Jackie Ryan's "Doozy" via Open Art,recently held the #1 position on JazzWeek's industry-standard chart for seven weeks and has been called “One of the most satisfying albums to come along this year, or any year.”

The double album release features the formidable talents of Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander, Romero Lubambo, and Jeremy Pelt, and is a tour de force through the seemingly limitless breadth and bounty of this artist's myriad musical gifts. Jackie Ryan and company have pulled from a variety of sources for inspiration, including rarely-heard gems, to lush intimate ballads, sensuous Brazilian bossa novas, passionate Spanish love songs, sassy New Orleans blues, and sizzling hard-driving bebop, all exquisitely punctuated by Ryan’s unmistakable voice.

Doozy is only the second album in history to hold #1 slot on the JazzWeek charts for 7 weeks. The only other vocalist to exceed this milestone is Diana Krall (w/ From This Moment On). An achievement in itself, but even more impressive is the fact the album reigned at the top of the charts with only 2 weeks of radio play! In addition, Ryan has been noted as a featured artist on NPR, CNN en Espanol, Voice of America, and Primetime A&E.;

Shop The Jackie Ryan Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

African Methodist Choir - African Hymns (Arc Music )
Alessandr Magnanini - Someway Still I Do (Phantom )
Bob Baldwin - Collector's Pack (NuGroove )
Bruce Turner - Dirty Bopper (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Bruce Turner - The Dirty Bopper (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Caledonia Jazz Band - Street People ( )
Collage - Fifty-Four Minutes Twenty Seconds (Wool )
Collage - Fifty Four Minutes Twenty Seconds (Wool )
Dave Brubeck - Brubeck Plays Brubeck (Phantom )
Dave Brubeck Quartet - Great Concerts Amsterdam Copenhagen Carnegie Hall (Phantom )
David "Fathead" Newman - Keep The Dream Alive (Phantom )
David Campbell - Keep On Lovin (Phantom )
David Sanborn - Taking Off (Collector's Choice )
Doc Severinsen - Brand New Thing (Wounded Bird )
Dorothy Ashby - Rubaiyat Of (Dusty Groove )
Enrico Pieranunzi - Wandering (Phantom )
Evan Parker - House Of Flowers (Tzadik )
Evan Parker - House Full Of Floors (Tzadik )
Glenn Miller - Tba (JVC Japan/Zoom )
Glenn Miller - In The Christmas Mood (JVC Japan/Zoom )
Hank Jones - Live In Marciac 1993 (Kindred Rhythm )
Henry Mancini - Brass On Ivory (Wounded Bird )
Henry Mancini / Doc Severinsen - Brass On Ivory (Wounded Bird )
Housse De Racket - Forty Love (Geneon Japan/Zoom )
Humphrey Lyttelton - This Old Gang Of Ours (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Jacques Schwarz-Bart - Abyss (Ume Imports )
Jamie Cullum - Pursuit (Universal Uk/Zoom )
Judzas Milasius - Slow ( )
Ken Colyer - Christmas With Colyer (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Ken Colyer - One More For Auntie (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Ken Colyer - Once More For Auntie (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Les Paul - How High The Moon:Hits & Rarities Fro (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Lula Galvao - Bossa Da Minha Terra (Kindred Rhythm )
Madeline Bell - Bells A Poppin (RPM Records Uk )
Martin Medeski & Wood - Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set (Indirecto )
Miles Davis - Complete Columbia Album Collection (Phantom )
Nestor Torres - Nouveau Latino ( )
Nicola Conte - Modern Sound Of Nicola Conte (Schema )
Pat Register - Soul Groove ( )
PSP - PSP Live (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Razer - Dark Devotion (NuGroove )
Robin Verheyen - Starbound ( )
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Playing The Piano (Universal Uk/Zoom )
Wynton Marsalis - Marsalis,Wynton Vol. 1-Marsalis Standard Time (Phantom )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Today, Tuesday November 17th, Norah Jones releases her new record The Fall on EMI/Blue Note Records. Produced by Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon), The Fall features Norah’s new band as well as songwriting collaborations with Ryan Adams, Okkervil River ’s Will Sheff, and Jesse Harris. See below for the link to the recent NPR full-length stream as well as upcoming TV appearances, and video links.

NPR Stream
Chasing Pirates Video

Upcoming TV appearances:
November 18 – Comedy Central The Colbert Report
November 23 – ABC The View
December 15 – NBC Tonight Show w/ Conan O'Brien
December 16 – ABC Jimmy Kimmel

Shop The Norah Jones Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - George Benson - "Songs And Stories" - (Concord)
2 - 2 - Peter White - "Good Day" - (Peak/Concord)
3 - 3 - Paul Taylor - "Burnin'" - (Peak)
4 - 4 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
6 - 5 - Richard Elliot - "Rock Steady" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
5 - 6 - Jackiem Joyner - "Lil' Man Soul - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
7 - 7 - Jessy J - "True Love - (Peak)
10 - 8 - Najee - "Mind Over Matter" - (Heads Up)
8 - 9 - Jeff Golub - "Blues For You" - (E1)
9 - 10 - Brian Bromberg - "It Is What It Is" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
12 - 11 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
11 - 12 - Joyce Cooling - "Global Cooling" - (joycecooling.com)
14 - 13 - Nick Colionne - "No Limits" - (E1)
15 - 14 - Marion Meadows - "Secrets" - (Heads Up)
16 - 15 - Nils - "Up Close & Personal" - (Baja/TSR)
13 - 16 - Rick Braun - "All It Takes" - (Artistry)
25 - 17 - The Sax Pack - "The Pack Is Back" - (Shanachie)
43 - 18 - Euge Groove - "Sunday Morning" - (Shanachie)
17 - 19 - Bernie Williams - "Moving Forward" - (Reform)
18 - 20 - Craig Chaquico - "Follow The Sun" - (Shanachie)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Downbeat: The Great Jazz Interviews: A 75th Anniversary Anthology. Edited and Compiled By Frank Alkyer. In July of 1934 the first issue of DownBeat magazine hit newsstands in Chicago. For the next seven-plus decades and counting the publication has been synonymous with jazz. DownBeat has chronicled every facet of jazz; every trend; every new and emerging sound. They have charted the birth and rise of hot jazz, cool jazz, be bop, hard bop, post bop, free jazz, and sounds that go even further out. Along the way the magazine has featured interviews with virtually every jazz great. DownBeat magazine, much of it written by the artists themselves, has dictated the tone and tenor of all serious conversation about jazz music.

