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THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S NOW, THEN & FORVER TOPS THE BILLBOARD 200 AND R&B CHARTS | Musique Non Stop

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Friday, September 20, 2013

THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S NOW, THEN & FORVER TOPS THE BILLBOARD 200 AND R&B CHARTS


THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S NOW, THEN & FORVER TOPS THE BILLBOARD 200 AND R&B CHARTS

Link to THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER

  1. EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S NOW, THEN & FORVER TOPS THE BILLBOARD 200 AND R&B CHARTS
  2. NEW RELEASES - KILL YOURSELF DANCING, TOMMASSO CAPPELLATO AND ASTRAL TRAVELER, JAZZ SOUNDTRACKS
  3. GRETCHEN PARLATO LIVE IN NYC
Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:41 AM PDT
Now, Then & Forever, the first new studio album in eight years from international superstars Earth, Wind & Fire, has entered the Billboard 200 at #11 and #5 on the top R&B album charts marking the group's highest-charting album, since Raise! hit #5 on the Billboard 200 in 1981. It's the first Earth, Wind & Fire album of new studio material since 2005, Now, Then & Forever  is also the group's first full-on new studio album for Legacy Recordings. "This album is really about the legacy of Earth, Wind & Fire. The spirit of the band has always been about uplifting the consciousness of humanity.  There's a hope that this Earth, Wind & Fire music will go on forever," said co-founder Philip Bailey before the album's release on September 10.


In response to their #11 debut Philip Bailey says, "I'm ecstatic! Onward and upward."  Longtime member and percussionist Ralph Johnson adds, "It is our best work in 20 years. Super proud of it."  EWF's co-founder Verdine White reflects, "Without the support of the fans around the world, the Earth, Wind & Fire journey would not have been possible.  We dedicate this album, Now, Then & Forever, to all the fans."

Now, Then & Forever - track listing :  Sign On / Love Is Law / My Promise / Guiding Lights / Got To Be Love / Belo Horizonte / Dance Floor / Splashes / Night Of My Life / The Rush

Earth, Wind & Fire, the groundbreaking funk-rock-soul-jazz ensemble who've been laying down their signature grooves for more than 40 years, are currently on the road, bringing the sounds of Now, Then & Forever to concert audiences across the country this fall. The brainchild of music legend Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire is to this day one of the top touring groups of all time with founding members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson performing to sold-out audiences around the world.

Earth, Wind & Fire US Tour dates:
September 20 / Chicago, IL / Chicago Theatre
September 21 / Chicago, IL / Chicago Theaatre  
September 22 / Cincinnati, OH / Horsehoe Cincinnati                       
September 24 / New York, NY / Beacon Theatre            
September 25 / New York, NY / Beacon Theatre            
September 27 / Atlantic City, NJ / Borgata Event Center         
September 28 / Atlantic City, NJ / Borgata Event Center                     
September 29 / Washington, DC / Warner Theatre            
October 1/ Fayetteville, NC / Cumberland Country Auditorium                                      
October 2 /Atlanta, GA / Fox Theatre                  
October 4 / Gretna, LA / Gretna Heritiage Festival                  
October 5 / Houston, TX / Bayou Music Center                  
October 6 / Dallas, TX / Verizon Wireless Theatre                  
November 1 / Knoxville, TN / Tennessee Theatre 

Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:29 AM PDT
KILL YOURSELF DANCINIG: THE STORY OF SUNSET RECORDS INC. - CHICAGO 1985-89 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A killer look at one of the most compelling labels on the Chicago house scene of the 80s – a tiny imprint, but one that cut some mighty important music – especially sounds that would have great resonance in the global acid explosion at the end of the decade! The work here has edges that are often a bit sharper than those of more familiar house at Trax Records – and a rhythmic intensity that's very focused, very stripped-down, and very much distilled to the core essence of Chicago house – that harder punch that's informed by a lot of European work at the start of the 80s, but turned towards the decimated disco scene in the US – to rise up a whole new generation with a great burst of energy! The package is maybe the best we've seen so far from Still Music – and features these very detailed notes that tell the fascinating story of the label's rise and short history – really getting at the midwestern melting pot that made house music so great. Titles include "Kill Yourself Dancing" by Razz, "Lover Man" by Ben Mays, "It Could Be Acid" by White Knight, "Face The Music (dub mix)" by Boom Boom & Master Plan, "Persia" by Modern Mechanical Music, "Electric Baile (commercial mix)" by Master Plan, "I Want You (transcontinental mix)" by Hex Complexx, and "Rock The Nation (Kenny Jason rmx)" by Matt Warren. 2CD set features a whopping 21 tracks in all!  ~Dusty Groove

TOMMASO CAPPELLATO AND ASTRAL TRAVELER - COSMETHIC

A totally sweet set from drummer Tommaso Cappellato – a player who was mentored by legendary spiritual jazz maestro Harry Whitaker, and who works here in a groove that really recalls Whitaker's best music of the 70s! The album features a small group that's heavy on Fender Rhodes and moog – keyboards that really stretch out beautifully, in ways that are filled with soul and spirit – soaring out into space over Cappellato's tight drums, and mixed with these flute lines and voice that really add a heavenly quality to the set! The whole thing rests perfectly in a space between Strata East and some of the best of the Japanese releases of the 70s – including Whitaker's landmark Black Renaissance album – and there's even a bit of Lonnie Liston Smith elements to the record as well. Wonderful stuff throughout – with titles that include "Awakenings", "Consciousness", "Entering The Dream", "My Body Needs To Breathe I Doesn't", "Music Power", and "Cosmethic". ~ Dusty Groove


JAZZ SOUNDTRACKS / ATTILA ZOLLER - ORIGINAL MUSIC FROM THE ARTHOUSE FILMS OF HANS JURGEN POHLAND 1962-67

One of the greatest German jazz guitarists – heard here in some of his grooviest work of the 60s – an amazing batch of material recorded for the art house films of director Hansjurgen Pohland! Zoller already had a modern tone by the time of these recordings – a sublime sound on the guitar that rivaled that of Billy Bauer with the Lee Konitz group of the 50s, but which was also freer, and open to rich new ideas too – especially from a rhythmic and tonal standpoint, which always keeps Zoller's work compelling! Attila's way more than just another jazzy player on the instrument – and film material like this really lets him stretch his imagination – and unlock a whole whose of tones and colors that are quite imagistic in nature. Most tracks are played by a small combo led by Zoller – often working in front of the screen as images passed by – scenes from films that include Katz Und Maus, Tamara, and The Bread Of Our Early Years. This set marks the first release of the material actually recorded for those films on record – and titles include "Family Bricks", "Pilenz", "Road Song", "Minesweeper", "Cold Fusion", "Adam's Apple", "Hedwig's Departure", "Mousetip Strut", and "Mahlke. ~ Dusty Groove


Posted: 19 Sep 2013 09:12 AM PDT
Since winning the 2004 Thelonious Monk Institute International Vocal Competition, Parlato has released three critically acclaimed albums. The successful self-produced 2005 debut, Gretchen Parlato, landed her on ObliqSound, which released In a Dream, and was named Billboard Magazine's "Most Alluring Jazz Vocal Album of 2009" and NPR's "The Year's Best New Jazz." Her latest, 2011's The Lost and Found, topped charts worldwide and was rated the #1 Vocal Album of the Year by iTunes Jazz, Radio TSF Jazz Paris, and London's The Guardian.

Parlato's new album and DVD set, Live in NYC, serves as both a gift of gratitude for those loyal fans and a window into her captivating concert performances. Style Weekly gives insight to her live performances, saying "in performance, jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato is a revelation... her diaphanous voice expands into an instrument of impressive range, rhythmic sophistication and emotional power." The Jazz Breakfast even picks up on the differences between her records and live performance, commenting, "the New York-based Californian and her band are terrific on record, but in live performance they fill the music with even more energy, stretching it like some magic pliable plastic into new and exciting forms. The rhythmic and dynamic expertise of all four is extraordinary. They shift the accents around, they pause, and fall back in perfectly, they deepen the groove and then 'shallow' it gently again." This set truly exemplifies the evolution of these songs since their inception years ago.

