie Scott's (Rtr Productions )
Shakatak - Emotionally Blue (Victor)
Sigue Sigue Sputnik - 21st Century Boys: Singles (EMI Records (UK) )
Tom Jones - Tom Sings The Beatles (Lilth/City Hall)
Trix - Force (Pid)
Various Artists - Jazzland Community (Universal)
Velvet Revolver - Libertad (RCA (USA) )
Walter Wanderley - Hammond Bossa From Brazil (Verve Reco )
Yellow Jackets - Yellow Jackets (Warner Brothers)
Yoshiro Nakamura - Blue Ocean Of The Globe (Pid)





Barbara Lea - Woman In Love (Jpn LP Sleeve) (24 Bit Remastered) (3D )
Billy Cobham - Live: On Tour In Europe (& George D (Warner Brothers)
Brecker Brothers - Brecker Brothers (24 Bit K2 Remastered) (JVC Victor)
Brecker Brothers - Heavy Metal Bebop (24 Bit K2 Remastered) (JVC Victor)
Clifford Brown - At The Cotton Club 1956 (Lonehill Jazz)
Cornell Dupree - Teasin (Warner Brothers)
Count Basie - Dance Sessions (Jasmine (Uk))
Dave Bailey - One Foot In The Gutter (Epic/Legac )
Dave Bailey - Two Feet In The Gutter (Epic/Legac )
Dave Bailey - Gettin' Into Somethin' (Epic/Legac )
Dick Haymes - Look At Me Now (Jpn LP Sleeve) (24 Bit Remastered) (3D )
Django Reinhardt - Very Best Of (Greatest Hits )
Ella Fitzgerald - Signature (Green Umbrella )
Fats Waller - Great (Rajon )
Frances Lynne - Remember (Jpn LP Sleeve) (24 Bit Remastered) (3D )
Gato Barbieri - Intimate Gato Barbieri (Mosaic Contempo)
George Benson - Breezin (Warner Brothers)
George Benson - In Flight (Warner Brothers)
George Benson - Weekend In L.A (Warner Brothers)
George Benson - Give Me The Night (Warner Brothers)
Glenn Miller - Signature (Green Umbrella )
Henry Mancini - Combo! (Aal/Bmg He )
Jackie Gleason (Ft Bobby Hackett) - Complete Sessions (Fine & Mellow )
Jimmy Smith - Hoochie Coochie Man (Lilith (USA))
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things: Coltrane At Newport (Impulse Records)
Johnny Coles - Warm Sound (Epic/Legac )
Johnny Hodges - Three Shades Of Blue (Aal/Bmg He )
Larry Carlton - Sleepwalk (Warner Brothers)
Larry Carlton - Larry Carlton (Warner Brothers)
Larry Carlton - Strikes Twice (Warner Brothers)
Lee Ritenour - Captains Jourey (Warner Brothers)
Lee Ritenour - Rit (Warner Brothers)
Lou Donaldson - Musty Rusty (Pid)
Louis Armstrong - Signature (Green Umbrella )
Louis Armstrong / Oscar Peterson - Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (Verve )
Milt Jackson - Da Capo (FiveFour )
New Vaudeville Band - Winchester Cathedral (RPM (UK))
Pat Moran - Complete Trio Sessions (Fresh Sound)
Perry Como - In Italy (Jpn LP Sleeve) (24 Bit Remastered) (3D )
Pete Jolly (Trio) Trio, Pete & Friends - Little Bird (24 Bit Remastered) (P-Vine)
Ray Charles - Very Best Of (LP Sleeve) (Greatest Hits )
Robben Ford - Inside Story (Wounded Bird)
Sadao Watanabe - Morning Island (Victor)
Sadao Watanabe - Autumn Blow (Victor)
Sadao Watanabe - My Dear Life (Victor)
Sansa Trio - V.2 (Jpn LP Sleeve) (Bomba Records )


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. Updated biweekly by John Kelman

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Ornette Coleman, Andrew Hill take top honors at 2007 Jazz Awards in New York

Ornette Coleman, who earlier this year became only the second jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music, swept the top honors at the Jazz Awards 2007 on Thursday, winning in four categories, including musician of the year.

Coleman's ``Sound Grammar,'' the first purely improvised live recording to win the Pulitzer, was chosen album of the year in balloting among more than 400 members of the Jazz Journalists Association.

The 77-year-old Coleman's unorthodox ``Sound Grammar'' quartet with two bassists (one plucking the strings, the other using his bow), his son Denardo on drums, and Coleman playing alto saxophone, trumpet and violin was chosen the year's best small ensemble.

Coleman, whose CD was his first new recording in 10 years, won individual awards as alto saxophonist and musician of the year.

But the most touching moments at the ceremony held at the Jazz Standard club came when Andrew Hill, who died at age 75 in April after a long battle with lung cancer, posthumously won three awards as composer and pianist of the year and for lifetime achievement in jazz.

``Saturday is Andrew's birthday. You know that he was so happy and honored to be participating with all of you in this great art,'' said his widow, Joanne Robinson, in accepting the awards on her husband's behalf.

``Andrew is was so very special and we were all so rewarded to have him in our lives,'' she said.

After the musicians' awards were announced, Hill was honored with glasses raised in a special champagne toast before pianist Frank Kimbrough paid a musical tribute by playing two of Hill's rhythmically and harmonically complex compositions, ``Clayton Gone'' and ``Tinkering.''

