This Amazon.com exclusive version of River: The Joni Letters includes two bonus tracks, "All I Want" featuring Sonya Kitchell and "A Case of You." Following the release of 'River: The Joni Letters, ' "an intimate reinvention" (NY Times, 9/9/07) of Joni Mitchell songs, jazz master Herbie Hancock will embark on a brief tour of West Coast venues this November.
In addition to band members Vinnie Colaiuta, Nathan East and Lionel Loueke, Hancock will be joined by young singing sensation Sonya Kitchell. Kitchell will handle vocal duties for performances of songs appearing on the album, a tribute to Hancock's friend and fellow music icon Joni Mitchell. The concert tour, which will include songs spanning Hancock's illustrious five-and-a-half decade career, will makes stops in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
"When Sonya and I first met at one of her performances last year, I was blown away by her professionalism, her grace and, of course, her amazing voice", said Hancock. "We brought her in to perform Joni's 'All I Want' for 'River, ' and I was sold. She's definitely one to watch, and I'm thrilled she can join us for the West Coast dates."
Tina Turner singing 'Edith And The Kingpin' on Herbie Hancock's Tribute album to Joni Mitchell entitled "River: The Joni Letters"
Citing Joni Mitchell as one of her key influences, the now 18-year-old Kitchell released her debut album 'Words Came Back to Me' in spring 2006 (Velour/Hear Music) to widespread acclaim. "With a knockout voice" (People, 4/17/06) and songwriting skills to match, the Massachusetts-born singer's debut was selected for national distribution by Starbucks as part of their prestigious Hear Music Debut series. This tour marks the second live collaboration between Kitchell and Hancock, who last year invited the young vocalist to perform with his all-star band at the Sonoma Jazz Festival.
'River: The Joni Letters", which debuted at the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart following its September 25 release, is a collection of songs, composed by or influential to Joni Mitchell. Arranged and produced by Hancock with legendary producer Larry Klein (Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux, Brandi Shearer), 'River' "explores how old words resonate when interpreted instrumentally and offers beautiful insight into [Mitchell's] conversational artistry" (LA Times, 9/23/07). The album features vocal performances by artists including Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Tina Turner, and Mitchell herself. Kitchell's performance of "All I Want" appears exclusively on the Amazon.com version of the album.
In stores October 16th, and available by pre-order now at amazon.com Over 20 years after first breaking onto the contemporary jazz scene as a member of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band, Eric Marienthal is a true global phenomenon, playing everywhere with a who’s who of jazz yet always saving his freshest, most exciting work for what’s coming Just Around the Corner—the name of his fourth CD on Peak Records.
Just Around The Corner gets off to a sizzling, fast grooving start with the album’s first single, “Blue Water,” the first Marienthal/Culbertson collaboration that backs the saxophonist’s emotional melody with lively keyboard harmonies, trippy chill flavors and vibrant horn textures. “Times Square,” which features the keyboards and programming of co-writer Lu, opens with a silky sax intro, then thumps into a mid-tempo funky flow on the verses that build to a blistering horn section chorus. The dreamy, old school ambiences behind the lead sax line and synth echoes of “Flower Child” display the incredibly cool and melodic chemistry Marienthal shares with Lorber; later in the track, the more aggressive drums of Dave Weckl kick it into high percussive gear. Most of the collection features the snappy electric guitar of Michael O’Neill, but the vibrant and brassy, perfectly titled driving Marienthal/Culbertson tune “Open Road” brings Ray Parker Jr.’s powerful, jangling axe into the mix.
