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Monday, November 08, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - November 8, 2021 #jazz
Tuesday, November 02, 2021
Clarinetist-Vocalist Kristen Mather de Andrade's critically acclaimed debut album garnering GRAMMY consideration #jazz
“Clarão” is a contender for a nomination in the Latin Jazz category
She has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall and The Kennedy Center; is part of two New York City-area ensembles, including one for which she co-founded and serves as artistic director; has taught master classes and professional clinics at universities and conservatories; and has been with the Army’s West Point Band since 2007. Thus, being considered as a “new artist” upon the release of her debut album last July has been “a whole new world” for classically trained clarinetist-vocalist Kristen Mather de Andrade. Now, that critically hailed album, “Clarão,” is being considered for a Grammy nomination in Latin Jazz.
“Clarão” is a blend of Brazilian music, classical and jazz. Producer Sergio Krakowski teamed with Mather de Andrade to create an authentic listening experience, surrounding the clarinetist’s rich melodies and impassioned vocal harmonies with Brazilian instrumentation (violão, pandeiro, accordion and bass) and big band arrangements. The set list is comprised of traditional instrumentals and four original songs penned by Brazilian singer-songwriter Roque Ferriera that feature Mather de Andrade singing in Portuguese. Mather de Andrade’s long-held passion for Brazilian culture is as genuine as the album itself. Attracted to Brazilian music early on, the native of Youngstown, Ohio who is presently based near New York City married a Brazilian man a decade ago and decided to immerse herself in the culture by learning to sing in Portuguese and play choros (classic instrumental Brazilian pop music dating back a century ago) on clarinet.
Not only has stepping into the spotlight as a solo recording artist broadened Mather de Andrade’s artistic experience, but it has opened up her mind to previously unimagined creative possibilities, expanding and diversifying her musical palate. She recently commissioned Velocity Music to produce a remix of the album closer, “O Clarinete Gostoso,” unexpectedly setting the joyous clarinet oeuvre to a funky hip-hop groove.
“I had gone to see Sergio Krakowski play with a couple of friends, and I remember talking about rhythms and samples. So, I had it hiding in the back of my mind that maybe I could do something different with this music in the future,” said Mather de Andrade about the single that drops on Friday and is available at https://bit.ly/3bmjqdw.
Mather de Andrade had begun recording music for her second album when she found out that “Clarão” made the cut for a potential Grammy nomination. The possibility hadn’t even occurred to her, and the selection brought to mind the doubts and challenges she had to overcome when she first conjured the idea of recording an album.
“I know it is cliché, but I never thought I would be in a position where I would even have a solo album, let alone one that could be considered for a Grammy nomination. Whatever happens, I am most proud that I followed through with recording it. This whole journey has been a transformational experience for me, setting a course that I hope to continue on, creating and sharing music with the world.”
Since its release, Mather de Andrade’s “Clarão” has been universally hailed by reviewers. Below is a sampling.
“Simply gorgeous.” – Exclusive Magazine
“A sweet and blessed Brazilian Jazz project.” – The Pulse of Entertainment and EUR Web
“This album is a street festival of fun.” – Jazz Weekly
“It’s a lovely album of local jazz and instrumental music that enchants throughout.” – Midwest Record
“‘Clarão’ is an honest take on a very particular Brazilian art form, though it’s also surprising in its diversity.” – Soul and Jazz and Funk
“‘Clarão’ is a world music album with global appeal.” – Musical Memoirs
“For those who love Brazilian music.” – Keys and Chords
For more information, please visit https://kristenmather.com.
Monday, November 01, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - November 1, 2021 #jazz
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
“Move Over!” Jazz-soul singer-songwriter China Moses targets the US #jazz
The European-reared American artist drops a diverse EP as a calling card for the US market
“I know it’s different. I know I sound different. I’m not scared of that. Maybe you’ll like me; maybe you won’t. But I’m a singer-songwriter of soul music; I’m a child of jazz and this is what I have to propose.”
That’s China Moses speaking about her digital EP, “China Moses & The Vibe Tribe,” which recently dropped on MPS Records (via Edel Germany/Bob Frank Entertainment in North America). She recorded the set after four years of touring Europe and Asia with The Vibe Tribe - saxophonist Luigi Grasso, keyboardist & pianist Joe Armon Jones, pianist & organist Ashley Henry, bassist Neil Charles and drummer Marijus Aleksa - with the intention of showcasing the band’s exuberant live energy. Her goal for the four-track EP is loftier: to introduce her diverse sound to the US market while paving the way for her next album, which will be released next year.