An international accent was provided by Anat Cohen, who is part of a wave of Israeli musicians, including her brothers trumpeter Avishai and saxophonist Yuval, enjoying success on the New York jazz scene. She was chosen up-and-coming artist of the year and was a surprise winner in the clarinetist category.

In her acceptance remarks, Cohen paid tribute to a fellow nominee, the traditional jazz clarinetist Kenny Davern, who died in December.

``We lost Kenny this year and I met him a few years ago and he's been very supportive and a great inspiration, and I miss him dearly,'' Cohen said.

The Grammy-nominated Italian singer Roberta Gambarini was an upset winner as female singer of the year in a field that included such familiar names as Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves and Nancy Wilson. Kurt Elling won again as male singer of the year.

Trumpeter Charles Tolliver's resurrected big band, which released the CD ``With Love'' last year, was named the best large ensemble

Other winners included Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Maria Schneider (arranger), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Dave Liebman (soprano saxophone), Gary Smulyan (baritone saxophone), Frank Wess (flute), Joey DeFrancesco (organ), Pat Metheny (guitar), Dave Holland (acoustic bass), Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Roy Haynes (drums).

In the jazz journalism categories, the lifetime achievement award went to Francis Davis, a frequent contributor to the Atlantic Monthly and Village Voice.

On the Net:

Jazz Journalists Association: jazzhouse.org

By CHARLES J. GANS
Associated Press Writer

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Friday, June 29, 2007

‘Lady Day’ Gets A New Groove - Billie Holiday: Remixed & Reimagined

Finest Moments From Billie Holiday's Columbia Records Catalog Are Reconstructed And Reinvented By Such Top Dance Innovators As Tony Humphries, Nickodemus, Digable Planets' LadyBug Mecca, DJ Logic, Madison Park, DJ Swingsett and more.

‘Billie Holiday: Remixed and Re-Imagined’ CD
arrives in stores August 7, 2007, on Columbia/Legacy


“A Night of Billie Holiday: Remixed & Reimagined” takes place on Pier 17 of the South Street Seaport in New York City on Friday, August 3rd; Presented by Turntables on the Hudson, this free event will feature DJ’s Nickodemus, Jazzy Nice, Nappy G on percussion and Jay Rodriguez of Groove Collective on saxophone

Following the success of Nina Simone: Remixed & Reimagined, Legacy Recordings continues to expand the jazz paradigm with BILLIE HOLIDAY: REMIXED & REIMAGINED, the second installment of a new series that taps contemporary dance and electronic music’s most sought-after producers/remixers to reinterpret classic recordings for a new generation.

For this edition, Legacy once again teams with Scott Schlachter (of New York-based dance/electronic music imprints C&S, Adrenalin and Topaz Records), the producer who assembled the similarly-minded Nina Simone collection released last fall. Schlachter had full access to Holiday’s esteemed Columbia Record (and associated labels Brunswick, Vocalion and OKeh) repertoire, spanning 1933 to 1944. This time out, his crop of DJs, producers, and artists includes such wide-ranging talents as TONY HUMPRHIES, NICKODEMUS, LADYBUG MECCA (from the platinum-selling and Grammy Award-winning DIGABLE PLANETS), DJ LOGIC, MADISON PARK, DJ SWINGSETT, CHARLES FEELGOOD, POPPYSEED, and more.

The resulting 14-track anthology - the first official remix package to feature selections from Holiday’s landmark Columbia Records catalog - is a beguiling manifesto of love, beauty, rhythm and poetry that demonstrates a reverence for the timeless originals and a fearlessness to turn them upside down and inside out.

For the uninitiated, the name “Billie Holiday” is synonymous with depth, sophistication and the golden age of 20th Century jazz, blues and swing. Born Eleanora Harris on April 7, 1915, she would later ascend to the summit of the idiom as its quintessential auteur. The richness of Holiday’s musical compositions were rivaled only by her, at turns, bewitchingly frail vocal style and spellbinding throaty croon. Her music remains alive with a wealth of colorful emotions and moods (ranging from innocent, romantic, confident and blissfully existential to melancholic, disillusioned and bittersweet), and her voice still haunts with its dexterity and brutal sincerity.

In his liner notes to The Essential Billie Holiday Carnegie Hall Concert, released by Verve in 1956, writer Nat Hentoff said Billie possessed a voice that was “almost unbearably wise in disillusion and yet still childlike, at the center.” She had an uncanny ability to convey bitter truth and magical beauty from a life fraught with racism, addiction, internal demons, depression and loss. Her songs are autobiographical passages offering harrowing, yet redemptive, self-portraits.

BILLIE HOLIDAY: REMIXED & REIMAGINED reawakens and reaffirms our fascination with jazz’s most beloved heroine. From the opening chords of Swingsett & Takuya’s mid-tempo re-invention of Holiday’s ecstatic juke joint romp “I Hear Music,” you become seduced by the manner in which the vocals interplay with the melodious grooves and plaintive trumpet solos. Roland Richards and Ladybug Mecca kick up the mood with their energized reinterpretation of “Spreadin’ Rhythm Around,” which recasts the original as a surging “hip-hop meets swing” anthem which just might usher in the next wave of the Rebirth of Cool. “Trav’lin’ All Alone” becomes a sinister urban affair at the hands of veteran hip hop/funk/modern soul mixmasters Nickodemus and Zeb, who inject the vintage swing tune with shuffling percussion and bottom-heavy dub undercurrents.

