Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Austin’s 10-Piece Collective and Purveyor of African Funk HARD PROOF Releases PUBLIC HI-FI SESSIONS 03

Austin’s Hard Proof has confirmed the release of its new record, Public Hi-Fi Session 03, out on June 24 on Jim Eno’s Public Hi-Fi Records. The release will be available on 12-inch vinyl (180gram/45rpm), digital download, and to stream.

The award-winning 10-piece collective is the finest purveyor of African funk, world music, and jazz inspired by the sub-Saharan African continent in the state of Texas. Formed in 2008, Hard Proof features members of Black Joe Lewis, The Calm Blue Sea, Ocote Soul Sounds, Spanish Gold, The Echocentrics, and several other notable Austin acts.

Public Hi-Fi Sessions 03 is the fourth release from Jim Eno’s (Spoon) record label after three successful vinyl releases from Dupree, Dana Falconberry and Sondre Lerche. This release was recorded in two separate sessions at Eno’s Public Hi-Fi studio in Austin. What makes this release so unique is that the recording sessions were live and 100 percent analog from top to bottom. Stephen Bidwell, the drummer for Hard Proof states, “The first half of the tracks were recorded in December 2015, and Eno was teaching a class from Ohio University, so we had half a dozen ‘interns’ running around learning how to track a large group live to tape. This was sort of a no-pressure situation, but the tracks we got out of it were so solid that we knew we needed to release it. After some talking with Jim, we came back with three more songs in February 2016 and rounded out the record.” Jim Eno expresses: “I first saw Hard Proof at the Continental Club in 2012. It was an amazing show. The 10-piece band had a great feel and magnetic energy. I’d recently recorded the jazz band Dupree live to 1/2-inch tape, and it hit me that Hard Proof would be perfect for this type of project. To record live to tape, the band needs to be incredibly tight because no overdubs are possible, and no mixing occurs after tracking; the tracks are mixed as the band plays in real time. I was confident that Hard Proof could pull this off.”

The six songs on the record each pack their own punch but holistically showcase the band at a new level with its compositions and dynamic live-to-tape performances. The three main composers for the release are Derek Phelps (trumpet), Joe Sokolik (bass), and Joe Woullard (bari sax/flute). Phelps breaks down some of his inspiration and creative process around the songs he composed. He states: “For ‘The Break,’ I was on a break from playing the trumpet due to a busted lip, but that helped me break through my writer’s block, and this tune is one of the first to come out of that.” ‘Popemobile’ was built off a melodic figure created around the beginning of the band, which we played a handful of times, and then I sat on it for many years. When I knew this recording was coming up, I brought it back with a different perspective. It’s one of those simple songs that leaves a lot of room for the group’s interpretation. ‘Institution’ is about the idea of religion and the institutions it creates because I started questioning the religion I was brought up in. Being an instrumental tune, communicating something as complicated as religion is not really possible, but it can be an inspiration.”

Woullard explains his inspiration of compositional songs: “‘Painted Flowers’ is about a grocery store in Texas that sells flowers painted in bright, unnatural colors. Why would you want to paint a flower? Flowers are already beautiful as they are. Some of the prettiest ones are free, growing wild on the side of the road. ‘Revenge’ is a great tune where the ensemble locks into in an aggressive rhythm. Sparse melodies weave between percussive barks and stabs; harmony emerges as lines converge in urgent dialogue. Revenge is a cycle of tension.”

Sokolik rounds out the compositions with ‘Default,’ mentioning that, “The song is a result of an externally imposed deadline where I got to cranking out melodies and overlapping rhythm parts. After running it a few times with the band, we decided it needed to be a lot faster. Then Gerardo came up with the concept for the deceptive introduction, and we ran it in the studio until it worked.”

While Hard Proof’s releases are always well-received, there seems to be universal agreement that the band’s live shows are something not to be missed. KUTX tastemaker Laurie Gallardo put it best. “This local ensemble always puts on an electrifying live show,” she says, “an absolute blowout of nonstop percussion action and blasting brass, bringing the best of both worlds to the stage by mixing classic styles and plenty of their personal panache.” Stay tuned for Hard Proof’s upcoming shows and a new full-length album later in 2016. 
  
Hard Proof is:
Stephen Bidwell – Drums, Tommy Spampinato – Percussion, Tony Cruz – Congas, Joe Sokolik – Bass, Aaron Sleator – Guitar, Gerardo Larios - Guitar/Keyboards, John Branch – Guitar, Joe Woullard - Bari Sax/Flute, Jason Frey - Tenor Sax, Derek Phelps – Trumpet


MJ12 Featuring Bass Legend Percy Jones To Release Debut Album

MJ12, featuring Brand X bass legend Percy Jones, will be releasing their eagerly awaited debut album on Gonzo Multimedia UK on June 24, 2016. Recorded in the summer of 2015 at Shelter Island studios in Manhattan, MJ12 is jazz, fusion, and progressive music at its finest. Featuring virtuosic performances by all four band members, in many ways this album is an extension of what Percy Jones created with Brand X!

Says Percy, “We took the name from Majestik 12, which was supposedly a group of 12 scientists and engineers assembled in the late 40's to investigate UFO's. There is an ongoing debate as to whether this group actually existed or not. Stephen Moses and I had been doing  gigs for a while where we would invite  guests to sit in. We did all improv, so this was actually M&J +1 or 2.  After a while we started using David Phelps and Chris Bacas on a regular basis if they were available. At this point we started writing stuff, but keeping a lot of the improv thing going to keep it spontaneous. The end result was bits and pieces of ideas coming from everybody that were all tied together to try and make a coherent tune, but with lots of blowing inside. By last Summer we felt like it had shaped up well enough to record it, so we went in and recorded it over 2 days.”

Track listing:
1) Call 911
2) Bad American Dream Pt2
3) Magic Mist
4) Talk Time
5) The Wow Signal
6) Big Daddy Road
7) The Phantom Maracas
8) Guns And Pussy
9) Magic Mist Reprise

MJ12 is:

Percy Jones
Percy Jones grew up near Llandrindod Wells, Wales. He studied electronic engineering at the University of Liverpool before joining Liverpool Scene in 1967 He was a member of jazz fusion band Brand X from 1974 to 1980, and a reformed version which lasted from 1992 to 1997. He was in NYC based band Tunnels from 1990 until 2005. Still residing in New York, he is currently a member of MJ12. Jones is best known for his unique fretless bass sound. Jones was also briefly a member of the jazz fusion group Soft Machine, and has contributed to recordings by David Sylvian, Brian Eno, Steve Hackett, Roy Harper, Paranoise, Suzanne Vega, Richard Barbieri, Nova and Fovea Hex, amongst others.

