THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER NEW RELEASES - BOB BALDWIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, JACQUES LESURE

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• NEW RELEASES - BOB BALDWIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, JACQUES LESURE
• JOHN ALCORN / MICHAEL MASSARO - BEATITUDE IN BLUE
• 2013 NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL® CELEBRATES THE 35th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND
• SARAH VAUGHAN - SOPHISTICATED LADY: THE DUKE ELLINGTON SONGBOOK COLLECTION

NEW RELEASES - BOB BALDWIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, JACQUES LESURE Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:05 PM PDT BOB BALDWIN - TWENTY Twenty celebrates a humble milestone in the career of New York native, arranger, producer, and entrepreneur Bob Baldwin and represents 20 discs in 25 years, which has been a great journey for Baldwin, also radio host of NewUrbanJazz Lounge, now over 453,000 listeners weekly. "I remember growing up listening to great records by Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones, then actually meeting Herbie (in LA) and Mr. Hubbard (at the Blue Note/NYC) back in the late '70's, this has a profound impact on my career, and as a result, I wanted to salute them both on a couple of pieces "Butterfly" and "Chameleon" (Hancock) and "Red Clay" (Hubbard). "For me, it's always been about pushing that envelope because I don't really think it's possible to be totally original anymore because of the huge mass of music in the universe," says Baldwin, "however, the challenge is still to maintain your own voice so that when people hear your music, they say, 'Oh, that's Herbie or Quincy,' or hopefully, 'that's Bob Baldwin on the keys. The disc is part of that evolution of honing your voice, and using great musicians to bring the best out of you, and vice versa.' The album, which features Marion Meadows, Joey Sommervile, and Ragan Whiteside, among others, is chock-full of drummers ike Lil' John Roberts, Poogie Bell and PFunk drummer Benjamin Cowan, which adds a cool dose of jazz funk drumming. Ballads like "Music Changed My Life" and "On and On" urge you to turn up the blue light, while party tracks "Turn the Club Up," and the anointed 100 Million+ viewer YouTube sensation Sweet Brown who joins on the theme song "Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo' Dat." Baldwin elaborates, "That track is funny AND funky!" Twenty is a must-have for your Baldwin collection, and if this is your first taste of this artist, there's plenty of catalog with which to familiarize yourself!  ~ amazon.com ELVIS PRESLEY - ELVIS AT STAX: DELUXE EDITON   Chronicles the 40th Anniversary of Elvis' historic hometown studio sessions of July and December 1973. Deluxe 3-CD Box Set marks the first gathering of 28 masters and 27 outtakes in one comprehensive package. The last major studio sessions in the career of Elvis Presley have finally been gathered together for the first time in one comprehensive package, as Elvis At Stax: Deluxe Edition. The deluxe 3-CD box set, a 40th anniversary chronicle of a dozen nights that Presley spent at Stax Recording Studios in his hometown of Memphis in July and December 1973. Elvis At Stax; Deluxe Edition bristles with energy and dynamism. The proof is in the six consecutive singles that the Stax sessions produced, all of which skirted the Top 40 from 1973 to 1975. In effect, they rivaled some of the hottest streaks that Presley had charted a decade earlier. The Stax singles still resonate today: "Raised On Rock" b/w "For Ol' Time Sake" (Hot 100 #41, country #42); "I've Got A Thing About You Baby" b/w "Take Good Care Of Her" (Hot 100 #39, country #4); "Promised Land" b/w "It's Midnight" (Hot 100 #14, country #9); "If You Talk In Your Sleep" b/w "Help Me" (Hot 100 #17, country #6); "My Boy" b/w Thinking About You (Hot 100 #20, country #14); and "Mr. Songman" (B-side of "T-R-O-U-B-L-E," Hot 100 #35, country #11). ~ amazon.com JACQUES LESURE - WHEN SHE SMILES Jacques Lesure, one of the premier jazz guitarists on the west coast, releases his debut CD When She Smiles on WJ3 Records. This recording showcases his interpretations of jazz classics such as Horace Silver's Gregory Is Here, Miles Davis' Blue and Green and Sonny Rollins' Sonnymoon For Two, and Lesure's own composition, When She Smiles. Lesure is joined on this CD by Eric Reed (piano), Willie Jones III (drums) and Mike Gurrola (bass). Lesure has shared the stage with jazz icons including Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine and Les McCann. ~ amazon.com