Atlanta-based duo/couple Madison Park (aka James and DeAnna Cool) delivers a cocktail-jazz remix of the inviting “You’re So Desireable” aimed at sophisticated post-clubbers and the cosmopolitan jetset. GXR reconstructs the misty ballad “Long Gone Blues” into a soundscape accentuated by electronic textures, dreamy layered vocals and soul-stirring Rhodes and sax solos.

Legendary House music pioneer Tony Humphries radically re-envisions “But Beautiful” as a floor-filler laced with pumping deep House grooves and uplifting gospel keys. Master DJ/turntablist and sonic manipulator DJ Logic cunningly modernizes “Glad To Be Unhappy” into a cinematic mosaic that weaves the majestic opening and closing orchestration from the original with a chunky terrain of slow-burning soul, funk, ambient and jazz nuances. While New York post-rock pop outfit Poppyseed turns the timeless standard “Summertime” into a twilight elegy melding introspective downbeats, taut melancholic keys, and soaring electronic guitar.

BILLIE HOLIDAY: REMIXED & REIMAGINED is a lovingly assembled homage to the First Lady of Jazz’s legacy. More than just a simple remix package, the 14-track set underscores the importance of the original recordings while retooling them for an audience more inclined to a modern club environment.

Listen:
Spreadin' Rhythm 'Round [Lady Bug vs. Lady Day Remix]
Long Gone Blues [GXR Remix]
Trav'lin' All Alone [Nicodemus & Zeb Remix]

More information:
http://billie-holiday.net/
http://myspace.com/billieholiday

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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Norman Brown Reunited BWB On 'Stay With Me'

Norman Brown says he was happy that he got to reunite the smooth jazz trio BWB with one track on his smash CD, Stay With Me. The tune "It's Not Over" features Brown alongside trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Kirk Whalum, who recorded the 2002 CD Groovin' as BWB.

The three have reunited to contribute at least one track to each of their recent solo albums, and Brown says he always enjoys it. When he co-created the tune, he thought it would fit the trio's style and named it "It's Not Over" to signal the fact that BWB is in no way a thing of the past.

Brown explained: "I just had such fun with that group! I came into the business as a solo artist. I had one gig before I became Norman Brown, I played rhythm guitar for George Howard on one tour. And so I hadn't really had a chance to collaborate with other guys, I wanted to feel that. That group was great -- Warner Bros. put us together, we had a great time, we toured, and then it was over, it stopped. I just missed that feeling. That song hit me and it was perfect, it was like, oh, this is us."

Brown is currently enjoying the group dynamic in a live setting. He's in the midst of the third edition of the Norman Brown Summer Storm tour, featuring keyboardist Jeff Lorber, vocalist Peabo Bryson, and saxophonist Marion Meadows. The tour's next stop is July 7th at the Omaha Riverfront Festival in Omaha, Nebraska. More dates can be viewed at normanbrown.com.

By: Janine Coveney

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Monterey Jazz Festival Launches New Record Label

In celebration of the 50th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival Records will make its debut with a remarkable series of historic live-at-Monterey releases. Not only does this mark the first time a festival has launched its own label, but the riches of its tape archives-more than 1600 tapes with more than 2000 hours of concerts in the vault-makes this ambitious endeavor a jazz bonanza.

The Monterey Jazz Festival, the pioneering West Coast-styled jazz party, inarguably holds the world record for the longest-running jazz affair, having been born in 1958 on the Monterey Fairgrounds, some 100 miles south of San Francisco. This year MJF turns 50, with its annual three-day gala (September 21-23) taking on special significance with a wealth of performances offered on nine stages spread throughout the festival's 20-acre grounds.

Monterey Jazz Festival Records is a stand-alone label in partnership with the Monterey Jazz Festival and Concord Music Group. The profits realized by the Monterey Jazz Festival will be re-invested into its ongoing internationally recognized jazz education programs. The MJFR imprint's first five recordings, to be released on August 21, capture the crème de la crème of the jazz heritage: Louis Armstrong (caught headlining the first night of the festival in 1958); Miles Davis (introducing to the West Coast his soon-to-be-classic '60s quintet rhythm section in 1963); Thelonious Monk (his quartet augmented by bassist Steve Swallow and an expanded five-piece festival workshop in 1964); Dizzy Gillespie (in 1965 having expanded his usual quintet with Kenny Barron and James Moody to a sextet by adding Big Black on congas) and Sarah Vaughan (backed by a young Bill Mays, Bob Magnusson and Jimmy Cobb - and one tune with the Jazz at the Philharmonic All-Stars in 1971).

The label also promises to document the jazz of the future, says MJFR general manager Jason Olaine, the New York-based former director of A&R at Verve Records from 1999-2004. "We're not going to be stuck in a jazz time warp", he says. "We're excited to deliver important historical music, as well as assemble special projects and all-star ensembles to debut at the festival each year."

This year's celebratory jazz-future lineup includes an all-star quartet comprising of bassist Dave Holland, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Eric Harland as well as the festival's 50th-year project that will include trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist James Moody, vocalist Nnenna Freelon, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Kendrick Scott and pianist Benny Green, who serves as the musical director. Both groups will be documented live at MJF/50 for possible upcoming releases, with the latter ensemble going on a 50-date national tour in January 2008.

Glen Barros, President and CEO of the Concord Music Group, states, "Concord Records has been committed to nurturing and recording renowned artists for more than three decades, as well as discovering and developing new emerging talent. The Monterey Jazz Festival brand fits perfectly with our overall desire to provide consumers the finest documented recordings of all time. The Concord Music Group is excited to be involved in presenting these spectacular, rare and historic recordings to the public for the first time since they were originally heard by audiences at Monterey."