The first two singles from the EP, “Nicotine” and “Put It On The Line,” originally appeared on Moses’ 2017 album, “Nightintales,” and appear on the EP in completely different versions that were recorded live with the five multicultural members of The Vibe Tribe.
Born in Los Angeles, Moses moved to Paris when she was seven and has lived abroad ever since. She was a teenager when her first recording was released yet she has never been comprehensively promoted in the US. Known as a progressive soul singer, Moses considers herself to be “French with an American passport,” thus her perspective, experience and music are indeed different. Each song on the EP - three of which she wrote with the fourth song being a reinvention of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over” - is essentially a different genre. The EP draws upon Moses’ Black American cultural and musical background. It goes from swanky late-night blues to intense afro beat-tinged R&B to a soulful deep funk-rock energy to a four-on-the-floor house remix by Charles, who is also a household name in the UK’s electronica music scene under the monikers Ben Marc and N400.
“Coming back to the States, what I have had to explain is that I sound Black American when I speak and I look Black American, but I have a very different life experience. I have fewer limits on what my music can or should be. I think my music has that freedom. It’s a freedom that my mom (legendary jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater) and my ancestors have fought for. I would not be able to make the music I make today if I was raised in the States. It’s unfortunate but true. My music wouldn’t sound the same,” said Moses who hosts two radio shows, Made in China on TSF Jazz in France and Late Night China Moses on Jazz FM in the United Kingdom.
Also released recently was the third video from the EP, “Move Over,” which is another black-and-white clip from Brazilian director Adriano Vannini lensed during Moses’ years of touring with The Vibe Tribe (https://youtu.be/pbe5kNruMno).
Writing and recording musical amalgams rooted in Black America - jazz, R&B, soul, funk and blues – Moses seeks to find her place “back home,” a process that began with the release of the EP. Part of her musical homecoming means that Moses is recording her next album in the US with co-producer Troy Miller (Gregory Porter) and is co-writing the songs with keyboardist-singer-songwriter Oli Rockberger. GRAMMY nominated trumpeter Theo Croker is crafting the horn arrangements for the collection that will tentatively be titled “Nigra Prismo,” Black Prism in Esperanto, a universal utopic language, an apropos choice given Moses’ desire to redefine what a singer-songwriter can be.
“Black Prism’ is basically what I am, and the album is a kaleidoscope of Black American music. I’m really trying to bend the notion of what a modern-day singer-songwriter is and can look like and be and the wide realm of music that you can do. I think that’s the reason I constantly do songs that are ‘different genres,’ but part of the same world,” said Moses, who is poised to be the next jazz and soul singer from Europe to create a splash in the US.
For more information, please visit http://chinamoses.com.
Find China Moses on social media at:
Monday, October 25, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - October 25, 2021 #jazz
Monday, October 18, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - October 18, 2021 #jazz
Saturday, October 16, 2021
Dino Govoni – Hiding in Plain Sight, Whaling City Sound - October 15. #jazz
Listening to the opening bars of “Stories Passed,” the kick-off track on Dino Govoni’s new recording, Hiding in Plain Sight, is like rolling the window down on a long empty stretch of highway, with nothing but a cool breeze in your face and open road ahead. Govoni’s first few clear, clarion notes, in that typically bold Govoni style, feels like what freedom might sound like. As the notes wash over you, you can sense the tension melting away as the joy of bebop takes the spotlight. And that’s just the first few notes. There’s more where that came from, much more.
Govoni’s new recording, his third for Whaling City Sound and his first in nearly a decade, reflects a broad and beautiful understanding of jazz expression. The recordings here are immensely satisfying, hefty, hearty compositions that run long, and give his listeners a chance to sink in to them, and his band members a chance to lean into them. They are comfortable in straight up tradition, but zesty and endlessly interesting as well, with great accompanying performances. His band—including Henry Hey (piano), Mike Pope (bass), Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums), and Alex Sipiagin (trumpet)—clearly appreciate the chance to explore and enhance the arrangements.
Listeners will not be surprised that Govoni, a long-time faculty member at Berklee College of Music, is a highly prized session man, a first call guy that people know will bring tone, versatility, and creativity to everything he touches. If you’re new to Govoni’s sax gifts, Hiding in Plain Sight is all you need for proof.
Featured
Dino Govoni / tenor saxophone
Alex Sipiagin / trumpet & flugelhorn
Michael Pope / acoustic and electric bass
Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts / drums
Shawn Monteiro – You are There, Whaling City Sound October 15. #jazz
It’s been some time since we’ve heard from Shawnn Monteiro, jazz chanteuse extraordinaire. While the pandemic derailed most performance, Monteiro, who also spends a good deal of her time teaching jazz vocals in a university setting, managed to pull a recording together, and we’re all happy that she did.
