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GMC Channel gospel music performances Rance Allen Group Stellar Awards Tyscot Records United States

Rance Allen Group wins two Stellar Awards for best-selling CD

The Rance Allen Group

According to a recent news release, the legendary Rance Allen Group has earned two Stellar Awards for their latest CD, The Live Experience II: Celebrating 40 Years of Music and Ministry (Tyscot Records).  The group picked up awards in the categories of Quartet of the Year and Traditional Group/Duo of the Year. The ceremony will broadcast on The GMC Channel at 7 p.m. February 11. Check your local listings at www.watchgmctv.com.

The live CD celebrates the group’s 40-year career. It features two medleys of their past hits such as “Feel Like Going On,” “We Care a Lot” and “Smile.” It also features new songs such as the old school soul flavored “You That I Trust” and the worship ballad, “Holy One.” Making cameo appearances are renowned artists such as Shirley Caesar, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and The Christianaires’ Paul Porter. 

The Rance Allen Group has been recording professionally since 1971. They started with Stax Records where they recorded a string of gritty, R&B-flavored gospel and message songs through the 1970s. From there, the group recorded for a variety of labels and scored their first No. 1 gospel album in 1991 with the Phenomenon CD that featured the crossover R&B smash, “Miracle Worker.”


In 2002, the Rance Allen Group joined Tyscot Records, where they have enjoyed 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.”  The music industry has now begun to honor the Rance Allen Group for its groundbreaking work in bridging R&B and gospel. They received a Legend Award during the 2009 Stellar Awards and were feted in a BMI Trailblazers of Gospel ceremony in 2008.

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gospel kingdom records music performances Shekinah Glory Ministry Stellar Awards United States

Shekinah Glory Ministry earns Stellar Award for Contemporary Choir of the Year

According to a recent news release, Shekinah Glory Ministry has earned a Stellar Award (gospel music’s answer to the Grammy Awards) in the category of Contemporary Choir of the Year for their double CD, “Refreshed by Fire” (Kingdom Records). The ceremony took place at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and will make its television broadcast debut at 7 p.m. EST February 11 on The GMC Channel. Check your local listing at www.watchgmctv.com.

Released last fall, “Refreshed by Fire” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums sales chart. The CD also came in at No. 2 on Billboard’s Christian/Gospel chart, No. 12 on the Independent chart, No. 61 on the Top 200 pop chart and No. 59 on the Current Albums chart. The live DVD version of the CD was also a Top 10 debut and continues to sell briskly. The majestic ballad “Just for Me” became a Top 20 radio hit, and the video of the song has received almost 200,000 YouTube views. Shekinah Glory Ministry is profiled in the February 2012 issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine.

Shekinah Glory Ministries is not a choir. It’s an 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. Fore more information, go to www.kingdomrecordsinc.com.

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contemporary jazz jazz Kirk Whalum music Oregon performances Portland smooth jazz United States Valentine's Day

Hilton Portland and Executive Tower hosts Valentine’s Celebration with Kirk Whalum

According to a news release, Grammy Award winning jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum is the headliner of a “most romantic” dinner and concert at 7 p.m. February 14 at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in downtown Portland, Ore. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Hotel organizers have also included a one-night stay option with the purchase of dinner/concert tickets. Prices start at $35.

Whalum is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for his musical excellence including three Dove Award nominations, an NAACP Image Award nomination and has won two Stellar Awards-Gospel music’s highest honor. An eleven time Grammy nominee, Kirk won his first Grammy  award for Best Gospel Song (“It’s What I Do,” featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside life-long friend and gifted writer, Jerry Peters. His most current releases (on Mack Avenue Records) are The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter 3  (double CD & DVD) and Everything is Everything-the Music of Donny Hathaway.

For more info or tickets, go online to: https://ticketsoregon.com/event.php?event_id=1249
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Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. Committed Epic Records Frederick Douglass High School Auditorium gospel NBC Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances Sony Music television The Sing-Off United States

Black Liberated Arts Center presents “Sing-Off” Season 2 winners Committed in concert

Committed
Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc., in conjunction with members of the Oklahoma Conference of Seventh Day Adventist, will present Sony Music recording artists Committed in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Frederick Douglass High School Auditorium, 900 Martin Luther King Avenue in Oklahoma City. 

