Author: mitchmuse

Global communicator, Journalism, Entrepreneur, Web editor, Blogger, Freelance writer, Jazz enthusiast

Gospel singer Rance Allen celebrates 26 years as pastor at The Legend’s Ball on Aug. 26, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 11, 2011

Rance Allen

Rance Allen of the Rance Allen Group has been pastor at Toledo, Ohio’s New Bethel Church for 26 years. The church membership will honor his years of service in a black-tie affair called The Legend’s Ball at 7 p.m. Aug. 26, 2011, at The Pinnacle, 1772 Indian Wood Circle in Maumee, Ohio. Tickets are $50 and available by calling Marquita Hardison at (419) 508-6586 or Tina Franklin at (419) 206-0288.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the Rance Allen Group. According to a news release, Tyscot Records released the Top 10 CD, The Live Experience II: Celebrating 40 Years of Music and Ministry. Outside of including two medleys of their past hits, the 11-song set was recorded live at Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple. It’s comprised of future classics such as the first radio single, “You That I Trust,” and “Angel.” Making cameo appearances on this musical merry-go-round are Shirley Caesar, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and The Christianaires’ Paul Porter.
The Rance Allen Group was born in their grandfather’s Monroe, Mich., church in the 1960s. They began recording for Stax Records in 1971 where they made a strong of gritty, R&B-flavored gospel and message songs for the Gospel Truth imprint. They toured with the big R&B artists of the day such as Isaac Hayes and Barry White, and literally took the gospel to the world. From there, the group recorded for a variety of labels and scored their first #1 gospel album in 1991 with the Phenomenon CD that featured the crossover R&B smash, “Miracle Worker.” Allen closed out the 1990s performing in a variety of gospel-oriented touring play productions, but the group signed with Tyscot Records in 2002 and kicked off a new string of hits such as “Do Your Will,” “Closest Friend,” “For Your Feet,” and the Kirk Franklin duet, “Something About the Name Jesus.” For more information, visit www.tyscot.com.

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Mitch’s Travel: Patrons can book two nights and get a third night free at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 10, 2011

Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa

Just in time for one last summer getaway, the AAA Four Diamond Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, Calif., is offering all two-night reservations that book and actualize between now and August 31, 2011, a complimentary third night stay.
The epitome of oceanside elegance, the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa features the award-winning VUE restaurant, OverVue outdoor lounge and deck, and family-friendly activities including movie nights, the Kahuna Laguna Kids Club activity center and onsite Splash Zone.
This summer getaway package is valid for mid-week and weekend stays, with no blackout periods. For more information, or to book an oceanside getaway, those interested may visit www.LagunaCliffs.com or call (949) 661-5000 and use promotional code “BGS.”

jazz Jazz Legacy Productions music releases Tim Mayer United States

Saxophonist Tim Mayer to release “Resilience” on Sept. 27, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 9, 2011

According to a news release, Tim Mayer, ace tenor saxophonist, composer and arranger, will release Resilience on Jazz Legacy Productions on Sept. 27, 2011.
While not his maiden voyage, Mayer has recorded extensively as a sideperson, Resilience is Mayer’s debut as a leader and first disc for Jazz Legacy Productions. It would be easy (and typical) to record an album of readily recognizable standards, but Mayer struck a balance between ambition and user-friendliness. With a core quartet of Mayer, pianist George Cables, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Willie Jones III, plus a select group of guests (Claudio Roditi, Mark Whitfield), Mayer’s platter swings from the get-go. A few tracks have additional players for a richer sound-a bit plush, a hair away from lush, with thoughtful yet vigorous arrangements in the vein of Tadd Dameron, Don Sebesky, and pre-1965 Gil Evans.
Tim Mayer’s horizons have grown exponentially. He has performed locally with Jon Faddis, Nick Brignola, Slide Hampton, and Bob Mintzer. He expanded his scope to include Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz styles, playing with Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Giovani Hidalgo, and Danilo Perez. Done with Berklee in 1997, Mayer joined Sol Y Canto, a folklorico-oriented Boston-area band that he’s performed with sporadically ever since. More recently, with his band 5LMN2 (Los Cinco Elementos), Mayer still explores the area(s) where jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds overlap and coalesce. Another venture, Gonzalo Grau y La Clave Secreta (formerly known as Timba Loca) released Frutero Moderno, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Tropical/Latin Album. Another avenue of expression is his appreciation of exotica, which is evinced by his membership in the Waitiki 7. Mayer and Randy Wong produced two Hawaii Music Award winning albums for the group – New Sounds of Exotica (2010) received Adult Contemporary Album of the Year and Adventures in Paradise (2009) won Exotica Album of the Year. Contrary to the purist line of thinking, a human does not live by jazz alone. As if that weren’t enough, Mayer has an extensive resume in the sphere of Cape Verdean folk and pop, playing on albums by Bana, the Mendes Brothers, and Jack Pina.
In the great kitchen that is jazz, Mayer has notions waiting to be realized and served up in style. Realizing it’s not enough to simply cook well, Mayer knows how to present a savory meal. Compositionally, his stove is stoked by the blazing heat of hard bop trumpet icon Lee Morgan.
“Everything he played was solidly rooted in the blues,” Mayer said in a news release. Band-wise, his ideal is Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. (Think of Blakey as “restaurateur” whose kitchens are perhaps the finest proving grounds for chefs of the future.) With those muses, it’s no wonder the varied and tangy Resilience has the zing and gusto of a fine repast, one that leaves the listener with a cozy afterglow.