You Are There, her sixth release overall and third for Whaling City Sound, is the gorgeous sound of a veteran vocalist whose artistry is crafted in the mold of Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McCrae, and Nancy Wilson. For the ride, she enjoys the company and support of two distinguished trios. The first half of the recording are with her regular working trio, which includes Michael Renzi on piano, Dave Zinno on bass and Steve Langone on drums. The second half is an earlier session at Brooklyn’s revered Systems Two studio, and features Kenny Barron on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Trombonist Steve Davis and trumpeters John Allmark and Joshua Bruneau also make important contributions.
Monteiro handles her material the way a painter decorates a canvas with color. Her uber-talent lies in her ability to crush a ballad, whether it’s a sexy beast like “Alone at Last,” or a bluesy vocal like “You’ll See.” Her voice finds the loveliness between the notes, the subtleties of a lyric, the sincerity and passion of a song or a couplet or a simple line that comes straight from the soul, with a warm embrace.
Featured
Shawnn Monteiro / vocals 1-12
John Allmark / trumpet 12
Kenny Barron / piano 6-12
Josh Bruneau / trumpet 9, 10
Steve Davis / trombone 6, 7
Joe Farnsworth / drums 6-10, 12
Steve Langone / drums 1-3, 5
Nat Reeves / bass 6-10, 12
Mike Renzi / piano 1-5
Dave Zinno / bass 1-3, 5
Thursday, October 14, 2021
Kenny G kicks off Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour on December 2 #jazz
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Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Praise for groove jazz guitarist dee Brown's "Deep Secrets"
Ever the optimist, dee Brown (https://www.deebrownmusic.com) turned to his faith and picked up his guitar in the wake of his mother’s passing and began writing upbeat jazzy grooves with GRAMMY nominated producer Valdez Brantley for “Deep Secrets,” Brown’s fifth album that went No. 1 on the Amazon Hot New Releases chart shortly after its release last month. Although it’s the Detroit native’s second consecutive album inspired by the loss of a loved one – his previous collection “Remembering You” was a set about his late fiancée – “Deep Secrets” is proving to be a winner. A handful of singles already hit the Billboard chart and the reviews have been as unanimously praiseworthy as the disc’s majestic version of the gospel standard “Praise Is What I Do.”
“A masterpiece… I like its Jazzy sound.” – The Pulse of Entertainment/EUR Web
“On this new album he elaborates on God's mysteries through R&B, jazz, soul and gospel songs…a very nice and atmospheric album…Highly recommended for fans of contemporary jazzy guitar.” – Keys and Chords
“Silky smooth…Throughout ‘Deep Secrets’ Brown confirms himself as the perfect purveyor of a feel good vibe...a high quality addition to the discography of Dee Brown.” – Smooth Jazz Therapy
“Deep Secrets offers up a good mix of party tracks and slow jams, but the uptempo songs is where he really shines.” – The Jazz World
“Here’s a change up for you that works beyond belief. Grooving smooth jazz inspired by the Good Book that shows just what can happen when the spirit shakes you and a smile comes across your face. A sterling antidote for grim realities, this is feel good smooth jazz that makes you feel good.” – Midwest Record
“Although the album, featuring Dee’s irresistible combination of contemporary jazz, R&B, and Motown inspired soul, will sound familiar to long-time fans, this project goes further in revealing the spiritual and more grounded, mature side of Dee Brown - with the help of some terrific players such as Lin Rountree, Darryl Williams, Merlon Devine and label mate Blair Bryant.” – Exclusive Magazine
CONTEMPORARY JAZZ PIONEERS PIECES OF A DREAM RELEASE 25TH RECORDING WITH THE ANTICIPATED FIRED UP!
New CD Out 10/15 Features Guests Justin Lee Schultz,
Alexander Zonjic & B.K Jackson
Plus a New Anthem For The City of Brotherly Love
THE BUZZ ON PIECES OF A DREAM
“Pioneers of Smooth Jazz.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer
“The Steely Dan of Smooth Jazz.” - All About Jazz
“A tough act to follow!” - Count Basie
James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon share a zeal for music and connecting with their fans that is palpable. This coupled with their magnetic chemistry have attributed to their enduring success. James shares, “My partner Curt is the pocket and the drive onstage. When collaborating and writing music, he brings a different energy and direction, which is refreshing,” Curtis comments, “James has a unique sense of humor that makes working with him a lot of fun. He is also a perfectionist when it comes to our music so he never settles for doing less than his best.”