The next two Marienthal-Lu songs, “21 Ocean Front” and the title track, perfectly capture the dual vibes of upbeat, jamming party music and sensual romance that run throughout the disc. The first features Marienthal’s soulful lead alto over mystical rock atmospheres, while “Just Around The Corner” amps up with a booming urban thump groove, O’Neill’s crackling guitar and scorching horn textures. The heartfelt ballad “I Believe In You” and the joyfully old school, unabashedly discofied “Dance With Me,” both written by Culbertson, Marienthal and Lu, offer up the same type of cool mood swinging; the saxman’s trademark lyrical power is at its peak on “I Believe In You,” and “Dance With Me” captures the wild synergy between the saxman and his co-writers brilliantly. The coolly percussive “Your Move” is vintage Lorber-Marienthal, with Marienthal’s rich emotional alto soaring above the keyboardist’s retro-soul textures. “Lost Without You” is the perfect coda for the disc, a gently wistful ballad that perfectly embodies the softer sides of Marienthal and Culbertson and the magic they create together.
“..Working on the new album with Brian and Stephen has pushed my own game to the next level. Just Around The Corner is a melody-driven, straightforward pop instrumental date that honestly reflects the musical groove I’m in right now.”
TRACKLISTING
1. Blue Water Listen 2. Times Square 3. Flower Child 4. Open Road 5. 21 Ocean Front 6. Just Around The Corner 7. I Believe In You 8. Dance With Me 9. Your Move 10. Lost Without You
In Duluth, Minn., on Thursday, a federal jury convicted Jammie Thomas for copyright infringement for sharing music online. Thomas is to pay $9,250 for each of the 24 songs involved in the case. Eric Bangeman, who has been covering the trial for the tech Web site Ars Technica, talks with Michele Norris about what the case will mean for future litigation involving file sharing.
Clint Eastwood is well-known for his tough guy acting roles and has developed directing as a second career, but he has another passion that tends to get less attention -- jazz.
Eastwood, 77, directed a biopic of Charlie "Bird" Parker in 1988 and is now making a documentary about pianist Dave Brubeck.
Eastwood, a pianist himself who received an honorary doctorate of music from the Berklee College of Music, spoke to Reuters about his interest in jazz that dates back to his youth in the San Francisco area during the 1940s:
Danny Williams was not injured as a result of the trouser conflagration. The iPod, alas, perished in the fire.
An Apple iPod nano owner from Douglasville, Ga., claims that his iPod nano caught fire in his pocket, according to a report that aired on Atlanta's WSB-TV.
Danny Williams, who works in a kiosk at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, claims that he has been in contact with Apple and that Apple wants him to send his scorched Nano in for a replacement.
"I'm still kind of freaked out that after only a year and a half my iPod caught fire in my pocket," Williams said to a WSB-TV reporter.
Williams was not injured as a result of the trouser conflagration. The iPod, alas, perished in the fire.
The iPod nano relies on a lithium ion battery. "Lithium-ion batteries pack in a higher power density than nickel-based batteries," Apple explains on its Web site. "This gives you a longer battery life in a lighter package, as lithium is the lightest metal. You can also recharge a lithium-ion battery whenever convenient, without the full charge or discharge cycle necessary to keep nickel-based batteries at peak performance."
Since August, 2006, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Toshiba have all issued recalls for lithium ion batteries manufactured by Sony that were used in notebook computers.
On August 24, 2006, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Apple issued a recall of rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries made by Sony for certain iBook G4 and PowerBook G4 notebook computers. The recall was based on nine reports of batteries overheating, two of which involved minor burns.
In October of last year, Sony said it would take a charge of 51 billion yen, about $440 million at today's exchange rate, to cover the cost of its recalled batteries.
Sony is by no means alone in having battery issues. In August, Finnish phone maker Nokia recalled some 300 million batteries made by Matsushita between December 2005 and November 2006. Last December, Sanyo recalled 1.3 million mobile phone handset batteries for safety reasons.
It's not immediately clear what company made the battery in Williams' iPod nano. The battery in the iPod nano does not list its manufacturer. And Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
WSB-TV also noted that Apple refused to talk about the incident.
Donald R. Sadoway, Professor of Materials Chemistry at MIT, says that lithium ion batteries can be manufactured to operate safely and worries that the technology is at risk of being unfairly maligned because of greed.
