MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST WARREN WOLF TO RELEASE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM ON MACK AVENUE RECORDS – AUGUST 16

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African American, Jazz, Vibraphonist, Warren Wolf

RISING STAR IS JOINED BY STELLAR LINEUP,
INCLUDING MENTOR CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE

LISTEN TO EXCLUSIVE STREAMING TRACKS FROM THE ALBUM

WARREN WOLF

It’s no exaggeration to state that the release of Warren Wolf, the eponymous debut album for Mack Avenue Records by Warren Wolf, will make it as apparent to jazz fans as it already is to jazz insiders that the 31-year-old vibraphonist is the next major voice on his instrument. Joined by a unit of authoritative swingers (bassist Christian McBride, pianist Peter Martin, drummer Greg Hutchinson, alto and soprano saxophonist Tim Green, and, on two tracks, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt), Wolf offers a ten-piece program that admirably represents his singular blend of efflorescent chops, muscular attack, lyric sensibility, harmonic acumen, encyclopedic knowledge of hardcore jazz vocabulary, tireless groove and downright musicality.

“I’m trying to bring forth what most cats did back in the day, coming out right at you swinging, nice and hard, not a lot of hard melodies or weird time signatures,” Wolf says. “I like to play really hard, fast and kind of flashy. I like to take it to a whole other level.”

PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL TAKES ON NEW LOOK FOR 2012 AS “US BANK PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY ALASK AIRLINES”

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Portland Jazz Festival

PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL TAKES ON NEW LOOK FOR 2012 AS “US BANK PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY ALASKA AIRLINES”

TWO MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSORS CREATIVELY EXCHANGE ROLES TO PROVIDE INCREASED SUPPORT FOR JAZZ FESTIVAL

It was announced today that effective with next year’s Portland Jazz Festival, PDX Jazz (the presenting organization of the Portland Jazz Festival) has named U.S. Bank as the official title sponsor and Alaska Airlines as the event’s presenting sponsor. The U.S. Bank Portland Jazz Festival Presented by Alaska Airlines is scheduled for February 17 through February 26, 2012.

The Portland Jazz Festival is an annual, multi-venue series of jazz events presented each February within the downtown area of Portland, Oregon. The Festival is dedicated to presenting internationally recognized, contemporary jazz masters; showcasing local jazz musicians within intimate, free performances; and celebrating February as Black History Month with a series of jazz education and outreach programs that extend into Portland’s schools and neighborhoods.

Vibraphonist & Composer CHRIS DINGMAN Releases His Debut Album WAKING DREAMS TODAY on Between Worlds Music

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CHRIS DINGMAN, Jazz, New Releases, Vibraphone

Dingman is Joined by Several of New York’s Finest Players:
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE (trumpet), LOREN STILLMAN (saxophone),
FABIAN ALMAZAN (piano), JOE SANDERS (bass) & JUSTIN BROWN (drums)

Album Receives Lavish Praise from The New York Times, The BBC’s Jazz on 3,
Time Out New York, The Village Voice, The Hartford Advocate,
The New York City Jazz Record, Hot House, Nextbop.com

 and More

Chris Dingman - Waking Dreams

“Mr. Dingman’s own style stands out: he uses it not just for melody and percussion but also for sound, in long, smoky chords beaming out like floodlighting.”
– Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

Kiku Collins -][- RED LIGHT [Canopy Jazz]

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Jazz, Kiku Collins, Trumpet

Kiku Collins - RED LIGHT

Kiku Collins -][- RED LIGHT -(MP3)- [Canopy Jazz, 2011]

According to the Jazz Journal International, Kiku Collins “plays the trumpet like a twenty-first century Miles Davis”. Her trumpet skills were on full display during her time with iconic artists Beyonce and Michael Bolton and many other A-list performers, but with her sophomore album “Red Light”, Ms. Collins flexes her composer/producer/bandleader muscles with plenty of melody and groove.

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

Guitarist GILAD HESKELMAN Pens Ten Tuneful Originals On 3rd Album, Hearts Wide Open

Tags

Gilad Hekselman, Guitar, Jazz

Out Sept 13 on Le Chant Du Monde
Featuring Saxophonist Mark Turner, Bassist Joe Martin, And Drummer Marcus Gilmore

Gilad Hekselman

Guitarist Gilad Hekselman’s third album, Hearts Wide Open, finds him in the company of his working trio with bassist Joe Martin and drummer Marcus Gilmore. They are joined by saxophonist Mark Turner in a set comprised entirely of Hekselman’s original material. The title refers to Hekselman’s perspective on the practice of music-making. “As musicians, we get to travel and play for different audiences, moving people and creating something positive in the world,” he says. “It’s about opening our hearts as musicians as well as opening the hearts of listeners.”

Hekselman speaks of his bandmates with admiration. “Joe is one of my favorite bass players,” he says of his musical colleague of the past 7 years. “He’s easy to play with and has a huge round sound on the bass. He has a real awareness of what needs to be happening.” He calls Gilmore “addictive to play with. Marcus is so advanced, raw and groovy at the same time. It’s how I like drumming to be.” The union of Martin and Gilmore provide “a really wide beat,” giving Hekselman the space to freely phrase his evocative melodies within the time. Saxophonist Mark Turner’s deliberate tenor is an ideal foil to guitarists. Hekselman describes Turner as “a very intelligent player,” combining an extensive harmonic knowledge with a deeply-rooted sense of emotion. The clarity of Hekselman’s sound and Gilmore’s ride cymbal emphasize the craftsmanship of Turner’s improvising. “I loved his playing on records for many years, and after I moved to New York I got to hear him more. He’s an idol of mine, and one that I can actually call for a gig!”