Author: mitchmuse
Global communicator, Journalism, Entrepreneur, Web editor, Blogger, Freelance writer, Jazz enthusiast
Jim & Jeannine’s Gig List – For Live Jazz Lovers
Brought to you courtesy of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
FRIDAY
Olivia Duhon with Frank Brown on guitar, Ron Adams on bass and Jimmy Karstein on drums – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Friday night, 9:00 to midnight.
SATURDAY
Angie Cockrell and Mark Bennett – Tropical Restaurant, 49th & Memorial, Saturday night, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Mike Cameron with Adam Ledbetter on keys, Jordan Hehl on bass and JJemar Poteat on drums – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Saturday night, 9:00 to midnight
SUNDAY
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Ryan Tedder has made his name in Tulsa as a stellar sideman, playing with bands throughout the city. Now he is headlining his own show at the Jazz Depot, Tedder will rock the stage with all styles of contemporary jazz, including original compositions. He will b e joined by Steven Schrag on piano, Calvin Knowles on bass and Nicholas Foster on drums as well as Sarah Maud and Stephanie Oliver on vocals, Miles Ralston on vocals and guitar and Tim Shadley on bone – Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. 1st St. Upper Level, Sunday afternoon, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., free covered parking
Nathan Wright – Smoke on Cherry Street, Sunday night, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Cynthia Simmons – Ciao Primo Room, 3308 S. Peoria, Sunday night, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. – Cover $10
TUESDAY
Jazz Depot Jam Session- Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Tuesday night, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Come play or come listen – FREE
Kings of Music, a 7 piece band that plays every Tuesday for ballroom dancing – Moose Lodge, 11106 E. 7th Street, Tuesday night, 7:30 to 9:45.
WEDNESDAY
Jazzwich – Lunch and Jazz with 7 Blue, Oklahoma Jazz Depot, Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Annie Ellicott with Mark Bruner and Shelby Eicher – Full Moon Cafe, Wednesday night, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
7 Blue – Hey Mambo, 114 N. Boston, Wednesday night, 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
Mike Cameron and Scott McQuade – Main Street Tavern, 200 S Main, Broken Arrow, Thursday night, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
A dozen years in, the Chicago-based ensemble known as Shekinah Glory Ministry (SGM) continues to dominate and set the standard for urban praise and worship music. They’ve made chants such as “Praise is What I Do” and “Jesus” universally known tunes that choirs around the globe sing every Sunday morning. With five RIAA gold and platinum record and video certifications behind them, this coterie of psalmists, minstrels and banner-wavers are poised to strike gold again with their fourth original CD, Surrender (Kingdom Records), scheduled for a September 25, 2012, release.
Recorded this past April at its home church, Valley Kingdom Ministry International near Chicago, SGM delivered another set of soul-stirring original songs that kept the capacity audience on its feet most of the night with hands lifted towards the heavens in praise. The closing tune, “Surrender”, summed up the evening’s theme. SGM’s leader, Phil Tarver, with a heartfelt plea, prayed openly for God to break his spirit and give him a contrite heart prior to launching into the majestic declaration. “Lord, break me again until the tears pour out”, he whispered into his microphone. “Tonight the Lord says don’t throw in the white towel but wave the white flag,” he challenged the congregation as he implored it to look up and, “tell Him [God] I surrender to your purpose, to your plan, to your way.”
The 13 tracks all deal with some variation of concession to God’s will whether by turning one’s trials and tribulations over to Him on the up-tempo, Afro-Cuban seasoned “By Faith” or yielding to a call to worship on the dance-flavored, “Come On”. Aside from Tarver who leads three songs, there are several new SGM voices such as Brandon Alsberry, Joan Olander, Monique Miller, Jason Robinson and Danielle Nightingale Cargo who leads the new radio single, “Champion.”
Kingdom Records is a leader in African-American praise and worship music with hits such as Shekinah Glory Ministry’s 2001 breakthrough smash, “Praise is What I Do”. The million-selling SGM is not a choir. Instead, it’s a dynamic ensemble of psalmists, minstrels, and banner bearers who perform “under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Their Hebrew name means “the glorified presence of God.” Their CDs Praise Is What I Do (No. 5 peak Top Gospel Albums) and Shekinah Glory Ministry Live (No. 3 peak Top Gospel Albums – 103 weeks on the chart) were both certified gold in 2005 and 2008 respectively. They also have three gold or platinum DVDs to their credit and their 2010 CD, Refreshed By Fire, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. For information, go to www.kingdomrecordsinc.