Stephen Moses
After several years playing as part of “the loft jazz scene” in NYC with the likes of James Chance, John Zorn, Phillip Johnston, Ken Simon, Dave Hofstra (and many others) drummer/trombonist Stephen Moses started getting busier with more rock and jazz/rock in the CBGB's scene with Giant Metal Insects and Quality Trio with Jim Matus & Percy Jones. Alice Donut formed after that and took Stephen on the road and the studio for several years and a dozen albums followed by a few tours with Rasputina. Then a few years ago Stephen rejoined Percy to do what we do today.

Dave Phelps
Guitarist David Phelps is currently a member of Peter Apfelbaum's 11-piece band The New York Hieroglyphics, which includes many of today's best creative musicians, including drummer Dafnis Prieto, bassist Patrice Blanchard, trombonist Josh Roseman and vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate. Their newest album “It Is Written” was released in August 2005 on the ACT label. He also leads his own band the Eclectic Troubadours. David grew up in Denton, Texas, the home of the University of North Texas, formerly known as North Texas State. As a youngster, he started playing the bass clarinet and later played in bands with many of the children of North Texas faculty members. David, along with his twin brother, bassist Drew Phelps, attended North Texas, studying with Rich Matheson and guitar guru Jack Peterson, among others. David then traveled to Alberta, Canada where he studied at the Banff Centre with jazz greats Dave Liebman and Dave Holland (both Miles Davis alumni). He also studied with John Abercrombie, Steve Coleman and Kenny Wheeler.

Chris Bacas
Saxophonist Chris Bacas began his career at age fifteen as a sideman with a club band in York, PA, and after attending North Texas State, he began his jazz performance career in earnest. Beginning in 1983, Chris played in the Glen Miller Band, The Tommy Dorsey Band, the Artie Shaw Band, and Buddy Rich's legendary Big Band until Rich's passing in 1987. Over the past twenty years, Chris has appeared at festivals all over the world, including the Nice, North Sea, Cork, Santiago, Montreal, Moers Texaco, Annapolis, JVC New York, and Central PA Jazz Festivals. He has performed in Copenhagen at the Tivoli Gardens; in Los Angeles at The Hollywood Bowl and LA's Comedy Store; in New York's Blue Note and Birdland; at Chicago's Jazz Showcase; and in Washington D.C. at Blues Alley and One Step Down.

In conclusion Percy has this to impart, “Well, I hope people like this record. I have a lot of appreciation for everyone who supported Brand X back in the day, or any of the other projects I was involved in. The band follows on from stuff  I've done in the past, trying to keep the music unpredictable, interesting and moving in a  new direction.”


Never Before Released Charlie Parker Sessions - 'Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes'

Discovering previously unheard music is a consistent hope for serious jazz fans. Finding unreleased music from legends, especially those who departed far too early with their legacies incomplete, is a true joy; one of those legends whose every note leads to an adventure of innovation is the immortal Charlie "Bird" Parker. On July 1, Verve/UMe brings a thrill to jazz lovers worldwide with the release of Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes, a comprehensive two-disc set featuring a cornucopia of previously unknown music - 58 never listed studio takes from Charlie Parker. The set was co-produced by Phil Schaap, the eminent jazz historian who is currently Curator at Jazz At Lincoln Center and the foremost expert on Ornithology.

"These previously unknown takes are a blockbuster," Schaap says, "providing heretofore-unheard Bird improvisations, and in high fidelity." Discovered in a cache of materials owned by a former associate of Norman Granz, the founder of Verve Records and visionary producer of these sessions, the newly discovered takes allow the listener inside the private domain between Parker and Granz as they developed some of the most important music in jazz. In his highly detailed liner notes, Schaap provides overview, session-by-session history and track-by-track analysis, further illuminating the creative process of Bird's genius.

Originally issued on Mercury and Clef, but ultimately housed on Verve, the Parker/Granz studio collaborations were well-designed and thoughtfully conceived to display Bird's unparalleled talents in a variety of contexts. These included Parker's four to six piece ensembles (both working and pick-up groups); Latin Jazz efforts, some of which were labeled "South of the Border;" the orchestral Charlie Parker including his masterpieces with strings; standard Big Band; and Parker's prescient view of the Third Stream. Unheard Bird touches on all of these, including a couple of brief false starts on "If I Should Lose You" that were not included in the remarkable 2015 companion set, Charlie Parker With Strings: Deluxe Edition.

From the Latin side, there are five tracks with Parker as the featured soloist with Machito and his Orchestra; and 13 "South of the Border" tracks that feature a rhythm section of Walter Bishop, Teddy Kotick and Roy Haynes or Max Roach, along with Jose Mangual and Luis Miranda on bongos and congas, respectively, and joined on a pair by trumpeter Benny Harris. As a bonus we hear snippets of studio chatter, including Bird discussing tempo; on "Tico Tico" he asks studio guests to quiet down lest they ruin the session.

There is a fascinating set of ten tracks from a Cole Porter project that was never completed due to Bird's illness and untimely passing. Featuring a Big Band that included such heavyweights as Oscar Peterson, Freddie Green, Flip Phillips and Ray Brown, Bird digs into three Porter classics - "Night and Day," "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "Almost Like Being in Love," with brilliant results.

More than half of the package features Bird in the small group hardcore bop settings for which he was best known. This features a reuniting of Parker's quintet, referred to as The Golden Era BeBop Five, the only Granz-produced recordings by this ensemble. These 14 tracks feature Kenny Dorham, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. They are joined for four more by trombonist Tommy Turk and Carlos Vidal on conga.

Dizzy Gillespie - Bird's co-conspirator in the Bebop movement - joins Bird for ten tracks, along with Thelonious Monk, Curley Russell and Buddy Rich. The all-Parker program includes complete run-throughs of "An Oscar for Treadwell," "Bloomdido" and "Mohawk." A quartet setting brings Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich to the bandstand for explorations of the beautiful Raye/DePaul gem "Star Eyes" and Bird's "Blues (Fast)."

To round out the new, 69-track set, included are the songs' master takes. (The mismatched math - 58 unreleased takes plus 20 master takes somehow equaling 69 - is due to the producers combining some of the shorter takes for this release.)

Spanning the years 1949-1952, Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes displays the immortal master of the alto saxophone Charlie Parker at the peak maturity of his prodigious talents. Accompanied by so many of the era's giants, and allowed the time, space and support to produce art at its highest level, this set is a monumental addition to a legacy of artistry that is breathtaking in its scope and majesty. With Phil Schaap's erudite and perceptive delineation of the ways and means by which this artistry was achieved, and his portrait of the era in which it all took place, Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes is an essential addition to the library of all serious fans of jazz.


