PIANIST MONTY ALEXANDER BRIDGES JAZZ AND REGGAE TO CREATE ‘ONE-LOVE’ WITH NEW CD HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS: LIVE AVAILABLE JUNE 14 FROM MOTÉMA MUSIC

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Jazz, Monty Alexander, Piano

“Monty Alexander’s blend of jazz and reggae made for an outrageously good time… When Mr. Alexander-the Jamaican-born pianist with a cheerful, chatty style-surrounded himself with a Caribbean quartet to the right and a jazz trio to the left, the result was fresh, lilting interpretations of Bob Marley’s greatest hits, as well as Mr. Alexander’s original compositions…” – Pia Catton, Wall Street Journal

LISTEN TO EXCLUSIVE STREAMING TRACKS FROM THE ALBUM

Monty Alexander - Harlem-Kingston Express Live

In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has distinctively bridged the worlds of jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica. With over 70 albums to his name, Alexander celebrates his 50th year in music with two new world-class releases, each expressing a different facet of his brilliant and sincere spirit of musical expression.

Alexander’s 50th year celebrations officially kicked off on March 29th with the release of Uplift, a live jazz trio project on Jazz Legacy Productions, which rapidly garnered critical recognition and rocketed to #1 on the JazzWeek radio chart.

Next up is Monty Alexander: Harlem-Kingston Express: Live, his debut on the innovative Motéma imprint, set for release on June 14.The eponymous album presents Alexander’s most ‘reggaefied’ touring group yet, which for past few years has defined a bold new chapter in his life-long journey of uniting jazz with reggae and a wide array of other Island musical idioms that he holds dear.

Jeff Hackworth ][ NIGHT OWL [Big Bridge Music]

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Jazz, Jeff Hackworth, Saxophone

If you dig cool bop dipped in the stew of soul jazz with a New York attitude, than I’m sure this gem by saxophonist Jeff Hackworth would be an added plus to your music collection. –Rob Young

Jeff Hackworth - NIGHT OWL

Jeff Hackworth -][- NIGHT OWL -(MP3)- [Big Bridge Music, 2011]

New York City saxophonist Jeff Hackworth keeps alive the soulful tenor tradition of such historic greats as Gene Ammons, David “Fathead” Newman, Stanley Turrentine and the still active Houston Person. But rather than just duplicate the past, Hackworth invigorates the music with his own personal sound and modern ideas.

While his last two CDs (How Little We Know and Where The Blue Begins) featured his tenor with a piano trio, here he explores the jazz organ tradition but with a twist. “It’s been awhile since I recorded with organ,” says the saxophonist. “Having vibes instead of guitar in the frontline gives the format a different take. I know Radam and Earl from the local scene. We play gigs together at a club in Newark called Skippers. Radam suggested Jay Hoggard on vibes. He turned out to be a great addition to the session.”

The program begins with Johnny Lytle’s “The Man,” a tune with a simple and direct melody that definitely has an attitude. The one-chord vamp features a passionate tenor solo and fine spots for organ and vibes, showing how much the group can create on a fairly simple but powerful piece.

..:: SOURCE: CDBaby.com ::..

Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival Presents A Night In Treme, Music Inspired by the HBO Series Treme, with Donald Harrison Jr. and Cyril Neville, June 26, 2011

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Antoine Batiste, Donald Harrison Jr, Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival, Jazz

On Sunday, June 26, 2011, Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York, will present “A Night In Treme ,” music inspired by the HBO series “Treme,” featuring Mardi Gras Indian Chief and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr. with the Mardi Gras Indians and special guest vocalist Cyril Neville.

Festival producer Absolutely Live Entertainment in association with actor Wendell Pierce (who plays the smooth-talking trombonist Antoine Batiste on “Treme”) have an exclusive agreement with HBO to present “A Night In Treme” (The Musical Majesty Of New Orleans). From David Simon and Eric Overmyer (“The Wire”®), the HBO Series “Treme” follows musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians and ordinary New Orleanians as they try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane and levee failure that caused the near-death of an American city.

The Treme neighborhood of New Orleans has been a source of African-American music and culture for as long as cooks in the Crescent City have been serving red beans and rice on Monday nights. Birthplace of the great New Orleans brass band tradition and one of the first black neighborhoods in America, “Treme” (pronounced truh-MAY) is the heartbeat of New Orleans and the home to Congo Square.