New Music [Jazz] for The Week of 4/26/2010

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Ben Goldberg, Clarinet, Jazz

Greetings jazz enthusiasts, wow it’s hard to imagine but April is just about gone. As always, we’ve got a diverse mix of New Jazz Releases this week. Clarinetist Ben Goldberg’s – “Go Home” is our featured album of the week. Also in the mix … an eclectic band called Tin Hat which features Goldberg titled “Foreign Legion.” Once viewed as one of the most promising young lions in the 90’s pianist Jacky Terrasson arrives with “Push” his latest project on Concord Jazz. In the mean time, an extremely hot band on the scene called Hot Club of Detroit is here with their Mack Avenue debut “It’s About Time.” Finally, the legendary saxophonist Sonny Simmons keep jis flame burning all night with “Staying on the Watch,” the aforementioned recordings & more released this week.

Featured Album of the Week

Ben Goldberg - Go Home

Ben Goldberg .:|:. Go Home – [BAG Production Records, 2009]

Clarinetist / Composer Ben Goldberg grew up in Denver, Colorado. He received his undergraduate music degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Arts in Composition from Mills College. He was a pupil of the eminent clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo, and studied with Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano.

In addition to composing for and playing in the Ben Goldberg Quintet, he currently performs in the following groups: Tin Hat; plays monk, a trio with Scott Amendola and Devin Hoff; Myra Melford’s Be Bread; Nels Cline’s New Monastery; Go Home with Charlie Hunter, Ron Miles, and Scott Amendola, “a wondrous new vehicle for combining (Goldberg’s) grounded desire with his far-ranging imagination.” (Metro Santa Cruz); and Afterlife Music Radio, an electro-acoustic quartet. The 11- piece Ben Goldberg’s Brainchild performs Ben’s on-the-spot compositions.

Visit http://www.bengoldberg.net for more details about his fascinating artist.

Beat Kaestli | Invitation

Tags

Beat Kaestli, Jazz, Male Vocalist

Beat Kaestli - Invitation

Beat Kaestli ::|:: Invitation – [Chesky Records, 2010]

Beat Kaestli’s debut on CHESKY RECORDS, is a tribute to the American Songbook and features the songwriting of Rube Bloom and John H. Mercer, Johnny Burke and Jimmy van Heusen, Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington and Cole Porter among others. –Chesky Records

::-BIO-:: Beat Kaestli is a vocalist, songwriter, arranger and producer residing in New York City. He moved to New York from his native home of Switzerland, where he was awarded a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music (BM). In 2007 he received a scholarship from the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation and graduated in 2008 with a Masters Degree from the Aaron Copland School of Music (MA). While honing his craft alongside noteworthy Jazz performers, such as Jane Monheit, Jason Moran and Stefon Harris, he immersed himself in Manhattan’s fiercely competitive music scene, emerging as a seasoned performer. He now appears in clubs such as The Blue Note, Birdland, The Bitter End, The Jazz Standard, The Stone and Sweet Rhythm, performing with Jazz greats, like Esperanza Spalding, Clarence Penn, Joel Frahm, Billy Drummond and Victor Prieto.

Mina Cho | Originality

Tags

Jazz, Mina Cho, Piano

Mino Cho - Originality

Mina Cho ::|:: Originality – [Blink Music, 2010]

“This is a listening treat! These sonic inventions are intricate in their melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic development. At times I am reminded of the beauty of Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, as these unique and wonderful textures unfold to reveal the creative personalities of the musicians performing. A joyful exuberance abounds as the diverse styles (Latin, Jazz, and Classical) are blended together to create a truly enjoyable musical journey.” — Ken Pullig, Jazz Composition Chair of Berklee College of Music

“Mina’s music is fresh. Being grounded in a wide variety of jazz, her compositions are like journeys to different exotic places, each piece offering its own flavor, some wild fervor, some a hard hitting yet playful groove, others more melancholic but all emotionally rewarding. As a pianist, Mina commands the piano with great skill, her playing exudes joy, playfulness and vitality while providing plenty of space for her sidemen to
shine. ” — Tim Lukas, a Producer of Blink Music

..:: Source: CDBaby.com ::..

