Gerald Albright | Pushing The Envelope

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African American, Gerald Albright, Jazz, Saxophone

NO HOLDING BACK FOR SAX MASTER GERALD ALBRIGHT ON JUNE 15 HEADS UP RELEASE

Gerald Albright - Pushing the Envelope

Gerald Albright | Pushing The Envelope – [Heads Up International, 2010]

Jazz and R&B icon Gerald Albright is considered to be one of the most innovative and successful artists of the last twenty-five years. With the June 15, 2010, release of Pushing The Envelope on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, Albright’s super cool side is back. With its polished soul/jazz vibe, Pushing The Envelope is a showcase for Albright’s remarkably fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, and features special guest appearances by Fred Wesley on trombone, Earl Klugh on acoustic guitar and George Duke on acoustic piano.

Produced and arranged by Albright, Pushing The Envelope provides the perfect opportunity for this master musician/saxophonist/songwriter to exhibit his skills. He plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flutes, bass guitar, and keyboards, and also handles synthesizer, EWI and drum programming. Albright’s band on most of the album includes keyboardists Tracy Carter and Luther “Mano” Hanes, guitarist Ricky Watford and drummer Ricky Lawson.

New Releases [Jazz] for the Week of 4/20/2010

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Jazz

Greetings jazz enthusiasts, we’re into the third week of April with another promising crop of New Jazz Releases. Trombone Shorty makes his statement with Backtown as our Featured Album of the Week. Check out fusion guitarist John McLaughlin’s new cut “To The One” we also have “Earthglow” by keyboardist David Benoit. The return of pianist Vince Guaraldi awaits us with another classic tale of “Peanuts 60th Anniversary”, also trumpeter Wallace Roney serves up a tasty gem titled “If Only for One Night,” and then jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon delivers the goods as only like she can with “Homefree.” Finally, get on board with hip-hop influenced trumpet sensation Maurice Brown, he’s back with “The Cycle of Love” all these and more this week at The Urban Flux!

Featured Album of the Week

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews - Backatown

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews .:|:. Backatown – [Verve Forecast, 2010]

In 2010 alone, 24-year-old New Orleans singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist and all-around musical powerhouse Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has signed with Verve Forecast Records and performed on Good Morning America and ESPN’s SportsCenter in the run-up to the Super Bowl. He has seen recordings he contributed to earn a Grammy® award (Buckwheat Zydeco’s “Lay Your Burden Down”) and an Oscar® nomination (Dr. John’s “Down In New Orleans” from the hit Disney film ‘The Princess and the Frog’). He has taped two appearances – as himself – for the upcoming HBO series ‘Treme’ from ‘The Wire’ creator David Simon, and played with his band Orleans Avenue as honored guests on Saints owner Tom Benson’s float in a victorious post-Super Bowl Mardi Gras parade.

Fabrizio Sotti | Inner Dance [Review]

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Fabrizio Sotti, Guitar, Jazz

Fabrizio Sotti - Inner Dance

Fabrizio Sotti ::|:: Inner Dance [E 1 Music, 2010]

Recently I’ve become acquainted with a relatively new guitarist, composer and producer on the music scene named Fabrizio Sotti. I say “new,” without any prior knowledge of his music other then his production work. Obviously being a student of his craft Sotti sharpen his skills in a variety of musical settings recording, touring, and playing with an impressive staple of top-shelve musicians on the jazz scene including the likes of Al Foster, Roy Hargrove, George Coleman, George Garzone, Steve La Spina, Sammy Figueroa, Mick Goodrick, Mark Egan, Mino Cinelu, Victor Jones, Rachel Z, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Cameron Brown, Andy LaVerne, Harvie Swartz, Brian Lynch, Mick Goodrick, Lincoln Goines, Rick Margitza, Clarence Penn and many more. Perhaps I’ll just stop here … oh no let’s take a moment and delve into his latest entitled “Inner Dance.”

Jeff Lorber Fusion | Now Is The Time

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Jazz, Jeff Lorber, Keyboards

LORBER RECAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF JAZZ FUSION ON NOW IS THE TIME

Jeff Lorber Fusion - Now Is The Time

Jeff Lorber Fusion -:|:- Now Is The Time – [Heads Up International, 2010]

By the late 1970s, keyboardist and composer Jeff Lorber had become a prominent figure in the new movement known as jazz fusion – a marriage of traditional jazz with elements of rock, R&B, funk and other electrified sounds. Lorber and his band, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, first honed their craft in the Portland, Oregon, club scene and rapidly expanded their reach to a national and international audience via a combination of complex harmonies, unconventional time signatures and compelling rhythms.

In subsequent years, Lorber dropped the term “fusion” from his billing as the movement evolved into what is currently known as contemporary jazz. Still, he continued to explore the innovative, improvisational potential of grafting other musical forms to the jazz idiom.

SONGSTRESS ROBIN MCKELLE TO RELEASE “MESS AROUND” ON E1 MUSIC

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Female Vocalist, Jazz, ROBIN MCKELLE

ALBUM SHOWCASES A NUMBER OF GENRES INCLUDING SOUL, BLUES, AND JAZZ

Robin McKelle - Mess Around

“I’ve wanted to do this kind of album for a long time. It’s a project that spans a number of genres: soul, blues and jazz – all musical styles I love and which define my personality. It’s an organic, flesh-and-blood record, recorded with musicians close to me. It has quite a 60s flavor, inspired by the albums Ray Charles and Nina Simone were making at the time.”

Robin McKelle’s husky warm contralto more than measures up to these rhythm ‘n’ blues songs on her newest release, Mess Around (out on E1 Music on Tuesday, May 4th), which perfectly suits her natural expressiveness. As one jazz diva after another took to the airways, Robin (originally from Rochester, New York) needed to stand out from the competition in record shops. “On stage, people have an idea of who I am. I’ve always made room for this kind of repertoire in my concerts, but on record, it took me a while to express this character trait, this enthusiasm. I’m obviously not in the same category as Diana Krall or Norah Jones, so I might as well deal with it since that’s the way it is (laughter).”