Artist: Audra Connolly
Title: Dear Friend
Genre: Folk
Label: Hole Heart Records
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There is a quote from once-indie band Rilo Kiley about folk singers that I continuously thought about while I listened to Audra Connolly's newest album, Dear Friend: “Folk singers sing songs for the working, baby...READ MORE...
Make every day Valentine's Day with "one of the outstanding vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time" (JazzTimes). Featured on NPR, Voice of America, CNN TV enEspañol, and Primetime A&E, "Jackie [Ryan] bridges gaps between both geography and generations" (Billboard). On Best of Love Songs, Jackie Ryan delivers 15 songs you can both fall in love with, and fall in love to.
Whether you are in the mood for a sensuous Brazilian love song, or a passionate Spanish bolero, a rarely performed jazz gem or a sizzling classic, these songs will keep the home fires burning. Legendary two-time Grammy-Award nominees Ernie Watts and Red Holloway ignite the sessions, backed by Jon Mayer, Tamir Hendelman, Larry Vuckovich, Jeff Hamilton,Jeff Chambers and a host of others.
Jackie turns up the heat on this journey through the full range of romantic feelings - from the opening flirtations of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" to the sensuous burning desires of "Make It Last." From the amorous musings of "This Heart Of Mine" to the final tender sweet reflections of "While We're Young," all the bases of love are touched - with stunning arrangements and stellar accompaniment by some of the world's finest jazz musicians.
Selected from three recordings released from 2002 to 2006, this collection reflects the breadth of this artist's myriad of musical talent. Classic romantic ballads like Harry Warren's "Serenade In Blue," and Ray Noble's "The Very Thought Of You," a swinging guitar rendition of Oscar Hammerstein's "When I Grow Too Old To Dream," and a poignant harp arrangement of Johnny Mandel and David Frishberg's "You Are There," illustrate the depth of Jackie's art. This collection of songs is rounded out further by two original compositions with Jackie's own insightful lyrics, "Once In Everyone's Life" and "Seasons of the Heart."
John Ballard, president of the OpenArt label and writer of three books on Third World social issues, will be donating 100% of the CD's 2010 profits to Oxfam's ongoing Haiti Relief Fund.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Legendary Sax and Trumpet greats ignite these sessions: Ernie Watts on "Make It Last," Red Holloway on "Let There Be Love" and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," and Allen Smith on an upbeat take of the rarely performed "Now Or Never," penned by Billie Holiday.
• Two New Songs with Jackie's Original Lyrics: "Seasons of The Heart" and "Once In Everyone's Life."
• Three Latin Jazz Songs - in Portuguese and in Spanish, Reflecting the Heart of Jackie's Latin Heritage: "Luiza," "Bésame Mucho," and "Historia De Un Amor."
Jackie Ryan's 2009 release, DOOZY, was the #1 CD nationwide on JazzWeek's Industry-standard chart - for 7 weeks (a record exceeded by only one other vocal CD in the chart's entire history). Featuring guest artists Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Romero Lubambo and others, DOOZY was the 3rd most played jazz CD on radio for the entire year, finished at #3 on JazzWeek's Top 100 CDs of 2009, received four-star reviews from bothDownBeat and All Music Guide, and sat atop many critics' end of year lists. Jackie was one of 5 vocalists voted by critics to make JazzTimes' "Top 50 CDs of the Year."
Over the years, Jackie has gained a reputation as a "musician's singer." She has performed, recorded, or toured with: Clark Terry, Toots Thielemans, Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Red Holloway, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Ernie Watts, Benny Green, Tamir Hendelman, Jeff Hamilton, Amina Figarova, Mike Wofford, Jon Mayer, Larry Vuckovich, and Jon Hendricks.
Los Angeles, CA - John Payne, vocalist/bassist for the classic AOR band ASIA Featuring John Payne is scheduled to present an award at the 21st Century Pollstar Awards at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, February 17th. This year's show is hosted by Kathleen Madigan - the comedian Lewis Black describes as "the funniest woman in America". Voting for awards was conducted entirely online in a variety of categories including Major Tour of the Year; Most Creative Tour Package; Talent Buyer of the Year; Best Touring Artist; Music Festival of the Year; among others. Additional presenters include Alan Parsons, Al Jarreau, Rob Halford, Ronnie Montrose, and Jimmy Van Zant. More info about the Pollstar Awards show is available at http://www.pollstarpro.com/live2010/Awards/pollstarawards-index.html.
