Category: music

The Zuits return on Friday, April 23, 2010, to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date April 21, 2010

Tulsa’s jazz, Latin and Blues ensemble The Zuits will return at 7 p.m. Friday, April 23, 2010, to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame‘s Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK. Dance lessons start at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.
For more information, call (918) 281-8600. Participants may also buy tickets at the door, which will open at 6:30 p.m.
The extra large dance floor will be rolled out, so participants need to wear dancing shoes and come enjoy the ensemble!

jazz music New York releases United States world Yotam

Israeli Guitarist Yotam to release “Resonance” on May 4

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date April 19, 2010

Israeli guitarist-composer Yotam (full name Yotam Silberstein) swings hard with an all-star cast for his debut compact disc, “Resonance” (to be released on  Jazz Legacy Productions).
The New York-based guitarist is joined by the stellar rhythm section of Christian McBride on bass, Aaron Goldberg on piano and Greg Hutchinson on drums. Special guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove also appears on faithful recreations of Clifford Brown’s “Daahoud” and Joe Henderson’s “Mamacita.”
“Aaron, Christian, Greg and Roy, in my opinion, are a few of the giants of their generation,” Yotam says in a news release. “I was very honored to have them on the record. We have have forged a special chemistry together. And I think you can hear that on the album.”
Yotam is known for his unusual musical blend of bebop, Brazilian music, American blues, Jamaican reggae and Israeli folk songs. According to his bio, he was born and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and started playing guitar at the age of 10, focusing mostly on rock and blues.
In August 2005, Yotam  received a scholarship to further his jazz studies at the New School in New York City. Less than a month later, he was selected as one of 10 top guitar players to participate in the semi-finals of the distinguished 2005 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition. In 2009, in addition to releasing his second release, he toured with the Sam Yahel Trio, opening for Steely Dan in major concert halls.
Since then, he has played in many of the city’s great venues with great jazz artists like James Moody, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Junior Mance, James Spaulding, Pat Martino, Antonio Hart, Slide Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars to name a few.

Dorival Caymmi Kenia music releases United States world jazz

Brazilian vocalist Kenia releases “Kenia Celebrates Dorival Caymmi” on April 27

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date April 16, 2010

Brazilian vocalist Kenia, who reemerged on the jazz scene two years ago with the critically-acclaimed album “Simply Kenia,” will release on April 27 her latest project “Kenia Celebrates Dorival Caymmi” (Mooka Records).
Known for her ability to translate the complex rhythms of her homeland into jazzy creations that made her a star of the smooth jazz movement two decades ago, Kenia digs into Brazil’s cultural legacy on the 15-track session. She tackles the musical legacy of Brazilian composer and singer Dorival Caymmi who spent more than seven decades creating an aural portrait of Bahia, the stronghold of Brazil’s vibrant African culture. The author of such fabled standards as “Samba da Minha Terra,” “Doralice” and “Voce Ja Foi a Bahia,” Caymmi has long been recognized as a singular figure in Brazilian popular culture.
“Dorival’s music lies just between the two major movements in MPB (Música Popular Brasileira, or Brazilian Popular Music),” Kenia said in a news release, “the Samba of the 1920s and 30s and the Bossa Nova of the late 1950s and ’60s. Caymmi’s music served as a kind of a smooth transition between these two styles. And, although he had two very distinct lines of composition, the link between these two movements is characterized by his firm foundation of Samba, sprinkled with some Bahian spices.”
Brazilian musicians such as pianist Fernando Merlino, bassist Leo Traversa, percussionist Airto Moreira, guitarists Eric Susoeff and Marty Ashby, the singer’s son Lucas, who contributes his growing skills as a percussionist, and trombonist Jay Ashby, and sound engineer Jay Dudt collaborated with Kenia on this project.
Kenia is best known in the United States when she recorded with trumpeter Claudio Roditi on his album “Red on Red.” Several years later, she launched her solo recording career, producing four popular and critically-acclaimed albums for the MCA and Denon labels between 1987 and 1991. She also established herself as one of the most popular and successful U.S. based Brazilian musicians since the heyday of Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66. In 1997, Kenia launched her own label, Mooka Records.