Pieces Of A Dream’s anticipated new recording, Fired Up!, delivers their trademark sound. The album showcases ten tracks featuring soulful grooves, energized solos and organic compositions. “After a collectively challenging year and a half, we hope Fired Up! brings new excitement and energy to our fans love of music,” says drummer Curtis Harmon.
“We want this album to be a reminder of the good things life has to offer both musically and personally.” Pianist James Lloyd reflects, “We wouldn’t be here without our fans. Our mission has always been to stay true to them and to dance a delicate balance between being progressive and holding onto our roots, while pushing the envelope and stretching our boundaries.”
Recording an album during Covid presented some obstacles but James and Curtis met the challenge. “This album was a bit more challenging, but because we were already accustomed to not having to be in the same room to record, it wasn’t too bad,” says James. Fired Up! opens with the exhilarating and jet-fueled “In Too Deep,” featuring saxophonist Tony Watson Jr. and trumpeter Parker Lewis. Curtis describes the song as “Pieces Of A Dream meets Tower Of Power!” He adds, “It gives you a Pieces groove with a popping Tower Of Power type horn section.” The old-school flow of "Ear Candy" serves just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your ears with Lloyd's piano glissandos and bluesy phrasing along with Harmon’s rock-steady back beat. The tranquil lilting melodicism of “Smoothing Out” follows, featuring flutist Alexander Zonjic and “Livin’ The Life,” offers the perfect party anthem to uplift any occasion and is a special tribute to Pieces’ beloved Philadelphia. Harmon says, “I think that this track represents a Philly type of groove. This is one of those head-bobbing songs that grabs you when the bass line starts and keeps you grooving all the way through. Young saxophonist B.K. Jackson gives a great performance on this one.”
One of the most time-honored and treasured traditions in jazz is the mentorship that the elder statesmen and women provide to the younger generation of players. Luminaries like Art Blakey and Betty Carter utilized their bands as ‘Universities.” Pieces Of A Dream feels an obligation to carry on this tradition. When Lloyd and Harmon were teens, the iconic saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., took the duo under his wing and signed them to their first deal in 1981. Now the duo have come full circle and are mentoring the young multi-instrumental whiz kid Justin Lee Schultz. Lloyd shares, “We learned so much from Grover and we try to share those lessons wherever we can and as much as we can. Now, through Justin, we’re paying it forward.” Lloyd wrote and along with Harmon appears on Justin’s first single from his recording debut, Gruv Kid. The circle of life continues and Lloyd adds, “I feel things like this are what keeps Grover’s and Pieces’ legacy going.” Justin Lee Schultz is featured on the track “Just Do It!” and Harmon affirms, “There is a certain satisfaction that comes from connecting with young people. It revitalizes you and gives you even greater purpose. Although Justin is only 14 years old, his maturity is definitely on display as his solo kicks this song up a notch. We hope to keep people in the groove with this one!”
The album’s title track and first single “Fired Up,” is a rallying cry for people to focus on the present and to make the most of it. James Lloyd shares, “It’s a wake up call. This song is meant to be a sign that things are on their way to where we want it to be. There’s still a ways to go, but it can be done and we can get there! Let’s get fired up!” Pieces offer an antidote for your blues with “Feelin’ Good.” “This song will help you forget your worries and take you to a place of serenity,” explains Harmon adding, “Chris Harris’s acoustic and Latin flavored performance on the guitar along with Tony Watson Jr.’s sultry saxophone, almost transport you to a paradise island. It’s the calm after the storm!” Most people would think that Smooth Jazz and Trap music have nothing in common but think again! Lloyd says, “’It’s A Vibe’ is his attempt to find the synergy between Smooth Jazz and Trap Music. “I wanted to find that space where they coexist and bring their worlds to each other.” Now, how is that for exploration? Harmon says of the R&B inflected swinger “Gettin’’ Through It,” “This groove displays a smooth jazz feel with an R&B swagger. It’s one of those songs that we hope musicians as well as the general public will appreciate because of its unusual chord progressions. Plus, Chris Harris really brings the heat with his guitar solo.” Fired Up! concludes with the ethereal and arresting “Going Home,” a farewell tribute to Lloyd’s recently deceased Father-In-Law. He shares, that the song is ultimately a composition of “hope and healing.”
James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon have been the nucleus of Pieces Of A Dream since its inception and played together as kids and members of the Ada Lewis Middle School jazz ensemble along with former member, bassist Cedric Napoleon.