"Lithium ion technology was introduced in mid-1990s and we had relatively uneventful use of the technology until several years ago when some of the producers decided to get a bit greedy and hold back on enough of the safety issues," said Sadoway. "As we've moved the technology from Japan to China, we've seen a decrease in reliability. That's not to say that because it comes from China it's of inferior quality, but I don't think anyone would be surprised to learn that quality varies widely in Chinese factories."
In 2000, Sony said that it had invested $23 million in manufacturing facility in Wuxi, China, to manufacture lithium ion polymer rechargeable batteries. The manufacturing operation was scheduled to begin production in April, 2001.
Sony also manufacturers lithium ion batteries at plants in Fukushima, Japan and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.
"The manufacturers have to stop being so greedy and spend another dollar or two and give us something that doesn't go critical on us," said Sadoway.
Alessandro Lanzoni Trio - On The Snow (Philology ) Amir El Saffar - Two Rivers (PI Recordings ) Anne Ducros - Urban Tribe (Dreyfus Jazz ) Antonio Adolfo / Brazil & Brazuka - Destiny (Far Out Uk ) Ari Roland - And So I Lived In Old New (Smalls Records ) Arturo Sandoval - Live At The Hotel Nacional Havana 1986 (Yemaya ) Arturo Sandoval - Live At The Hotel Nacional, Havana 1986 (MVD ) Avenged Sevenfold String - Avenged Sevenfold String Tribute (CC Ent / Copycats ) Benni Chawes - Up Close (Stunt ) Beverly Kenney - Lonely & Blue (3D ) Bireli Lagrene - Just The Way You Are (Dreyfus/Koch ) Blake Tartare - More Like Us (Stunt ) Bodilsen / Bollani - Gleda-Songs From Scandinavia (Stunt ) Bola De Nieve - Incomparable Bola De Nieve (MVD ) Bola De Nieve - Incomparable (MVD ) Bruno Coupe - Crabouillage (Victorie ) Caroline Henderson - Don't Explain (Stunt ) Catholics - Village (Bugle ) Chaka Khan Smooth Jazz - Chaka Khan Smooth Jazz Tribute (CC Ent / Copycats ) Chico Hamilton - Classical Katz (FiveFour ) Christian Jacob - Contradictions (3D ) Christina Dahl - Free Your Mind (Stunt ) Collie Buddz - Collie Buddz (Sony ) Collie Buddz - Collie Buddz (+1 Bonus Track) (Sony ) Copenhagen Connection - Montmartre Revisited (Stunt ) Cyrus Chestnut - Cyrus Plays Elvis (Koch ) Dado Moroni Trio - Heart Of The Swing (Music Cent ) Dago - Sounds for a Blue Planet (Ozl ) David Winogrond - Pictures At An Existentialism (Wondercap ) DePaul Univ Jaz / Phil Woods - Swingchronicity (Jmd ) Despartactions - One More Language (Music Cent ) Don Menza / SWR Big Band - Voyage (Hanssler Classic ) Eddy Mitchell - Jambalaya (Sunny Side ) Erma Thompson - Madam Queen (The Sirens Recordings ) Ernst Reijseger - Do You Still (Winter & Winter ) Evan Parker / Matthew Shipp - Abbey Road Duos (Treader ) Fabio Lossani Quintetto Ritmi - Jazz In Italy In The 40'S (Philology (Italy) ) Fabio Morgera - Need For Peace (Smalls Records ) Fazal Qureshi - Best Of Zakir Hussain (ARC Music ) Fletcher Henderson - Harmony And Vocalion Sessions Vol 2 (Timeless (TML) ) Fletcher