In celebration of the magazine's 75th anniversary, publisher Frank Alkyer, with the assistance of the magazines editors past and present, has combed through the DownBeat archives and assembled a compendium of the magazines most celebrated, historical, and groundbreaking features and interviews. In addition to these interviews, many of them tucked away and never printed again since their first publication, the book includes a myriad of classic photos and covers including many shots that have remained unseen since their original publication. Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Lester Young, and Billie Holiday appear alongside conversations with Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Carlos Santana, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Brian Eno, Captain Beefheart, and dozens more.

At times this collection reads less like a book and more like a conversation about jazz among the artists themselves. Features penned by Cannonball Adderley, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Wayne Shorter, and, of course, the notorious article by Jelly Roll Morton in which he confronts W.C. Handy head-on about who actually invented jazz sit side by side with pieces by noted scribes such as Studs Terkel, Nat Hentoff, Ira Gitler, Leonard Feather, and more.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Contemporary jazz star lets fans into his musical world on new DVD/CD release

On Tuesday, November 10, 2009, contemporary jazz star Brian Culbertson released Live From The Inside (GRP Records), a dynamic – and yet intimate – DVD/CD capturing the multi-instrumentalist with his longtime band and special guests recording his songs live in the studio. Live From The Inside is a DVD (with over 90 minutes of special features) and a 12-song CD that offers Culbertson fans newly-rendered versions of some of his most popular numbers, as well as a brand new song entitled "Go."

Culbertson, who is known for his high-energy concerts and expert musicality, wanted to document live performances with his band, but desired to also give his fans something special…an entry into his world behind-the-scenes. Instead of shooting the performance segments of the DVD on stage, he decided to film his band both rehearsing and performing live in the studio - playing at the same high energy level as if they were in concert, but with the advantage of optimal sound and visual lines.

"I was flying home from the Berks Jazz Festival back in March (2009) when the whole idea for this project hit me, " Brian states. "I wanted to show people a true inside look at not only my music, but my life as a musician. I guess you could call the concept a high-energy blast of 'best of' and biography."

Live From The Inside features Culbertson on keyboard, trombone, and bass along with his long-standing band: drummer Chris Miskel, bassist Lamar Jones, singer/keyboardist Eddie Miller, guitarist Wayne Bruce, saxophonist/singer Marqueal Jordan, trumpeter Michael Stever, and singer/guitarist Sheldon Reynolds. All-star guests such as Ray Parker Jr., Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, Michael Lington, Eric Darius, and Brian’s father, Jim Culbertson, joined in on the sessions, which were recorded in the famed Capitol Records (Studio A) in Hollywood, CA.

The result is an electrifying “live in the studio” performance filled with vigor, verve, and ferocious vitality. Hit songs such as “Always Remember,” “Get It On,” and “On My Mind” are given a new lease on life with fresh tempos and thrilling accents as Brian and his crew re-imagined the music to keep it exciting for both themselves and their audience. And of course, the recordings wouldn’t be complete without covers of some classic funk tunes – “Hollywood Swinging" (Kool & The Gang) and "Serpentine Fire" (Earth Wind and Fire) – get an updated treatment from Culbertson and his band.

But this is much more than a mere music video: Live from the Inside gives fans a guided tour of all things Culbertson: his childhood home, the high school and college he attended, the recording studio from whence countless projects sprung, the apartment where he recorded his first album. Fans will also get a sense of what life on the road is like for the Brian Culbertson Band as the camera documents their journey – from the monotony of airports and buses to the venue for soundcheck, and finally, the moment that makes all of it worthwhile: showtime!

Following the release of Live From The Inside, Culbertson will hit the road once again, taking Brian Culbertson’s A Soulful Christmas tour to venues across the country. This year, Brian is proud to share the stage with good friend and chart-topping sax-man, Michael Lington. AirTran Airways is returning as the tour’s sponsor. In typical Culbertson fashion, the show will feature uplifting and soulful performances of holiday favorites as well as songs featured on Live From The Inside.

Brian’s first, DVD/CD, Live From The Inside, is available now in both retail and online stores

Shop The Brian Culbertson Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Concord Jazz have released Anything Goes, legendary trumpet player Herb Alpert and renowned singer Lani Hall’s debut Concord recording as a duo. The album is not only a live collection of beautifully reinterpreted standards, but also an endearing tribute to their personal and professional relationship.

Produced by Herb and Lani and Recorded live at various venues in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Boston, Seattle, Washington D.C., San Francisco and the Napa Valley Opera House, Anything Goes is a spirited and heartfelt compilation of beloved American Standards.

[WMP Streams]
Dinorah Morning
It's Only A Paper Moon

The 14 tracks include, Cole Porter’s original song and title track “Anything Goes” as well as a few instrumental songs including “Laura” and Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame Mucho.” Lani also sings in Portuguese on the tracks “Pararaio” and “Dinorah/Morning.” The recording features Herb Alpert on trumpet and vocals, Lani Hall on vocals, Michael Shapiro on drums and percussion, Bill Cantos on keyboards / background vocals, and Hussain Jiffry on electric bass.

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall are on tour now in support of Anything Goes



Tracklist:

1. Fascinating Rhythm
2. Pararaio
3. The Trolley Song
4. That Old Black Magic
5. Dinorah/Morning
6. It’s Only a Paper Moon
7. Let’s Face the Music and Dance
8. Morning Coffee
9. I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face
10. Who Are You? – with Bill Cantos
11. Besame Much
12. Anything Goes
13. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
14. Laura

Shop The Herb Alpert Store at amazon.com
Shop The Lani Hall Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

A montage honoring U.S. war veterans from World War 1 to present day. Pictures and clips together with "America the Beautiful," performed by Lee Greenwood.

By NAT HENTOFF
For more than 60 years, I've seen recurring obituaries of jazz. The threnodies are being prepared again—in the National Endowment for the Arts' latest survey on public participation in the arts and with such questions as "Can Jazz Be Saved?" in which widely respected music critic Terry Teachout wrote regretfully in this paper last summer, "I don't know how to get young people to listen to jazz again."

Both the survey and Mr. Teachout's column attracted rebuttals in print and on the Internet, of course. But the most exhilarating one I've heard is musical— "Confeddie," the debut CD of 19-year-old alto saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, and a work with the joyous feeling of the first day of spring. More remarkable, Ms. Niswanger is still a student, at Boston's Berklee College of Music. It's an institution that continues to have many active jazz professionals among its alumni. She wrote all the arrangements for "Confeddie" in collaboration with three impressive Berklee students: Michael Palmer, Greg Chaplin and Mark Whitfield Jr.