Danny Harmon, Curtis’ father and a jazz musician himself, became their manager and had the guys listening to the Modern Jazz Quartet, Ahmad Jamal and Oscar Peterson, as they developed their unique sound, blending their jazz roots with R&B, soul and funk. Taking their name from the Stanley Turrentine song “Pieces Of Dreams,” Pieces released three albums in quick succession, establishing their place in the world of Smooth Jazz: Pieces Of A Dream (1981), We Are One (1982) and Imagine This (1983). Those albums include some of their biggest early hits, including “Warm Weather,” “Mount Airy Groove” and “Fo Fi Fo.” Pieces Of A Dream recorded their Shanachie debut, In The Moment, in 2013, followed by 2015’s All In, 2017’s Just Funkin’ Around and On Another Note in 2019.
With the release of Fired Up!, Pieces Of A Dream is proving that they are still relevant, still swinging, still pushing and still searching to hold a sacred place in the hearts of their fans. Curtis Harmon states, “Although the pandemic altered the way we were able to deliver our music to people, we will always create music and find a way to make it available to those who want to hear it.” James Lloyd adds, “With what the world has experienced lately, I do feel that the importance of music and its powers have gained more recognition. However, I don’t feel that our role as artists has changed. Our goal is still to touch, heal, energize, and help people release.”
Monday, October 11, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - October 11, 2021 #jazz
Monday, October 04, 2021
Smooth Jazz Chart - Weekly Top 100 - October 4, 2021 #jazz
Thursday, September 30, 2021
The vibe is live on “China Moses & The Vibe Tribe” #jazz
Jazz-soul singer-songwriter China Moses to drop an EP on October 8
She’s got an old-soul aura to go with a vibrant artistic edge. Singer-songwriter China Moses is blessed with the jazz appeal of a classic torch singer, the power of an R&B diva and the swagger of a hip-hop hero. The scion of legendary jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater is an international talent poised for a major breakthrough in her native USA. As Moses works on her seventh album that is slated for release next year, she has a four-song digital EP ready to reintroduce her genre-blending artistry to the American audience. “China Moses & The Vibe Tribe” drops October 8 on the historic MPS Records label (via Edel Germany/Bob Frank Entertainment in North America) and is preceded by a pair of singles and videos.
Moses dropped her first album, “Nightintales,” for the MPS imprint in 2017, which she and The Vibe Tribe - saxophonist Luigi Grasso, keyboardist & pianist Joe Armon Jones, pianist & organist Ashley Henry, bassist Neil Charles and drummer Marijus Aleksa - supported with extensive touring. Capturing the kinetic and highly combustible energy of their concerts, the first two cuts on the EP, “Nicotine” and “Put It On The Line,” were recorded live in London after wrapping four years of touring throughout Europe and Asia. The live versions of both tunes were recently issued as singles and appear in their original form on “Nightintales.”
“There is an inexplicable musical alchemy that is born during live performances. And after touring ‘Nightintales’ throughout the world, I wanted to capture the essence of the sound created on stage. These songs are extensions of my sound. This is us in our truest format, feeding off of each other’s energy. Just ‘us,’ musically in the raw creating a vibe…a Vibe Tribe. If someone asks me what my concerts sound like, I play them the new EP,” said the Los Angeles-born, Paris-based Moses.
Ruminating on her difficult relationship with cigarette smoking, Moses wrote “Nicotine” comparing her addiction to a “no-good lover.” A smoky, black-and-white video was lensed for the bluesy ballad meets bebop jazz tune (https://youtu.be/t4yiZR2kSqI). Moses walks the streets of London pondering passion and taking chances on “Put It On The Line,” another black-and-white clip that includes performance footage (https://youtu.be/CTJh7FiVA_U).
The third track is a smoldering, juke joint reimagination of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over,” and the EP is completed by a clubby remix by Ben Marc of “Breaking Point,” another number culled from “Nightintales.”
Writing ten new songs with British keyboardist-singer-songwriter Oli Rockberger, Moses is in the studio producing her next full-length studio album with Troy Miller. The set will include horn arrangements by GRAMMY nominated trumpeter Theo Croker.
Moses debuted as a solo artist while still a teenager in 1997 with the “China” album. In addition to her music career, the daughter of theater and film director Gilbert Moses has acted and enjoyed a long tenure as an MTV France on-air personality. She hosts two radio shows, Late Night China Moses on Jazz FM in the United Kingdom and Made in China on TSF Jazz in France. For more information, please visit http://chinamoses.com.
The “China Moses & The Vibe Tribe” EP contains:
“Nicotine”
“Put It On The Line”
“Move Over”
“Breaking Point” (Ben Marc Remix)