Henderson - Harmony & Vocalion Sessions 2 (Timeless Holland ) Funk Unit / Nils Landgren - Licence To Funk (Act Music + Vision ) Gary Herbig - Montana Shooting Star (Rhombus Records ) George Garzone - One Two Three Four (Stunt ) Geraldine Gay - Soulful Sounds (The Sirens Recordings ) Gerardo Frisina - Notebook: A Journey In Sound (Schema ) Gil Coggins - Better Late Than Never (Smalls Records ) Harry Whitaker - Thoughts (Past and Presen (Smalls Records ) Harry Whitaker - Thought (Past And Present) (Smalls Records ) Hazel Scott - 1946-47 (Classics ) Herb Geller - At the Movies (Hep Records ) Holly Cole - Baby It's Cold Outside (Koch Records ) Ibrahim Electric - Absinthe (Stunt ) Inger Marie Gundersen - Make This Moment (Stunt ) Israel & New Breed Smooth Jazz - Israel & New Breed Smooth Jazz Tribute (CC Ent / Copycats ) Jack DeJohnette - Peace Time (Kindred Rhythm ) Jacques Bolognesi & Marc Fosset Trio - Hermetotico (La Lichere ) Jacques Bolognesi / Marc Fosset - Hermetotico (La Lichere ) Jacques Haurogne - L'Ile En L'Eau (Victorie ) Jacqui Naylor - Smashed For The Holidays (Ruby Star Records ) Jazz Fellowsh / Will Scruggs - Bluebari Jam (Summit Records ) Jean-Christophe Beney - Pop Up (Effendi ) Jennifer Scotrt Quintet - Live At The Cellar (Clf ) Jennifer Scott Quartet - Live At The Cellar (Clf ) Jennifer Scott Quartet - Live At The Cellar (CLF ) Jennifer Scott Quintet - Live At The Cellar (CLF ) Jesper Bodilsen Trio - Mi Ritorno In Mente (Stunt ) Jet Set Swe - Goodbye Pluto (Ajabu ) Joe Jackson - Collection (UME Imports ) John Calloway - Code (Bombo Music Productions ) Josefine Cronholm - Hotel Paradise (Stunt ) Larry Coryell - Crossing Borders (Arc Music ) Larry Ochs - Our Trios Volume 5: Up From Under (Atavistic Records ) Larry Ochs - Up From Under (Atavistic Records ) Lena Horne - New Album (Dutton Vocalion Uk ) Lena Horne - Lena, A New Album (Dutton Vocalion Uk ) Lightmen / Bubba Thomas - Country Fried Chicken (P-Vine ) Lightmen Plus One - Energy Control Center (P-Vine ) Lisa Ono - Soul & Bossa (Avex Trax Records ) Malene Mortensen - Malene (Stunt ) Manhattan Jazz Quintet - Someday My Prince Will Come (Columbia) Marian Bitran Quartet - All One (Stunt ) Marie Inger - By Myself (Stunt ) Mark-Almond - Mark-Almond / Bonus Tracks / Spa (Body Heat ) Marlene Mortensen - Marlene (Nocturne ) Marvin Stamm Quartet - Alone Together [CD+DVD] (Jmd ) Marvin Stamm Quartet - Alone Together [CD+DVD] (Jmd ) Marvin Stamm Quartet - Alone Together [CD+DVD] (JMD ) Marvin Stamm Quartet - Alone Together (Jazzed Media ) Matt Dusk - Back In Town (+1 Bonus Track) (BMG Entertainment ) Matt Dusk - Back In Town (BMG Entertainment ) Mel Torme - Night & Day (KRB ) Michael Berkowitz & The Gene Kr - Thinking Of Gene (Sea Breeze Records ) Michael Franks - Watching the Snow (Rhino) Mikkel Band Nordsoe - Live Concert (Stunt ) Miles Davis - Miles' Groove (Deluxe ) Mimi Fox - Standards (Origin (Arts) Records ) Mr. Groove - Little Things (Ddr ) Mt. Hood Jazz Band - I'm Still Here (Sea Breeze Records ) Mt. Hood Jazz Band & Combo - I'm Still Here (Sea Breeze