This self-produced, self-released quartet session, which is available on Amazon.com, has such a vibrantly building thrust of swinging surprises that listening to it I was suddenly a Boston teenager again fantasizing, as I played my clarinet, that one day Duke Ellington would call and say, "We need a sub for Barney Bigard tonight. Can you make it?"

Ms. Niswanger has already played at festivals, concerts and other gigs with such masters as Phil Woods, James Moody, Benny Golson, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner and with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra at the Netherlands' North Sea Jazz Festival. In May, she was a featured artist at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington (where, the year before, she won the saxophone competition).

She plays with remarkable authority and drive considering her relative youth, and with the élan and dynamics of an unmistakable pro. But I asked her how it felt, at 19, to be on stage with such renowned, longtime headliners.

"It's a remarkable experience to be that close to all those years of experience in one person," she said. "I have only a fraction of that, with a whole lifetime ahead."

A growing realization she especially enjoys is "the feeling of connectedness with the people listening. I don't know them, never met them, but with my horn, we connect!"

Also, having been close to Mr, Golson during a master class the tenor saxophonist and composer taught at Berklee, and having been in his band at a concert, Ms. Niswanger feels she learned about being in the jazz life by watching how "he so wanted to give—to give what he was feeling—and tell his stories, not to be famous but to invite people to be part of who he is."

I asked her reactions, however, to the prospect of spending a lifetime in this music that, according to the doomsayers, fewer and fewer young people are interested in hearing.

Her instant answer: "I go to a music school surrounded by young musicians passionate to learn about this music. There will always be people who love jazz and want to give their lives to it. So how can this music ever die?"

Such thriving jazz elders as Mr. Woods and Clark Terry have told me the same thing.

This summer, Ms. Niswanger performed in combos in and around Portland, Ore., where she grew up and taught piano to children ages 5 to 7, and woodwinds to the 12 to 18 age group at a nearby camp. It was there, when Ms. Niswanger was 8, that she played her first note on a clarinet. During her school years she also began learning the alto saxophone as teacher-mentors helped convince her, the only musician in her family, that she had found her calling.

"In high school, when I was 14," she told me, "I first learned how to transcribe solos, starting with trombonist J.J. Johnson and then John Coltrane!" And, performing both with local bands and around the country, "finding how to do jazz, I discovered how much fun this is. It's always changing. I play a song on one gig and on the next, it comes out so different!"

Why "Confeddie?" I asked of her title. She explained that it comes, in part, from "confetti" to mark the festive flavor of the music, and she added the first name, Eddie, of saxophonist Eddie Harris, whose spirit pervades the session. Included are her personalizations of the jazz canon by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Kenny Dorham and Mr. Golson—starting bravely with Thelonious Monk's "Four in One."

Understandably, in view of that challenge, she says she felt "a great sense of accomplishment once I had it under my fingers. I wanted my version to be different from the other versions of this song, so I decided to play the melody as a duo with piano and saxophone to add some flavor to the arrangement."

Having immersed myself in Monk's music, starting in the 1950s, and having gotten to know the composer, I believe he would tell Ms. Niswanger, "You got it."

After two more years at Berklee, Ms. Niswanger expects—while still performing—to do graduate work at the Manhattan School of Music, the Thelonious Monk Institute in Washington, or Juilliard. The last possibility reminded me, I told her, of sitting in Monk's living room one afternoon when Gigi Gryce—a passionately personal alto saxophonist and composer whom I'd known in Boston—burst into the room.

"Monk," he shouted, "I got into Juilliard!"

After a characteristically judicious silence, Monk said, "I hope you don't lose it there."

Ms. Niswanger, having already deeply "got it," won't lose it anywhere.

At Berklee, her principal teacher and mentor is alto saxophonist Jim Odgren, who is assistant to the dean of the performance division. Among his own previous performance gigs were three years with vibraphonist Gary Burton.

"What sets Hailey apart, even from some players already in the business," Mr. Odgren told me, "is that she is a musician—not an apprentice. She's really playing—really focusing on—what she is feeling. Telling her own stories. And she does it with such authority that if you played her recording for an established jazz musician during a blindfold test, he'd never guess her age."

As for the current sorrowful portents of the last rites of jazz, there will be, as is already evident, new generations of musicians for whom this music will be as important as life itself—as John Coltrane once described it to me.

There will also be future listeners of all ages—as I can attest from phone calls I occasionally get from readers who need this music to lift their spirits when nothing else will break through lengthening shadows. I am one of them with this need, and so I'll always know where to find Hailey Niswanger's "Confeddie" when I need it.

—Mr. Hentoff writes about jazz for the Journal.


- Posted with BlogPress via iPhone

For the fourth consecutive year, contemporary jazz favorite, Brian Culbertson, is taking BRIAN CULBERTSON’S A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS to venues across the country. This year, Brian is proud to share the stage with good friend and chart-topping sax-man, Michael Lington. AirTran Airways is returning as the tour sponsor.

In typical “BC fashion,” the show will feature uplifting and soulful performances of holiday favorites and tunes from Brian’s holiday album, A SOULFUL CHRISTMAS (in stores now)! In addition, Brian will play songs from his new DVD/CD combo, LIVE FROM THE INSIDE. This special package will be in stores on November 10 and was recorded in Studio A at Capitol Records in Hollywood, CA.

“I had an idea to do a variety of small jazz clubs this year because I love being up close to the audience,” states Culbertson. “Over the past couple years, we've been only doing the large venues so I wanted to change it up and do a totally different 'intimate' show. I'm also very excited to be reunited with Michael Lington who spent two years with my band a few years ago. We have great chemistry together on stage and I just love the way he plays. The Christmas season is one of my favorite times of year and I can't wait to get back on the road and spread some holiday cheer!"

