Archive for March, 2018

Basia – Butterflies

Butterflies, Basia‘s first new studio album in 9 years, is certain to be an event as it delivers her inimitable, breezy fusion of jazz and Brazilian/Latin sounds topped with her beguiling vocals. Produced and written with her long-time collaborator Danny White, the album is a sparkling set of originals delivered with impeccable musicianship and production that presents her classic sound with a contemporary sheen.

The new album will be released on Shanachie Entertainment May 18, 2018 and can be pre-ordered right now on Amazon.com.

David Garfield – Jazz Outside the Box

Well known as musical director of George Benson keyboardist David Garfield pursues his own dream as a solo artist. His debut album was a homage to the late drummer Jeff Pocaro Tribute to Jeff (1997).

Next albums were I Am The Cat…Man (1997), Music From Riding Bean (2001), Giving Back (2003), Seasons Of Change, The State of Things, Tribute To Jeff Revisited (2005). His newest project is Jazz Outside The Box (2018).

Garfield performs on the new album piano, Fender Rhodes and synthesizers. Further players are trumpeter Wallace Roney, percussionist Poncho Sanchez and drummer Steve Jordan. Guest musicians are Randy Brecker, Michael McDonald, Tom Scott, Eric Marienthal, Pete Christlieb, Bennie Maupin, Brian Auger, Will Lee, Airto Moreira, the Charlie Bisharat String Quartet, an orchestra conducted by John Clayton, the late guitarists Chuck Loeb and Larry Coryell, and John Densmore, who plays drums and orates on a spoken word segment.

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Vincent Ingala – Personal Touch

Twenty-something music prodigy Vincent Ingala is no stranger to contemporary jazz audiences. His heartfelt, sweet and soulful mix has catapulted him to the top of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts, garnering him three Billboard #1s, and eight top 10 hits. The charismatic and handsome instrumental wizard has endeared fans, contemporaries and critics alike with his consummate musicianship, fun-loving stage presence, energized and inspired performances and all-around passion. Ingala, who was handpicked to open for Dave Koz at the tender age of 16, is an old soul with a musical identity and wisdom well beyond his years. He has collaborated with and or opened for such artists as Chris Botti, Jonathan Butler, Peter White and Kim Waters, among others.

“I do not remember making a decision about becoming a musician because music was always inside of me,” confides Ingala “My earliest memories are of banging on pots and pans until my parents had to buy me a drum kit and from there it was like a domino effect.” From banging on pots to churning out hits, Ingala is a chameleon in the recording studio. Like an alchemist, he concocts the perfect elixir of his broad musical influences spanning the worlds of jazz, R&B, disco, pop and beyond. A virtual one-man band playing everything from tenor saxophone, piano and drums to guitar bass and lead vocals, Ingala possesses great ingenuity, extraordinary versatility and an endless supply of inspiration. “I love all types of music and genres and I just absorb as much of it as I can,” explains the young, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. “I have always been mesmerized with the process of multi-track recording from a very young age. It’s a process that I still love and practice today.”

April 27, 2018, Vincent Ingala will release his fifth solo recording and Shanachie Entertainment debut, Personal Touch. A collection of eight stirring original tracks and two surprising reinventions of R&B chestnuts, Vincent Ingala proves why he is one of the most exciting artists to emerge in contemporary jazz this past decade. Continue reading

Iñaki Arakistain – Another Road

Iñaki Arakistain opens us to a musical concept unprecedented until now in Spain made by a saxophonist, in which groove music coexists, with influences from Brazilian music, Latin Funk, as well as recently merging Flamenco with those styles, thus enriching its new projects united by the common language of jazz.

He has released his 4th studio album Another Road, made up of excellent musicians from the national and international scene, full of good “Groove Latin” that mixes exotic sounds with roots as deep as Flamenco, Brazilian music, Afro-Cuban folklore and music. African-American as the Funk. Elegantly constructed harmonies and new sounds that travel towards a new musical direction from the most disturbing heart of this experienced and experimental saxophonist.