Records ) Muhledy - Active Sleep (Clf ) Nighthawks - Metro Bar (Inu ) Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Licence To Funk (Amv ) Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Licence To Funk (Amv ) One Kiss To Many - One Kiss To Many (Stunt ) Osgood / Rivers - Violet Violets (Stunt ) PabloZiegler Quartet - Buenos Aires Report (Zoho Music ) Paolo Apollo Negri - Bigger Tomorrow (Hammondbeat --Burnside-- ) Paul Bollenback - Invocation (Elefant Dreams ) Pete Lockett - Taiko To Tabla (Arc Music ) Pete Mills - Fresh Spin (Summit Records ) Pete Mills / Tony Monaco - Fresh Spin (Summit Records ) Peter Fuglsang - File Under Purple (Stunt) Phil Woods/DePaul Univ Jazz Band - Swingchronicity (Jmd ) Phillip Martin - Pride & Joy (Open Grave Records ) Pieranunzi / Vinding - Kingdom Where Nobody Dies (Stunt ) PJ Perry - Joined At The Hip (Cellar Live ) PJ Perry / Qui / Campbell Ryga - Joined at the Hip (Clf ) PJ Perry Quintet / Ryga, Cam - Joined at the Hip (Clf ) Pj5et Special Project - High Tension (Splasc(H) ) Quartet / Scott, Jennifer - Live At The Cellar (CLF ) Quartet / Stamm, Marvin - Alone Together [CD+DVD] (JMD ) Quincy Jones - Quintessence (Verve (USA) ) Quincy Jones - Q In Jazz (Golden Sta ) Quiq Sinesi / Pablo Ziegler - Buenos Aires Report (Zoho Music ) Ramp - Come Into Knowledge / Reis / RSTR (Verve ) Reuben Blades - Nothing But The Truth (Wounded Bird Records ) Riccardo Arringhini Trio - Cambio Di Marcia (Egea ) Rivers / Street - Purple Violets (Stunt ) Roger Davidson - Pensando En Ti (Soundbrush Records ) Roy Ayers - Lifeline (Verve (USA) ) Roy Hamilton - Warm Soul... Plus! (Poker ) Roy Haynes - Roy Haynes: Jazz (Dreyfus/Koch ) Ruby Braff / Flying Pizzarel - C'est Magnifique (Arbors Records ) Sam Phillipps - Animal Sounds (Wondercap ) Sam Phipps - Animal Sounds (Wondercap ) School Of The Arts - School Of The Arts (Magnatude Records ) Soren Siegumfeldt Eriksen - Blue Hat (Stunt ) Tango Orkestret - Tango De Copenhague (Stunt ) Terry Callier - Terry Callier Collection (Universal ) The Rempis Percussion Quartet - Hunter-Gatherers (482 Music) - 2+ CDs Tommy Emmanuel - Classical Gas (Sony Music Distribution (Australia) ) Tononi Tiziano & The Ornettians - Vol. 2-Peace Warriors (Black Saint ) Tony Pastor - MR Pastor Goes To Town (Asl Living Era ) Tony Pastor - Mr. Pastor Goes To Town (Living Era ) Unfortunate Heads - Come Be Light (Genuine Recordings ) Unita' Musicale - Twister (Splasc(H) ) Various Artists - Weather Channel Present - The Best Of Smooth Jazz (Midas Records ) Various Artists - Israel & New Breed Smooth Jazz Tribut (CC Entertainment/Ka ) Various Artists - All Jazz (Wagram ) Various Artists - Ladies Of Jazz & Blues Box (Mra ) Various Artists - Gold: Jazz Divas (Verve (USA) ) Various Artists - JSP Jazz Sessions Vol. 2: London 1980-85 (JSP (UK) ) Vinny Golia - Healing Force - The Songs Of Albert Ayler (Cuneiform Records ) Vital Information - Vitalive! (Intuition Music ) Walking Time Jazz Ensemble - Stuff (Philology ) Weather Channel Presents: Best Of Smooth Jazz - Weather Channel Presents: Best Of Smooth Jazz (Midas Records ) Weather Channel Presents: Best Of Smooth Jazz - The Weather Channel Present - The Best Of Smooth Jazz (Midas Records ) Will Scruggs - Bluebari Jam (Summit Records ) Ziegler Quartet, Pablo - Buenos Aires Report (Zoho Music )