– Aaron Goldberg | Home –

Tags

Aaron Goldberg, Jazz, Piano

Aaron Goldberg - Home

–Aaron Goldberg ::|:: Home – [Sunnyside, 2010]-

“Backed by drummer Eric Harland and bassist Reuben Rogers, and augment by Mark Turner’s angular tenor saxophone, Aaron Goldberg’s varied and vivid variations of the entire jazz piano spectrum, his Tatumesque technique, his Evanesque colors, and his Jamal-style arrangements, imbue the CD’s ten tracks with an amazing assortment of foreign and familiar motifs that dance and trance, and sing and swing in a universal musical statement that translates into high art.

The ten selections on this CD highlight Aaron and company’s poetic and pulsating jazz travels. Save for the labyrinthine performances of great Cuban composer Pablo Milanes’ Afro-Latin standard “Cancion por La Unidad Latino Americana,” the leader’s equally Latintinged burner, “The Rules,” and the “Love Supreme”-like “Aze’s Bluzes,” all of which feature Turner’s snaky Warne Marsh-meets-John Coltrane solos, the rest of the CD features Goldberg’s terrific triad. His renditions of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s late classic “Luiza,” Thelonious Monk’s “I Mean You,” Johnny Mandel’s “A Time for Love,” and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” are all rendered in interactive and inventive blues-ballads, and light-speed tempos, taking the songs to new musical ports-of-call.
Goldberg’s contrapuntal, Caribbean-cadenced “Shed,” and his sweetly, subcontinental “Homeland,” contrasted by the winter coolness of “The Sound of Snow,” showcase his still-evolving mastery of piano and pen.”

..:: Source: Sunnyside Records ::..

The Capital Jazz Fest Lineup for June 2010

Tags

African American, Jazz, Soul

— The Capital Jazz Fest -|- Tickets on sale now! —

A Weekend of Cool Jazz & Soul!

Join us this June as we kick off the summer with the 18th annual Capital Jazz Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The festival features live contemporary jazz and soul music on two big stages. Some of the highlights of this year’s fest include:

* The return of Capital Jazz Fest favorites like Kenny G, Ledisi, The Brand New Heavies, Brian Culbertson, and Rachelle Ferrell.
* Capital Jazz Fest debut performances by Patti Labelle, Basia, Laura Izibor, and R&B group Mint Condition.
* Special Capital Jazz Fest collaborations, including “G & Lee” featuring Lee Ritenour & Gerald Albright, British jazz/funk group Down to the Bone with special guest Hil St. Soul, plus Nick Colionne & Eric Darius.
* The return to the scene of several musical artists, including singer/pianist Patrice Rushen, “psychadelic soul” band The Family Stone, 70s fusion group The Jeff Lorber Fusion, and 80s funk band Cameo.
* First-time festival appearances by Raphael Saadiq, bassist-vocalist Esperanza Spalding, and a cappella group Naturally 7, among others.
* For the first time ever, Capital Jazz presents the Catch A Rising Star showcase, featuring up-and-coming artists from the world of contemporary jazz. Featured performers include Brian Simpson, B.K Jackson, U-Nam, Althea Rene, and others.
* Plus, on Friday night, a special evening of music and comedy featuring the legendary Gladys Knight and comedian Sinbad.

..:: Source: Capital Jazz.com ::..

– Marc Mommaas | Landmarc –

Tags

Jazz, Marc Mommaas, Saxophone

Marc Mommaas - Landmarc

–Marc Mommaas .:|:. Landmarc – [Sunnyside, 2010]-

When the long-playing album format debuted in the fifties, the idea of an overall musical concept was the main impetus behind its creation. The Dutch-born, New York-based, tenor saxophonist/educator Marc Mommaas, who JazzImprov magazine cited for his “use of clipped phrases, upward sweeps, intervallic leaps and approximations of the human voice,” understands the thematic heritage of the album. His latest CD Landmarc features a guitar-centric lineup consisting of Nat Radley, augmented by fellow six-stringers, Vic Juris and Rez Abbasi, and backed by long-time associate, drummer Tony Moreno.

