John Daversa’s Artful Joy Official Release Party is this weekend!

Tags

Arts, BFM Jazz, Composer, Culture, John Daversa, trumpeter

Saturday and Sunday October 13th & 14th
at the Blue Whale in Los Angeles

John Daversa’s Artful Joy Official Release Party

::: SOURCE: BFM JAZZ :::

Save The Dates for the upcoming National Black Arts Festival – [July 6-15-2012] –

Tags

Culture, National Black Arts Festival

The NBAF (National Black Arts Festival) is one of the premier national and international presenters of the art, music and culture of people of African descent. The mission of the NBAF is to engage, cultivate and educate diverse audiences about the arts and culture of the African Diaspora and provide opportunities for artistic and creative expression. -[NBAF.org | About]-

National Black Arts Festival [July 2012]

..:: SOURCE: NBAF.org ::..

ObliqSound Artists On Tour Now!

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African, Bassist, Brazilian, Culture, Female Vocalist, International, Jazz, Keyboards, Male Vocalist

ObliqSound is pleased to announce a full fall tour schedule and lots of chances for you to enjoy some fantastic music live and in person, including Gretchen Parlato, Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze on their first USA tour, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Somi, and many more! We hope you’ll join us for an opportunity to enjoy these exceptional artists at one or more of their shows. More details and dates are below.

Listen to streaming tracks from these new releases in the ObliqSound music player, and if you like what you hear, use coupon code FALLTOUR in your shopping cart to save 20% off anything on our site, including pre-orders.

Gretchen Parlato

Gretchen Parlato’s voice is a thing of wonder. Striking the ideal balance between precision and flexibility, she is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist as she takes a lyric–and at other times improvised flights of wordless fancy–to places it’s never before been. On In a Dream, her debut album for ObliqSound, Parlato and her intuitive support team reinvent constantly, Parlato impeccably articulating in a voice so ethereal that the listener might very well feel that he or she is “in a dream.”

“The most alluring jazz vocal album of 2009.” – Billboard Magazine

Vijay Iyer | Tragicomic

Tags

Culture, Improvised Music, Jazz, Piano

Vijay Iyer | Tragicomic [Sunnyside, 2008]

Vijay Iyer, Tragicomic

Imagine a pianist with Thelonious Monk’s angularity, Cecil Taylor’s force, and Andrew Hill’s genius, coupled with a profound compositional mind that extends, elevates, and elaborates on the traditions of jazz, world, and Indian music, and you ll get Vijay Iyer, the most critically acclaimed improvisationally oriented artist of this young century. Named the # 1 Rising Star Jazz Artist of the Year and the # 1 Rising Star Composer of the Year in Down Beat magazine s 2006 and 2007 International Critics Poll, this sensational South Asian/American pianist/composer/author/educator has performed and recorded with an impressive roster of stars, from Steve Coleman and John Zorn, to poet Amiri Baraka and the rap duo dead prez, and has presented a number of astonishing CDs as a leader and co-leader.

Iyer s music mirrors the complex political, economic, religious and social challenges in today s world, which results in a kind of quantum jazz: a poly-tempoed approach, where two listeners can hear two different time signatures at the same point in a composition. The Coltrane-coded The Weight of Things and Becoming open and close the CD.

Source: Amazon.com

What Will Record Labels Look Like in the Future?

Tags

African American, Culture, Jazz, Music, Technology

In recent months there’s been a plethora of articles across the Internet, also the print media in reference to why the “Music Industry” and “Artists” alike are suffering from the loss in sales … here’s a in depth perspective from the folks at MediaShift/PBS.

Digital Music

The pioneers of the music industry couldn’t have seen this coming in their wildest dreams. When publishers were selling sheet music in the late 1800s, the idea of people privately sharing their product, independent of location and physical constraints, would have seemed ridiculous. But now record labels have been decimated by the digital shift, and are rethinking their entire business model to survive.

Even as recently as the 1970s, the thought that consumers would be able to bring the industry to its knees by circumventing the existing structure and barriers seemed ludicrous. Large companies solidified vertical and/or horizontal integration across almost all elements in the supply chain; this practically ensured a stranglehold on consumers.

Then, as the infamous “home taping is killing music” warning inside record sleeves indicated, the music business (record labels and trade groups in particular) became concerned that blank cassettes were eroding profits. The ability to record songs from radio, a record, or via another cassette meant that people could acquire music cheaply or even for free.