Andersen / Carste - Moon Water (Stunt ) Beverly Kenney - Lonely & Blue (JPN LP Sleeve) (3D ) Bill Bruford & Keiko Abe - New Percussion Group Of Amsterdam (Summerfold ) Billie Holiday - Best of (Intersound) Buddy De Franco - 1949-52 (Classics ) Charles Mingus - Minor Intrusion (Gld ) Christian Jacob - Contradictions (JPN LP Sleeve) (3D ) Dinah Washington - Gold (Verve (USA) ) Dizzy Gillespie - Live At The Jazz Plaza Festival 1985 (MVD ) Dizzy Gillespie / Gonzalo Rubalcaba / Arturo Sandoval - Live At The Jazz Plaza Festival 85 (+2 Bonus Tracks) (Yemaya ) Django Reinhardt / Stephane Grapelli - Djang Reinhardt-Stephane Grappelli ( ) Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Verve (USA) ) Ed Thigpen - Element Of Swing (Stunt ) Ella Fitzgerald - Gold (Verve (USA) ) Elton Dean - Just Us (Disk Union ) Erroll Garner - 1954 (Classics ) Fredrik Lundin - Choose Your Boots (Stunt ) Fredrik Lundin - Belly-Up (Stunt ) Gene Ludwig - Duff's Blues: Live From Z (Blues Leaf Records ) Gene Ludwig / Bill Warfield - Duff's Blues: Live From Z (Blues Leaf Records ) Gerry Mulligan - Walking Shoes/Swing House (MJA ) Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool (Verve (USA) ) Hans Ulrik - Jazz & Mambo (Stunt ) Hiram Bullock - From All Sides (Wounded Bird ) Hiram Bullock - Way Kool (Wounded Bird ) Jazz Crusaders - Global Warming (WMGW ) Jazz Kamikaze - Travelling At The Speed Of Sound (Stunt ) Jazzkamikaze - Mission 1 (Stun) Johnny Hartman - I Just Dropped By To Say Hello (Verve (USA) ) Lee Konitz - Portology (Omnitone Records ) Les Brown & His Band Of Renown - Les Brown's In Town (Jazz Beat ) Lionel Hampton - Swiss Radio Days Vol. 17 (TCB Music ) Mark-Almond - Mark-Almond (Body Heat ) Mezz Mezzrow - 1953-54 (Classics ) Michael Berkowitz / G Krupa - Thinking of Gene (Sea Breeze Records ) Miles Davis - Foot Prints (Sony ) Modern Jazz Quartet - Anthologie Cabu (Bd Music ) Nat King Cole - Collection Box Set Volume 1 (Collectors' Choice ) Nina Simone - Gold (Verve (USA) ) Oliver Nelson - Blues And The Abstract Truth (Verve (USA) ) Oscar Peterson - Jazz Manifesto (Delta Music Plc ) Phil Woods - Swingchronicity (Jazzed Media ) Philip Catherine / Larry Coryell - Twin House (Wounded Bird Records ) Ramsey Lewis - In Crowd (Polygram (Japan) ) Ruby Braff - C'Est Magnifique (Arbors records ) Sarah Vaughan - Gold (Verve (USA) ) Sonny Rollins - On Impulse! (Verve (USA) ) Stanley Clarke - Children Of Forever (Impulse! ) Tania Maria - In Copenhagen (Stunt ) Ulf Wakenius - Forever You (Stunt ) Vital Information - Show 'Em Where You Live (Inu ) Vital Information - Show Em Where You Live (Inu )
The Recording Industry Association of America's first piracy trial went before a jury here Tuesday, with the industry's attorney urging panelists "to hold the defendant responsible for her actions."