Thursday, May 19, 2016

Universal Music Group Forms Verve Label Group; Danny Bennett Named President & CEO

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the formation of the Verve Label Group and appointed veteran industry executive Danny Bennett, a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music, film and television producer, and long-time manager of his father, legendary singer Tony Bennett, as the label group's President & CEO, effective immediately.

The Verve Label Group will be comprised of Verve and UMG's U.S. classical music labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Decca Classics, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM. The new structure marks UMG's continued investment in jazz and classical music and the company's unwavering commitment to building upon its rich history in both genres, while also opening up new opportunities, developing global cross-over artists and delivering innovative jazz and classical experiences to fans.  The jazz and classical labels will maintain distinct A&R, marketing and promotions teams, while also leveraging UMG's global reach to provide artists with deep resources and expertise to develop their careers.

Under Bennett's leadership, Verve will relocate to New York, where the label was originally founded 60 years ago as home to jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Stan Getz and Billie Holiday. With his proven strategic marketing skills, Bennett will expand the awareness and reach of UMG's historic jazz and classical catalogue, and develop and promote emerging artists on a global scale.

Bennett will report to Michele Anthony, Executive Vice President of UMG. Bennett and Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Global Classics for Universal Music Group, will announce shortly a President of Verve Label Group's classical music labels.

David Foster, one of the most successful record producers in history, who led the Verve label since 2012, has decided to return full-time to producing, and will continue to work closely with UMG's labels and artists. Foster is currently producing albums for UMG artists Carla Bruni and Jordan Smith. 

In making the announcement, Michele Anthony said, "By forming the Verve Label Group and attracting an industry veteran of Danny's stature and expertise, Universal Music is making a strong statement about the high value we place on building on our robust jazz and classical repertoire. We are committed to growing our presence in these genres even further and creating crossover successes that deliver artists to new audiences around the world. I want to thank David for the immense creative impact he had at Verve. On behalf of everyone here at UMG, we look forward to recording many more hit records with David for years to come."

Bennett said, "Universal Music is home to the largest and most historically relevant jazz and classical recordings. It's a tremendous honor, and I am humbled to be chosen to lead the newly formed Verve Label Group. I'm indebted to David Foster for leading the iconic Verve label and I look forward to working with him on many future productions. Additionally, I offer my profound appreciation to Lucian Grange and Michele Anthony for this amazing opportunity."

Foster said, "I have loved every minute working with Verve's incredibly talented roster of artists and staff. At the same time, during the last few months, as I thought about where I'm happiest, it's in the recording studio working closely with artists on developing new material. I'm thrilled Danny is now at the helm of the Verve. The label couldn't be in better hands and I'm looking forward to working on many more projects together."

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Verve is Universal Music Group's American contemporary label with an active artist roster that includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Mark Knopfler, Sarah McLachlan and Barry Manilow. The label was founded in 1956 and quickly made a name as the home of jazz legends. Verve also oversees the catalog of the legendary Impulse! Records with an artist roster that includes John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and many more.

Danny Bennett is a veteran manager and a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music, film and television producer. Bennett founded RPM Productions in 1979, an artist management and strategic marketing company. He is most known for using progressive marketing skills to redefine the career of his father, Tony Bennett, prompting Advertising Age to name him one of the Top 100 Marketers. Bennett has been profiled in a variety of publications including Time Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes and Billboard. Bennett has also represented recording artists from diverse musical genres including Elvis Costello and Jamiroquai and spearheaded innovative and multi-faceted strategic marketing campaigns for Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, and John Legend to name a few.

Bennett has managed his father's career for over 35 years, a period that includes 17 Grammy awards; the release of Duets: An American Classic, Tony's best-selling album of performances with artists including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand and Bono; the Rob Marshall-directed television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic, which won seven Emmys and was the most-honored program at the 2007 Emmy Awards; the release of Duets II featuring performances with Amy Winehouse, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Lady Gaga and John Mayer; as well as the #1, Grammy-award winning album Cheek To Cheek with Lady Gaga.

In addition to his management and strategic marketing endeavors, Bennett has produced a variety of feature documentary and broadcast productions, including Tony Bennett: An American Classic, the Emmy Award-winning PBS American Masters documentary in association with Clint Eastwood, Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends, and the Emmy Award-winning live music series Live By Request, 36 shows that ran for 9 seasons on the A&E Network showcasing such artists as David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Don Henley and the Bee Gees. Live By Request's unique interactive concept was developed by Tony and Danny Bennett and went on to become the longest-running live music performance special on U.S. television. Bennett also collaborated with Academy Award-winner T-Bone Burnett on The Words and Music of Cold Mountain, a live multimedia event and DVD for Miramax Films. Most recently, Danny created, produced and directed in partnership with Netflix, the critically acclaimed documentary film, The Zen Of Bennett, which was theatrically released and is available on Netflix.

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries.  Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world.  Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans.


Five composer-performers join forces on the leading edge of classical and jazz as Alchemy Sound Project

Ensemble's debut release explores the common ground between two diverse traditions, giving rise to innovative, breathtaking new sounds. Works by Erica Lindsay, Sumi Tonooka, Samantha Boshnack, David Arend, and Salim Washington, composers brought together by Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute

"Alchemy Sound Project is speaking with confidence, creating art that is bold, art that speaks from the soul. Here, in this collective approach, these musicians share in musical discovery and hear their own ideas expertly executed. What jumps out and above the powerful, nuanced performances is the fresh writing." - Music Documentary Producer Steve Rowland

Medieval alchemists were known to have sought a way to turn lead into gold, but the actual purpose of their experiments was to transform the very soul of the alchemist. Alchemy Sound Project follows a similar course, experimenting with combinations and distillations of jazz, African traditions and Western classical music in an effort to transform themselves and their audience. On Further Explorations, the band's debut due out May 27, 2016 on Artists Recording Collective, five composer-musicians and their invited guests find a way to meld their distinctive approaches and voices to create a unique sound with the lushness and intricacy of a symphony orchestra combined with the spontaneity and interplay of a small jazz group. Alchemy, indeed.

The five core members of Alchemy Sound Project were brought together by the Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute, a program initiated by the American Composers Orchestra and the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University to encourage jazz composers to explore writing music for the symphony orchestra. Directed by composer, trombonist, and educator George Lewis, JCOI selects 38 jazz composers at various stages of their careers, chosen from a competitive national pool of applicants, for a one-week summer intensive with leading composers, conductors and performers.