MJF general manager Tim Jackson tells the story of how the label was born. Three years ago while conceptually ramping up for Monterey's monumental anniversary; he started thinking in broader strokes. "I wanted to leverage the festival's assets and use the 50th as a launching pad to make this historical music available to people", he says.

Ten years ago, Jackson worked with producer Orrin Keepnews to compile a three-CD best-of collection for the festival's 40th birthday (Monterey Jazz Festival-40 Legendary Years, released on Malpaso Records, an imprint of Warner Bros.). It was at that time that he discovered that the archival tapes, housed at the Braun Music Center library on the Stanford University campus, were deteriorating from age. Thanks to grants, the festival has digitized all 2, 000 hours of the live recordings made at Monterey in the past 49 years. That provided an impetus to set the label project into motion.

As for the contact with Concord, Jackson says he got to know Barros while they both served on the board of Jazz Alliance International. "As a festival, we're not equipped to market records", says Jackson, "but Concord has certainly proven that it's been very progressive in getting CDs to listeners. Glen and I like and trust each other, so we quickly worked out an agreement with the MJF Board of Directors. Plus Concord is a West Coast label with its roots in northern California. We like that too."

This historic series will continue as a thriving source of amazing music with many more releases planned for 2008 and beyond.

More information Monterey Jazz Festival

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'Day Of Silence' Impact Analyzed


In part one of a two-part study looking at Tuesday’s (June 26) “Day of Silence” to protest the increase in royalty rates proposed by the Copyright Royalty Board for Internet radio stations and terrestrial radio broadcasters streaming their signals, Bridge Ratings says 62% of those asked found their preferred Internet radio site silent on Tuesday.

Bridge’s national sample of 3000 persons 13+ was first asked if they normally listen to Internet radio in a typical week -- 21% of the respondents said they did.

Bridge also queried its randomly dialed telephone sample as to whether they listened to Internet radio on Tuesday and 45% of the respondents said they did, while 55% said they hadn't.

Finally, Bridge says that 72% of the respondents stated that they tuned to an Internet radio station Tuesday that was streaming while 23% didn't listen to Internet radio that day.

Part two of Bridge’s study, looking at whether the Internet audience returned following the day-long protest, will be released on Thursday (June 28).

Read more at www.bridgeratings.com.

By Mike Boyle - radioandrecords.com

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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

We All Love Ella - Celebrating The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald

Verve Records has just released the tribute album We All Love Ella, an assemblage of stars honoring Ella Fitzgerald produced by Phil Ramone. The album is promoted as an expression of their love for Ella, as well as a celebration of the way Ella’s artistry and music has influenced their own careers.

Legendary producer Phil Ramone says, “There is something magical about doing the work of Ella Fitzgerald that gives you a tremendous painting to start with.”

The first jazz song Natalie Cole ever learned was the Fitzgerald hit “A Tisket A Tasket” which she practiced so she would sound exactly like Ella. Listen


Track List for We All Love Ella
1) A Tisket A Tasket - Natalie Cole
2) Lullaby of Birdland - Chaka Khan
3) The Lady is a Tramp - Queen Latifah
4) Dream a Little Dream of Me - Diana Krall & Hank Jones
5) Mr. Paganini - Natalie Cole & Chaka Khan
6) Oh, Lady Be Good - Dianne Reeves
7) Reaching for the Moon - Lizz Wright
8) Blues in the Night - Ledisi
9) Miss Otis Regrets - Linda Ronstadt
10) Someone to Watch Over Me - Gladys Knight
11) Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me - Etta James
12) Angel Eyes - k.d. lang
13) Too Close for Comfort - Michael Bublé

Natalie Cole (1, 5) Vocal
Chaka Khan (2, 5) Vocal
Queen Latifah (3)
Diana Krall (4) Piano, Vocal
Hank Jones (4) Piano
Diane Reeves (6) Background Vocals
Lizz Wright (7) Vocal
Ledisi (8) Vocal
Linda Ronstadt (9) Vocal
Gladys Knight (10) Vocal
Etta James (11)
k.d. lang (12)
Michael Bublé (13)
Stevie Wonder (14) Vocal, Piano
Ella Fitzgerald (14) Vocal
Nikki Yanofsky (15)

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Internet Radio Observes Day Of Silent Protest

The intent of the protest is to demonstrate what will be heard on July 17th, the date that 17 months of retroactive royalty payments are due.

The sound of silence is playing on Internet radio today and it's not the result of a Simon & Garfunkel retrospective.

Dozens of Internet radio stations are observing a day of silence Tuesday to protest the substantial webcasting royalty rate increase mandated by a recent Copyright Royalty Board ruling.

The intent of the protest is to demonstrate what will be heard on July 17th, the date that 17 months of retroactive royalty payments are due to SoundExchange, the collection organization for the music industry.

Faced with fees they say cannot pay, many Internet radio stations anticipate having to cease operations.

SaveNetRadio, a coalition of artists, labels, listeners, and webcasters, is coordinating the protest. The organization claims, "Before this ruling was handed down, the vast majority of webcasters were barely making ends meet as Internet radio advertising revenue is just beginning to develop. Without a doubt most Internet radio services will go bankrupt and cease webcasting if this royalty rate is not reversed by the Congress, and webcasters' demise will mean a great loss of creative and diverse radio."