Black Smoke Music Worldwide/EPM Earnest Pugh gospel music releases United States

Vocalist Earnest Pugh climbs to #2 on Billboard Hot Gospel Songs Chart with radio single “I Need Your Glory”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 8, 2011

Earnest Pugh

Gospel music artists Earnest Pugh, has placed four songs on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart over the last two years, including his No. 1 single in 2009 “Rain on Us.” Now, Pugh is poised to take the top slot again as his current radio hit “I Need Your Glory” climbs to #2 on next week’s Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.
Pugh’s latest CD, Earnestly Yours (Black Smoke Music Worldwide/EPM), recently debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart for two weeks.
Pugh, a Memphis native (now living in the Washington, D.C. area) who was mentored by the late gospel great O’Landa Draper (who’s choir The Associates backed Billy Joel on his “River of Dreams” video in 1993), released his first solo CD in 2006 and showed off his five-octave vocals on the radio hit “Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up.” After years of making respectable forays into gospel, Pugh finally hit it big in 2009 with “Rain on Us.” For more information, go to www.earnestpugh.com or www.mrkerrydouglas.com.

Christian McBride jazz Mack Avenue Records releases United States

Bassist Christian McBride to release project featuring big band on Sept. 27, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date August 3, 2011

Bassist Christian McBride reaches another milestone with the release of The Good Feeling, his first big band recording as a leader and newest release for Mack Avenue Records, on Sept. 27. For over 20 years, McBride has appeared in numerous musical settings with just about any musician imaginable in the jazz as well as R&B and pop worlds. From playing with the likes of Milt Jackson, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny; to playing with and/or arranging for the likes of Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Lalah Hathaway, Sting and the legendary James Brown, what has always been unique about McBride is his versatility. In addition to his work in the neo-soul arena with The Roots, D’Angelo, Queen Latifah and others, the Philadelphia native has also led his own ensembles: The Christian McBride Band, A Christian McBride Situation and his most recent group, Inside Straight (fresh off their critically acclaimed 2009 effort, Kind of Brown). There are many sides to the musical persona of Christian McBride, and The Good Feeling has him realizing another one: as the leader, arranger and conductor of his big band.
McBride’s first foray into the world of big band composing and arranging dates back to 1995, when he was commissioned by Jazz At Lincoln Center to write Bluesin’ in Alphabet City, featured on The Good Feeling and originally debuted by Wynton Marsalis & The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra. Since that time he has composed a number of pieces for larger ensembles including The Movement Revisited, a five movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Putting a big band together is no easy task, but in this particular band, McBride feels fortunate to work with some of the most talented musicians in the jazz world. For his part, McBride feels that this process turned out the way he had hoped, with many musicians involved with whose work he is particularly familiar.
“[Trumpeter] Freddie Hendrix is one of the flagship guys in the big band, as is Frank Greene, along with trombonists Michael Dease and Steve Davis. (Steve and I go way back. He was one of my first calls). And the saxophone section was kind of a no brainer – Steve Wilson and Ron Blake – who have been the saxophonists in my last two working bands. I had to have those guys,” McBride says in a news release. “Now, one thing that seems to be my ‘Achilles heel’ with any band that I’ve had during my career is the piano chair, simply because everyone’s working all the time. But the X-Man, Xavier Davis, came in and did such a fantastic job.”
McBride’s interest in writing and arranging with a performer in mind is a trait that has been integral to the success of many great leaders of large ensembles, the most notable being the Duke Ellington Orchestra, with Ellington writing for specific musicians. McBride believes that philosophy works in his big band as well.
“Once you get the guys that you want, then you can write and arrange accordingly,” McBride said. “I’ve done that with all of my small groups. With the big band material, I had Steve Wilson in mind for Brother Mister; you’ve got Shake ‘n Blake that I wrote for Ron Blake. That song actually started out as a duo between he and I, but I thought it would work well for big band, so I just took the time to expand it; I just thought that song would be perfect for him. And I’m already hearing material that would be specifically suited for Michael Dease in the future. I think that’s what all the great band leaders have done – write music with the guys that you have in your band in mind. Because you know what will work.”