Tenor saxophonist Erica Lindsay attended the first JCOI session in 2010; at her encouragement, both pianist Sumi Tonooka (a frequent collaborator) and trumpet player Samantha Boshnack (a former student of Lindsay's at Bard College) enrolled in the second round in 2012. There, Tonooka and Boshnack met and bonded with bassist David Arend and multi-reedist Salim Washington. By day they studied aspects of music history and the orchestral palette, while by night they shared inspiration over dinners and walks around the UCLA campus. A year later, the five reconnected at Tonooka's behest to further explore the ideas they'd studied in the program.

"It was a very intense experience," Tonooka says of JCOI. "It got me really excited about being able to apply my own experiences to the instrument that is the orchestra."

For their debut release, each composer was encouraged to bring in two new pieces for the group, supplemented for the recording by trombonist Willem de Koch and drummer Max Wood. The result is an artful and boundary-stretching amalgam of jazz and classical ideas that shows off the chemistry formed during the bandmates' brief but enlightening time studying together. "The JCOI concept is about blurring
these lines, hybridizing jazz elements with classical music," Arend says. "It's up to us to figure out what that means, but the synergy of the band is awesome - we're inspiring each other, teaching each other, pushing each other, and it feels like new territory even though we're drawing on centuries-old traditions."

The connection between the Alchemy participants is exemplified by Washington's "Charcoal, Clear, Beautiful All Over," which opens the album. The title is taken from the English translation of the Japanese name "Sumi," while the piece itself was penned to spotlight the bass clarinet, Tonooka's favorite instrument. Washington, a Professor of Music at South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal and a collaborator with jazz visionaries like the late Fred Ho, also contributed the closing track, "The Call." The tune was written in tribute to Solodeen Muhammad, whom the composer calls "one of the hipsters of my father's generation. This piece is in his honor and in appreciation of the psychic and spiritual support, the cultural continuity that he represents in my life as a musician. It attempts to channel the hipness and the energy that this streetwise, musically savvy father figure has passed on to me."

Lindsay, an artist-in-residence and teacher at Bard College who has performed and recorded with artists ranging from McCoy Tyner and Oliver Lake to Frank Zappa and Melba Liston, says that her piece "Further Explorations" is intended to "connote a journey of discovery" that parallels the creative act. The richly-hued piece, which slowly builds from a tense alto flute theme over a bass/drum pulse to accumulating horns, contrasts moments of free improvisation with lush composed sections. The piece, Lindsay explains, "explores the balance and necessary tension between the unknown and the known that exist within the creative mind. As one sets out to leave the known world and fall into unknown territory, there is a certain wonder and innocence involved as well as the courage to let go of the known." Lindsay's second piece, the sprightly "Beta," is more through-composed, though it carries the playful dodge-and-weave energy of the written lines into its solo sections.

"I was listening to a lot of orchestral works as I was writing," says Boshnack, "and trying to incorporate and highlight classical counterpoint and grandeur in my music. I was listening to and inspired by the music of my colleagues and trying to give them a space in which to shine." A mainstay of the Seattle jazz scene with her own B'Shnorkestra and as co-leader of Reptet. Boshnack begins her first piece, "Alchemical," with a fanfare of classical counterpoint for the horns and drums before bursting into a heavy groove, prompting intense solos from Tonooka and Lindsay. "Divergency" sets up a tension between light and dark, with airy melodies and starker rhythms. Both reflect the hybrid nature of the ensemble in their apt mash-up titles, combining alchemy and chemistry in the first, diversity and urgency in the second.

Tonooka, a Philadelphia native now based in Seattle who has written symphonic and chamber works and film soundtracks in addition to working with jazz greats from Philly Joe Jones to Rufus Reid, set out to write two entirely different compositions for the band. The stunning, crystalline-then-jarring "Waiting" was born from a difficult personal situation, while the celebratory "Joie de Vivre" combines the composer's love of Malian music and the contrapuntal approach of composers like Bach.

The most classically-oriented member of the ensemble, Arend is a longtime member of the Oakland Symphony as well as a composer and performer in jazz, electronic, avant-garde, and singer-songwriter contexts. He adapted "Her Name Is Love" from a piano piece by Czech composer Leo_ Janá_ek, reharmonized with piano removed from the equation entirely. The title of Arend's second contribution to this recording, "Archetype," refers to one of the most archetypal formats in jazz, the big band, the sound of which Arend recreates with the band's seven pieces.

Each of these pieces is striking in its own right, but together Alchemy Sound Project provides thrilling new avenues for exploration - which its members are eager and committed to explore. "You could think of it like a dinner," Tonooka muses. "Everybody brings different dishes to the table and we're all enjoying and tasting and delving in and creating something new out of it. That makes it fun for us and interesting to the listener because it's not just one flavor. It's all of us."


Todd Clouser Joins Forces With Members Of Abraxas On Magnet Animals: Butterfly Killer

On the heels of his genre-defying A Love Electric trilogy and subsequent song project, Man With No Country, guitarist-composer-poet-lyricist C Todd Clouser joins forces with drummer Jorge Servin and the potent one-two punch of Abraxas guitarist Eyal Maoz and bassist Shanir Blumenkranz in forming Magnet Animals. Their slamming and startlingly unique debut, Butterfly Killer -- full of skronking noise guitars of blast furnace intensity and stream of conscious raps over righteous riffs and humungous backbeats -- stands as one of the most strangely compelling outings in the extensive and wildly eclectic catalog of London-based RareNoiseRecords.

From the opening salvo of "Headphone Girls" to the jarring punk-funk of "Martha Fever," the eerie Ennio Morricone-styled spaghetti western vibe of "I Give Up And Love Somebody" and the sinister title track, Butterfly Killer sidesteps convention at every turn while boldly stepping to a different kind of muse. Throw in a B-52s-styled '80s dance party number ("Igual, Pero Peor"), a throbbing jam with a haunting, an evangelist preacher styled incantation ("Little John The Liar") and an ode to a late junkie author/hipster ("Bill Burroughs") and you have one of the most daring, fully self-realized creations of the current year.

Credit Clouser with creating the vehicle for such a powerful statement to take place. "The Magnet Animals record is very impulsive," explains the auteur. "With the A Love Electric records, we write, re-write, edit, produce, cut tunes in half and tour together on 120 dates a year. With Magnet Animals, I wanted to get back to just a creative impulse, honoring that, expressing, and moving on. I wrote the tunes in one weekend in a cabin a week before we had the tour planned. We played a week's worth of shows, recorded on the last day in about an 8-hour session. I took the sessions to Minneapolis to mix, and that was it. I wanted it to be fast, a reflection of the personalities of the players and their instincts, and not think myself out of what I needed to say, and what this group was on its first impulse, instinctively."