SoundExchange characterizes SaveNetRadio as "a front for large webcasters" and claims that these large companies are merely trying to maintain low rates and high profit margins. The 20 largest webcasters account for 95% of the royalties paid to SoundExchange, according to a spokesperson for the organization.

"As they should," said Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio Coalition. "Under a percentage-based rate they're still paying the lions share because they're still making the most money."

It is royalty rate based on a percentage of revenue that webcasters are fighting for. Satellite radio currently pays between 3% and 7% of its $2 billion annual revenue in royalties, according to SaveNetRadio.

The six largest Internet-only radio services, with a combined revenue of $37.5 million in 2006, will owe 47% ($17.6 million) of their revenue in sound recording performance royalties under the new Copyright Royalty Board rates.

The 2005 royalty rate was $0.07 per song per listener. By 2010, the new rate will be $0.19 per song per listener.

In 2006, webcasters paid a total of $18 million in royalties to SoundExchange.

Last month, SoundExchange, at the urging of Representatives Howard L. Berman (D-CA) and Howard Coble (R-NC), offered to extend below-market royalty rates to small webcasters through 2010 "to provide them additional time to build their businesses."

Negotiations are ongoing and hopefully the two sides will reach an agreement, said a SoundExchange spokesperson.

Or not. "SoundExchange says there are talks underway," said Ward. "We are not aware of any."

Next stop: Congress. Ward said there are bills pending to address the situation in both the House and Senate. With today's protest generating some 20,000 calls to government representatives so far, Ward hopes a hearing later this week will address his group's concerns.

By Thomas Claburn
InformationWeek

More information:
Savenetradio
Radio And Internet Newsletter

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Jay Beckenstein Remembers Michael Brecker

Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein has fond memories as well as professional respect for the late Michael Brecker, who succumbed to a rare form of blood cancer in January. His influence was enough for Beckenstein and members of his group Spyro Gyra to dedicate their current album, Good To Go-Go, to Brecker's memory.

Beckenstein remembers meeting the Brecker Brothers at a Buffalo, New York recording session for rock-funk artist Rick James, also a Buffalo native who'd spent time playing in Canada. Said Beckenstein: "The first time I ever met Michael Brecker, our band was still in Buffalo and there was a guy who had just come down from Canada that was cutting a record up in Buffalo and his name was Rick James and I got called to do a horn section thing. And I show up to the studio and who is in the horn section? It's me and Michael and Randy Brecker."

Just out of college at that time, Beckenstein says he was already aware of Michael's talents and was more surprised to discover what a nice person he was when he gave the young Beckenstein some positive feedback on his playing. He added: "He was The Man. They're gonna be studying him in school for years. And to be that good and at the same time to be that darned nice and humble. And say to me, who -- I can't light a candle to this guy -- say to me, that what I'm doing is meaningful, just warms your heart."

Good To Go-Go debuted on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart at Number Four last week. The project is the follow-up to Spyro Gyra's 2006 CD Wrapped In A Dream.

By: Janine Coveney

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Monday, June 25, 2007

Smooth Jazz Chart | Week Ended 6/25/07







LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - Norman Brown - "Stay With Me" - (Peak)
3 - 2 - Boney James - "Shine" - (Concord)
2 - 3 - Paul Brown - "White Sand" - (Peak)
4 - 4 - Euge Groove - "Born 2 Groove" - (Narada/Blue Note)
5 - 5 - Four80East - "En Route" - (Native Language)
6 - 6 - Walter Beasley "Ready For Love" - (Heads Up)
7 - 7 - Jeff Golub - "Grand Central" - (Narada Jazz)
14 - 8 - Paul Taylor - "Ladies' Choice" - (Peak)
12 - 9 - Kim Waters - "You Are My Lady" - (Shanachie)
8 - 10 - Jeff Lorber - "He Had A Hat" - (Narada/Blue Note)



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

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Music Review: Bluegrass-jazz odd couple of Corea and Fleck cast an enchanting spell on new CD

Chick Corea & Bela Fleck, "The Enchantment" (Concord)

Fleck and Corea have appeared on each other‘s albums before, but this is their first full-length duet recording. It‘s not the odd couple-pairing it might appear to be because both musicians are open-minded and like to break down stylistic barriers. Fleck has drawn on the rich tradition of improvisation within bluegrass and included jazz players in his eclectic Flecktones band, while Corea has long been a chameleon-like musician able to adapt classical, Spanish flamenco, rock and other genres into his sound.

It‘s a treat to hear Corea exploring new territory on Fleck‘s old-style modal bluegrass tune "Mountain," while Fleck successfully covers unfamiliar ground on Corea‘s romantic jazz ballad "The Enchantment." Their common classical training is reflected on the banjo player‘s "A Strange Romance" which has elements of baroque and gypsy music. They offer a rippling, airy version of the only standard, "Brazil," which usually gets weighed down with too much percussion.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Corea and Fleck breathe new life and warmth into "Brazil" with their airy and smoothly flowing version of this familiar standard.