Current tour dates are as follows (more to come):

November 28 – Anthology – San Diego, CA
December 1 – Rams Heads On Stage – Annapolis, MD
December 3 – Infinity Music Hall and Bistro – Norfolk, CT
December 9 – The Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN
December 10 – Music Mill – Indianapolis, IN
December 12 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
December 14 – Catalina Bar & Grill – Los Angeles, CA
December 15 – Catalina Bar & Grill – Los Angeles, CA
December 16 – Catalina Bar & Grill – Los Angeles, CA
December 18 – Yoshi’s San Francisco – San Francisco, CA
December 19 – Yoshi’s San Francisco – San Francisco, CA
December 20 – Yoshi’s San Francisco – San Francisco, CA

For the latest news and information, please visit www.brianculbertson.com

Shop The Brian Culbertson store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - George Benson - "Songs And Stories" - (Concord)
2 - 2 - Peter White - "Good Day" - (Peak/Concord)
3 - 3 - Paul Taylor - "Burnin'" - (Peak)
6 - 4 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
5 - 5 - Jackiem Joyner - "Lil' Man Soul - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
4 - 6 - Richard Elliot - "Rock Steady" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
7 - 7 - Jessy J - "True Love - (Peak)
11 - 8 - Jeff Golub - "Blues For You" - (E1)
13 - 9 - Brian Bromberg - "It Is What It Is" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
9 - 10 - Najee - "Mind Over Matter" - (Heads Up)
8 - 11 - Joyce Cooling - "Global Cooling" - (joycecooling.com)
10 - 12 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
12 - 13 - Rick Braun - "All It Takes" - (Artistry)
15 - 14 - Nick Colionne - "No Limits" - (E1)
16 - 15 - Marion Meadows - "Secrets" - (Heads Up)
14 - 16 - Nils - "Up Close & Personal" - (Baja/TSR)
20 - 17 - Bernie Williams - "Moving Forward" - (Reform)
21 - 18 - Craig Chaquico - "Follow The Sun" - (Shanachie)
18 - 19 - Paul Brown and Marc Antoine - "Foreign Exchange" - (Peak)
22 - 20 - Earl Klugh - "The Spice Of Life" - (861/E1)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Pre-order Espirito at amazon.com

Many believe that the arts mirror what is happening in the world and if that is the case, perhaps Lawson Rollins’ Espirito serves as a monumental soundtrack to the unification of our disparate cultures. The guitarist’s epic thirteen-song collection, to be released January 19th by Infinita Records, which is distributed by Baja/TSR Records, serves as the very definition of World Music with its seamless multicultural mélange of sound, style, composition and performance by musicians reflecting such culturally rich locales as Spain, Brazil, Cuba, Persia, Afghanistan, India and the U.S. Rollins wrote the compositions for the album, his second solo release, which he produced with Shahin Shahida (of the Persian-American World Music group Shahin & Sepehr) and Dominic Camardella (3rd Force, Ottmar Liebert). Preceding the album release at radio will be “Moonlight Samba,” a sensual groove with an enchanting melody along with dexterous guitar soloing by Rollins, classy muted trumpet swatches, and dreamy vocals from Brazilian icon Flora Purim and her husband, master percussionist Airto Moreira.

Espirito evolved from Rollins’ critically-acclaimed debut disc, Infinita (2008), made by the same production trio and the same core ensemble consisting of Purim, Moreira, Grammy-winning violinist Charlie Bisharat (Shadowfax), Afghan vocalist Humayun Khan (harmonium), Jeff Elliot (trumpet), Randy Tico (bass), and Dave Bryant (drums, percussion). As grandiose as Infinita was, Rollins was determined to elevate every aspect of the 66 minutes of music on Espirito by stretching his wanderlust further outside his comfort zone, weaving a greater unifying theme throughout the compositions, assembling an even more diverse cast of players from all over the world, and utilizing a larger spectrum of sound captured in maximum fidelity. Three of Infinita’s tracks - “Café Jobim,” “In Motion,” and the title track - scored major radioplay, and Espirito is primed with radio playlist possibilities. Songs like “Rumba del Sol” and the title track are festive, fun and celebratory. “Return to Rio” is whimsical while “Blue Mountain Bolero” is an exotic romancer. “Cape Town Sky” is constantly changing tempo while a gorgeous contemplative melody hovers radiantly above the horizon. The album concludes with “The Caravan Trilogy” – “Migration,” “Shadowland” and “Into the Light” – a poetic passage through time and geography spanning music’s migration from east to west starting in India and passing through Persia, the Middle East, Spain and onto the New World.

“I love the hybrid quality of World Music and how it allows for cross-cultural communication and exchange. The Spanish guitar is a true manifestation of the commingling of cultures with its ties to the Arabic oud, the Persian tar, even the Indian sitar, so drawing on those connections seems natural to me,” Rollins explained. “We took a far-ranging musical journey with the players on Espirito. Near the end (of the record), we slide into the ether. The notes slow down and evaporate into silence, a prayerful conclusion to the album, a moment of thankfulness for the alchemy that took place between the musicians.”

Originally from North Carolina, the San Francisco Bay Area resident was 15 when inspired to study classical guitar after discovering Andres Segovia. Rollins was drawn to Latin jazz, Bossa Nova and Spanish guitar while listening to recordings by jazz legends Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, and Duke Ellington. Rollins developed his own definitive style that incorporated flamenco, Bossa Nova, samba, salsa, Latin jazz, blues and classical nuances while honing a prodigious technical proficiency. In 1998, he partnered with Daniel Young to form Young & Rollins, which released four critically-acclaimed World Music albums, propelling the duo to become an internationally renowned touring act. In 2007, Rollins decided to focus on a solo career in which he would blend music from all over the globe in a panoramic setting containing an unlikely mix of instruments and provide the players an abundance of freedom in which to improvise. Infinita was the first creation. During the Espirito recording process, Rollins took a break to shoot a short solo guitar video clip, “The Fire Cadenza,” which spread virally through YouTube. The clip showcasing Rollins’ incendiary technique swiftly received over two million viewings, which spawned a second clip, “Santa Ana Wind.” Rollins has already begun composing songs for his third solo collection. Additional information is available at www.lawsonrollins.com and www.infinitarecords.com.

Rollins’ Espirito contains the following songs:
“Rumba del Sol”
“Moonlight Samba”
“Havana Heat”
“Café La Martinique”
“Return to Rio”
“Blue Mountain Bolero”
“Santa Lucia Waltz”
“Espirito”
“Cape Town Sky”
“Footprints”
“The Caravan Trilogy”: “Migration,” “Shadowland” and “Into the Light”

Shop The Lawson Rollins Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Hiromi Chronicles Her World Travels On Her First Solo Piano Recording
"Place To Be" set for release on January 26, 2010

If all the world is indeed a stage, pianist-composer Hiromi Uehara has played on just about every corner of it. Since the beginning of the decade, she has supported her impressive body of studio work with an ambitious tour schedule that has electrified audiences throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and elsewhere with performances that have pushed the limits of piano jazz to new frontiers of compositional and technical skills.