Regarding his role as principal wordsmith and narrator of the vivid imagery conjured up throughout Butterfly Killer, Clouser says, "I like lyrics that can survive as poetry -- just on the page. I'm not sure if I am a poet or a lyricist but words are important to me. If I am going to use them, I want them to have purpose. Sometimes it's in humor, like on 'Headphone Girls.' I travel a lot and there are all these thousands of headphones they sell all over airports now -- every color and size and sales pitch, and its a trip! So I wrote that 'look at me listening' little line when I was in the Atlanta airport on A Love Electric tour and thought it was fun to sing, or talk. Other times, like on 'Atayde,' there is this tremendous nostalgia and some kind of sadness to the words. Atayde is the name of a family circus in Mexico City and their circus tent was just ripped down, It was giant, big and blue, with a ball that looked like a clown's shoe on top. It's like a whole block long and it's located right where all the hookers hangout on paydays, on Tlalpan. There's so much absurdity there that somehow there is beauty and calm in it, like complete resignation to our human instincts, failures, all of it. So that was an easy and kind of emotional song to write. That's really more of a spoken piece. In the end, I think it's just about observing and trying to find the humanity, the emotion, in whatever I want to write about."

Clouser details his connection to the three other intrepid improvisers and skilled musicians who comprise Magnet Animals. "Eyal and I have talked about playing together for years and when I was on tour with A Love Electric I visited his apartment a couple times and we just set up and improvised. He is so fearless and himself. He kind of plays how Mexico City sounds to me. I played with Shanir Blumenkranz at the John Lurie tribute show at NYC Town Hall with Billy Martin and John Medeski. We played Marvin Pontiac songs from that Lurie record (1999's The Legendary marvin Pontiac: Greatest Hits). Shanir is so scouted when he plays and his feel is so warm. We got along well and talked about doing something together at some point. I have played now with a lot of the 'Downtown scene' heroes, including John Zorn, Cyro Baptista, Medeski Martin & Wood, and always crossed paths with Shanir. It seemed like it was time to play together."

Though Clouser wrote all of the songs on Butterfly Killer, he says the recording is very much a product of everyone's contributions. "With other players, this could be a corny fusion record, the way the tunes are written. It had to be a crew of guys willing to get into the dirt. Much of what we did and what we captured on record is about the energy of the performance, the risk, knowing we are reading tunes but we are free to abandon them in dramatic ways. Shanir had a big hand in arranging the tunes and working out feels. He's so good at that. Eyal has such a strong and unique voice, it's like having an electric piano player, theremin player and jazz guitarist all at once."

And while modernists may point to the influence of guitar shredders like Sonny Sharrock or Nels Cline or Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore in the skronking metallic interplay heard on harsh tunes like "Headphone Girls," "Martha Fever" and "State of My Face," Clouser explains that the influence actually goes back much further. "A lot of it, honestly, is old Delta blues, the voices as much as the guitars. Listening to Skip James sing, going back to a lot of the Alan Lomax recordings of prison song, field song, gospel...that raw feel is all there. That being said, I grew up in the late 90's, so Sonic Youth was an influence as well as a lot of the NYC downtown stuff I started to listen to. I liked the personality and personalities of it. People there had something to say that I related to. I have spent a lot of time with old blues records and psych rock records, some of the Brazilian psych rock stuff and Os Mutantes, and then, of course, hip-hop.But I have a background in jazz, knowledge of these harmonies, and spent time playing Thelonious Monk music, so some of that creeps in as well."

Clouser also explains that the sparse, lonely, vaguely Americana feel that comes across on tunes like "Atayde" and "I Give Up And Love Somebody" comes from his Midwestern upbringing. "I was born in Kansas City and grew up in Minneapolis. Though I live in Mexico City now, I can only run so far from driving up and down highway 35 through the cornfields, Flying J travel centers, and listening to unreasoned preachers and minor league baseball games on the radio. I did so many van tours up and down that highway, you have time to write. I would write for hours if I wasn't driving, just looking around and being romantic about something so many people are so dismissive of. You find romance, resignation there in the simple. The Coen Brothers are great at putting that to story and film. I love that kind of Americana when it sounds in music."

As for the kind of evangelical fervor that he takes on in his spoken word rants on "Little John the Liar" and the title track, Clouser explains that it comes from the deepest recesses of his childhood. "It's just a character, but I do think I am perhaps unhealthily drawn to talking about religion, Jesus and preaching in my music. My parents, who I love so much, sent me to Sunday school when I was kid, which I hated so much. It was horrible. I knew they were lying to me and I was stand-offish. So I think sometimes I still haven't gotten over that, and gotten over this whole disillusioned idea of a savior who makes you right even when you are wrong. So maybe I lash out in music, or in what I write, or how I sing it. Sometimes the lash is to caricature-ize the 'preacher.' I also think having listened to a lot of spiritual music, a lot of gospel, early jazz, Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, these types of records, I am drawn to this sort of prophetic voice, and emoting that way."

He further explains that "Bill Burroughs" was an homage to someone he greatly admired and felt a kinship with. "I never met him. I didn't share much time on Earth with him but I live about a mile away from where he did when he was in Mexico City. I love his writing. His story is tragic and heroic and offensive and teaching. I almost died from being an addict and I am gay. That's two big ones. From there on, its pretty easy to relate."
  
Of his current place of residence, Clouser couldn't be happier. "In Mexico City I fell into a great thing. I had no plans to live there but I met two musicians, Hernan Hecht and Aaron Cruz, and that became our group A Love Electric. This was about three years ago. We all had the same impetus, to go out and share our music wherever we could but in the most human, non-pretentious way possible. For example, we just got a grant from he US Embassy some months ago. We had offers to take it and go to a couple big festivals for free or a reduced rate. We decided to go to Honduras, Nicaragua and South Mexico and play in community centers and bars instead. And I would do that again in a second, and these two guys are the same way.

"There are songs everywhere in this city. I have been assaulted by way too many ideas since I moved here that I am still trying to sort through and make records or bands or whatever might be next. There is an energy here that I am attracted to, a chaos, but at the same time something very human. Because at some point you have to help each other out or the whole thing is going to blow up and the city will drown in itself. And now touring a lot in Mexico, going to places like Oaxaca up in the mountains to work with traditional wind musicians, or on the Yucatan to a town where Maya is the only language spoken, these things are fascinating, invigorating, exciting. I am able to learn by living all day long, and when that is happening there is no escape from inspiration."

It takes an inspired person to come up with something as audacious and uncompromising as Butterfly Killer. Clouser and his Magnet Animals crew deliver goods on this provocative new release on RareNoise Records.