Mommaas’ serpentine sax inventions – aided by the bluesy, spacey and swinging plectra prowess of Juris, Abbasi and Radley, and buoyed by Moreno’s licketysplit drumming – intricately delivers a devilishly delightful nine-track CD that does indeed translate a virtual Rosetta Stone of rhythms, harmonies and melodies into real life stories.

..:: Source: Sunnyside Records ::..

CANADIAN JAZZ DIVA RANEE LEE RELEASES LIVES UPSTAIRS ON JUSTIN TIME RECORDS

Tags

Female Vocalist, Jazz, Ranee Lee

2010 JUNO AWARD-WINNER VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Ranee Lee - Lives Upstairs

It’s been a rather amazing journey for Ranee Lee, who for several decades has reigned virtually unchallenged as the Queen of Canada’s jazz divas. Ms. Lee recently won the coveted Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year (beating out Diana Krall, Emilie-Claire Barlow and Carol Welsman) for Lives Upstairs, her new release for Justin Time, Canada’s leading jazz label. “That recognition really does give you the seal of approval,” says Ranee, who has recorded many albums for the Montreal label. She has won and been nominated for many awards for both her singing and teaching; she’s played at every major jazz festival in North America and the world; she’s shared the stage and the microphone with hundreds of the great players of our time.

(What isn’t quite as well known is that Ms. Lee is a native New Yorker – born and raised in Brooklyn, as a matter of fact. “I think that everybody grew up in Brooklyn,” she says. “Every time I meet someone from the states they’ve either lived there or are still there – it’s like the center of the universe or something!”)

[Stax Museum of American Soul Music] – Kirk Whalum is now CEO of Soulsville Foundation

Tags

African American, Jazz, Kirk Whalum, Saxophonist

Mark Wender & Kirk Whalum

We are pleased to announce to you that internationally renowned jazz and gospel musician and native Memphian KIRK WHALUM has joined the Stax Museum, Stax Music Academy, and The Soulsville Charter School as our new President & CEO! Please join us in welcoming this incredible new addition to the Soulsville Family!

Kirk brings a wealth of music industry and show business expertise to the Foundation and will help us tell the world about all of the great work that we do.

We are also pleased to announce that Mark Wender (pictured above with Kirk) has joined the Soulsville Foundation as Chief Operating Officer. Mark has a long and prestigious career in various aspects of business, video production, and working with nonprofit organizations. Please join us in welcoming him as well.

..:: Source: KirkWhalum.com ::..

– ANITA BAKER HEADLINES New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival –

Tags

African American, Anita Baker, Female Vocalist

Anita Baker

Anita Baker will be a headliner at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 25th, and has just started work on a new album in Nashville, planned for release by Blue Note Records later in 2010.

“I’m going to Nashville to mix it up, shake it and see what comes out”says the eight-time Grammy winner with obvious glee.

Baker will be producing the album with George Duke, Nathan East and Daniel Moore, recording in Nashville in part because, she explains, “they still know how to make a record in analog.” Baker has some long time friends in Nashville – just last month, when she performed at the TJ Martell Honors Gala there, attendees were surprised to find out that she counts many country stars and personalities among them.

Frank Kimbrough | Rumors

Tags

Frank Kimbrough, Jazz, Piano

Frank Kimbrough - Rumors

Frank Kimbrough | Rumors – [Palmetto Records, 2010]

You want some jazz recording done old skool? Kimbrough gets a call from a pal telling him he’s four free studio hours available the next day. Wanna use them? Kimbrough scurries to get a cat he wants to play with that’s heading back to Barcelona, rounds up a third piece, a set card and the fur flies in three hours of recording. As close to pure improv as you can get, this is certainly a set with feeling and smarts played by cats that don’t need to be told what to do.

It’s art jazz that really smart jazz and proof of why he‘s on the speed dial of so many players in New York. —Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap

Released on March 30th …

..:: Source: Palmetto Records ::..