The concert will benefit the Douglass High School Band. The group – Maurice Staple, Geston Pierre, Alain “Tommy” Gervais, Theron “Therry” Thomas Jr., Robert Pressley Jr., and Dennis Baptiste Jr. – initially started as a quartet 2003 at Forest Lake Academy outside Orlando, Fla., and evolved with the addition of new members over time. With a sound reminiscent of their greatest musical influence, Take 6, the group stole the hearts of America when they walked away as the grand prize winners of the “The Sing-Off” Season 2.
The group earned a contract with Epic Records and a $100,000 cash prize. “The Sing-Off” ranked No. 1 in its timeslot, and Committed received a record number of votes, sold more than 110,000 tracks, garnered 25,000 Facebook friends and 7,000 followers on Twitter.

For more information, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800.

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Annie Ellicott Denny Morouse jazz Jazz Depot music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Olivia Duhon performances Scott McQuade Scott McQuade Trio Tavis Minner Thea Hill tulsa United States

Scott McQuade, others hightlight Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s 2012 Winter-Spring concert series

Scott McQuade

According to a recent news release, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents the first installment in our 2012 Winter-Spring concert series at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First St. (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK. On Sunday, Jan.14 at 5:00 p.m., the Scott McQuade Trio takes the stage at the Jazz Depot alongside vocalists Tavis Minner and Thea Hill. As a fixture on the Oklahoma jazz scene, pianist Scott McQuade is known for his stellar piano stylings. But that’s not all that’s going on at the Depot …

  • For jazz enthusiasts in need of a musical fix earlier in the week, there is the option of  Depot Jams on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Every Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7:30, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents soulful jazz by our talented local musicians.
  • On Wednesday, Jan. 11, fans can enjoy live music and lunch at the weekly Jazzwich Wednesday. From 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., feel free to grab a tasty “jazzwich” as 7Blue performs.
On Sunday, Jan. 22 at 5 p.m., the Depot welcomes saxophonist Denny Morouse and his band accompanied by the amazing vocalist Annie Ellicott. Then on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m., vocalist Olivia Duhon – called “Tulsa’s next shining star” by Urban Tulsa – is set to give another stand out performance at the Depot.

General admission tickets are $15, and reserved table seating tickets are available for $20. Seniors, Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame members and college students can see the shows for $10, and high school and junior high students attend for only $5 each.

For more information and/or to obtain tickets to any of the events, call Bettie Downing at (918) 281-8609.
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Christmas Committed gospel library music Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances Ralph Ellison Library rhythm and blues Sing Off Sony United States

Update: Christmas program featuring Committed cancelled in Oklahoma City

The Christmas program featuring Sony Recording artist group Committed scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, at the Metropolitan Library System’s Ralph Ellison branch in Oklahoma City has been cancelled due to the cancellation of the “Have a Mary Mary Christmas Tour.” For more information, call Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. at (405) 524-3800.

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Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. cancellations Christmas gospel Mary Mary music Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances tour United States

Mary Mary cancels Dec. 11 Christmas show in Oklahoma City

In a recent news release, Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. in Oklahoma City announced that the “Have a Mary Mary Christmas Tour” show scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, at Frederick A. Douglass auditorium, had been cancelled due to medical concerns surrounding the pregnancy of Erica Campbell, who is due for delivery in February.  The announcement is also posted on Mary Mary’s website (http://www.mary-mary.com/us/home).

The announcement issued by Mary Mary to BLAC Inc. indicated that the gospel duo had been on an unprecedented run of award shows, nomination, non-stop travel for holiday performances and a television series taping was forced to cancel their much anticipated first ever “Have a Mary Mary Christmas Tour” as Erica’s due date was approaching.

Anita Arnold, executive director of BLAC Inc., said that buyers of Mary Mary tickets should take their tickets to the place where they were purchased to claim their refund.  Online purchases, mail and telephone credit card purchases will be refunded through BLAC, Inc.  For more information, call (405) 524-3800 to obtain specific instructions on refunds.