TRACKS
Headphone Girls
Atayde
Martha Fever
Baby Gods
Butterfly Killer
I Give Up And Love Somebody
State Of My Face
Bill Borroughs
Little John The Liar

Igual, Pero Peor


Chat Noir Re-Imagines the Piano Trio On New Outing "Nine Thoughts For One Word"

The adventurous trio Chat Noir has for the past 12 years defied easy categorization with its organic mix of ambient music, electronic textures as well as chamber music and jazz. Their singular approach to the piano trio, cinematic in scope and startlingly beautiful, has garnered critical raves throughout Europe. On Nine Thoughts for One Word, their sixth recording overall and second for London-based RareNoise Records, the two founding members, pianist Michele Cavallari and bassist Luca Fogagnolo, are joined in their further explorations by electronic, ambient music composer and producer Jan Peter Schwalm (Brian Eno, Eivind Aarset).

Together they make a conceptual leap on what a piano trio can be, with the invaluable input of Schwalm's studio magic.

This delicate balance of electronic experimentalism with acoustic piano and acoustic bass has been evolving gradually from the group's initial release in 2006, Adoption, and continued on 2007's Decoupage through 2008's Difficult to See You. 2011's Weather 

Forecasting Stone and 2014's Elec3Cities. Their collective experimentation continues on the evocative Nine Thoughts for One Word. "Experimentation has always been a fundamental part of our work," says bassist Fogagnolo. "We would describe our journey as a ship adrift. If jazz was our starting point we've always felt free to explore different languages."

From the dramatic peaks of "Eternally Tranquil Light," grounded by the resonant, woody tones of Fogagnolo's upright bass, to the lyrical delicacy of Cavallari's piano on "Fundamental Mind," from the throbbing techno vibe of "Blinking Neon" to the Indonesian gamelan flavored introspection of "Detuning Leaves" and the mesmerizing trip-hop of "Uneven" and "Soft Ground," Chat Noir explores myriad musical languages on Nine Thoughts for One Word. They also offer a very pleasing vocal number, "Momentarily Continual," which is underscored by the pure, resonant tones of Fogagnolo's upright bass, and they close out the program on a gentle note with Cavallari's sparse piano work on the hymn-like "Crystallized Flow."

"This album has more spatial sound and compositions, which in turn may sound (paradoxically) more 'acoustic'," Cavallari explains. "'Crystallized Flow' is pointing towards this different, more spacious dimension, which is also linked to the new lineup and to the role that J. Peter in particular had in our project."

Though Schwalm trained as a drummer, he is now playing mainly electronic instruments and music. "We met him at a festival in Norway (Punkt 2008) and immediately fell in love with his style," Cavallari recalls. "As we rearranged our lineup about one year ago, we decided to ask him for collaboration. For Luca and I, it was a natural choice to abandon the classic piano-bass-drums format and try something different, but in line with the evolution of our style, which incorporated more and more electronic textures over the years. Peter brought in his experience with sound processing and treatments, as well as his personal taste as co-producer of the album. Given his strong background in ambient music, his participation in the project sound-wise contributed to the very spacious dimension of the album, in line with the already ethereal vibe of the compositions."

As for his longstanding musical relationship with Fogagnolo, Cavallari says, "Luca and I are good old pals. Our friendship and music collaboration informs one another. On the one hand, music made our friendship even stronger. On the other hand, we can rely on shared ideas about music, and even more generally about life, when playing together. It's a constant dialog of spoken as well as unspoken words.

"We often have similar taste for music," he continues. "But more importantly, when coming from different musical references and preferences, Luca and I have contributed even more to each other's musical ideas and ways to perform."     
                                                              
Cavallari adds that his method of playing and recording together with Fogagnolo changed radically four years ago when the two Italians relocated to different countries -- Michele to the United States and Luca to Germany. "Our rehearsal room changed from being a shared space, where we used to physically meet quite often, to a virtual place. Nine Thoughts for One Word is our second album recorded through cloud-based sharing of music ideas and sessions. This wouldn't have been possible without a long-term relationship. But somehow the distance helped to develop even more our personal taste, before sharing ideas for new tunes as we've always done. In the process of developing new tunes, we can count on a strong shared basis, established throughout our long collaboration, as well as on a naïve attitude and openness towards different ideas, and potentially surprises."

He further describes the group's modus operandi on Nine Thoughts for One Word: "Our approach is to try to understand where the composition is pointing to and to give meaningful contribution to it, by either contrasting or corroborating the original idea. Basically, the process we follow to compose and play together is grounded in the root of two essential and mutually reinforcing aspects: friendship and freedom."                                                                                 

Cavallari also explains that he and Fogagnolo have joint experience working on soundtrack recordings, which may explain why so much of their music has such a cinematic quality. "We did work on movie soundtracks in the past. Some of our tunes were featured in Cristina Comencini's films - Don't Tell (nominated for best foreign language film category at the 78th Academy Awards) and Black and White - as well as Francesca Comencini's documentary In Fabrica. Our music has often been associated with cinematic features. Rather than thinking visually when composing, I guess we approach compositions in away that has similarities with film direction. We try to develop 'stories' and 'plots' through melodic lines and sometimes more abstract parts that overall follow a dynamically organized flow.

"As to the our way to approach compositions, either one of us usually 'plants the seed' of a new tune on his own. Then, from the original basic idea, we let the other totally express himself without limitations. Sometimes we go through multiple iterations of sending music ideas back and forth between us, as additional contributions can inspire new direction of the tune. It never happens that we don't like what the other brought in terms of contribution to the song. In this sense we are totally connected."

It is easy to see how such kindred spirits continue to collaborate and thrive, even when living on separate continents. And together with ambient mixmaster Schwalm, they travel to some wholly new musical territory on Nine Thoughts for One Word, the most transcendent Chat Noir release to date.

"Chat Noir is definitely one of the most refreshing forces in the current European new jazz / modern hybrid music movement." -- Igloo Magazine

TRACKS
Eternally Tranquil Light
Fundamental Mind
Momentary Continual
Blinking Neon
Detuning Leaves
Uneven
Soft Ground

Crystallized Flow


Guitarist/Vocalist Michael Blum Pays Tribute to Oscar Peterson on Chasin' Oscar

The legendary Oscar Peterson has inspired countless musicians, but his singular artistry sparked a particularly strong desire in Michael Blum.

"I wanted to learn to play guitar like Oscar Peterson played the piano," Blum recalls-a daunting prospect for even veteran performers, but especially ambitious for a guitarist in his early 20s.
Blum proves to be up to the challenge, as evident on his third CD, Chasin' Oscar: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson, due out June 17, 2016. Blum's quartet revisits seven classics associated with Peterson, alongside two pieces written by the guitarist's mentor, bassist Jim Stinnett.