John Payne became the frontman of the supergroup ASIA in 1992 at the invitation of keyboardist Geoff Downes, replacing vocalist/bassist John Wetton. ASIA extensively toured the world for the next 14 years performing new classics and old favorites. With John Payne fronting the band, ASIA released 8 stunning studio albums and several live recordings. In 2006, Geoff Downes left the band to reform the 1982 line up for their 25th anniversary. On the 9th of May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne would continue his 14 year legacy with ASIA as ”ASIA Featuring John Payne”. The band's most recent EP "Military Man" was released in October, 2009 to rave reviews. A new full-length CD is scheduled for release this summer with a 2010 worldwide tour currently in the planning stages.
For more information about ASIA Featuring John Payne, please visit http://www.theasiaband.com and http://www.myspace.com/asiafeaturingjohnpayne.
Media contact (interviews, photos, presskits):
Serge Entertainment PR
PO Box 2760, Acworth, GA 30102
Phone 678-445-0006, Email: SergeEnt@aol.com
Grammy Award Winning Pianist George Winston has released a new CD of solo piano music in a tribute to Vince Guaraldi: Love Will Come: The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Volume 2. Vince Guaraldi will always be associated with the “Charlie Brown” television specials and the “Peanuts” characters conceived by Charles M. Schulz. He created the sounds of “Charlie Brown” that remain indelible in our minds. But, Guaraldi was also a successful jazz musician. He was part of the early Cal Tjader Trio and also had a hit of his own with “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” Winston honors both facets of Vince Guaraldi with this new CD which is the follow-on to his first Guaraldi tribute recording in 1996, Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi.
Appropriately, more than half of the 16 tracks (9) are from “Charlie Brown” episodes. The remainder is from Guaraldi’s jazz work. It’s appropriate that so many songs are from the TV series due to its immense popularity and because it is inextricable linked with Guaraldi’s music. The commercial success of the series does not detract from the quality and enjoyment of the music. Many artists struggle for years to gain exposure to a wide audience and Guaraldi’s good fortune was well-deserved. It can be a huge challenge to cover such familiar and beloved material and Winston does an admirable job.
Guaraldi’s unique style of composition is readily recognizable: strong bass lines, frequent cyclical modulations, chords featuring major 9ths (often in place of the 7th typically used in jazz harmonies) and pentatonic scales. The first track is “Time for Love” from the “There’s No Time For Love, Charlie Brown” episode. As with many of Guaraldi’s compositions it sets up a steady-state tempo and rarely strays from it. Winston maintains the flow and adds interest with dynamic variations. Also from the TV series, the second track, “It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown,” is immediately familiar and comfortable. The next cut, “Macedonia/Little David,” is from Guaraldi’s non-“Peanuts” work. These other pieces generally contrast with the “Peanuts” selections by their slower tempo, minor key settings and pensive mood. Winston interjects these lesser known jazz compositions as strategic punctuations in the flow of the more well-known music. “Fenwyck’s Farfel/Calling Dr. Funk,” track five, is as standout as a somber blues in almost a New Orleans jazz funeral style. “Pebble Beach/Dolores Park” is another atypical selection. It is modern jazz with harmonic progressions reminiscent of Gary Burton’s early work. The title track, “Love Will Come,” is again from “Charlie Brown” and paints an image of the character’s thoughtful reflective nature. It is reprised in variation for the final track, “Love Will Come 2.”
Winston faces two challenges on this CD. First, the compositions are all by a single composer and are extremely familiar from their original context. Second, the entire recording is of solo piano. Given these tight constraints this is a good piece of work. Many of us have an immediate strong and pleasurable nostalgic response to Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown” sounds. Combine that with Winston’s fine interpretations of some of Guaraldi’s other interesting jazz compositions and you have two compelling reasons to enjoy Love Will Come.
http://www.muzikreviews.com/reviews.php?ID=961
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Yeah, I know it's only February, but I'm surrendering. Next week, Nick Curran & The Lowlifes will be releasing their new record, "Reform School Girl," and I'm going all in. This IS, and will continue to be, the best record of 2010.
