Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - February 28, 2022 #jazz

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Experience David Chesky's Newest Album Graffiti Jazz in Meta-Dimensional Sound on March 11th, 2022 #jazz

David Chesky pushes jazz forward to create new sounding aural collages using virtual sounds to replace traditional jazz harmony.  Grammy nominated composer and pianist David Chesky is back with a new jazz album, Graffiti Jazz, and this time he’s venturing into new territory: Creating a jazz record with no other musicians and no real instruments. The recording will be available March 11th, 2022 as one of the debut releases on Chesky’s new label, The Audiophile Society. This album was an entirely new process for Chesky.  “After writing countless compositions for piano, orchestra, ballets, and operas (wooden instruments), I wanted to try something different. I went back to my jazz roots and wanted to create an album where I don't use harmony and use all virtual instruments. After all we live in a digital virtual world so why not try to reflect this culture with the computers we all live on. I substituted all the harmonies that would usually accompany melodies in the songs with just sounds, so the sounds are the accompanist to the melodies and the soloing. The compositions are centered with a bass line, rhythm machines, and traditional and nontraditional sounds. I used these sounds as the platform to improvise over,” he says.  Given that non-traditional sounds and sound design were integral to the composition of this album, it’s no surprise that the sonic space is one of the highlights of the work. Graffiti Jazz features The Audiophile Society’s signature Meta-Dimensional Sound, which is a unique type of 3D audio. With the addition of the Meta-Dimensional Sound the music has height and has a soundstage that is outside of the speakers. Since this is music was conceived to be heard in one's home, in this case your stereo system or headphones are the virtual concert hall. This creates a stunning atmosphere for this album and brings the work to life in a way that wasn’t previously possible.  Graffiti Jazz was recorded & produced by David Chesky in November 2021, at Buffalo Studios in New York, NY.     Track listing   Graffiti Jazz 1. Graffiti Jazz No. 1      5:47 2. Graffiti Jazz No. 2      4:57 3. Graffiti Jazz No. 3      5:55 4. Graffiti Jazz No. 4      5:36 5. Graffiti Jazz No. 5      5:35 6. Graffiti Jazz No. 6      4:33 7. Graffiti Jazz No. 7      5:22 8. Graffiti Jazz No. 8      6:17 9. Graffiti Jazz No. 9      6:39   Total Time  50:40 David Chesky on Graffiti Jazz About The Audiophile Society The Audiophile Society is the brainchild of composer, pianist, and audio pioneer David Chesky. The new label will focus on bringing even more realistic three-dimensional recordings to market with their Meta-Dimensional Sound, The Audiophile Society’s name for their unique two-channel 3D audio that can play on all existing two-channel stereo, while showcasing emerging artists working in a multitude of genres. The ultimate goal of The Audiophile Society is to change the way you hear music.    "These recordings are compatible with your home and portable systems and can be played back on anyone's home speaker system or headphones without the need for buying any other audio equipment. Our Meta-Dimensional audio is more than some application. It is a process that is thought out from the ground up on each recording," says David. “When you hear our new Audiophile Society recordings on speakers, you should feel like you are in the space with the musicians. The sound of our music is not stuck to the speaker grills like a normal recording but should float up before you. You should experience a sense of height and a wider and deeper soundstage. It should be a more enveloping realistic experience.”   All Audiophile Society audio downloads will include a special dedicated 3D headphone mix. As David says, “Headphones are different experience from speakers and the mixes should be treated differently. When you hear our headphone mixes you should feel the sounds coming not from inside your head like normal stereo recordings, but you should feel a sense of externalization from the sound. The listener should feel like they are in the venue that the music was performed in.   All Audiophile Society downloads come in a choice of two audio packages: The Hi-Res PCM Package (which includes a 192/24 speaker mix, a 96/24 headphone mix, & a DSD speaker mix) or The DSD & 48/24 Package (which includes a DSD speaker mix, a DSD headphone mix, a 48/24 speaker mix, and a 48/24 headphone mix), all in Meta-Dimensional Sound. In addition to recordings, The Audiophile Society website will feature audiophile merchandise, videos, interviews, and content.    For more information on The Audiophile Society, please contact Matt Rose at info@theaudiophilesociety.com.