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Pianist Jimmy Amadie to release project “Kindred Spirits” on May 11

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date April 8, 2010

According to a news release, veteran pianist Jimmy Amadie adds another chapter to his remarkable life story with the May 11 release “Kindred Spirits,” which features an all-star lineup on a tailor-made selection of blazing swing and tender ballads. Each track features a collaboration with one of three saxophone giants: Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, and Lew Tabackin. As always, Amadie calls on his crack rhythm team of drummer Bill Goodwin and bassists Steve Gilmore and Tony Marino, who adapt to each guest star with stunning dexterity.“Kindred Spirits” finds common ground linking individualistic musicians. As Amadie’s seventh CD, it follows in the footsteps of his last effort, “The Philadelphia Story,” which teamed the leader with Benny Golson, Randy Brecker, and Tabackin.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to record with some of the greatest players who’ve ever lived,” Amadie says. “It’s such an unbelievable experience because you get a chance to learn from them.”
For fans who follow Amadie, the journey has been a long one for him. Amadie has not only struggled with the extreme tendonitis in his hands which waylaid his musical life for decades, but he was diagnosed with lung cancer after the recording of “The Philadelphia Story.” He entered a year-long treatment of chemotherapy and radiation, but it has not stalled his love for music.
“There isn’t anything negative about the playing I did,” Amadie insists in a news release. “I did not play under bad circumstances.”

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Phil Tarver to release project “Place of Worship”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 26, 2010

According to a recent news release, Kingdom Records is preparing for the highly anticipated rollout of Elder Phil Tarver’s third solo U.S. CD release.
Tarver’s new praise-and-worship project “Place of Worship” will hit stores nationwide on May 18, 2010. The project was recorded live before 3,000 people at Valley Kingdom Ministries International in Oak Forest, IL, in February.
The million-selling Shekinah Glory Ministry is a dynamic ensemble of psalmists, minstrels, praise dancers, encouragers and banner bearers who say that they perform “under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. “ Their Hebrew name means “the glorified presence of God.” The group’s projects “Praise is What I Do” (#5 peak Top Gospel Albums) and “Shekinah Glory Ministry Live” (#3 peak Top Gospel Albums – 103 weeks on the chart) were both certified gold in 2005 and 2008 respectively. The “Shekinah Glory Ministry Live” DVD was certified gold and platinum in the summer of 2008. Tarver is their worship and praise leader. He’s recorded four solo CDs (including one only available in South America), and his latest CD “Draw Nearer” features the Top 20 single “Better Than That.” For more information, go to www.kingdomrecordsinc.com.

Editor’s note: Release dates are subject to change by record label. Mr. Tarver’s project is now set to drop on June 29.

gospel music releases United States

Gospel vocalist Lucinda Moore shares personal experiences in upcoming release

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 16, 2010

Gospel vocalist Lucinda Moore not only shares personal experiences (including depression, divorce) via her upcoming sophomore release “Blessed, Broken & Given” (Tyscot Records), but will launch a conference that will feature guest speakers
Bishop Noel Jones, Bishop Tudor Bismark and psalmist Judy Jacobs. The conference will take place at 7 p.m. each night (except Saturday – service is at noon) on April 22-24, 2010, at the Wake Chapel church, 3805 Tarheel Road, Raleigh, NC. Attendees may register online at www.lucindamoore.com or call (203) 887-1660 for more information.

CD “Blessed, Broken & Given” will be released on April 20. Moore said in a news release regarding her project: “This is my testimony of what God did for me. He’s blessed me with a voice but He had to break some things in me in order for me to be given to the nation.” A portion of CD sales profits will benefit a North Carolina women’s organization called Impact that aides abused women in getting back their feet.

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Danilo Pérez presents “Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 13, 2010

Panamanian pianist, composer, and educator Danilo Pérez announces performance dates for his new project “Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy.” Pérez and special guests will tour the following cities: Philadelphia, Toronto, New York, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, and Chicago. For more information, go to http://www.daniloperez.com.
According to a news release, these performances will feature musicians David Sánchez on tenor saxophone; Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto saxophone; Amir ElSaffar on trumpet and voice; Jamey Haddad on percussion; Ben Street on bass (John Patitucci will substitute for Street on the first three dates); and Adam Cruz on drums. The tour celebrates the music and bountiful inspiration of mentor Dizzy Gillespie.
Pérez is best known for his distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz. A member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Pérez has recorded and performed with the likes of Steve Lacy, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, and Wynton Marsalis, among others. Pérez is the Artistic Director of the Berklee College of Music’s newly formed Global Jazz Institute (a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines) as well as the annual Panama Jazz Festival.

jazz music One For All releases United States

One For All to release “Incorrigible” on April 6

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 6, 2010

Jazz group One For All is set to release their 15th project “Incorrigible” on April 6 for Jazz Legacy Productions.
One for All, which consists of tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist David Hazeltine, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth, replicate the sound of the quintessential ’50s-’60s Blue Note vibe, of which fans may relate to the classic Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers recordings.
According to a news release, the origins of One For All go back to Auggie’s, a jazz club on New York’s Upper West Side near the Columbia University campus where drummer Farnsworth held down a regular gig. The other members joined later at different times.

