LIONEL LOUEKE RETURNS FEB. 9 WITH “MWALIKO”

Lionel Louke - Mwaliko

On February 9, 2010, Blue Note Records will release Mwaliko, the new album from acclaimed vocalist/guitarist Lionel Loueke. Mwaliko (pronounced mwah-LEE-koh) is Swahili for “invitation,” and the album comprises a series of searching, innovative, intimate duets with special guests vocalist Angelique Kidjo, vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding, vocalist/bassist Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, as well as three new tracks featuring his longtime trio with Massimo Biolcati on bass and Ferenc Nemeth on drums.

Originally from the small West African nation of Benin, Loueke has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past several years. Praised by his mentor Herbie Hancock as “a musical painter,” he has appeared on numerous standout recordings such as Hancock’s Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters (2008) and Terence Blanchard’s Grammy-nominated Flow (2005). Loueke’s 2007 Blue Note debut, Karibu, established him as a one of the brightest new stars on the scene, and prompted The New York Times to declare him “a startlingly original voice” and “one of the most striking jazz artists to emerge is some time.”

..:: Source: Lionel Loueke.com ::..

Times 4 | Eclipse (Coming January 18th)

Times 4 - Eclipse

San Francisco-based contemporary jazz quartet Times 4 presents a dynamic program of original instrumental compositions. Performing a fresh Bay Area blend of modern jazz and urban grooves, Times 4 delivers an uplifting musical interplay steeped in the history of friendship and common roots.

Drawing on a wide range of styles including jazz, soul, Latin, funk, hip-hop and rock, Times 4 weaves a musical tapestry that expresses their diverse roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. Driving grooves combined with inviting melodies move the band’s audience to tap their feet and feel dance in their bones.

Times 4 has shared the stage with such artists such as Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, Chris Botti, Dave Koz and Friends, Nils, Patrice Rushen, Patti Austin, Richard Elliot and Jonathan Butler. The group has performed at many fine

Times 4, The Band

venues, including Yoshi’s Oakland and San Francisco, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Fillmore Jazz Festival, the North Beach Festivals, the San Jose Jazz Festival and Jazz Society Concert Series, the Mountain Winery and the Boom Boom Room. The members of Times 4 have, together and individually, traveled the world contributing their talents to a wide range of musical projects with many renowned artists, and have recorded music on over 25 distinguished record labels.

Here’s a review of their previous album titled Relations.

..:: Source: Times4music.com ::..

Justin Time Records Set To Release Cuban Pianist Roberto Fonseca’s Akokan

Available in U.S. Stores on February 16

“Music is my life and life is my music; they are both intertwined, enriching the other.“- Roberto Fonseca

Roberto Fonseca - Akokan

The world knows well the incomparable musical resources cultivated and harbored in Cuba. But with the release of Akokan, many jazz and Latin music lovers will receive enlightenment on one of the most distinctive contemporary artists to emerge from that vibrant creative community.

Roberto Fonseca has already visited the United States on several occasions, as pianist with the Buena Vista Social Club™ and the Grammy-winning group’s legendary lead singer, the late Ibrahim Ferrer. Now, recording with the quartet he has led for the past dozen years, he asserts his own voice as a pianist, composer and facilitator of emotionally deep, intellectually stimulating performance.

Jason Palmer | Songbook

Jason Palmer | Songbook – [Ayva Música Producciones, SL, 2007]

Jason Palmer - Songbook

Trumpeter Jason Palmer has quickly become one of the most in demand jazz musicians of his generation. The June 2007 issue of Downbeat Magazine cited Jason as one of the Top 25 trumpeters of the Future? In May of 2008 Jason was the first trumpet player ever to be hired by highly acclaimed guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel to perform with his quintet. Jason has served as a sideman for Greg Osby (2004-2006), performing at major jazz festivals in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, France, Malta, Netherlands, as well as two stints at the Village Vanguard in New York City.

In addition to maintaining a heavy performing schedule, Jason Palmer continues to maintain a busy schedule as an educator on all levels. At a time when many teachers in the Boston area are commuting from New York City, Jason has began to commute from Boston to New York City to serve on the faculty at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in the fall of 2008.

Jason has taught trumpet and directed ensembles in the Preparatory Division and the School for Continuing Education at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston for the past ten years where he continues to maintain a full trumpet studio as well as direct three small ensembles.

Visit, Jason Palmer’s Collective at MySpace.com. Also, check out his spot on WordPress.com.

..:: Source: SoundClick.com ::..

ORLY | Ep

ORLY | Ep - [ORLY, 2009]

In her debut EP, Orly has captured the essence of Neo-Soul and delivered it in a truly memorable performance. Her sweet, dark, rich beautiful voice will captivate you.

With a captivating voice and a profound passion for music, Australian singer, Orly combines her knowledge of jazz and her love for soul and delivers it in a memorable performance. Having performed for years in Australia, Europe, UK & USA, Orly is now living in New York City and fascinating audiences in the city.

This is Orly’s debut EP and will no doubt have many albums to follow.