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| Chrystal Rucker (Photo Provided) |
For almost two decades, Chrystal Rucker has been the darling of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) denomination where she’s become known for her own spine-tingling renditions of Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow,” Tramaine Hawkins’ “Changed” and Lecresia Campbell’s classic, “Safety.” Then, in 2007 she suffered a stroke at age 35. If she couldn’t sing, she couldn’t work and over the next two years, she fought hard to get back to full health so that she could sing again and take care of her daughter.
“When you have someone you have to live for it makes all the difference in the world in your healing process,” Rucker says in a news release.
After years of appearing on the albums of other artists, Rucker is back in top form and unveiling her first nationally-distributed solo CD, “You Deserve” (EPM Music Group), a brilliantly fascinating collection of heart-wrenching gospel ballads and pulsating praise tunes that hits retail stores and online portals everywhere on August 14, 2012. The 11-track set features the dynamic radio smash, “You Deserve,” which glistens with Rucker’s cascading high notes and squalls. Rucker also reintroduces Tramaine Hawkins’ 1975 classic, “Changed” and delivers a reverential hymn medley of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “Grateful.”
Even though she’s a church girl, Rucker shows she has a flair for urban pop on mid-tempo charmers such as “I Am So Grateful,” the jazzy “Nothing Less” and the infectious hand-clapper, “Make Me Wanna.” She creates a contagious joy on the heart-thumping “Come Bless His Name” while channeling the most poised and refined performance of the album on the soaring anthem, You Will Be My God” that shows off heavenly high notes and a tender sound of praise. For more information on Chrystal Rucker and other EPM Music Group artists, visit www.epmmusicgroup.com
Gospel music lovers are waiting with eager-ears for Stellar Award winner Troy Sneed’s highly-anticipated seventh solo CD, “All Is Well” (Emtro Gospel), to hit stores on August 7. Throughout the winter and spring months, the Emtro label has been teasing fans of Sneed’s radio smash “All is Well” by not making the song available as a digital download until the CD drops. Now, Sneed has another radio hit, “Lay It Down,” that also won’t be available until the CD is released.
“I am so proud of this record,” Sneed says in a news release. “I put everything into it. I didn’t want people to just hear the radio singles. I wanted my fans to be nudged into listening to the whole album because I really worked to make every song a statement and I stretched myself vocally and in terms of the style of the music. I think a lot of people will be surprised.”
No one was more surprised than Sneed that the new single “Lay it Down” hit the Billboard Top 30 within the same week that the MP3 was emailed to radio.
“Troy Sneed has made it happen once again with a powerful inspirational message that’s simple and to the point in this season of life,” says Connye Bryant at WHLW in Montgomery, AL.
The new CD features urban-flavored songs of praise and worship ranging from the jazzy “Song for You” to “I Know You Hear Me” that recalls R. Kelly’s “U Saved Me.” The `70s soul groove “All is Well” peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, but “Lay it Down” is destined to go all the way to the Top 10 like Sneed’s past hits “My Heart Says Yes”, “Work It Out”, “Hallelujah” and “The Struggle Is Over” which spent several weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart.
“Lay it Down” combines an inspiring message of “laying down” life’s problems and a steady Caribbean drum pattern with Sneed’s spine-tingling high notes for an infectious sing-a-long track that’s perfect for the warm summer months.
“Troy Sneed’s latest record ‘Lay It Down’ has people calling and asking where they can get it,” says Reggie Baker, program director at WPZZ in Richmond. “It is a great follow-up to ‘My Heart Says Yes’ and will be sung on Sunday mornings [at churches everywhere].”
Mike Gamble, program director of the The Light: Sheridan Gospel Network adds that, “”Troy has become the inspirational music stylist that delivers powerful words of encouragement in every song.”
A special pre-order $7.99 price tag is available for fans that pre-order “All Is Well” on iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/