Bartlesville Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Steve Goforth tulsa United States

Steve Goforth and Covenant Brass performs Sunday at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date July 29, 2011

Steve Goforth

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents Steve Goforth and Covenant Brass at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2011 at the Jazz Depot, 111 E First St. (Upper Level), Tulsa, OK.
Trumpet and flugelhorn player Steve Goforth leads a brass quartet that not only plays jazz, but also performs classical and popular tunes. Goforth has played trumpet with the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra since 2001 and has been a professor of jazz studies at Oklahoma Baptist University and Oklahoma City University.
General admission is $15; $10 for seniors and students and free for kids under 12. Reservations at the front tables are also available for $20. For tickets and more information, call (918) 281-8609. Click here to order tickets online: http://www.myticketoffice.com/events.asp?id=11&searchtext=1892&expand=yes

Bryan Wilson gospel United States Veda Brown

Gospel singer Bryan Wilson congratulates entrepreneur Veda Brown at concert

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date July 28, 2011

Veda Brown and Bryan Wilson. Photo by Bill Carpenter

Dove/Stellar Award nominated singer Bryan Wilson congratulates entrepreneur Veda Brown at the 10th anniversary celebration concert for her BlackGospelPromo.com e-blast and marketing service at the Impacting Your World Christian Church in Cherry Hill, NJ, on July 25, 2011. Wilson has performed alongside other gospel heavyweights such as Vickie Winans, Kurt Carr and Lonnie Hunter & Structure.

British Columbia Canada luxury Oak Bay Beach Hotel travel Victoria

Travel: Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, to reopen in May 2012

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date July 27, 2011

Rising high above the same Pacific Ocean waterfront, across from the famous Victoria Golf Club, the new Oak Bay Beach Hotel pays homage to its original 1920s, Tudor-style grandeur. The $52 million hotel combines luxury hotel rooms, year-round residences and vacation rental suites into its seven stories and is set to reopen in May 2012.
“After being a much-loved fixture of our city for the better part of a century, seeing the original hotel come down was tough for Victoria residents and visitors alike,” said Kevin Walker, co-owner and developer of the project, in a news release. “Before my wife and I took ownership in ’95, I worked at the hotel, under my dad, since the ’70s – a lot of history there. I’d see the same weekly regulars at the Snug Pub and the same visitors year after year.”
And while the essence of the original Oak Bay Beach Hotel has been captured by Kevin and Shawna Walker, a number of modern amenities and live-in suites have been added, making the property Victoria’s first luxury hotel and spa with private residences. Hotel guests will have use of the seaside, therapeutic mineral pools, fitness centre and spa; services from an on-staff sommelier and fine dining at The Discovery restaurant; and 24-hour room service, butler, and concierge. Kate’s Café will provide casual dining.
Thanks to its prime, oceanfront location, the Oak Bay Beach Hotel will also offer its guests a range of adventure opportunities, including kayak rentals and tours, whale-watching expeditions, out-island hikes, fishing and sailing charters and more.
Nightly room rates at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel will range between $172 and $1,100. Guests can book their visit to the new hotel today by visiting www.oakbaybeachhotel.com or calling 1-800-668-7758. Vacation hotel suites and private residences are also available for sale. To learn more, visit the Oak Bay Beach Hotel’s presentation centre located at 1111 Wharf St., in downtown Victoria, or the on-site real estate offices at 1175 Beach Drive.

jazz Latin latin jazz Sammy Figueroa Senator Records United States world

Sammy Figueroa & Latin Jazz Explosion to release “Urban Nature” on Aug. 30, 2011

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date July 21, 2011

Percussionist Sammy Figueroa has not only has become a successful leader in his own right, but is also one of the most exciting artists in Latin Jazz today. In a recent news release, Figueroa calls Urban Nature, his third recording with his twice Grammy nominated band, The Latin Jazz Explosion, “the most satisfying record we’ve ever done. It truly reflects my personality.” Urban Nature also marks a new beginning – this is his debut album on Senator Records, an imprint created for Sammy in cooperation between Berlin’s Senator Entertainment and Ashé Records.