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - February 21, 2022 #jazz

Smooth Jazz Chart 

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Legacy and chocolate mousse: songwriter Jane McNealy serves up both on “Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns” #jazz

The lavish album featuring vocal interpreter Marsha Bartenetti releases April 1 preceded by three singles and a video dropping next month.

 

Advancing years and a stage four cancer diagnosis spurred songwriter, composer, arranger and librettist Jane McNealy to sift through the pages of her songbook of jazz, pop, soul, funk and folk tunes as well as theatrical material penned for stage and screen, selecting what she felt are some of the best songs, many of which she wrote with longtime collaborator Alice Kuhns. Set list in hand and with legacy on her mind, McNealy headed to the iconic Capitol Studios to record the material as she always envisioned the songs to sound. Giving voice to the opulent, exquisitely orchestrated collection is award-winning vocalist Marsha Bartenetti. The album, “Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns,” drops April 1 on McNealy’s Lo-Flo Records.

 

One would imagine that assembling a “time capsule” of your life’s work, spanning more than fifty years of music, would be an emotional experience and the album is indeed an emotional listen.

 

“This album is extraordinarily rich, expressive, layered and complex. It’s a lot to take in in one listen. It is a combination of everything that I love that I’ve written over the years that shows in total what my artistic life has been about,” said McNealy, who was mentored by the late Harold Battiste Jr. and has collaborated with Dr. John, Joyce Dunn, Tami Lynn, Lydia Marcelle, Judy Karp, Henry Butler, Andy Simpkins and Roy McCurdy among others

 

Relying upon Mike Watts to masterfully orchestrate and arrange “Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns,” McNealy knew that key to bringing to life a project that has such meaning and significance was finding the right voice to illuminate the songs. The tracks were already complete when Bartenetti entered the picture.

 

“Lyrics are everything to me. Whenever I choose songs to record, my first consideration is the lyric and how I resonate to the story…and then, of course, melody. Jane and Alice’s songs paint very evocative pictures – like you are walking into an impressionistic painting. And the lush arrangements of the songs create depth and texture, supporting each lyric. I was very drawn to the longing and hope in their lyrics as well,” said the elegant-voiced Bartenetti, who is also an actor and well-known voiceover artist.

 

McNealy knew what she found in Bartenetti, saying, “The subtlety and depth of Marsha’s interpretation, the haunting quality that she infuses into each song, her light touch, the fluidity of her vocal range - all this and more is interwoven into a fine tapestry of musical poetry on the album.”

 

“Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns” can be categorized as a jazz vocal album although the project is diverse stylistically, offering a wealth of sophisticated sounds akin to a collection of contemporary classics and standards culled from the great American songbook.

 

The first of three singles that will preview the album, “Why Does The Sky Keep Changing” will drop March 4 along with a video. Dramatic and desirous, underscored by sweeping strings and Bartenetti’s yearning portrayal, the song was penned for the musical “Gauguin” written by McNealy and Kuhns about the French Post-Impressionist artist. A snapshot of a frayed relationship with a straying lover is depicted on “Running Around,” a jazzy single coming March 11 bolstered by Jeff Bunnell’s classy trumpet and Rusty Higgins’ soulful saxophone. Dropping March 18, Bartenetti’s voice beams wistfully and longingly like an amorous dreamer on “Love,” written for the musical “Primrose Hill.”         

