Legendary Detroit blues guitarist and singer Johnnie Bassett is set to release “The Gentleman Is Back” June 30 on Sly Dog Records.
Bassett returns to the spotlight after a nine-year hiatus. “The Gentleman Is Back,” is an 11-song set that finds Johnnie, at 72, in prime form as a player and singer. Recorded in Detroit and co-produced by longtime Bassett collaborators Chris Codish and Keith Kaminski, the CD includes a richly rendered cover of the Hoagy Carmichael and Gorrell Stuart standard “Georgia” and a batch of originals penned mostly by Codish and his father, Bob, another regular in the Bassett camp.
According to his bio, Bassett was born in Florida, where his father was a bootlegger during prohibition. Bassett was surrounded by music. His mother, sisters and aunts took him to church and surrounded him with gospel spirituals. But in the summer he’d head out to his grandmother’s famous fish fries, where the likes of Tampa Red, Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, Lonnie Johnson and others would set up and play while folks ate and danced. He has been on the music scene for more than five decades, amassing a career that’s crossed paths with some of the greatest artists in the field, including John Lee Hooker, Smokey Robinson and Jimi Hendrix.
Johnnie didn’t have to think twice about what “The Gentleman Is Back” would sound like. “I like doing fun music – fun jump music and fun blues music and stuff like that.”
Month: May 2009
All Funk Radio Show has performed at the Charlie Christian International Music Festival three times. They will return to the stage at 7:30 p.m. June 6 at Stage Center, 400 West Sheridan in Oklahoma City. A frequent performer at the casinos in Oklahoma, the Texas band was introduced to the music scene in Oklahoma by the festival. The combined musical experiences of the group include having played with the Emotions, Denise LaSalle, Chi-Lites, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Rush, Staple Singer, George Clinton, and The P Funk All Stars. Other experiences include the Bobby “Blue” Bland Band, Johnny Taylor, Archie Bell & The Drells, Benny Latimore, Freddie King, Qunicy Jones, Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Bee Gees, Donny Hathaway, Ronnie Laws, Wildman Steve, Roy Ayers, Fingerprints, The Temptations, Teddy Pendergrass, and LED & The Love Company.
Tickets to the show are $20 and are on sale now at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Store, KM66, Sage Restaurant, Learning Tree Toy Store and Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. For more information, call (405)524-3800 or view schedule information online at http://www.charliechristianfestival.com.
Sponsors for the festival include, BancFirst, Oklahoma Arts Council, City of Oklahoma City, Temple & Sons Funeral Directors, Fine Arts Institute of Oklahoma City University, Deep Deuce Business Association, Sage Restaurant, & H & J Management, Inc., a McDonald Franchise operation and EMSA.
Tulsa saxophonist Grady Nichols returns to the 24th annual Charlie Christian International Jazz Festival at 7:30 p.m. June 6 at Stage Center, 400 W. Sheridan, in Oklahoma City. Nichols has been the opening acts for jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum and legendary guitarist George Benson. He also has shared the stage with the late Wayman Tisdale, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Al Green, The O’Jays, Luciano Pavarotti, Jeffrey Osborne, Ellis Marsalis, David Benoit, Stanley Turrentine, Roy Clark, Kim Waters, and many others.
Tickets to the show are $20 and are on sale now at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Store, KM66, Sage Restaurant, Learning Tree Toy Store and Black Liberated Arts Center, Inc. For more information, call (405)524-3800 or view information online at http://www.charliechristianfestival.com.
Sponsors for the festival include, BancFirst, Oklahoma Arts Council, City of Oklahoma City, Temple & Sons Funeral Directors, Fine Arts Institute of Oklahoma City University, Deep Deuce Business Association, Sage Restaurant, & H & J Management, Inc., a McDonald Franchise operation and EMSA.
The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and drummer Arthur Thompson will host a Special Music Celebration honoring the life and music of former NBA star and jazz great Wayman Tisdale at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 1st Street and Cincinnati (Upper Level), in Tulsa. Tickets are $10 and proceeds will go to The Wayman Tisdale Foundation.
Special guests include Dave Koz, Marcus Miller, Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, Najee, Tom Braxton, Everette Harp, Kim Waters, Raphael Saadiq, Marvin Saap, Fred Hammond, Mike Philips, Arlington Jones, Bernard Wright, Lenny White, Cornell Morell, Arthur Thompson and so many more.
For tickets or more information, contact the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame at (918) 281-8600 or online at okjazz.org. Gift shop and concessions are available. All major credit cards are accepted.
New York-born, Swiss-based drummer/bandleader Alvin Queen will release a new CD on June 30 entitled “Mighty Long Way,” a no-nonsense, straight-ahead 10-track recording of original compositions and jazz standards by Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Ray Charles, and Wayne Shorter, with an unstoppable band featuring alto saxophonist Jesse Davis, trumpeter Terell Stafford, organist Mike LeDonne, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Elias Bailey and Neil Clarke (Randy Weston’s longtime sideman) on percussion.