“The Latin feel in jazz has been around since jazz began,” Figueroa said. “It’s all about the rhythm, the movement and certain swing. When you hear it, you don’t have to be Latin to like it. It just does something to your system that one cannot explain. On this album, we had the opportunity to successfully combine the joy of Latin rhythms with the sophistication of jazz harmonics. I hope the listener will enjoy this music as much as we have playing and recording it.”

Urban Nature is a salute to the creativity that Sammy, a native New Yorker, has experienced during his time in Miami. The album’s kinetic cover photo, taken in motion on the causeway between Miami Beach and the mainland, reflects this message, and the music’s combination of earthy rhythms and heady harmonies, carries it forward.

After two decades as New York’s number-one percussionist, recording and performing with artists such as Miles Davis, the Brecker Brothers, Sonny Rollins (with whom he is currently touring) and pop stars David Bowie, Chaka Khan, and Mariah Carey to name a few, Sammy was ready for a change. He moved to South Florida where, between the extraordinary Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and a community of excellent musicians from Cuba, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Argentina, he discovered a vibrant Latin jazz scene, rich with musical opportunities.

Gathering together some of the best players in town, Sammy and his band made their debut at the Hollywood Jazz Festival in 2002. He hasn’t looked back since. The band’s first two albums, And Sammy Walked In and The Magician, each received Grammy nominations for Best Latin Jazz Album and their exciting performances have gained them enthusiastic fans throughout the United States and Europe.

The Latin Jazz Explosion features the brilliant pianist Silvano Monasterios and accomplished bassist Gabriel Vivas (both from Venezuela), Alex Pope Norris on trumpet, saxophonist John Michalak and the young Puerto Rican drummer Nomar Negroni. On Urban Nature, the group is joined by special guests Ed Calle on sax, Mike Orta on piano and Venezuelan percussionist José Gregorio Hernandez.

jazz Kyle Eastwood performances releases Rendezvous Music world

Bassist Kyle Eastwood to release “Songs from the Chateau” on Aug. 30 on

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date July 20, 2011

These days, Kyle Eastwood is less and less known as the son of Clint Eastwood and more of a universally respected musician and leader in his own right. A virtuoso bassist on electric and upright, as well as a talented composer with a keen ear for great tunes and the subtleties of modern jazz, he is right at the forefront of the contemporary scene, having chosen to immerse himself in the music he loves. Dynamic and pulsing, full of swing, great rhythms and memorable melodies, Songs from the Chateau is Eastwood’s fourth U.S. effort on Rendezvous Music (licensed from Candid Records – one of the leading independent jazz labels in the UK).

When he is not on tour, Eastwood spends much of his time between Paris, where he has lived on and off for five years, and Los Angeles and is very much at home in France; Eastwood’s preceding release on Rendezvous, Metropolitain, was also recorded in France, so it was natural to look there for an ideal place where he and his musicians could relax for a few days and allow their creative juices to flow. Such a place turned out to be the fabulous 15th Century Couronneau in Ligueux, deep in classic Bordeaux country, and Songs from the Chateau was born. To capture the authentic sound of the all-star band Eastwood has on display, producer Crofton Orr and the engineering of Simone Griva were enlisted. Also on board was long time collaborator Michael Stevens (cowriter with Eastwood on the scores for films including “Changeling” and “Gran Torino”).

Although it was recorded in Bordeaux, most of the record was written on the road and at rehearsals while Eastwood and his band were on tour in the spring and summer of 2010. As the tour progressed, so did arrangements and concepts for the album. By the time they got to recording at Chateau Couronneau, the band was already very comfortable with the music and was free to let the beautiful setting inspire them.

Eastwood said in a news release, “The whole idea of the project was to have a little break after the tour was over and take our time and record in a very relaxed way. We went in and recorded the way we would usually play a gig and I think this album really captures the way this band plays and interacts musically in a live setting.”

There’s a simple explanation as to why this group meshes so well together. Eastwood has been carefully developing this band for years; the most recent addition to the group has already been with the band for four years. “Some of my favorite albums in jazz were made by musicians who stayed together and developed this kind of group feeling and that is something that has always been important to me,” he said.