BLAC Inc. extends thanks to everyone, especially, Saraa Kami, who worked hard to bring this show of excellence to the community.  An announcement of BLAC Inc.’s full season of performing arts will be made in early 2012.  
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Christmas gospel music New Jersey New York New York City performances plays Shirley Murdock United States

Veteran soul singer Shirley Murdock stars in “I’ll be Home for Christmas” in December


Over the last two decades, veteran soul and gospel vocalist Shirley Murdock has dreamed up a new career as an actress in the new holiday musical entitled, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Murdock co-stars with R&B veteran Freddie Jackson in the comedy that also features Lisa Page Brooks and Sam Logan. In it, Murdock portrays a feisty pastor’s wife who keeps order in her husband’s church and has her eye on her son being paroled from prison right before Christmas. The musical will be staged at the Newark Symphony Hall (Sarah Vaughan Concert Hall), 1020 Broad Street in Newark, NJ, at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16 and Saturday, Dec. 17, 2011. For more information, call  (973) 643-8014.  All tickets are $38.32. On Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, at 3:30 p.m., the show will make its debut at the famed Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street in New York. Tickets range from $55 to $90. For more information, call (800) 745-3000 or go to www.homeforxmas.com. 

Meanwhile, Murdock’s current radio single “Dream” is in the Top 30 of Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart. It’s one of a dozen musical chestnuts that Murdock either wrote or co-wrote for her first ever live concert CD “The Journey” (Tyscot Records) that features cameos by R&B divas Kelly Price, Regina Belle and gospel powerhouse Beverly Crawford.  This will be Murdock’s second gospel project with Tyscot Records. Her 2007 label debut, Soul Food, included the chart hit “I Love Me Better Than That.” For more information on Murdock, go to www.tyscot.com or to her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shirley-Murdock/138053567564.

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2012 U.S. Bank Portland Jazz Festival arts COMMOTION festivals jazz Jujuba music Oregon performances Scott Pemberton

Festival headliner Charlie Hunter, others to perform for the “PDX Afrobeat Breakdown”

PDX Jazz and the 2012 U.S. Bank Portland Jazz Festival, presented by Alaska Airlines, announce Charlie Hunter and the “PDX Afrobeat Breakdown” at the Crystal Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. The guitar phenom’s Solo Jam opens the night followed by performances from Portland artists Scott Pemberton with a surprise special guest, Ben Darwish’s COMMOTION, and Jujuba. The program will explore and “breakdown” the historical Afrobeat discipline as a pivotal root in the modern funk and jam band experience which combines the improvisational character of jazz with the raunchiness of funk and flavor mixture of African tradition (BBC).

“This marathon program is unprecedented in the festival’s history, whereby three local bands are sharing the stage with a headline artist,” said Don Lucoff, PDX Jazz managing director in a  recent news release. “What better showplace than the Crystal Ballroom to present Hunter and three of Portland’s most funky and groove oriented bands than the storied venue that served as one of the Grateful Dead’s favorite performance spaces outside of The Bay Area.”
  
Charlie Hunter has established himself as one of the premier modern fusion/jazz-rock artists. Hunter will often find a funk groove and turn it into an amplified, wah-wah pedal induced free jam that competes with saxophones, keyboards and even violins. Since the early 1990s, Hunter has released 17 acclaimed albums featuring his dizzying technical and virtuosic 8-string guitar playing. Hunter has collaborated with preeminent names such as Christian McBride, Michael Franti, Norah Jones, Kurt Elling, Mos Def and even took lessons from master guitarist Joe Satriani.
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jazz music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances tulsa United States vocal performance winter concerts

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame offers three great concerts this weekend

Via recent news release: As November turns into December, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK, is keeping attendees warm
Jazz Depoton wintery nights with hot concerts and performances. For three nights in a row, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame brings you the best excuse to brave the cold and join us downtown at the historic Jazz Depot.
  • First, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, Nilson Matta’s Brazilian Voyage affirms the capacity of jazz to become a global form of musical expression. 
  • Then, Cynthia Simmons and the Scott McQuade Trio reunite at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at 5:00 p.m. in another timeless performance for our Sunday Night Concert Series. This powerhouse vocalist, coupled with Mr. McQuade’s stellar piano stylings, are sure to make for an evening of smooth, classic jazz. 
  • Never a man to be outdone, Kinky Friedman commands the stage at the Jazz Depot to benefit the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s educational programming. At 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, Mr. Friedman’s trademark satirical snap takes on Tulsa.
Attendees may order tickets online or purchase them from Bettie Downing at (918) 281-8609.