It’s worth noting that not all people saw this as the beginning of the end. In 1981 the Dead Kennedys endeared themselves to a legion of anti-corporate youth by printing this message on one side of a cassette EP:

“Home taping is killing big business profits. We left this side blank so you can help.”

As anti-establishment as the Dead Kennedys and their label Alternative Tentacles were, I don’t think even they could have dreamed up the situation most record labels would find themselves in during the following decades.

Source: Media/Shift

Bonus material to read: “Why We Steal Music” from AllAboutJazz.com!!

Goodnight, Paul | Piano

Tags

African American, Art, Culture

Hello everyone, it’s been a minute due to among many reasons plus tax season etc. Today, I’m delighted to share with you one of my personal favorite artist Paul Goodnight from his “No Strings Attached” Series. Enjoy!

Paul  Goodnight | Piano [Giclee, Limited Edition]

Paul Goodnight

The National Black Fine Art Show

Tags

African American, Black Art, Culture

The National Black Fine Art Show, the premier fine art fair featuring an impressive array of original artwork by Black artists, is a yearly meeting place for knowledgeable curators, collectors and interested novice.

The Show will be held at 7 West 34th Street, across from the Empire State Building in the heart of Manhattan.

Show Dates and Hours:

Friday, February 13
Saturday, February 14
Sunday, February 15

Noon – 8:00 pm
11:00 am – 8:00 pm
11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Source: Blackfineartshow.com

Afro Bop Alliance | Camino Nuevo

Tags

Afro Bop Alliance, Cuba Jazz, Culture

An Afro Cuban Jazz Septet based in Washington DC playing a style of music integrating rhythms of the Caribbean with the sophisticated harmonies of American Jazz music. Afro Bop Alliance proudly presents “Camino Nuevo“, the band’s sophomore release.

***Winner: Best Latin Recording***

Afro Bop Alliance

Afro Bop Alliance | Camino Nuevo [Latin Jazz/Mambo Maniacs Records/2007]

21st Annual Wammie Awards (Washington Area Music Awards) Afro Bop Alliance is an Afro-Cuban Jazz Septet based in Annapolis Maryland, performing extensively throughout the Washington DC-Baltimore area and Mid-Atlantic region.  ABA is led by drummer Joe McCarthy and features Felix Contreras-congas, Harry Appelman-piano, Max Murray-bass, Luis Hernandez-saxophone, Tim Stanley-trumpet, and Dan Drew-trombone.

A Taste of Cacao Música | Latin Jazz With A Venezuelan Flavor

Tags

Culture, Jazz, Latin Music

Cacao Música

A Taste of Cacao Música | Latin Jazz With A Venezuelan Flavor [Latin Jazz/Cacao Música/2008] Latin Jazz

Cacao Música is a new music label based in Caracas, Venezuela. With a varied catalogue that includes Jazz, World and Latin Music, they have entered the North American Market in a big way. Founded by drummer and veteran broadcaster Omar Jeanton (owner of several radio sations in Venezuela), and Major League Baseball right fielder Bobby Abreu (also a passionate music fan), “Cacao’s mission is to produce and market internationally an eclectic catalogue of CDs and DVDs spanning diverse musical genres and styles including jazz, Latin-jazz, fusion, Afro-Venezuelan, pop, folk and instrumental music.” ~ Source: Latin Jazz Network/Danilo Navas

Chembo Corniel | For The Rest Of Your Life

Tags

Culture, Jazz, Percussionist

Chembo Corniel

Chembo Corniel | For The Rest Of Your Life [Latin Jazz/Chemboro/2007] Nuyorican Jazz

Chembo Corniel has been on the front lines for over three decades – in the Salsa trenches of New York’s cuchifrito circuit where the competition is stiff. His rock-solid tumbaos and beautiful sound on the conga drums has made him one of the most in-demand sidemen and studio musicians in New York over the past three decades. But Chembo’s recently put on a new hat – that of the bandleader – and he’s come out of the gate hitting hard with his power-packed Latin Jazz ensemble, Chaworó, top shelf Nuyorican streetwise sabor, fresh and funky and respectful of its considerable roots.

In the city that invented the Latin percussionist/bandleader (Tito, Mongo, Candido, Ray Barretto, Kako, Orlando Marín, Willie Bobo, Joe Cuba, Orestes Vilato, etc.), you’ve got to come correct because the public expects no less. ~ Source: CDBaby.com