For Parlato, the release of Live in NYC is an opportunity to take a pause and look back over what has been a remarkably active and creative decade, and also to pay tribute to the city that has made it possible. "This album represents the beloved live performances we've shared over many years of playing together all over the world," says Parlato. "Though, it's especially personal for me to have recorded in New York City, as 2013 marks 10 years of calling NYC my home after moving from Los Angeles."

While Parlato has performed on some of the world's most prestigious concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, London Jazz Festival, North Sea & Montreal Jazz Festival, she chose the intimacy of Rockwood Music Hall for this special recording. Two different incarnations of Parlato's transfixing working bands came together for two nights in December 2012 to record Live in NYC. "Over these years of touring together, two specific bands have stood out to me: Taylor Eigsti, Alan Hampton, and Mark Guiliana, and Eigsti, Burniss Earl Travis II, and Kendrick Scott. Each band has their own unique dynamic and approach to the music. I knew I had to feature both. I've spent so many years touring with these wonderful musicians," she explains. "I've always wanted to capture and share the magical energy, connection, and interaction of a live performance. Singing with these musicians has uplifted and inspired me, each of them supporting and challenging me as a singer."

The album's nine live tracks (four of which appear on the accompanying DVD) are culled from Parlato's three albums but all of the material has been significantly transformed in the years since it was recorded. While her artistic growth has been evident on each successive album, it's particularly enlightening to have the opportunity to revisit this material and witness first-hand how it has changed over years of bandstand evolution. It also allows Parlato's dedicated fans to carry home the experience they've only been able to share in nightclubs or via festival stages.

"I thought of featuring the songs that been reworked into versions that are different from how we recorded them in the studio," reflects Parlato. "So much of what we do is about the interpretive and improvisatory element each time we approach the music. The live album is accompanied by a DVD, as I wanted to make sure there was a visual component to enhance the aural experience. I find it especially fascinating to watch performers live, and get a detailed look into how they approach and play their instruments, and the dynamic and often subtle interplay between musicians," says Parlato.

Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly," which opens the album, has changed from In a Dream's intimate trio performance with guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke and bassist Derrick Hodge, to a simmering, soulful full-band treatment here. "Alô Alô" from The Lost and Found, has intensified from its original multi-layered track of Parlato's voice and percussion, to a driving rhythmic showcase, each band member playing their instruments percussively. One of Parlato's most popular covers, a Robert Glasper re-arrangement of SWV's "Weak," played live moves with a spacious, shifting, and elusive groove that spotlights the band's elastic cohesion. Live in NYC closes with Parlato's original "Better Than," with the audience singing along, almost chanting together in this spellbinding arrangement.

Upcoming Gretchen Parlato Performances:
September 19 / Mississippi State University - Lyceum Series / Mississippi State, MS
September 21 / Jazz School / Berkeley, CA
September 22 / Jazz School (masterclass) / Berkeley, CA
September 24 / Beta Level (masterclass) / Los Angeles, CA
September 25 / Blue Whale / Los Angeles, CA
September 26 / The Outpost / Albuquerque, NM
September 28 / Tempe Center for the Arts / Tempe, AZ
October 5 / Folly Theater / Kansas City, MO
October 14 / Paperbox / Brooklyn, NY
October 23 / The Smith Center for the Performing Arts / Las Vegas, NV
October 25 / Buckley Recital Hall, Amherst College / Amherst, MA
November 16 / Rockwood Music Hall / New York, NY
Stay tuned for "Live in NYC" release show in NYC

Gretchen Parlato·  Live in NYC // ObliqSound ·  Release Date: October 8, 2013

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