Each stop on her journey be it the world-class metropolis, the quiet college town or something in between has introduced her to a new and singular vibe that has left an indelible impression on her creative sensibilities. Indeed, she has come away from every new place with just as much as she has brought to it, and perhaps even more.



Shop The Hiromi Uehara Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Alessandro Magnanini - Someway Still I Do (Schema )
Barbara Carroll - Sentimental Mood (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Barney Wilen - Nitty Gritty (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Barry Harris Trio - Last Time I Saw Paris (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Bill Tapia - Tba (JVC Japan/Zoom )
Billie Holiday - Complete Commodore & Decca Masters (Hip-O Select )
Bireli Lagrene - 5 CD Deluxe Giftpack (Dreyfus )
Bireli Lagrene - Original Album Classics: 5 CD Deluxe Giftpack (Dreyfus )
Brian Culbertson - Live From The Inside (Umgd/Grp )
Bucky Pizzarelli - Diggin' Up Bones (Arbors )
Buzz Bros Band - Same New Story, The (Challenge )
Buzz Bros Band - The Same New Story: Live 2005 (Turtle )
Capathia Jerkins - Ache Of Possibility (Di-Tone )
Capathia Jerkins - The Ache of Possibility (Di-Tone )
Carlos Barbosa-Lima - Merengue (Zoho Music )
Carol Welsman - I Like Men: Reflections Of Miss Peggy Lee ( )
Chano Tri Dominguez - Con El Alma (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Chris Barber - Chris Barber With Joe Harriott At The BBC (United States Of Distribution LTD. )
Chris Calloway - Sings The Lena Horn Songbook (Emphasis Ent. )
Chris Calloway - Celebration Of A Legacy (Emphasis Ent. )
Chris Calloway - Live At Espiritu (Emphasis Ent. )
Claude T Williamson - Autumn In New York (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Claude T Williamson - Song For My Father (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Crimson Jazz Trio - Songbook 2 (Indies Japan/Zoom )
Dan Nimmer Trio - Kelly Blue (Pid )
Dan Nimmer Trio - Tea For Two (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Danilo Rea - Romantica (Venus Jap/Zoom )
David Sanborn - Taking Off (Collector's Choice )
David Tri Hazeltine - Cleopatra's Dream (Venus Jap/Zoom )
David Tri Hazeltine - Senor Blues (Venus Jap/Zoom )
David Tri Hazeltine - Pearls (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Defranco / Taylor - Buddy Defranco Meets Martin (Hep )
Dick Hyman - Century Of Jazz Piano 5CD+DV (Arbors )
Doc Severinsen - Brass On Ivory (Wounded Bird )
Doc Severinsen - Rhapsody For Now (Wounded Bird )
Doc Severinsen - Night Journey (Wounded Bird )
Doc Severinsen - Brand New Thing (Wounded Bird )
Eddie Harris - Freedom Jazz Dance (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Eddie Higgins - Amor (Tokuma Japan Comm. )
Eddie Higgins - Moonlight Becomes You (Venus )
Eddie Higgins - You Don't Know What Love Is (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Eddie Higgins - Portrait In Black And White (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Eddie Higgins - Music Of Jobim Speaking Of Love (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Eddie Higgins - Music Of Jobim:Speaking Of Love (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Ella Fitzgerald - Music Of Porgy And Bess (Zyx )
Ella Fitzgerald - Twelve Nights In Hollywood (Verve )
Emil Viklicky Trio - Shinfonietta:Janacek Of Jazz (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Enrico Rava - Itarian Ballads (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Ethel Waters - Love Is The Thing (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Fine / Metzger / Seru - Medusa's Lair (Locust )
Francesco Cafiso - New York Lullaby (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Francesco Cafiso - Seven Steps To Heaven (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Frederic Galliano - 5 CD Deluxe Giftpack (Dreyfus )
Hank Jones - Live In Marciac 1993 (Kindred Rhythm )
Harold Mabern (Trio) - Over The Rainbow (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Harry Allen - New York State Of Mind (Challenge )
Harry James - World's Fair 1940/Blue Room (Hep )
Harry James - New York World's Fair: The Blue Room, Hotel Lincoln 1941 (Hep )
Henry Mancini / Doc Severinsen - Brass On Ivory (Wounded Bird )
Ike Quebec - Soul Samba (Apo Recordings )
Jay Leonhart Trio - Fly Me To The Moon (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Jesse Elder - Winding Shell (Off )
Jimmy Scott - All Of Me Live In Tokyo (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Joe Beck (Trio) - Brazilian Dreamin (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Joe Pass - Complete Catch Me! Sessions (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Joe Pass - The Complete "Catch Me!" Sessions (BGO - Beat Goes On )
Joe Pass - Complete "Catch Me!" Sessions (Beat Goes On )
Joe Utterback - So Many Stars ( )
John Hicks - Moanin Portrait Of Art Blakey (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Ken Peplowski - Memories Of You (Pid )
Kermit Ruffins - Have A Crazy Cool Christmas (Basin Street )
Kermit Ruffins - Have A Crazy Cool Christmas! (Basin Street )
Laird Jackson - Quiet Flame (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Laurie Johnson - Recording Balance: Joe Meek (Edsel )
Lee Konitz - Brazilian Serenade (Venus )
Les Paul - Inventor: Great Guitar Instrumentals (Micro Werks )
Les Paul - 20 Unforgettable Hits (Zyx )
Lonnie L. Smith - Afro Blue (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Lounge Classics 2009 - Lounge Classics 2009 (Wagram Music S.A. )
Lula Galvao - Bossa Da Minha Terra (Kindred Rhythm )
Mal Waldron - Up Popped The Devil (Ejw )
Marion Brown - Offering (Pid )
Martin Taylor - Buddy Defranco Meets Martin Taylor (Hep )
Masahiko Togashi - So What (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Matthew Halsall - Colour Yes (Gondwana )
Meeting Point - Quintessence (Challenge )
Meeting Point Duo - Quintessence (Challenge )
Michel Petrucciani - 5 CD Deluxe Giftpack (Dreyfus )
Michel Petrucciani - Original Album Classics: 5 CD Deluxe Giftpack (Dreyfus )
Mike Rinta - Eponymous (Wide Hive Records)
Milano Jazz Dance Co - Milano Jazz Dance Combo (P-Vine Japan/Zoom )
Miles Davis - Music Of Bags Groove (Zyx )
Milo Fine / Paul Metzger / Davu Seru - Medusa's Lair (Locust )
Moondog - German Years (Kopf )
Nat Johnson and the Figureheads - Roman Radio (Damaged Goods )
Network - Network ( )
New 5 - Introducing The New 5 (Blue Canoe )
New Monuments - The New Monuments (Important )
New York Trio - Begin The Beguine (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Nicki Parrott / R Sportiello - Do It Again (Arbors )
Nicola Conte - Modern Sound Of Nicola Conte (Schema )
NYNDK - Hunting Of The Snark, The (JZH )
NYNDK - Hunting Of The Snark (Jazzheads, Inc. )
NYNDK - The Hunting Of The Snark (Jazzheads, Inc. )
One For All - Killer Joe (Venus )
One For All - No Problem (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Oscar Peterson - Debut: The Clef / Mercury Duo Recordings 1949-1951 (Hip-O Select )
Oscar Peterson - Debut: The Clef/Mercury Duo Recordings 1949-1951 (Hip-O Select )
Othertet - Othertet (Engine Studios )
Patty Waters - College Tour (Esp Disk LTD. )
Pharoah Sanders - Love Cresent (Jap Title) (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Pharoah Sanders - Love Cresent (Japanese Release) (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Phil Ranelin - Reminiscence: Live! (Wide Hive )
Phil Woods Quintet - You And Night And Music (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Ramsey Lewis - Blues For The Night Owl (Wounded Bird )
Ray Davies - The Kinks Choral Collection (UME Imports )
Rhythmic Eight - 48 Of The Best 48: 1927-1930 (Challenge )
Rhythmic Eight - 1927-1930: 48 Of The Best 48 (Retrieval )
Richie Beirach (Trio) - What Is This Thing Called Love (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Richie Beirach (Trio) - Manhattan Reverie (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Rob Agerbeek (Trio) - Very Thought Of You (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Romantic Jazz Trio - Sweetest Sound (Tokuma )
Romantic Jazz Trio - Music Of Night (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Rosebud - Plays The Music Of Newport (Enja )
Rosebud - Rosebus Plays The Music Of Newport (Enja )
Rossano Sportiello - Do It Again (Arbors )
Russell Quar Malone - Wholly Cats (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Satoru Oda - Just Friends (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Steve Creole Bells Waddells - Steve Waddells Creole Bells 1979 & 1986 (Phantom )
Steve Kuhn - Pavane For A Dead Princess (Tokuma Japan Comm. )
Steve Kuhn - Easy To Love (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Steve Kuhn - Sing Me Softly Of The Blues (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Supersilent - 9 (Rune Grammofon )
Ted Rosenthal Trio - King And I (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Thomas Grimmonprez - Bleu (Zig )
University Of Memphis Southern - Out Of The Bluffs (University Of Memphis )
Unwrapped 6 - Unwrapped 6 (Hidden Beach )
Unwrapped 6 - Hidden Beach Recordings Presents: Unwrapped, Vol. 6 (Hidden Beach )
Unwrapped 6 - Hidden Beach Recordings Presents: Unwrapped Vol. 6 (Hidden Beach )
Walter Bishop Jr. - Speak Low Again (Venus Jap/Zoom )
Wide Hive Players - Wide Hive Players S/T (Wide Hive )
Wide Hive Players - Wide Hive Players (Wide Hive )
Xavier Cugat - Chica Chica Boom Chic (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Young Pianist Foundation - Live At Bimhuis (Challenge )
Young Pianist Foundation - YPF Jazz: Live At Bimhuis Amsterdam: 24 And 25 January 2009 (Young Pianist Foundt )