"I chose some of my favorite Peterson songs and a few that really tested me," Blum says.
A long car ride provides an ideal opportunity for uninterrupted listening, and it was on his weekly three-hour drives to Stinnett's home that Blum really connected with Peterson's music. The pianist's 1964 trio album, We Get Requests, with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, became the soundtrack for these treks, fueling Blum's passion for Peterson's unique combination of profound emotion and boundless virtuosity.

"One of the things I really love about Oscar is his ability to do anything on his instrument," Blum says. "He could play fast or slow, hard or soft, pretty or nasty, bebop or blues-but he only played those elements that were perfect in the moment. He's sorrowful and sometimes joyous; invigorating and sometimes solemn. Listening to him is always interesting, and I wanted to emulate his emotional range in my musical homage."

Blum presented his idea to Stinnett, and while many teachers would balk at such an outsized objective, Stinnett simply nodded and began work with his young protégé. They first started collaborating three years ago, while Blum was a student at Dartmouth College.

"When I met Jim, he saw something in me that I don't think anyone had before," Blum recalls. "He recognized that I had all this passion and raw talent, but I didn't know how to hone or channel it. Working with Jim has been a growing experience technically, emotionally and mentally because he always believes that I can do anything, even before I believe it. Having him around gives me the confidence to pursue my goals. Without him, I'd probably be aiming lower."

Stinnett began by recommending Peterson's 1970 Tristeza on Piano, instructing Blum to learn the title track's solo note for note. Blum spent the next 18 months practicing it, as well as several other Peterson solos, for six to eight hours a day, learning the pieces by ear instead of transcribing them.

Several of the tracks on Chasin' Oscar feature Blum performing faithful re-creations of Peterson's original solos.

"Each of Oscar's solos is a work of art unto itself," he explains. "Like a Beethoven symphony, these tracks warrant the same kind of attention and study. I thought there would be no better way to pay tribute to Oscar than to play Oscar."

The album opens with one of its most challenging pieces, the Peterson original "Nightingale." Also from Tristeza on Piano, it features jaw-dropping, breakneck runs that highlight Blum's ability to keep pace with the famously fleet-fingered master. His bluesy soulfulness is on display in Gershwin's "I Loves You, Porgy," while "You Look Good to Me" takes a turn into vigorous swing and "The Girl from Ipanema" grooves as a laid-back bossa nova.

"East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" and "Tenderly" spotlight Blum as crooner, featuring his tasteful, unvarnished vocals. The album ends with Stinnett's fitting, yet contrasting, contributions: the relaxed stroll of "Pine" and the twilit finale, "Whisper."

A native of Great Neck, NY, Blum's parents inspired him to study guitar. His father is a classically trained guitarist with a passion for jazz, while his mother enjoys singing. By age 21, Blum had already released his debut album, Initiation, accompanied by the same quartet that appears in Chasin' Oscar. Stinnett was integral in assembling the band of veteran players and educators: Stinnett on bass, pianist Brad Smith and drummer Dom Moio. Blum followed Initiation with his vocal debut, Commitment, in 2015.

Though young, Blum's style is deeply rooted in the jazz tradition. With his next release, Expansion, he'll venture farther into jazz fusion. Ultimately, he's interested less in the genre of music he performs and more in the emotion it elicits.

"At the end of the day, my goal is to make music that reaches people," he says.

Bass Legend Stu Hamm To Embark On “Solo Bass Songs and Stories Tour 2016”

Bass legend Stu Hamm will be embarking on his “Solo Bass Songs and Stories Tour 2016” first of June! Having stunned audiences across the world with his innovative playing, Stu Hamm - the only bassist to win Guitar Player magazine's readers award for both best rock bassist AND best jazz bassist in the same year! - has made a name as the go to bass player for the world’s great musicians. His time spent playing with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani cemented his place among the greats and gave Stu the platform to display his pioneering bass techniques to adoring crowds worldwide.

Now promoting the release of his newest solo album “The Book Of Lies,” Hamm takes to the road with new music, including his petite suite for solo bass, and a host of stories and anecdotes for musicians and non-musicians alike. A gut rumbling mix of new and old hits mixed with Stu’s trademark humor and story-telling make for a unique show like no other.

Says Stu, “I promise an entertaining evening of music and stories from my 43 years of playing bass with some of our generation's' greatest musicians!”

Songs & Stories Tour 2016

June 2, 2016 – US – New Hope, PA – Havana
June 3, 2016 – US – Schenectady, NY – The Van Dyck
June 4, 2016 – US – New York, NY – Spectrum (Masterclass at 2pm)
June 5, 2016 – US – New York, NY – Spectrum (Shows at 6PM & 8PM)
June 6, 2016 – US – Asbury Park, NH – The Saint
June 7, 2016 – US – Dunellen, NJ – Roxy & Dukes (Presented by NJ ProgHouse)
June 8, 2016 – US – Buffalo, NY – Sportsmens Tavern
June 9, 2016 – CA – Ottawa, ON – Brass Monkey
June 10, 2016 – CA – London, ON – London Music Club
June 12, 2016 – US – Detroit, MI – The Token Lounge
June 13, 2016 – US – Newport, KY – The Southgate House Revival
June 14, 2016 – US – Cleveland, OH – Nighttown
June 16, 2016 – US – Charleston, WV – The Empty Glass
June 17, 2016 – US – Pittsburgh, PA – PGH Winery

Born in New Orleans, Hamm spent his childhood and youth in Champaign, Illinois, where he studied bass and piano, played in the stage band at Champaign Central High School, and was selected to the Illinois All-State Band. Hamm graduated from Hanover High in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1978 while living in Norwich, Vermont. Following high school, he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he met guitarist Steve Vai and, through him, met Joe Satriani. Hamm played bass on Vai's debut solo album, Flex-Able, which was released in 1984. In 1990 Hamm was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Degree from his Alma Mater.

Hamm has performed and recorded with Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Michael Shenker, Frank Gambale, and many other well-respected guitarists. It was playing live on tour with Satriani that brought Hamm's skills to national attention. Subsequent recordings with Satriani and other rock/fusion artists, along with the release of his own solo recordings (featuring keyboard player Tommy Mars, guitarists Alan Holdsworth and Robert Fripp, drummers Steve Smith and Tommy Lee), solidified his reputation as a bassist and performer.

Hamm has traveled the world from Berklee to Belfast to Budapest to Bali to Berlin. He's performed in a 19th century circus tent with Joan Baez, and recorded a duet of “Do Right Woman” with her. He's performed with Mick Jagger, played sold out shows at Royal Albert Hall and in front of 120,000 people in Mexico City with a Mexican Rock Band...he's also played cruise ships, weddings and put on a tux and played Christmas Songs at department stores and in between the airport transfers, hotel suite check-outs, backstage room dinners, and concert hall performances, has collected countless stories and anecdotes from his travels across the globe.

