John Beasley | Positootly!

Tags

African American, Jazz, Piano

John Beasley | Positootly!

John Beasley

Veteran pianist-composer-arranger John Beasley gained invaluable bandstand experience on the road with such revered jazz elders as Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis while also recording with the likes of Chick Corea, Hubert Laws and Dianne Reeves along with serving as musical director for Queen Latifah and Steely Dan. In recent years, Beasley has made impressive strides as a bandleader in his own right. On Positootly!, his eagerly anticipated follow-up to 2008’s acclaimed Letter to Herbie (Beasley’s impressionistic take on the music of Herbie Hancock), the Louisiana native showcases his own engaging compositions along with a few choice covers.

Joining Beasley on his second outing for Resonance Records are drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, bassist James Genus, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, Grammy-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch and saxophonist Bennie Maupin (a charter member of Hancock’s Mwandishi Sextet and Headhunters).

Release Date: September 8, 2009

Source: DL/Media

Brian Bromberg | It Is What It Is

Tags

Bass, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz

Brian Bromberg | It Is What It Is [Mack Avenue, 2009]

Brian Bromberg

Acclaimed bassist and producer Brian Bromberg has garnered a hard-earned reputation as one of the most versatile and respected players in music, amassing an enviable catalog of straight ahead and contemporary jazz showcasing both upright and electric basses.

Confounding the music industry with a string of innovative, eclectic releases since 1985,
Bromberg has spent the last decade recording projects driven by very specific sounds and
themes – from Wood (acoustic bass) and Metal (electric bass) to other diverse projects
celebrating the artistry of fretless bass pioneer Jaco Pastorius (Jaco) and his Grammy®-
nominated smooth grooves of Downright Upright.

On his fourth project for the Mack Avenue label imprint Artistry Music, It Is What It Is,
Brian unleashes another wide palette of styles letting the chips fall where they may. It’s a
decidedly funky 13-track set that features a killer horn section and includes not only
evocative original compositions but also two cover songs that are sure to raise some
eyebrows: The B-52s’ new wave dance classic “Love Shack” and Quincy Jones’ instantly
recognizable TV-Land nugget “Sanford & Son (The Streetbeater).”

An A-list of musical peers join the fun including George Duke, Patrice Rushen, Jeff Lorber,
Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal, Gerald Albright, Richard Elliot, Rick Braun, Will Kennedy,
Dave Weckl, Alex Acuña, Paul Jackson Jr., Dan Siegel and more – all of whom are given
ample opportunity to shine.

Release Date: 8/25/2009

Source: DL/Media