Reissues
Lou Donaldson - Here 'Tis (Blue Note Records (USA) )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - George Benson - "Songs And Stories" - (Concord)
2 - 2 - Peter White - "Good Day" - (Peak/Concord)
4 - 3 - Paul Taylor - "Burnin'" - (Peak)
3 - 4 - Richard Elliot - "Rock Steady" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
6 - 5 - Jackiem Joyner - "Lil' Man Soul - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
5 - 6 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
7 - 7 - Jessy J - "True Love - (Peak)
8 - 8 - Joyce Cooling - "Global Cooling" - (joycecooling.com)
10 - 9 - Najee - "Mind Over Matter" - (Heads Up)
13 - 10 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
12 - 11 - Jeff Golub - "Blues For You" - (E1)
9 - 12 - Rick Braun - "All It Takes" - (Artistry)
11 - 13 - Brian Bromberg - "It Is What It Is" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
14 - 14 - Nils - "Up Close & Personal" - (Baja/TSR)
15 - 15 - Nick Colionne - "No Limits" - (E1)
18 - 16 - Marion Meadows - "Secrets" - (Heads Up)
21 - 17 - The Sax Pack - "The Pack Is Back" - (Shanachie_
19 - 18 - Paul Brown and Marc Antoine - "Foreign Exchange" - (Peak)
26 - 19 - Pieces Of A Dream - "Soul Intent" - (Heads Up)
20 - 20 - Bernie Williams - "Moving Forward" - (Reform)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Declared a Living Legend by the Library of Congress, jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck will be capping off a banner year in his extraordinary career with a three-night run of six shows at New York's Blue Note on November 27-29 and being honored at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington on December 6, the artist's 89th birthday. The 32nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala Program will be broadcast on CBS television on December 29, 2009.

"Dave Brubeck's genius has dazzled us for six decades and has helped to define an American art form, " said Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman. "This year, the Kennedy Center celebrates five extraordinary individuals whose unique and abundant artistry has contributed significantly to the cultural life of our nation and the world." (Other honorees this year are Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen and opera singer Grace Bumbry.)

2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Brubeck's Time Out, one of the most loved and best selling jazz albums of all time, and its centerpiece track, "Take Five, " an eternally cool sonic tonic for an endless summer night which became the first million-selling jazz single in Billboard Hot 100 history.

Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings/Sony Music celebrated the album's 50th anniversary with a three-disc edition of Time Out featuring the original album (remastered for the first time since 1997) in its entirety, a CD of eight previously unreleased live performances from the 1961, 1963 and 1964 Newport Jazz Festival, and a DVD premiering a 30-minute documentary on the making of Time Out, with an exclusive Brubeck interview, extensive performance footage and more. "This package adds tremendously to the value of the original album, " wrote the All Music Guide.

A new Legacy Edition of another classic jazz title from the Dave Brubeck Columbia Records catalog has been planned for release in 2010.

Still actively performing throughout each year, Dave Brubeck and his Quartet helped launch the Time Out Legacy Edition with an incandescent mini-set at the Soho Apple Store in New York on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.