“Chaos and calm were the order of the day at Yoshi’s on this fine Martin Luther King Jr. holiday evening in Oakland, courtesy of the Stu Hamm Band. Hamm the extraordinary bass player who has performed and recorded with some of the most fabled guitarists in the world (Joe Satriani, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai) brought his band to Yoshi’s to support his latest solo offering “The Book Of Lies” (his seventh solo record). Stu Hamm Hamm, who has played some of the largest festivals in the world, showed he is very comfortable in an intimate club setting, as he easily bantered with the audience telling stories and cracking jokes between fits of musical wizardry.” - SF Sonic

Live Videos:

 


FIVE JAZZ FESTIVALS AWARDED $1 M IN TOTAL TO SUPPORT THEIR CONTINUING SUCCESS

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) today announced the five jazz organizations and related festivals receiving grants totaling $1 million through the Leadership Grants Program for Jazz. This new initiative offers flexible funding over two years to support the self-defined, long-term goals of organizations that have demonstrated excellence in and sustained commitment to the field of jazz. The overall objective of these grants is to support the foundation's long-standing goal to buoy the vibrancy of the jazz field by bolstering the long-term viability of its most critical organizations.

While this year's grantees differ in their geographic locations, revenue streams, partnership models and methods of operation, all were selected for their leadership in and importance to the robustness of the jazz field. The foundation's 2016 Leadership Grants Program for Jazz acknowledges the value of these festivals to the field and therefore aims to support them as they promote both the larger public interest in and artistic vitality of jazz artists and their presenters.

"Safeguarding the continued vibrancy of jazz means ensuring there are venues for artists to connect with audiences," said Maurine Knighton, program director for the Arts at DDCF. "These festivals, which attract thousands of concertgoers, are an important link that help imbue America's musical landscape with jazz's energy and excitement."

The Leadership Grants for Jazz will go to: 

  • City Parks Foundation of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in New York, N.Y., with $75,000 to investigate ways to digitally record the audio and visuals of the performances for present and future audiences; and research options for the development of local and affordable rehearsal or informal performance spaces, in support of the artists' artistic exploration.
  • Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation of the Detroit Jazz Festival in Detroit, Mich., with $200,000 to develop and implement DJFLIVE, an app designed to extend the stage experience; increase visitors' access to other media by the artists; support the artists by giving them greater public exposure; and continue to connect with the festival's existing audience across North America and beyond.Jazz Institute of Chicago of the
  • Chicago Jazz Festival in Chicago, Ill., with $225,000 to support staff dedicated to developing long-term streams of corporate and philanthropic support; forge collaborations with new local communities, including youth involved in spoken word and hip-hop; and advance the strategic use of technology to streamline organizational processes
  • Monterey Jazz Festival in Monterey, Calif., with $400,000 to connect with younger and more ethnically diverse communities; invest in efforts to evaluate and understand the impact of its decades-long educational programming; and develop new nonprofit and corporate relationships that can help support the festival's future
  • Newport Festivals Foundation of the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I., with $100,000 to reinforce the festival's capacity to maintain strong, ongoing relationships with artists as well as to invite emerging artists to perform; encourage musicians to create their own compositions by commissioning new music; and exploring ways to strengthen the long-term careers of artists who debut at the festival.

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) is to improve the quality of people's lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and child well-being, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke's properties. The Arts Program of DDCF focuses its support on contemporary dance, jazz and theatre artists, and the organizations that nurture, present and produce them. For more information, please visit www.ddcf.org.


NEW MUSIC: SOHO CONTINENTAL; KRIS RUSSELL – I CONCENTRATE ON YOU; JAZZ INVADERS – FIND THE LOVE

SOHO CONTINENTAL (COMPILATION)

Latin rhythms, Italian lyrics, jazzy solos, and lots more groovy touches – all coming together here in a special set of tracks that evokes the cross-cultural brilliance of London's Soho at the end of the 50s! The set's got a really unique vibe – with songs that mix electric guitars and heavy percussion, swinging vocals and rocking rhythms, jazzy scatting and weird instrumentation – all with the completely great ear for a special tune that we've come to expect from the Croydon Municipal label! If you've dug their other compilations, you'll definitely find plenty here to love – on 25 titles that include "Nicola Bossa Nova" by Bob Leaper, "Ciquo Minuti Ancora" by Peppini Di Capri, "Cappucina" by Ted Heath, "Esso Besso" by Victor Silvester, "Cha Cha Pop Pop" by Tony Scott, "Hot Toddy" by The Swe Danes, "Teenager Blues" by The Kessler Sisters, "Harry Lime Cha Cha" by Edmundo Ros, "Taboo" by Charles Blackwell, "Madison A Saint Tropez" by Tommy Kinsman, "Papa Loves Mambo" by Marino Marini, and "Mambo Inn" by The Modernes.  ~ Dusty Groove

KRIS RUSSELL - I CONCENTRATE ON YOU

Las Vegas-based jazz vocalist Kris Russell has launched her debut CD, "I Concentrate on You," which follows the much-heralded release of her digital single, "I Concentrate on You." Backed by a full symphony and Richard Rome's lush and beautiful arrangement, Russell vocally expresses her pure, natural voice in her version of this beloved, classic jazz standard. Her aspiration with this song is to be a first-rate version of herself and express herself as an original, but also to blend the early, powerful influences of other great jazz vocalists into her own unique style of singing. Russell says that her singing career has been a labor of love, and the ability to produce and release her own CD represents a great gift. She is looking forward to producing and releasing another new jazz single sometime in 2016.

JAZZ INVADERS – FIND THE LOVE

Were the Jazz Invaders ever this soulful before? We don't seem to remember that – as they come on totally strong and wonderful here – with a groove that might even rival the best previous work by big-name combos like Incognito or Brand New Heavies! Like both those groups, the Jazz Invaders are rooted in classic modes – but they've also picked up a lot more funk than before – putting the jazz off to the side a bit, and focusing on the overall groove – a bit like some of the best artists in the mid 70s run of jazz/funk classics from Fantasy Records! Linda Bloenhard adds some great vocals to a number of cuts – furthering the strong soul vibe here – but even the instrumental numbers are great, and sparkle strongly in a sweet blend of Fender Rhodes, and jazzy riffs on alto, tenor, and trumpet. All tunes are originals – and the writing is great – on tracks that include "Higher On Fire", "Get It Work It", "Get Away", "Disco Fever", "Do It", "Phil's Crossroads", "Discover Disco Lover", and "Much Rosie"  ~ Dusty Groove


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