Tutu Puoane -][- BREATHE – [Sheer Sound, 2012] –

Tags

Sheer Sound, South African Music Award, Tutu Puoane, Vocalist

Tutu Puoane, BREATHE

Tutu Puoane -][- BREATHE –Mp3– [Sheer Sound, 2012]-

Sheer Sound proudly announces the signing of another massive jazz-based musical talent: Tutu Puoane. Highly acclaimed two (2) x South African Music Award (SAMA) winner for “Best Vocal Jazz’ categories – Tutu Puoane joins Sheer Sound with her latest offering “Breathe” – her 4th release to date.

Tutu says: “Most music in this world is about love – this album is no different.” Indeed resonant and heartfelt tracks and ballads find a home – and Tutu’s amazing and soaring vocal and compositional abilities are very readily apparent, and very impressive.

Media and jazz circles are a-buzz re Tutu and her new album. Seeds have been planted and tracks are already rotating – with mentions of pending albums release. The social network side is positively humming with anticipation likewise –[Excerpt | Sheer Sound]-

::: SOURCE: Sheer Sound :::

Lionel Loueke -][- HERITAGE – [Blue Note Records, 2012] –

Tags

Amazon.com, Blue Note Records, Derrick Hodge, entertainment, Gretchen Parlato, Guitarist, LIONEL LOUEKE, Mark Guiliana, Music, Robert Glasper, robert glasper trio, Terence Blanchard, Vocalist, West African

Lionel Louke, HERITAGE

Lionel Loueke -][- HERITAGE – [Blue Note Records, 2012] –

On August 28, the acclaimed West African jazz guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke will release Heritage, his dynamic third Blue Note album, which was co-produced by label mate Robert Glasper. Heritage finds Loueke who was hailed by The New York Times as a gentle virtuoso exploring a more electric sound with a new trio featuring Derrick Hodge on electric bass and Mark Guiliana on drums. The album presents seven new compositions by Loueke, two by Glasper, and one co-written by the two. Glasper also contributes piano and keyboards to six tracks, while singer Gretchen Parlato provides background vocals on two tracks.

Sean Haefeli -][- RISE – [Sean Haefeli, 2012] –

Tags

CDBaby.com, Composer, Keyboardist, Lyricist, Rap, Sean Haefeli, Vocalist

Sean Haefeli, RISE

Sean Haefeli -][- RISE –Mp3– [Sean Haefeli, 2012] –

Sean Haefeli is a forward-thinking musician, skilled as a pianist, vocalist, lyricist and composer. His music represents a convergence of sensibilities and aesthetics, as jazz, soul, and poetic lyricism intersect, creating a distinctively modern sound.

Throughout his youth, Sean trained as a classical pianist, and later, a vocalist, while primarily listening to hip-hop and r&b. He continued to navigate seemingly disparate worlds, entering Depaul University as an opera major, and graduating with a degree in English literature. He cultivated an appreciation for a diverse range of poets, and regularly appeared on Chicago’s spoken word scene. After graduation, he immersed himself in jazz and improvisation, working in a range of performance mediums and styles, while further widening his listening sphere. -[Excerpt | Biography]-

Joe Jackson -][- THE DUKE – [Razor & Tie Label, 2012] –

Tags

Amazon, Arranger, celebrities, classic compositions, entertainment, jazz giant, Joe Jackson, Keyboardist, Music, Pianist, Razor & Tie Label, time grammy nominee, Vocalist

“I revere Duke Ellington, but I didn’t want this to be a reverent album,” Joe Jackson says of The Duke, his new tribute to American jazz giant Ellington.

Joe Jackson, THE DUKE

Joe Jackson -][- THE DUKE –Mp3– [Razor & Tie Label, 2012] –

True to Jackson’s word, The Duke is a decidedly unconventional salute to Ellington, demonstrating the timeless brilliance of his classic compositions while showcasing Jackson’s sublime skills as an arranger, instrumentalist and vocal interpreter. Although it’s only the second time he’s recorded an album not comprised of his own compositions, The Duke is nonetheless a deeply personal project for Jackson, whose longstanding affinity for Ellington’s pioneering spirit has served as a key inspiration throughout his own three-decades-plus career.

Gregory Porter -][- BE GOOD [Motema, 2012]

Tags

African American, Gregory Porter, Jazz, Motema, Vocalist

Gregory Porter, BE GOOD

Gregory Porter -][- BE Good – [Motema, 2012]

In the short fifteen months since Gregory Porter exploded onto the international music scene with his debut CD, Water, he has racked up a continuing stream of accolades and awards. Porter’s Water garnered a ‘Best Jazz Vocal ’ Grammy® nomination (a rare feat for a debut recording), rocketed to #1 on both iTunes and Amazon in the UK, made significant sales inroads and has soared on to be included on an international array of year-end ‘Best Of’ lists for 2010 in several genres. The happy result is that, in less than a year and a half, these successes have created a formidable draw for Porter as an international touring artist.

José James | The Dreamer

Tags

Hip-hop, Jazz, Jose James, Soul, Vocalist

José James | The Dreamer – [Brownswood Recordings, 2008]

José James, The Dreamer

Brooklyn based, half-Irish and half-Panamanian José James sounds like a soulful cross between Gil Scott Heron, Terry Callier and Kurt Elling. He’s definitely a jazz singer and we don’t seem to have enough of those, especially younger ones to take the form forward. He sings here as part of a basic quartet made up of him, Nori Ochiai on piano, Alexi David on bass and Steve Lyman on drums – though Luke Damrosch plays drums on “The Dreamer” and “blackeyedsusan” and Junior Mance plays piano on “Spirits Up Above“.

There’s another slight variation to the line-up (and general vibe of the album) on “Park Bench People“, where Ryan Blum takes up keyboards and Gal Ben Haim plays guitar. Blum also plays keys on the album closer, the drum & bass-inspired “Love“. Omar Abdukarim also plays trumpet albeit, on the title track only.