 

The variety show continues as “One Day At A Time” dances to Latin and Afro Cuban rhythms, a soaring jazz number propelled by trumpet, sax and Watt’s gleeful piano, buttressing Bartenetti’s impassioned voice. Vacillating between a gentle waltz and a brisk bebop cadence, “What Is Today Without You” is a showstopper composed for the fantastical musical “To Be Fred” that ruminates on isolation, imagination and ardent pining. Jazz singer and four-time Grammy winner Sarah Vaughan performed “I Never See That Rainbow Anymore,” a bluesy jazz joint featuring yet another knockout performance by Bartenetti about unrequited love. McNealy wrote “Kite In The Clouds” in fond remembrance of her father. The cut is a bright-eyed carnival ride that soft shoes to ragtime piano and whimsical percussion.

 

“Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns” is the type of big-budget album the major labels used to make, and you can hear it in the finished product. McNealy is proud of the record and delighted to spotlight Bartenetti. Like uncovering a time capsule buried in the backyard, she hopes that new listeners for years to come will discover these songs for the first time and that people already familiar with her catalogue will fall in love with it as beautifully rendered by Bartenetti. And McNealy acknowledges that the album may present a challenge.

 

“I think it’s probably extremely difficult to describe this album because it’s almost like eating chocolate mousse seven times. Making it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be treasured forever.”

 

For more information, please visit https://linktr.ee/loflorecords and https://marshabartenetti.com.

 

“Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns” contains the following songs:

 

“Why Does The Sky Keep Changing”

“Running Around”

“Love”

“One Day At A Time”

“What Is Today Without You”

“I Never See That Rainbow Anymore”

“Kite In The Clouds”

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - February 14, 2022 #jazz

Smooth Jazz Chart 

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Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - February 7, 2022 #jazz

Smooth Jazz Chart 

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When it updates, this post will be repeated with the most recent chart. 

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Craft Recordings Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable" #jazz

CRAFT RECORDINGS CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF NATALIE COLE’S 7x GRAMMY WINNING UNFORGETTABLE…WITH LOVE WITH NEWLY REMASTERED AUDIO AND BONUS TRACKS

 

The multi-platinum-selling album includes Cole’s GRAMMY®-winning virtual duet of “Unforgettable” with her father, Nat King Cole.  Coming to vinyl, CD and digital formats.

 

Featuring rare B-sides “At Last” and “Cottage for Sale,” the CD is offered exclusively via PBS during their 2021 pledge drive, while a special encore of Unforgettable, with Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat King Cole airs November 27th.

Click here to pre-order Unforgettable…With Love

Craft Recordings celebrates the 30th anniversary of Natalie Cole’s iconic smash-hit, Unforgettable…with Love, with a variety of special reissues. The newly remastered 1991 album—which earned seven GRAMMY® Awards, topped the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA—features Cole’s groundbreaking virtual duet of “Unforgettable” with her father, Nat King Cole, plus an array of classic hits from the Great American Songbook. As a bonus, CD and digital editions of Unforgettable…with Love include Cole’s stunning renditions of “At Last” and “Cottage for Sale,” both of which were released as B-sides during the album’s original release. The original 22-track album will also be available on 180-gram vinyl as a 2-LP set.

 

In stores February 4th, Unforgettable…with Love is currently available to pre-order today in all formats, while fans can find a limited-edition purple vinyl pressing of the album (as well as exclusive merch) on Cole’s official website. Ahead of that, Target will offer a pink vinyl edition of the LP on January 7th, while an exclusive white vinyl will be available at Barnes & Noble in tandem with the wide release. Fans can visit their favorite streaming site today to hear the newly remastered edition of “Unforgettable.”

 

For those who want to experience Unforgettable…with Love sooner, PBS will offer the CD exclusively during their pledge drive, beginning November 27th. This Saturday, PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES will also air a special encore of the Emmy®-winning 1992 concert, Unforgettable, with Love: Natalie Cole Sings the Songs of Nat King Cole.