Another Road is to find on CDBaby.

Tony Craddock Jr. & Cold Front – H2O

Washington, DC-based saxophonist Tony Craddock Jr. has founded his label Cold Front Music, LLC in 2011. The first album was Christmas in the Air (2011), followed by Convection (2013). His third album H20 offers uplifting contemporary jazz on the soprano and alto saxophones, with a few vocal songs too. The album features guitarist Ken Navarro, saxophonist Kirk Whalum and vocalist Ashli Rice on selected tracks.

H20, the chemical formula for water, is recommended by Ronald Jackson (Smooth Jazz Ride), who discovered “definitely an element of sophistication”.

Check it out on CDBaby.

Rob Zinn – Walk The Walk

Delaware based trumpeter and flugelhornist Rob Zinn focused for the first time on the smooth jazz genre with his album Yesterday Again (2016). With his sophomore album Walk The Walk (2018) he wants to do another step and take his music to the next level.

All ten tunes are originals, engineered, mixed and produced by Paul Brown at his very own studio, The Funky Joint. Rob performs on his album trumpet and flugelhorn. He is accompanied by Andrew Neu, Michael Paulo (sax), Paul Brown (guitar, percussion), Marco Basci (keyboards), Roberto Vally, Bryant Siono (bass), Gorden Campbell (drums), Andre Frappier (guitar), Dax Reynosa (vocals), Lew Laing (keyboards, programming), Jeff Carruthers (keyboards, strings, synth horns, drums and percussion programming), and Ritchie Garcia (congas).

The new project shows with the first tune the direction, the complete album is taking. Walk The Walk is built on a solid horn arrangement featuring Rob’s immense trumpet talent and one of the most underrated sax player in smooth jazz, Andrew Neu. Wherever You Are chooses a different approach. A romantic theme performed by Rob on flugelhorn subtly merging with Andrew’s tenor sax.

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Robbie Karena – Good to See Ya

Robbie Karena has worked as a freelance guitarist in Australia and country of origin New Zealand for 30 yrs. He has established himself as a versatile musician/guitarist. He was a member of the award-winning jazz-funk band Blue Train (1996 NZ Jazz album of the year) and of the highly successful urban-gospel band Revelation (2 albums and a US tour). Robbie’s focus is now on recording his own compositions. This is his debut album Good to See Ya.

The album is a collection of songs and tunes with a common thread of smooth jazz, blues, and gospel. Discover this artist on CDBaby.

Andreas Varady – The Quest

Resonance Records is proud to announce the release of The Quest, the third recording from twenty-year old guitar virtuoso, Andreas Varady. With the release of Questions (2010) and his eponymous CD in 2014, the native of Slovakia, and resident of Ireland, emerged from thin air and put the guitar playing world on notice that there was a new force on the instrument to be reckoned with. On The Quest, Varady’s artistry has reached new heights, and it’s staggering to behold. His unadulterated command of the guitar, his highly-developed skills as a composer, his rhythmic facility (which speaks volumes about his roots in Gypsy music), and his ability to craft an astonishing flow of single-note lines while traversing chord changes, all by ear, has attracted the attention of many legends of this music, not the least of which is Varady’s mentor, manager, producer and friend, the esteemed Quincy Jones. The Quest, available on April 6, 2018, features Varady in the company of his father Ondrej Bandi on bass, younger brother Adrian on drums, fellow Slovak Radovan Tariska on alto saxophone, and Venezuelan native (and current New York City resident) Benito Gonzalez on piano.