..:: Source: CDBaby.com

Afrodisian Orchestra | Mediterraciones

Afrodisian Orchestra | Mediterraciones – [BarCo, 2009]

Afrodisian - Mediterraciones

Few records in 2009 are going to have such an impact on the world of music as the Afrodisian Orchestra’s Mediterraciones. This is a quintessential record that is bursting not only with energy, but also with the ingenuity of melding Spanish song with modern American music. Raul Da Gama - www.Latinjazznet.com “Mediterraciones” is already a must-listen CD in order to understand the Big Band evolution in this country: free and bold, it catches you and gets you hooked. With no doubts, one of the great Big Band CD’s of the last years. Miguel A. Sutil – Enlace funk. **** Afrodisian Orchestra risks and surprises greatly for his innovator voice. Miguel Angel Sánchez Gárate.B-ritmos **** Afrodisian Orchestra mixes. Mixes constantly in unpredictable ways: Last harvest jazz, a touch of Latin music, a spoon of african rhythms, a bit of progressive rock but, mainly, a good flamenco background make the Afrodisian stew. Jorge Moreno.Madridceropretensiones.

..:: Source: LatinJazzNet.com ::..

House honors Miles Davis’ – “Kind of Blue”

Miles Davis

WASHINGTON (AP) – Fifty years after jazz legend Miles Davis recorded “Kind of Blue,” the House voted Tuesday to honor the landmark album’s contribution to the genre.

Davis collaborated on the record with saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.

Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat who sponsored the measure, said the group “made musical history and changed the artistic landscape of this country and in some ways the world.” The resolution recognizing the album’s 50th anniversary passed on a 409-0 vote.

Columbia Records released the album in August 1959. The original album – only 37 minutes – had a huge impact that extended beyond jazz to other types of music – from rock musicians such as the Allman Brothers and Carlos Santana to minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

Davis, one of the greatest trumpeters in jazz history, died of a stroke in 1991 at age 65. He was renowned for morphing his cool jazz into fusion and experimental sounds that later gave way to jazz funk and hip-hop grooves. Cobb is the only musician from the “Kind of Blue” album who is still alive.

The resolution is H.Res.894.

..:: Source: APNews ::..

RESONANCE RECORDS TO RELEASE ANOTHER NIGHT IN LONDON BY THE LATE KEYBOARD WONDER GENE HARRIS

Recorded Live at Pizza Express, A Follow Up to 2008’s Live In London

Gene Harris Quartet

“One of the churchiest pianists in jazz, [Harris] turns the keyboard into an altar for preaching the blues and rocking the pews.”
- People Magazine

For five decades, Michigan-born, self-taught pianist/composer/bandleader Gene Harris (1933-2000) beautifully blended blues, bop, soul, and gospel into his signature sound. As the leader of the legendary trio The Three Sounds – with bassist Bill Dowdy and drummer Andy Simpkins – to his final, productive years in Idaho, Harris was always swinging: in the pocket, on the one, and in the groove; with a logic and lyricism that drank deeply from the well of the blues.

Harris’ artistry is in full effect on the forthcoming Resonance Records CD, Another Night in London (release date: January 12, 2010), a cool and combustive live quartet, recorded at Pizza Express in May 1996 with an all-British rhythm section featuring bassist Andrew Cleyndert, guitarist Jim Mullen, and Oscar Peterson’s former drummer, Martin Drew. Another Night in London is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Live in London CD, released in 2008 on the same label. Both recordings are rare in that they are the only two available that feature Harris’ European quartet.

The New 5 | Introducing the New Five

The New 5 | Introducing the New Five – [Blue Canoe Records, 2009]

The New 5 - Introducing the New Five

The New 5 is a cohesive group based in Austin, TX whose sound is rooted in the post-bop tradition but with a forward-leaning edge. Four of the five members of the group have or are working on their doctorates in music from the University of Texas. Thomas Heflin and Chris Budhan have their doctorates in Performance. Michael Arthurs is finishing his doctorate in Jazz Composition. Peter Stoltzman is completing his doctorate in Music and Human Learning. David Colvin has completed his masters in music from UT as well. While the group shares an interest in education, they also have shared the time with some of the jazz world’s greatest. Thomas recorded his first album with James Williams and has another one one the way with trombonist Ron Westray. Michael has studied with Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano and George Cole. Chris Budhan, as a festival producer in Eastern Canada, presents more than 1,000 performances each summer as part of the City Stages and Always On Stage festivals. Peter Stoltzman has performed with Eddie Gomez and Steve Gadd and is an instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. David Colvin has performed on the David Letterman Show and Austin City Limits as a member of the rock outfit Heartless Bastards.

Bebel Gilberto | All in One

Bebel Gilberto | All in One – [Verve, 2009]

Bebel Gilberto - All in One

I suspected that when Bebel joined the Verve label it would be a notable change for her. After listening to “All in One” this was confirmed. Bebel is my favorite female artist and although this release moves in a new direction it is very good, and easily worthy of five stars. Bebel’s three previous releases differ each in their own way, yet retain a Brazilian/world music feel and sound I prefer. That sound is not just a matter of how often she sings in Portuguese. It is also the way the music and her voice are recorded. “All in One” targets the American ear. The Verve label may be the big factor here. I don’t know. The overall production is of high quality and full sounding, but the tonal emphasis moves away from her previous works. Not a bad thing, just different.

I really like “Sun is shinning” and “The real thing” the more I hear them. Bebel does a great job expanding herself. “Port Antonio” and “Forever” are simply beautiful. “All in one” and “Chica chica boom chic” are instant hits. The rest of the songs are solid. My one complaint is the songs are generally too short. A few of the songs could have been extended with no danger of fatigue. Thanks Bebel for all the clean, beautiful music. –Reggie King

..:: Source: Amazon.com ::..