By CHARLES J. GANS, Associated Press Writer 4 minutes ago

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Upcoming Jazz Releases | 6/26/07





Aisha Duo - Quiet Songs (Obliqsound)
Akio Sasaki - Fly By Night (3D)
Alexa Weber Morales - Vagabundeo / Wanderings (R.N.L.G. Llc)
Alexa Weber Morales - Wanderings (R.N.L.G. )
Alligator Bayou Club - Live Au Comptoir Du Jazz (Black & Bl )
Ambrose & His Orchestra - Ambrose & His Girls (Pulse)
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (P-Vine)
Andy Milne - Scenarios (HBD )
Andy Milne & Gregoire Maret - Scenarios (ObliqSound)
Anmi2 - Never On Sunday (Sony)
Arnett Cobb - Jumpin' At The Woodside (Black And Blue )
Arturo Sandoval - Live At The Hotel Nacional Havana 1986 (Yemaya )
Barbara Lea - Woman In Love (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Barney Wilen & Diese 440 - Live In Paris 8 Janvier 1983 (Black & Bl )
Best Blue Note Rvg Collection 100 - Best Blue Note Rvg Collection 100 (Pid)
Bev Kelly - Live At The Jazz Safari (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Billy May - Sort A May (Collectables )
Bob Berg - Geneva Concert (Music Video Distributors) - DVD-Video
Bob Kindred - Bolero To Blues No Yoru (Tokuma)
Borbetomagus & Hijokaidan - Both Noises End Burning (Victo )
Bossa Tresp - Bossa Tres (Bomba )
Cafe Lounge Royal - Cafe Lounge Royal (Avex)
Carol Welsman - Carol Welsman (Justin Time Records)
Cool Covers - Vol. 7-Cool Covers Reggae Meets '06-' (Universal)
Cristin Claas - In The Shadow Of Your Words (Sony Classics )
Daniela Procopio - Little Wing (JVC )
David Murray - Sacred Ground (Justin Time Records)
David Witham - Spinning The Circle (Cryptogramophon)
Davis / Tate - Broadway (Black & Bl )
Dick Haymes - Look At Me Now (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Driving Music On Aloha Street - Driving Music On Aloha Street (Pid)
Duduka Da Fonseca - DNA Bossa Trio (Cid )
Dunkelbunt - Morgenlandfahrt (Chat Chapeau )
Dwelling - Ainda E Notte (Eqm )
Eddie Higgins (Trio) - Amor (Tokuma )
Ericko Ishihara - Love Standards (Ponycanyon )
Eugen Cicero Trio - Rokoko Jazz Menuetto (Ponycanyon )
Eugene Maslov - Where the Light Comes From (Blue Canoe Records)
Far East - Ima (3D)
Fela Kuti - Best Of Fela Kuti (MCA Records (USA) )
Ferenc Nemeth - Night Songs (Hbd Label Group)
Florian Weber (Trio) - Minsarah (Tokuma)
Foco - Tempo Bom Com Chuva (Dubas Musica )
Frances Lynne - Remember (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Franco Ambrosetti - Movies (Enja )
Francois Laudet Big Band - Live In Paris Feat. Spanky Wilson (Black & Bl )
Gilbert O'Sullivan - Rare Tracks (Bygum Records )
Gilfema - Gilfema (Obliqsound)
Gloria Lynne - From My Heart To Yours (Highnote)
Graham Haynes - Full Circle (Kindred Rhythm)
Greg Lake - Welcome Back Onstage (Music Video Distributors) - DVD-Video
Hadrien Feraud - Hadrien Feraud (Dreyfus Music)
Hawaiian Songbook - Hawaiian Songbook-Hula Together (Sony)
Helen Forrest / Benny Goodman - Original Recordings Of The 1940's (Collectables )
Hirotaka Izumi - Water Colors (3D)
Hirotaka Izumi - Amoshe (Sony)
Hugh Hopper - Numero D'Vol (MoonJune Records)
Inger Marie - By Myself (Synara )
Inner Resort Jungle Mystik - Inner Resort Jungle Mystik (Avex)
Island Morning - Island Morning-Aloha Kahahiaka (Avex)
Jazz Love Spirit - Jazz Love Spirit (I! Records)
Jean-Pierre Bertrand - Boogie Variations (Black & Bl )
Jim Europe - Too Much Mustard (Saydisc )
Jimmy Cobb - Cobb's Corner (Telarc)
Jimmy Cobb Quartet - Cobb's Corner (Chesky)
Jobim Songbook For Apres - Jobim Songbook For Apres-Midi Grand (Sony )
John McLaughlin - Trio Of Doom (Legacy Recordings )
John McLaughlin - Essential (Legacy Recordings )
Julia Kent - Delay (Shayo )
Kako & His Orchestra - Sock It To Me Latino (Bomba Records )
Kalman Olah - Always (Memphis Interna)
Kaoru Abe - Partitas (Crown)
Knoxville Jazz Orchestra - Blues Man From Memphis
La Crema - El Party Con (Bomba Records )
Land - Land (Extreme Recordings/Stickfigure )
Les Haricots Rouges - Best Souvenir From St Jean De Luz (Black & Bl )
Los Camperos De Valles - Mexican Serenade (Avex)