History has a way of working with Dave Brubeck. By 1959, the year he recorded Time Out, the album that brought the jazz avant-garde into mainstream consciousness, he'd already been honored as the second jazz musician ever to appear on the cover of Time magazine, five years after Louis Armstrong became the first on February 21, 1949. Honored in 1996 with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2008 Brubeck became the very first recipient of the U.S. State Department's Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Diplomacy. In presenting the award, Secretary Condoleezza Rice stated that ''as a pianist, composer, cultural emissary and educator, Dave Brubeck's life's work exemplifies the best of America's cultural diplomacy."

Throughout his long career Dave Brubeck has received national and international honors, including the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton, the Smithsonian Medal, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He holds numerous honorary doctorates from American, Canadian, English and German universities, including an honorary degree in Sacred Theology from Fribourg University, Switzerland. Recently, Brubeck received the Distinguished Arts Award from the Ford Honors program of the University of Michigan and in 2006 received from Notre Dame their highest honor, the Laetare Medal. He is a Duke Ellington Fellow at Yale University, and was presented with the Sanford Medal by the Yale School of Music.

In the year 2000 the National Endowment for the Arts declared Dave Brubeck a Jazz Master. He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2007 he received a Living Legacy Jazz Award from Kennedy Center and the Arison Award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. His international honors include Austria's highest award for the Arts, a citation from the French government, and the Bocconi Medal from Italy. The London Symphony Orchestra, acknowledging their long association, presented him with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Shop The Dave Brubeck Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Alan Pasqua - Body And Soul (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Amy Cervini - Lovefool (Anzic )
Astor Piazzolla - Live & Studio (Phantom )
Beegie Adair - Great American Songbook Collection (Green Hill )
Beegie Adair - The Great American Songbook Collection (Green Hill )
Beegie Adair - The Great American Songbook (Green Hill )
Bill Evans - Bill Evans Album (Phantom )
Bill Evans - Complete Recordings (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Bill Evans - Lund 1975/Helsinki 1970 (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Bill Frisell - Good Dog Happy Man (Nonesuch )
Bill Frisell - Good Dog, Happy Man ( )
Bud Shank - By Request Meets Rhythm Section (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Carla Bley - Carla's Christmas Carols (Ecm )
Charlie Parker - Complete Bird At The Open Door (Disconforme )
Chris Botti - Live In Boston (Columbia )
Claude Challe - Six Senses (Na�ve )
Clifford Brown - Plays Trumpet And Piano (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Collage - Fifty-Four Minutes Twenty Seconds (Wool )
Cool Piano - Cool Piano (Wagram Music S.A. )
David Murray - Devil Tried To Kill Me (Justin Time )
David Murray - The Devil Tried to Kill Me (Justin Time )
Doc Severinsen - Doc (Wounded Bird )
Doc Severinsen - Brass Roots (Wounded Bird )
Dorothy Ashby - Rubaiyat Of (Dusty Groove )
Duke Jordan - Tba (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Eddie Henderson - Dreams Of Gershwin (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Eddy Henderson - Manhattan (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Ember Jazz Flamingo Collection - Ember Jazz: The Flamingo Collection (Fantastic Voyage )
Frank Rosolino - Live In Rome 1973 (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Freedom Rhythm & Sound Revolutionary Jazz 1965-80 - Freedom Rhythm & Sound Revolutionary Jazz 1965-80 (Phantom )
Han Bennink - Calling Down The Flevo Spirit (Atavistic Records/Mvd )
Han Bennink & Kees Hazevoet - Calling Down The Flevo Spirit (Atavistic )
Han Bennink / Kees Hazevoet - Calling Down The Flevo Spirit (Atavistic )
Harry Connick Jr. - Your Songs-International Edition (Phantom )
Jazz Session - Jazz Session (Imv Blueline )
Jennie Smith - Nightly Yours On Steve Allen Show (3D Japan/Zoom )
Joe Henderson - Page One (Emm/Blue Note )
John Coltrane - Complete 1972 Berlin Concert (Indie Europe/Zoom )
John Coltrane - 1962 Graz Concert:Complete (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Johnny Mercer - Centennial Celebration (Ojc )
Julien Lourau - Saigon (Phantom )
Marco Bittelli - Libera (Pacific Coast Jazz )
Mccoy Tyner - Prelude And Sonata (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Niels Lan Doky - Cafe Monmartor (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Niels Lan Doky - Tba (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Niels Lan Doky - Spain (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Niels Lan Doky - Look Of Love (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Niels Pedersen - Friends Forever (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
On Fillmore - Extended Vacation (Dead Oceans Records (Sister label o )
Richard Tee - Real Time (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Romantic Melody: Jazz Lounge - Romantic Melody: Jazz Lounge (Imv Blueline )
Romantic Melody: Jazz Lounge - Jazzlounge: Romantic Melody (Imv / Blueline Prod )
Ryan Kisor - Kisor (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Ryan Kisor - Kisor 2 (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Ryan Kisor - Side Winder (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Ryan Kisor - Donna Lee (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Ryan Kisor - This Is Ryan (Video Arts Japan/Zoom )
Santucci Scoppa Quartet - Towards The Peace (Phantom )
Sonny Rollins - Complete 1963 Copenhagen Concert (Indie Europe/Zoom )
Soul Eternity: Lounge Cafe - Rendez-Vous a Lounge Cafe (Imv / Blueline Prod )
Sun Ra - Continuation (Atavistic )
Xavier Cugat - Chica Chica Boom Chic (Indie Europe/Zoom )

Reissues
Grant Green - Green Street (Pid )
Wynton Marsalis - Wynton Marsalis (Wounded Bird )

Our thanks to:

New release information provided by allaboutjazz.com
The Upcoming Release Center at allaboutjazz.com is the most comprehensive new release listing for jazz music on the internet.
The information is updated biweekly by John Kelman

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

In partnership with the Concord Music Group, Playing For Change announced the launch of a new record label that will support releases from select artists associated with the global music and multi-media collective Playing For Change. The first artist signed to Playing For Change Records/Concord Music Group is legendary New Orleans street performer “Grandpa” Elliott whose debut album Sugar Sweet will be released on Nov. 3rd. Grandpa Elliott has been entertaining audiences in the French Quarter for over sixty years, but his popularity has gone global in the last year after the Playing for Change hit viral video for “Stand By Me”, featuring 37 musicians from all over the world received over 30 million views on sites like YouTube and Vimeo.

