Samir Zarif-][- STARTING POINT [Mythology Records]

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African American, Jazz, Samir Zarif, Saxophone

Samir Zarif - STARTING POINT

Samir Zarif -][- STARTING POINT – [Mythology Records, 2011]

“Starting Point,” Samir Zarif´s Debut CD on Mythology Records features 10 original songs, from the jazz trio to solo electronica, all defining the artistic freedoms of the modern jazz musician of the 21st century.

“Starting Point” features Zack Lober on both acoustic and electric bass, Colin Stranahan and Greg Ritchie on drums, Maria Neckam on vocals and Lars Dietrich on alto saxophone.

Samir Zarif, mostly know as a tenor and soprano saxophonist working with groups like THE STORY and as a sideman with Maria Neckam, couples his talents on the saxophones with vocal and electronic performances.

At your leisure, checkout this prolific yet eclectic new voice in jazz originally from Houston, TX by way of New Orleans Samir Zarif.com

..:: SOURCE: Two for The Show.com | CDBaby.com ::..

Kendrick Scott & World Culture Music NEWS:

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African American, Drums, Jazz, Kendrick Scott

World Culture Music Founder, Drummer/Composer KENDRICK SCOTT Appearing, and Preparing for New Recording:

Kendrick Scott “Oracle” – February 21, 2011
@ The Blue Note, NYC, 8 & 10:30 PM

Featuring: Mike Moreno (guitar), Jon Ellis (saxophones), Taylor Eigsti (piano), Joe Sanders (bass), Kendrick Scott (drums, compositions)

Drummer Kendrick Scott

Drummer/composer Kendrick Scott, founder of the artist collective label, World Culture Music, leads his band “Oracle” at The Blue Note (NYC) on February 21 in preparation for leading the band into the studio, immediately following the band’s engagement, to record his third CD as a leader. The new recording will be the much-anticipated follow up to the hugely successful release, The Source (on World Culture Music), and will feature Mike Moreno, John Ellis, Taylor Eigsti and Joe Sanders!

AMERICAN PIANISTS ASSOCIATION 2011 COLE PORTER FELLOWSHIP IN JAZZ FINALIST – AARON DIEHL –

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Aaron Diehl, Danilo Pérez, Geri Allen, Jazz, JOHN TAYLOR, NATE CHINEN

PERFORMED AT INDIANAPOLIS’ JAZZ KITCHEN IN JANUARY, PART OF THE REI REAL ESTATE SERVICES JAZZ PREMIERE SERIES

FINAL COMPETITION TO BE JUDGED BY
GERI ALLEN, DANILO PÉREZ, JOHN TAYLOR,
NATE CHINEN AND AL PRYOR
AT JAZZ DISCOVERY WEEK, APRIL 10-17, 2011

L-R) Indianapolis Mayor Gregory A. Ballard, Finalist Aaron Diehl, and APA President CEO-Artistic Director Dr. Joel Harrison, pictured after Diehl's performance. Photo Credit. Mark Sheldon.

American Pianists Association 2011 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz Finalist Aaron Diehl recently performed at Indianapolis’ Jazz Kitchen this past January, as a part of the REI Real Estate Services Premiere Series. The series showcases each of the five Finalists in their own fully-produced set leading up to the finals competition.

Previous performances featured this year’s Finalists: Emmet Cohen (September), Zach Lapidus (November) and Glenn Zaleski (December), respectively. Finalist Jeremy Siskind will conclude the series, with a performance on February 26.

The Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, with its cash prize of $50,000 to the winner of the competition, is the largest prize in the world for a young jazz pianist. According to Dr. Joel Harrison, President/CEO and Artistic Director of the American Pianists Association, the jury heard and reviewed, in anonymous fashion, CDs submitted by 40 pianists nominated for the awards before selecting these five finalists. Judges for the final rounds of the 2011 Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz are pianists Geri Allen, John Taylor and Danilo Pérez, New York Times music critic Nate Chinen, and Mack Avenue Records Executive Vice-President Al Pryor.

New Jazz Releases for the Week of 2/7/2011

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Arturo O'Farrill, Herb Alpert, Jazz, Kurt Elling, Marc Cary, Yaron Herman

The Week of February 7, 2011

Greeting’s jazz enthusiasts, as always it’s a pleasure to return with more new music releases. With each visit, you’ll discover a montage of new jazz recordings featured at Amazon.com that encompasses a generous diet of nuances which includes a wealth of complex and distinctive styles, textures, melodies, and rhythms exalted by a host of definitive and creative voices in the world of jazz.

For more details, please visit Amazon.com for a complete list of this week latest jazz releases!

..:: SOURCE: Amazon.com ::..

Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra -][- 40 ACRES and A BURRO [ZOHO]

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Arturo O'Farrill, Jazz, Latin Music, Piano

Arturo O'Farrill - 40 ACRES and A BURRO

Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra -][- 40 ACRES and A BURRO – [ZOHO, 2011] – MUSIC REVIEW –

New York based and internationally known Grammy winning composer/pianist Arturo O’Farrill returns with another spirited blend of Latin jazz at its finest titled “40 Acres and a Burro” on ZOHO MUSIC. As history buffs, you should be acquainted with this term “40 Acres and a Mule” (other than Spike Lee brand) being that the origin of the phrase goes back to 1865 when confederacy was occupied by the Union and therefore promised the slave’s farmland for them to potentially (illusive) earn a living on once they were freed. Fast forward, no wonder the GOP is ill tempered about the Black farmers and Native Americans finally got what was due to them (defeat and payback dwells in the heart of the oppressors).

The highly-acclaimed pianist Arturo O’Farrill ushers in a comprehensive collection of lively Afro-Latin jazz which subsequently provides a wealth of heartfelt music which gives jazz aficionados the opportunity to clinch, savor and enjoy this amazing musical extravaganza from my Latin brother’s perspective.

Darwin Noguera’s Evolution Quintet -][- THE GARDNER [Chicago Sessions]

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Darwin Noguera, Darwin Noguera's Evolution Quintet, Jazz, Piano

“Darwin Noguera, a promising Nicaraguan pianist based in Chicago, leads the Evolution Quintet, whose CD ‘The Gardener’ is sensational jazz recording.” – Nelson Rodríguez, Latin Beat

Darwin Noguera's Evolution Quintet - THE GARDNER (09)

Darwin Noguera’s Evolution Quintet -][- THE GARDNER – [Chicago Sessions, 2009]

“Noguera delights in combining traditional Latin forms and hard-hitting jazz, to the benefit of both idioms… From the very beginning of this irresistible recording – the spiky piano intro to ‘Señor del Pozo’, a Peruvian festejo – Noguera’s dizzying command of both Latin and jazz idioms comes into focus. (So does his partnership with trumpeter Victor Garcia… Garcia has a unique affinity for Noguera’s writing, and even after repeated hearings, it remains one of this music’s indelible strengths.)… Noguera’s work with the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble explains one more gift he brings to this musical banquet – his ability to condense his voluptuous and detailed big-band writing down to just these few horns, while still suggesting the depth and variety of the larger format.” – Neil Tesser (from the liner notes)

Nicaraguan pianist, composer, and band leader Darwin Noguera debuted with the Miami Beach Symphony Orchestra at the young age of 14, and continued his studies under the tutelage of Eteri Andjaparidze and Larry Novak at DePaul University. He has accomplished an unusual and fluid integration between classical, jazz, flamenco and Latin rhythms. Darwin is the co-founder and composer for the Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble (CALJE) and also founded the Evolution Quintet. He has performed with legends such as Steve Turre, Brian Lynch, Paoli Mejias and Howard Levy and often collaborates and plays with local musicians, including Greg Ward, Jesus Enriquez and Guitars of Spain. Most recently Darwin toured his native Nicaragua with the second annual Nicaraguan International Jazz Festival and will be participating with his trio in 2009 once again. His groups regularly take part in Chicago-area festivals, the most noted performance being Millennium Park’s “Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz Series”. –BIOGRAPHY

..:: SOURCE: Darwin Noguera.com ::..

Randal Pinkett -][- Black Faces in White Places [Book]

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African, Randal Pinkett, The Apprentice

10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness [Hardcover]

Randal Pinkett - BLACK FACES in WHITE PLACES

If the name Randal Pinkett sounds familiar, it may be because Pinkett was the first African-American winner on The Apprentice. When he won, this black man also became the only contestant to be asked to share his victory with a white woman. The request (and Pinkett’s subsequent refusal) set off a firestorm of controversy that inevitably focused on the issue of race in the American workplace and in society. For generations, African-Americans have been told that to succeed, they need to work twice as hard as everyone else. But as millions of black Americans were reminded by Pinkett’s experience, sometimes hard work is not enough.

Black Faces in White Places is about “the game” that is, the competitive world in which we all live and work. The book of fers 10 revolutionary strategies for playing, mastering, and changing the game for the current generation, while under taking a whole sale redefinition of the rules for those who will follow.

It is not only about shattering the old “glass ceiling,” but also about examining the four dimensions of the contemporary black experience: identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity. Ultimately, it is about changing the very concept of success itself. Based on the authors’ considerable experiences in business, in the public eye, and in the minority, the book shows how African-American professionals can (and must) think and act both Entrepreneurially and “Intrapreneurially,” combine their collective strengths with the wisdom of others, and plant the seeds of a positive and lasting legacy. –Amazon.com | Product Description

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