At just twenty, Varady has already performed at major festivals and venues around the world. The next exciting new chapter in the journey of this uber-talented musician begins with the release of The Quest. Varady has expressed that this album, comprised of all original music, feels very much like his first fully realized artistic statement, and indeed it showcases Varady’s evolution from child prodigy to consummate artist, one with an abundance of fresh, bold energy. “I feel like I’m giving you a piece of me on this album,” said Varady. The album title, which also reads like a mission statement is, “about this whole quest that I’m on in music seeking cool things, playing cool music in cool places, enjoying it all and having fun and doing what you wanna do,” said Varady. The album is also his debut release on the boutique non-profit jazz label, Resonance Records, which signals a departure from his self-titled major label debut on Verve in 2014. Two other Quincy Jones protégés, Justin Kauflin and Alfredo Rodriguez, will also be releasing new albums in 2018.

Resonance EVP/GM (and executive producer on The Quest) Zev Feldman said about first hearing Varady, “Upon first listen, I was struck by his talent and artistry. Then getting a chance to meet him in Ireland, and spending some time talking with him, he just fits the mold of what Resonance is all about in terms of promoting younger artists and sharing their music. We’re very happy to have him on the label. It’s also a great honor to work with Quincy Jones and his team, and partnering with them to get Andreas’ music out there is something we’re very proud of. Resonance believes strongly in living artists also, not just those from a bygone era, and it’s going to be very exciting to continue to watch him develop and we’re thrilled to be able to add a chapter to his legacy on our label.”
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Darren Rahn – Hymns From The Heart

Saxophonist Darren Rahn is so excited to announce the special Easter release of his brand new inspirational album Hymns From The Heart. This project is very near and dear to his heart and he hopes you’ll enjoy it as much as he enjoyed recording it. Pre-Orders for hand-signed copies are now available at his website – www.darrenrahn.com . Hymns From The Heart features 10 of his favorite inspirational gospel hymns performed on saxophone with piano accompaniment. Songs include How Great Thou Art, Blessed Assurance, I Surrender All, Jesus Loves Me, Softly And Tenderly, Amazing Grace Interlude, There’s Just Something About That Name, It Is Well With My Soul, The Old Rugged Cross, and Jesus Paid It All.

Pre-Orders for a signed CD are $20, will ship the first week of April, and include free shipping (in the continental United States and to APO Addresses). Retail copies of Hymns From The Heart (Physical CD’s and Downloads) will be available on Easter for purchase via Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, CD Baby, and other music retailers worldwide. Pre-Orders are available only in the Continental United States.

Ricardo Bacelar – Sebastiana

Brazilian composer and pianist Ricardo Bacelar entered the music world with his debut album In Natura (2001), an album with classical impression and manifestation. The second one, Concerto para Moviola (Concerto for Moviola), is a live album, recorded in 2015 during the Guaramiranga Jazz and Blues Festival at the Via Sul Theater, Fortalezea, Ceara, Brazil, with an eight-member band, presenting jazz fusion and Brazilian music. Sebastiana (2018) is Ricardo’s third and most ambitious project.

With Sebastiana pianist Ricardo Bacelar pursues a completely new concept. For his Brazilian reinterpretations and originals he assembled an International crew of musicians from Cuba, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and the United States. From Brazil Cesar Lemos (bass, guitar), Maria and Sara Queiroz Bacelar (percussion), vocalists Rose Max, and Ramatis Moraes, from USA vocalist Maye Osorio and guitarist Steve Hinson, from Venezuela Anderson Quintero (drums, percussion) and vocalist Andrea Mangiamarchi, from Cuba Yoel Del Sol (percussion), from Colombia Channo Tierra (accordion) and Jose Sibaja (trumpet, flugelhorn), from Peru Jesus Rodriguez (percussion and Charango), from Argentina Gabriel Fernandez (Bandoneón).

A Volta da Asa Branca (The White Wing Tour) immediately takes us into the colorful world of folk music of which we have so many borrowings and which fills our hearts with innocent joy. Suco Verde (Green Juice) is a mixture of ingredients which is found in the food culture of many peoples with different components. Musically, the taste of fusion jazz clearly sets in here.

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