Lynne Fiddmont - Flow (MidLife Records)
Malia - Young Bones (Jive)
Manteca - Onward (Manteca )
Marc Ribot - Asmodeus - The Book Of Angels Volume 7 (Tzadik)
Marc Richard - Cooking The Rabbit (Black & Bl )
Mariano - Ecos Del Alma (Bhm )
Marlene - Just Like First Love (Sony)
Martin Taylor - Solo (Sbme )
Mazaki Tazaki - Maz-Aki-Taz-Aki (Tipica Rec )
Melora Creager - Perplexions (Filthy Bonnet )
Michel Portal - Bird Watching (Sunny Side)
Michel Portal - Birdwatcher (Sunny Side )
Miroslav Vitous - Universal Syncopations 2 (Universal)
Moon & The Nightspirit - Rego Rejtem (Eqm )
Mushroom - Joint Happening (Hyena)
Mushroom With Eddie Gale - Joint Happening (Hyena)
Nathan Aweau - Vol. 2-Hawaii Classic Series (JVC )
Nels Cline - Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
November - November (Shayo )
Okamoto Island - Grand Blue (3D)
Originals: Big Bands - Originals: Big Bands (Mb )
Originals: Jazz For Dinner - Originals: Jazz For Dinner (Mb )
Os Ritmistas - Os Ritmistas (3D)
Oscar Peterson - Perfect Peterson (Universal )
Otomo Yoshihide - Night Before The Death Of The Sampling Virus (Extreme Records (Australia) )
Palace Lounge Presents Cafe D'Afrique 3 - Palace Lounge Presents: Cafe D'Afrique, Vol.3 (Savoy Jazz)
Pamela Williams - Look Of Love (Shanachie)
Pancho Amat - Llego El Tresero (Vivid )
Paradice Sunset - Paradice Sunset-Aloha Ahiahi (Pid)
Paris Swing Orchestra - Live Au Meridien (Black & Bl )
Paul Bley - In Monzeh (Universal)
Paulinho Da Viola / Elton Medeiros - Samba Na Madrugada (Bomba Records )
Peter Fessler - Voices On The Stair (Pid)
Phil Perry - Mighty Love (Shanachie)
Philippe Lejeune - Solo Piano (Black & Bl )
Queen / Smith - Lenox & Seventh (Black & Bl )
Rafi Malkiel - My Island (Raftone Records)
Ram Ramirez - Live In Harlem 1960 (Blackandblue )
Randy Brecker - Geneva Concert (Music Video Distributors) - DVD-Video
Ray Lema - Paradox (Pid)
Reggae Nights - Reggae Nights (Sony )
Richard Galliano - Blow Up/Concerts (Dreyfus Music)
Richard Galliano - L'Hymne A L'Amour (Pid)
Rodrigo Rodrigues - Fake Standards (Dubas Musica )
Rome Trio - Bojyo (Tokuma)
Room Eleven - Six White Russians & A Pink Pussycat (Emarcy )
Roswell Rudd - El Spirito Jibaro (Sunny Side )
Roswell Rudd & Yomo Toro - El Espiritu Jibaro (Sunny Side)
Ruby Turner - Live At Ronnie Scott's (Rtr Productions )
Sambalanco Trio - Samblues (Bomba Records )
Shakatak - Emotionally Blue (Victor)
Smooth Jazz - Smooth Jazz (Pid)
Soft Machine Legacy - Steam (MoonJune Records)
Sparkling Jazz - Sparkling Jazz (Pid)
Stefan Patry - Live Au Caveau Des Oubliettes (Black & Bl )
Steve Forbert - Strange Names & New Sensations (429 Records)
Suguru Miyaji - Eternity (3D)
Super Stars - Jazz (Pid)
Take 3 - Take 3 (Black & Bl )
Teresa Salgueiro - Voce E Eu (Toshiba/EMI )
Timo Lassy - Soul & Jazz Of Timo Lassy (Pid)
Tom Harrell - Light On (Highnote)
Trio Of Doom - Trio Of Doom (Legacy)
Various Artists - Breathe: Relaxing Bo (Telarc)
Various Artists - Pop Jazz: Volume One (Spring, LLC)
Various Artists - Breathe: Relaxing Bossa (Telarc)
Various Artists - Legends Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar (Tokuma)
Various Artists - Mellow & Sweet Hawaii (Tokuma)
Various Artists - Latin Jazz (Putumayo)
Various Artists - Jazzland Community (Universal)
Various Artists - Jazz In Paris: 100's Most Beautiful Melodies (Universal)
Various Artists - Putumayo Presents: Latin Jazz (Putumayo)
Various Artists - Jobim Songbook For Apres-Midi Grand (Sony )
Various Artists - Aloha Kids (JVC Victor )
Various Artists - Saxaphon (Most Wanted Records )
Various Artists - Justin Timberlake Smooth Jazz Tribute (Copycats)
Various Artists - Nelly Furtado Smooth Jazz Tribute (Copycats)
Various Artists - Palace Lounge Presents: Cafe D'Afrique, Vol.3(429 Records)
Various Artsits - Reggae X-Tra! 2007 Summer Jam (JVC Victor )
Veronika Rodriguez - Paris Is You (Black & Bl )
Walter Lang - Romantische Strabe (Pid)
Walter Norris - Drifting (Enja )
Walter Raim - Electrifying Guitar Of (Universal)
Waverly Seven - Yo! Bobby (Anzic Records) - 2+ CDs
Xavier Monge - Dexterity/Live At Altxerri (Vivid )