Attorney Richard Gabriel, addressing 12 jurors in a dimly lit cement-block courtroom, said, "The record companies are made up of real people."
The Copyright Act case is the first of over 20,000 the labels have lodged across the nation to go before a jury. Many have settled, have been dismissed or are pending since the RIAA launched it's zero-tolerance piracy litigation campaign four years ago.
It's a cloudy, balmy day here. The gallery is filled with about two dozen onlookers, many of them journalists, students and lawyers watching a case that could set precedent on the evidence required for jurors to find somebody liable of copyright infringement over the internet.
Defendant Jammie Thomas, a 30-year-old single mother of two who works at a nearby Indian reservation, could be forced to pay nearly $4 million in damages. She's accused of unlawfully uploading 25 copyrighted works from some of the biggest names in the industry. Her defense is simple: She didn't do it and the industry must prove she was behind the internet protocol (IP) address the RIAA says was used to share 1,700 songs on the file-sharing site Kazaa in 2005.
"The plaintiffs don't have the evidence that she downloaded anything," Thomas' attorney, Brian Toder told jurors. "The best that they can come up with is somebody out there in cyberland ... offered on Kazaa some copyrighted material."
The industry in this case is only suing over 25 songs, with damages up to $150,000 per violation, because it doesn't want to exact too big of financial penalties by going for all 1,700, testified Jennifer Pariser, Sony BMG's anti-piracy chief. "The damages would be substantial," she said. "We have no intent in pursing cases like that."
U.S. District Judge Michael Davis is quickly moving the case along. Twelve jurors, six men and six women, were chosen in about 70 minutes early Tuesday. Pariser, the first witness, was immediately called after lawyers gave their brief, opening arguments. During jury selection, panelists did not appear computer savvy. Five of them have a digital music player and only three knew where they got the music for it -- from iTunes. One juror, a construction foreman, said he had never been on the internet. One juror was excused who said she had used a peer-to-peer site to download copyrighted music.
Testimony, including from the defendant, former RIAA executive Cary Sherman and other industry insiders is expected to last through the week.
Pariser testified that hijacked music and purchased music sound the same, at least with the recordings in question. She played for jurors about 30 seconds of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."
Not surprisingly, both versions of the Sony-copyrighted tune -- the purchased one, and the downloaded copy --sounded the same. Pariser, in the witness stand, briefly weaved back and forth to the melody, while the gallery and jury box sat stone faced.
There were originally 26 songs at issue. But recording-company Virgin Records withdrew Janet Jackson's "Back" from the lawsuit.
Other songs at issue include Guns N Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle", Vanessa Williams' "Save the Best for Last," and Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait a While."
Remaining plaintiffs, who are RIAA members, include: Capitol Records, Sony BMG, Arista Records, Interscope Records, Warner Bros. Records and UMG Recordings.
As expected, Microsoft unveiled its second generation Zune players on Tuesday night, including three new sizes, new software, and an updated store. In addition, it gave details of a new community site to launch next month.
The details of the players match information that sources first told BetaNews Monday afternoon. Central to the new players is the Zune Pad, a touch sensitive button for navigation, and wireless sync. The new Zunes be released in mid-November.
"Twenty years ago we bet the company on an integrated productivity suite of word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, and we changed the way people work," chairman Bill Gates said at the event. "Today we're making big bets on games, music, video and connecting these entertainment experiences to help change the way people play."
The new Zune 80GB -- available only in black -- will feature a 3.2-inch screen with the new internal software, and will retail for $249.99 USD. The Zune 4GB and 8GB will be available for $149.99 and $199.99, and would come in pink, green, black, and red.
Gone from the color lineup is the white -- probably due to the color's strong association with the iPod -- and brown, a color that many never understood why Microsoft offered it in the first place.
New software features will include wireless sync, and more wireless sharing options. In addition, recorded television content from Windows Media Centers would also be transferable to the device.