[WMP Stream] Sugar Is Sweet

“Grandpa” Elliott Small, singing on the streets of New Orleans since he was a six year old, can capture a crowd with a single note. His mellow baritone makes the sounds of a busy New Orleans street fall away with its warm sincerity and while the blues may inform his lyrical harmonica playing, he has his own unique sound. Sugar Sweet, produced by Playing For Change founder Mark Johnson and Reggie McBride, was recorded in New Orleans with the Playing For Change Band. Grandpa Elliott has been singing with the PFC Band for the past year and they have developed an uncanny rapport. Their enthusiasm and ability to lay down sturdy, elastic grooves is evident throughout the album, adding sympathetic backing to Elliott’s soulful vocals and sinuous harmonica.


“Grandpa Elliott embodies everything the Playing For Change project is about,” Johnson says. “Soul, talent, and perseverance. He brought the rawness of the street into the studio and cut the tunes in one take, with no set list and made every song his own. There’s a line in ‘Sugar Sweet’ that says ‘I love you more than the blood that runs through my veins.’ That’s how Grandpa feels about music. You can hear it in every note he sings.”

On the title track, the guitars of Jason Tamba from the DR Congo and Zimbabwe ’s Louis Mhlanga play a New Orleans style rumba with a hint of ska, while drummer Peter Bunetta lays down subtle percussion fills. Grandpa Elliott’s voice is fluid, with quicksilver phrasing that falls before and behind the beat, playing with rhythm and meter. “Ain’t Nothing You Can Do,” an early hit for Bobby “Blue” Bland, gets a makeover that combines the swing of Tamba and Mhlanga, with an R&B; feel, Elliott’s vocal slips from a buoyant tenor to a playful, bluesy growl as he adds subtle harmonica accents. Grandpa Elliott learned “Share Your Love With Me” from an Aretha Franklin recording and the band gives it a stripped down, old school R&B; reading. “Fannie Mae” was cut at a rousing live concert performance with Keb’ Mo’ sitting in on electric guitar. It includes a blazing harp solo from Grandpa Elliott and lets the band show off its considerable instrumental prowess.

Grammy-winning producer/engineer/filmmaker Mark Johnson founded Playing For Change on the simple idea that the world can find peace through music. It’s been an incredible year for the project and momentum continues to build as Johnson and the musicians of Playing For Change were named “Persons of the Week” on ABC’s World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson last month and have been profiled many times nationally including NPR’s Morning Edition, CBS News Sunday Morning and PBS’ Bill Moyers Journal just to name a few. They have already performed twice on NBC’s The Tonight Show and Grandpa recently performed an emotional rendition of “Stand By Me” on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

Playing For Change has been one of 2009’s most unlikely and startling cultural phenomenons. Hear Music/Concord Music Group’s two-disc CD/DVD Playing For Change – Songs Around the World, released April 28th, stunned the music industry selling over twenty-six thousand copies in it’s first week and landing at #10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Pop chart. (The Playing For Change – Songs Around The World - Deluxe Edition, featuring the full-length documentary Peace Through Music broadcast this summer nation-wide on PBS, will be released on October 13th.) This remarkable and unpredicted popular response has been driven by tens of millions of video hits, countless blogs and pure viral communication between fans and followers. The project’s deep emotional resonance, combined with the muscle of the internet and word-of-mouth has struck a profoundly enduring chord world-wide.

The PFC Band and Grandpa Elliott can be seen on a nation-wide tour this fall. After all these years of persevering through incredible hardships and performing for free, Grandpa has become an instant icon. “A man don’t live that long and, when you’re in your 60s, you know you’re ready to go any time,” he says with a smile. “So I’m looking for success to happen now. I’m eager and hungry and there’s no stopping me.”

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

Euge Groove - Sunday MorningSmooth jazz saxophonist Euge Groove today, October 27, releases his sixth solo CD, Sunday Morning. He calls it an expansion of his last CD, Born 2 Groove, which features the current Smooth Jazz Top 20 hit “Slow Jam.”

The 10-song CD has all original songs, including the title track and “Get Ready,” “As You Like It,” “Say My Name,” “Tenderly” and “The Gospel Truth,” among others. Musicians include guitarists Paul Brown – who also mixed the CD – and Jubu Smith, pianists Tracy Carter and Joel Campbell, bassists Cornelius Mims, Alex Al and Roberto Vally, drummer Oscar Seaton and percussionist Lenny Castro. Philippe Saisse arranges strings on three tracks, while Michael Egizi plays the Hammong B3 organ on the title track and Dax Reynosa is featured on lead vocals on “Yes.”

Groove will be performing November 5 to November 8 in Seattle. On November 18, he will be one of several smooth jazz artists on the five-day Jammin’ in Jamaica event assembled by fellow saxophonist Warren Hill.

This is an original post by smoothjazznetwork.com on October 27, 2009

Shop The Euge Groove Store at amazon.com
Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com

LW - TW - Artist - Album - (Label)
1 - 1 - George Benson - "Songs And Stories" - (Concord)
2 - 2 - Peter White - "Good Day" - (Peak/Concord)
5 - 3 - Richard Elliot - "Rock Steady" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
4 - 4 - Paul Taylor - "Burnin'" - (Peak)
3 - 5 - Boney James - "Send One Your Love" - (Concord)
8 - 6 - Jackiem Joyner - "Lil' Man Soul - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
6 - 7 - Jessy J - "True Love - (Peak)
10 - 8 - Joyce Cooling - "Global Cooling" - (joycecooling.com)
7 - 9 - Rick Braun - "All It Takes" - (Artistry)
9 - 10 - Najee - "Mind Over Matter" - (Heads Up)
12 - 11 - Brian Bromberg - "It Is What It Is" - (Artistry/Mack Avenue)
11 - 12 - Jeff Golub - "Blues For You" - (E1)
14 - 13 - Dave Koz - "Greatest Hits" - (Capitol)
13 - 14 - Nils - "Up Close & Personal" - (Baja/TSR)
15 - 15 - Nick Colionne - "No Limits" - (E1)
26 - 16 - Earl Klugh - "The Spice Of Life" - (861/E1)
16 - 17 - Euge Groove - "Born 2 Groove" - (Narada/Blue Note)
18 - 18 - Marion Meadows - "Secrets" - (Heads Up)
20 - 19 - Paul Brown & Marc Antoine - "Foreign Exchange" - (Peak)
17 - 20 - Bernie Williams - "Moving Forward" - (Reform)

Our thanks to smoothjazz.com

Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest complete top 50 chart.
Visit smoothjazz.com to view the latest weekly chart recap.

Best selling smooth jazz at amazon.com
Jazz from Amazon.com