Queen, noted for the past four decades as one the most formidable drummers in jazz, has played with every major superstar – from Peterson and Silver, to Wynton and Branford Marsalis and George Benson. He has released a number of critically acclaimed recordings as a leader, mostly on his Nilva label, including, “In Europe,” “Glidin’ and Stridin’,” and “A Day in Holland.” He also released “Lenox and Seventh” (with Lonnie Smith), “I Ain’t Looking at You” (Enja/Justin Time), “Jammin’ Uptown” (Just a Memory) and “Nishville” (Moju). Queen lives in Geneva, Switzerland, but travels frequently to the U.S. for jazz concerts and studio dates.
It is with a heavy heart this morning that I learned that former NBA basketball player and jazz great Wayman Tisdale has died after a long battle with cancer. Ironically, I was playing his latest release “Rebound,” and I was speechless. I have followed Tisdale professionally since 2003 when he performed at the 15th annual Juneteeth Music Festival at the Tulsa Convention Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
I had the pleasure of meeting Tisdale again in 2005 when he headlined Jazz on Bell Street in Shawnee, Oklahoma. I was nervous about interviewing him that day, but his friendly, jovial spirit set me at ease. It was apparent that he loved jazz and playing the bass guitar. He has been instrumental in acting as a mentor and has collaborated with many jazz notables such as Jonathan Butler, Peter White, Dave Koz, Dallas saxophonist Tom Braxton, Tulsa saxophonists Grady Nichols and Eldredge Jackson.
Tisdale was all about having a good time, and one of the things I will remember most about him is his love for old-school R&B music. In each album release, Tisdale always included a favorite track. For example, he collaborated with Oklahoma country star Toby Keith, who offered an interesting perspective to the Barry White classic tune, “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
“I got this call from Toby, and he says, ‘I got the song we need to redo: ‘Never Gonna Give You Up,'” Tisdale said in an interview I had with him last year. “We got to the studio, and Toby started singing. My mouth fell wide-open. We were just blown away. I could not believe what I was hearing! It was great. This guy can sing.”
There’s so much more I could say, but one thing is certain: Tisdale’s contributions both on and off the court will be missed. Rest in peace.
I saw this on a friend’s Web page today, and I just had to claim it as well. May it bless you, too.
Christian fiction novel “The Shack” by William P. Young is one of the most amazing books I have read this year. Young’s book have sparked both intrigue and discussion among Christian circles throughout this country. While some embrace its simple message, others question the validity of the book’s contents.
According to the book’s jacket, “The Shack” is about Mackenzie Allen Philips, whose youngest daughter, Missy, had been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment, Mack arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his world forever.
Although some theological interpretations may be disagreeable, it is a wonder that a first-time author would spark such a discussion about faith, love and forgiveness for such a time as this. Wow…
16-year alto sax prodigy Grace Kelly has released her fifth album, “Mood Changes” on Pax Productions.
Kelly’s star is becoming brighter each day. Kelly, who enjoyed critically acclaimed success on her previous “GRACEFULEE” album, has dominated the DownBeat Student Awards over the past four years. From 2006-09, the saxophonist has garnered 12 student awards, including her latest three for Jazz Soloist, Outstanding Jazz Vocalist, and Pop-Rock Blues Soloist.
“I’m just trying to listen to as much music as possible, which makes it hard for me to put together a CD about just one thing,” Kelly says in explaining her inspiration for “Mood Changes.” “A year before the session, I wrote ‘Tender Madness,’ which is slow and sad, and around the same time, when I was in a good mood, I wrote `Happy Theme Song.’ At that point, I realized that a concept for my next album was taking shape. Two more originals, ‘101’ and ‘But Life Goes On,’ extended the idea, as did the six standards.”
Grace studies saxophone with Lee Konitz, Jerry Bergonzi, and Allan Chase. Grace is the youngest ever to complete the four-year Jazz Studies certificate program at New England Conservatory Prep School. Grace also plays piano, soprano and tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute, and some drums.
As the rain falls quietly outside today, I am thinking of dear friends who have lost loved ones in the past few months. My prayers are with the families, and as a close friend, I can only imagine the sense of loss they are feeling.
In my efforts to offer a kind, gentle word, this morning I am reminded of God’s mercy and how his faithfulness is new every morning. He feels our pain and is available to carry any burdens we may have – financially, emotionally, physically. John 15:13 says “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” So as a parting thought, I leave this song “No Greater Love” by Grammy-winning gospel Fred Hammond in memory of those who are with God, and to my friends who are celebrating the fact that one day they will meet with them again.