Archie Shepp - Steam (Enja )
Benny Goodman - Solid Gold Instrumental Hits (Collectables )
Benny Goodman - Original Recordings Of The 1940's (Collectables )
Bob Mintzer& The Horn Man Band - Papa Lips (Explore Records)
Booker Little - Booker Littie & Friend (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Buddy De Franco - Generalissimo (Lonehill Jazz )
Carl Saunders - Blues On The Side (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Cedar Walton (Trio) - Midnight Waltz (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Charlie Byrd - Travelin Man / Touch Of Gold (Collectables )
Charlie Parker - Complete Carnegie Hall Performances (Pid)
Chet Baker - Peace (Enja )
Chet Baker (Quartet) - Jazz At Ann Arbor (Jazz Beat )
Chris Connor - Birdland Lulluby (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Claude Williamson - Fabulous (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Dan Nimmer (Trio) - Tea For Two (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
David Hazeltine (Trio) - Cleopatra's Dream (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Derek Bailey - Standards (Tzadik)
Dexter Gordon - Daddy Plays Horn (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Dexter Gordon - Our Man In Paris (Pid)
Dinah Shore - Best Of: The Capitol Recordings 1959-1962 (EMI )
Dizzy Gillespie / Gonzalo Rubalcaba / Arturo Sandoval - Live At The Jazz Plaza Festival 85 (Yemaya )
Django Reinhardt - Very Best Of (Greatest Hits )
Don Cherry - Hear & Now (Wounded Bird)
Eartha Kitt - Mastercuts Eartha Kitt (Mastercuts)
Eddie Cleanhead Vinson - Kidney Stew (Black & Bl )
Ella Fitzgerald - Live At Mister Kelley's (Verve (USA))
Ella Fitzgerald - Collection (The Capitol Recordings) (EMI Gold)
Eric Alexander - Sunday In New York (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Eric Dolphy - Stockholm Sessions (Enha)
Erroll Garner - Turin Concert (Pid)
Erroll Garner (Trio) - Concert By The Sea (Jazz Beat )
Fats Domino - Legends Of New Orleans:The Music Of Fats Domino : Domino, Fats (EMI ) - DVD-Video
Francesco Cafiso - New York Lullaby (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
George Russell (Sextet) - Things New: Unissued Concerts 1960 & 1964 (Rlr Records )
Glenn Miller - Mirror Sound (Pid)
Hank Jones - Prelude To A Kiss-Greatest Hit Of (Pid)
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles (Pid)
Higgins Eddie (Trio) - Amor (Tokuma)
Horace Silver - Six Pieces Of Silver (EMI)
J.J. Johnson - Complete 60 Big Band Recordings (Lonehill Jazz )
Jaco Pastorius - Essential (Legacy)
Jaco Pastorius - The Essential (Legacy)
Joachim Kuhn - Live In Europe Vol.2(Daniel Humair (Pid)
John Coltrane - Pianists Touch (Lonehill Jazz )
John Coltrane / Art Farmer - Winner's Circle (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
John Mclaughlin - The Essential (Legacy)
Johnny Hartman - Songs From The Heart (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Johnny Hartman - All Of Me (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Julie London / Carmen Mcrae - Carmen Mcrae & Julie London (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
June Christy - Best Of (EMI Gold)
Kimiko Kasai - What's New (Sony)
Lee Konitz - Portology (Omnitone Records )
Louis Armstrong - In Scandinavia (Storyville Reco)
Mal Waldron - Left Alone (W/Jackie Mclean) (JVC)
Marika Hiraga - Lol (3D)
Maynard Ferguson - Ballad Side Of Maynard Ferguson (Wounded Bird)
Mel Torme - Sings Fred Astaire (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)
Mike Stern - Jigsaw (Wounded Bird)
Mike Stern - Is What It Is (Wounded Bird)
Milt Jackson - Invitation (Mobile Fidelity)
Modern Jazz Quartet - Django (Fantasy)
Nancy Wilson - Very Best Of (EMI Gold Imports )
New York Trio - Begin The Beguine (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Ornette Coleman (Quintet) (Ft Don Cherry & Paul Bley) - Complete Live At The Hillcrest Club (Gambit)
Oscar Peterson - Mastercuts - Oscar Peterson (Maa)
Pat Moran - Complete Trio Sessions (Fresh Sound)
Peggy Lee - Mastercuts Peggy Lee (Maa)
Peng Fang Jia - Nocturne (Pid)
Perry Como - In Italy (24 Bit Remastered) (3D)
Putumayo Presents - Latin Jazz (Putumayo)
Ray Barretto - El Ray Criollo (Bomba Records )
Ray Barretto - Viva Watusi (Bomba Records )
Ray Charles - Very Best Of (LP Sleeve) (Greatest Hits )
Richard Galliano - Solo (JVC)
Richard Galliano - Luz Negra (JVC)
Richard Galliano - Blow Up / Concerts (Dreyfus Music)
Rob Agerbeek (Trio) - Very Thought Of You (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Sadao Watanabe - Paysages (Sony)
Saori Yano - Best Collection-Jazz Kaiki (Pid)
Shigeko Suzuki - Love (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Purumi Eeru (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Breeza (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Winds Of My Heart (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Close Yore Eyes (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Just Beside You (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - My Best Friends (BMG Entertainment)
Shigeko Suzuki - Breath Of Silence (Pid)
Shigeko Suzuki - Talk With The Wind (BMG Entertainment)
Simone - Romance (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Sophie Milman - Make Someone Happy (JVC Victor)
Steve Kuhn (Trio) - Pavane For A Dead Princess (24 Bit Remastered) (Tokuma)
Takeshi Itoh - Dear Hearts (Sony)
Takeshi Itoh - El Seven (Sony)
Takeshi Itoh - T.K. (Sony)
Teddy Wilson (Trio) - Touch Of Teddy Wilson (Jazz Beat )
Terumasa Hino - Trans-Blue (Sony)
Various Artists - Putmayo Presents: Latin Jazz (Putumayo)
Wynton Kelly (Trio) - Complete Vee Jay Studio Recordings (Lonehill Jazz )
Yoshiaki Masuo - Winds Of Barcelona (Sony)
Zoot Sims - Down Home (K2 Hd Remastered) (V2)


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. Updated biweekly by John Kelman

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