To build a career as a hip-hop artist, singer, actor, producer and cover girl, Queen Latifah followed her mother's simple advice: Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It has served her well. Latifah can now afford to do some of the less commercial things she loves, like singing old jazz and R&B tunes.
In the mid-1970s, one of the songs she heard over and over again, was "Poetry Man" by Phoebe Snow.
"My mom played 'Poetry Man' a lot when I was a kid in the house. I mean, she played that album endlessly," says Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens.
Her mother Rita Owens says, "I cleaned my house many a Saturday to 'Poetry Man.'"
"I just loved the song so much, the melody, and Phoebe Snow has such a unique voice," says Owens, a retired high school art teacher.
Around the time Queen Latifah was choosing songs she would record for her new album, she happened to hear "Poetry Man" on the radio and thought she might like to try it.
"But since I knew this was one of my mom's favorite songs, I had to go ask her" what she thought about her daughter covering "Poetry Man," Latifah says.
Owens says she told her daughter: "You know Dana, that's not an easy song to do. And you have to do Phoebe Snow justice. If you're going to take on a legend's song, then you have to really step to the plate."
"She recently heard it and she really likes it," Latifah says. "She felt like I kind of followed the template but sort of made it my own."
Trav'lin' Light' is Queen Latifah's second album of popular jazz and R&B songs.
The first, released a few years ago, she intentionally called The Dana Owens Album. She used her given name as a way of letting people know that before she was the rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah, she was Dana Owens, a girl who loved to sing. She concedes that the name change was a little confusing, even for herself.
"The one thing that did happen that was a pain in the butt was that everyone started calling me Dana. And I'm like, 'Oh, God. I had that name to myself for a while,' and now it's like-people are like, 'Hey, Dana.' And I'll turn around thinking I know them but I don't know who they are. I have no clue."
That might explain why this new album is under her more popular moniker Queen Latifah.
It's been about 20 years since she made a name for herself as a socially conscious rapper. But her work from that period hasn't been forgotten. The video for her 1989 song "U.N.I.T.Y." has been viewed more than 50,000 times since it was posted on YouTube just five months ago. The song is an attack on men who use expletives to address women.
Queen Latifah says people still ask her when she's going rap again.
"I'm waiting in the wings with that," she says.
Latifah might come back to hip hop next summer. But for now, she's gearing up for a nationwide tour to promote her new album.
Latifah says that most of the songs she chose for her new CD mean a lot to her personally, especially one that had been performed by Sarah Vaughan, "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die."
"I want everyday to be life for the living, not just traipsing through it existing. I'm just interested in life and the world and exploring. So that song really works for me."
Latifah begins her national tour this week and depending on the audience, she says she might even do a little rapping.
Blue Note in Paris has signed U.S. jazz singer, Stacey Kent, to an exclusive worldwide recording deal. Her debut album with Blue Note, Breakfast On The Morning Tram', will be released worldwide in autumn 2007. The album is produced by Stacey's husband, tenor saxophonist, Jim Tomlinson, whose latest album, 'The Lyric', featuring Stacey, won Best Album at the 2006 BBC Jazz Awards.
"Blue Note is the label that just feels right," says Stacey. "It's the label I dreamed of as a kid. Signing with Blue Note, I feel like Steffi Graf must have felt the first time she stepped onto court to play Martina Navratilova. I've always had enormous respect for Blue Note and for the artists on the label. So many personalities and different ways of expressing music and always with such integrity and soul. To be part of this family and history is a dream come true."
WHY 'BREAKFAST ON THE MORNING TRAM'? 'Breakfast On The Morning Tram' sees Stacey Kent's return to the studio after a four-year recording hiatus with a new album on a new label. But why 'Breakfast On The Morning Tram'? The choice of title is both obvious and daring. It is obvious because the idea of breakfast and morning signal the start of something new and tram represents a journey in a fresh direction. It is daring because the title track is an original song and is the first original that Stacey has recorded. It was written especially for her, like three other songs on the album, by prize-winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro and producer, Jim Tomlinson.