 

While Natalie Cole (1950–2015) grew up in a famous musical family (her father was trailblazing artist Nat King Cole and her mother was jazz singer Maria Hawkins Ellington), she insisted on paving a distinctive path for herself. In doing so, Cole consciously chose not to cover the songs which her father was best known for (including many pop standards from the Great American Songbook). Instead, she opted for soulful, contemporary R&B material, scoring hits like 1975’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1988’s “Pink Cadillac” and 1989’s “Miss You Like Crazy.”

 

But in 1991, after establishing herself as a musical force in her own right, Cole felt it was the right time to embrace her legacy and honor her father through Unforgettable…with Love. Produced by Tommy LiPuma, David Foster and André Fischer, the album found Cole covering many of the songs which made her father a star, including “Nature Boy,” “Route 66” and “Mona Lisa.” The singer was accompanied on piano by her uncle, Ike Cole, and backed by lush orchestral arrangements.

 

Thanks to the magic of digital technology, Cole was also able to perform a virtual duet with her father, who passed away in 1965. Conceived of by Joe Guercio, the former musical director for Elvis Presley, the duet found engineers isolating Nat King Cole’s original 1951 vocals from “Unforgettable,” allowing Natalie to record alongside her father, 40 years later. Decades after the elder Cole made “Unforgettable” a Top 20 hit, the father-daughter duet flew up the charts, peaking at No.14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

The song would become one of Natalie’s biggest hits, earning three awards at the 1992 GRAMMYS®, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Unforgettable…with Love, meanwhile, would be a massive critical and commercial success, landing at the top of the Billboard 200 and earning Cole four additional GRAMMY® Awards, including Record of the Year. Currently certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA, Unforgettable…with Love also marks the highest-selling album of Cole’s career.

 

After the release of Unforgettable…with Love, Cole regularly incorporated pop standards into her albums and performances, finding success with albums like Stardust (1996) and Ask a Woman Who Knows (2002). In addition to her prolific work as a recording artist, Cole also penned two memoirs and flourished as an actress—even playing herself in a dramatic, award-winning performance in Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story, based on her first autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder. Over the course of her storied and inspiring 40-year career, Cole released a total of 23 studio albums, with over 30 million copies sold, worldwide.

 

Click here to pre-order Unforgettable…With Love.

 

Unforgettable…with Love tracklist (vinyl)

Side A:

1. The Very Thought Of You

2. Paper Moon

3. Route 66

4. Mona Lisa

5. L-O-V-E

6. This Can’t Be Love

 

Side B:

1. Smile

2. Lush Life

3. That Sunday That Summer

4. Orange Colored Sky

5: A Medley Of: For Sentimental Reasons, Tenderly & Autumn Leaves

 

Side C:

1. Straighten Up And Fly Right

2. Avalon

3. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

4. Too Young

5. Nature Boy

6. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup

 

Side D:

1. Almost Like Being In Love

2. Thou Swell

3. Non Dimenticar

4. Our Love Is Here To Stay

5. Unforgettable

 

Unforgettable…with Love tracklist (CD/Digital)

1. The Very Thought Of You

2. Paper Moon

3. Route 66

4. Mona Lisa

5. L-O-V-E

6. This Can’t Be Love

7. Smile

8. Lush Life

9. That Sunday That Summer

10. Orange Colored Sky

11. A Medley Of: For Sentimental Reasons, Tenderly & Autumn Leaves

12. Straighten Up And Fly Right

13. Avalon

14. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

15. Too Young

16. Nature Boy

17. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup

18. Almost Like Being In Love

19. Thou Swell

20. Non Dimenticar

21. Our Love Is Here To Stay

22. Unforgettable

23. At Last*

24. Cottage For Sale*

 

*Bonus Tracks

 

About Craft Recordings

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most prestigious collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its rich and storied repertoire includes legendary artists such as Joan Baez, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Nine Inch Nails, Thelonious Monk, Otis Redding, R.E.M. and Traveling Wilburys, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Concord, Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Sugar Hill, Vanguard, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify. 

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