Although they hadn’t officially named the band, One For All members began playing together as a complete unit at Auggie’s as early as 1995. According to their bio, they first documented their kindred hookup on Steve Davis’ sextet outing for the Criss Cross label, “Dig Deep” (1996). The official band name eventually came from a Steve Davis tune, the title track of Art Blakey’s final recording “One For All” (1990).

One For All members continue to do side gigs and recording solo projects. Davis (who debuted as a leader on JLP last year with “Eloquence”) plays in the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Big Band, Jimmy Heath’s big band and Benny Golson’s New Jazztet. Alexander works with pianist Harold Mabern and guitarist Pat Martino while also recording prolifically as a leader. Webber has performed with other notables such as Johnny Griffin, Etta Jones, Tommy Flanagan and Milt Jackson and continues to work with drummer Jimmy Cobb and pianist Hank Jones. Farnsworth works with the Cedar Walton trio and with tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Hazeltine and Rotondi have also worked in a variety of sideman settings while releasing several recordings as leaders.

gospel music performances releases United States

Shekinah Glory Ministry celebrates 10th year with live recording

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date March 5, 2010

Shekinah Glory Ministry celebrates its 10th year anniversary with a new, and as yet untitled, live CD/DVD recording that
will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 16, 2010, at Valley Kingdom Ministry International, 5300 W. 151st St. in Oak Forest, IL.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information on the live recording, visit www.kingdomrecordsinc.com.
According to a news release, the live recording event is the finale to Shekinah Glory Ministry’s first praise-and-worship conference to will begin Friday, May 14, 2010. During the workshops, attendees will learn the varied facets of performing praise-and-worship music from some of the genre’s most gifted practitioners. The registration cost for the “Refreshed By Fire… Ascending Higher” conference is $60. For more information, visit http://www.kingdomrecordsinc.com/regform.html.
Since their evolution from 1999-2000, Shekinah Glory Ministry has earned five R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America) gold certifications for their musical projects, including “Praise is What I Do” and “Shekinah Glory Ministry Live.” Their debut CD spent 103 weeks on the Billboard gospel albums sales chart. They have become renowned around the world for their radio anthems “Yes,” “Jesus,” “How Deeply I Need You” and signature tune “Praise is What I Do.” Their acclaimed CD “Jesus” won the Stellar Award (the gospel industry’s Grammy equivalent) as Praise and Worship CD of the Year in 2009.

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Harry Connick, Jr., Natalie Cole and others to headline Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ 20th Anniversary Festival

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date February 20, 2010

According to a recent news release, Jazz Aspen Snowmass will kick off their 20th Anniversary season from June 24-July 3, 2010, with some of the biggest names in jazz, pop and world music.
Making his first ever JAS appearance jazz pianist/vocalist Harry Connick Jr. and Orchestra have been added to the June Festival lineup appearing at the Benedict Music Tent (pictured at right) on Friday, June 25.
On Saturday, June 26 at the Benedict Tent JAS will present JAS @ 20!, a special evening of performances in a Grammy-like format of multiple guests artists backed by a crack Big Band. Directed by JAS Distinguished Artist in Residence Christian McBride, the show will also feature jazz legends Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin, Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Terence Blanchard, John Clayton and more.
Pink Martini will perform at the Benedict Music Tent on Sunday, June 27. The closing night of the JAS 20th June Festival will take place on Saturday, July 3 featuring Natalie Cole with Big Band and Musicians from the AMFS. Cole, who had to cancel an appearance with JAS last July due to a kidney transplant last May, is already back on stage feeling “healthy, whole and 100% again.”
The JAS Academy Summer Sessions, again with Christian McBride, will be in residence June 24-July 3. JAS’ flagship music education program, the Academy is the nation’s only all-scholarship jazz residency program, uniting the finest young jazz artists with the world’s “jazz legends.” JAS has contributed $5 million dollars to music education since 1996.
Attendees can obtain tickets by calling (866) 527-8499 or www.jazzaspen.org. For information on Patron (VIP) tickets, call the JAS office at (970) 920-4996. Ticket and lodging packages are also available at 800-SNOWMASS or www.snowmasstourism.com.