JOHN ALCORN / MICHAEL MASSARO - BEATITUDE IN BLUE Posted: 23 Jul 2013 09:03 AM PDT The history behind this recording is that it was originally recorded in 2006 with piano, bass and drums with a guitar intro and solo. Dave then approached John Alcorn to do the vocals. After he recorded the vocals, the recording sat for a few years. Then last year Mike Massaro was asked to record a sax line as well as guitarist Kevin Barrett to record a Freddie Green type strumming guitar to finish off the recording. This whole process was somewhat unconventional but in this case it worked rather well. The premise of the lyric is that generic spirituality is its own reward. Vocalist John Acorn brings a soulful rendition of the song; The Toronto Star calls him "one of our finest interpreters of the 'great American songbook,' an artist who always knows how to walk the fine line between respecting the material and offering an original interpretation." Michael Massaro is no stranger to the Canadian air waves as he is one of Canada's premier musicians. His talents were heard on a Redmond Broadcasting compilation recording with some of Canada's foremost instrumental performers including David Foster, Liona Boyd, Moe Koffman, Andre Gagnon, and Frank Mills to name only a few. Ostrovsky had fun producing the music video consisting of Charlie Chaplin silent movie clips humorously depicting the lyrics in this new jazz song which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utGbqeYtrhQ. The major promotional thrust is to have jazz journalists give this recording a nod so that this single will be given a chance to be discovered by record labels that enjoy the premise and feel of the music. The caliber of producers being sought are Jorge Calandrelli and Andre Fischer as well as the vocal stylings of jazz artist Steve Tyrell to name a few. "I truly enjoyed 'Beatitude in Blue'; it had a rhythmic shuffle-beat groove as a toe-tapping backdrop to uplifting lyrics that exemplify the true meaning of 'seeing love through' in life. I believe it being featured on The Jazz Network Worldwide will open the ears of vocalists, instrumentalists and producers globally that are looking for creative, original material to be used for their upcoming projects," says Jaijai Jackson, Owner and creator of The Jazz Network Worldwide.

2013 NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL® CELEBRATES THE 35th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:59 AM PDT Showcasing the powerful and enduring excitement and influence of New Orleans brass band music on American culture, the 2013 Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Global Asset Management is celebrating the 35th Anniversary of The Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Sunday, August 4, at 1:25 pm on the Harbor Stage. The festival, which celebrates its 60th anniversary next year, takes over Newport beginning August 2 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino and August 3 and 4 at historic Fort Adams State Park. "When the Dirty Dozen swings into Newport, jazz fans are in for a treat," said George Wein, producer and creator of the Newport Jazz Festival. "We go back together since their beginning and I am always excited to hear their special magic. In fact, I recorded their first album through the George Wein Collection on Concord Records. They ushered in a bold new sound then, and they continue to make their mark on new audiences around the world." The now seven-piece ensemble, which revolutionized the traditional New Orleans brass band style by incorporating funk and bebop into the mix, has been a major influence on many Crescent City based brass bands over the ensuing decades. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band's success inspired a resurgence of New Orleans' brass band music, both in the city and nationwide. The band was most influential in the 1980s, when they demonstrated by example that brass band music could be successful by moving beyond a type of music that risked becoming known as simply a tourist attraction. Established in 1977 by bass drummer Benny Jones, with members of the Tornado Brass Band, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has brought to its global travels a strong appetite for musical adventure, a commitment to honor tradition while not being constrained by it, and a healthy sense of humor. To describe how the group arrived at its 35th anniversary, trumpet player Gregory Davis employs a tried-and true New Orleans-centric analogy: "It ends up being like a pot of gumbo - you drop in a little okra, drop in a little shrimp, you drop in some crabs. Before you know it, you've mixed in all these different ingredients and you've got a beautiful soup. That was our approach to music early on and it still is today." Baritone sax player Roger Lewis -- who, like Davis, has been with the band since its inception in 1977 -- echoes that sentiment: "It's a big old musical gumbo, and that probably made the difference, separating us from other brass bands out of New Orleans. It put a different twist on the music. We were not trying to change anything, we were just playing the music we wanted to play and not stay in one particular bag." To celebrate its 35th Anniversary, which was technically in 2012, the band released Twenty Dozen, its first studio release in six years. Cut at the Music Shed in New Orleans, the collection reunited the Dirty Dozen Brass Band with producer Scott Billington, who helmed their first major label release Voodoo in 1989. The set offers a blend of R&B, jazz, funk, Afro-Latino grooves, Caribbean flavors, a Rihanna cover - and a high spirited rendering of "When the Saints Go Marching In." Produced by Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.™, the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management, is set for August 2 - 4 featuring Natalie Cole, Wayne Shorter with special guest Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, Eddie Palmieri, Marcus Miller and many more.

SARAH VAUGHAN - SOPHISTICATED LADY: THE DUKE ELLINGTON SONGBOOK COLLECTION Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:54 AM PDT Concord Music Group will release the two-CD Sarah Vaughan set Sophisticated Lady: The Duke Ellington Songbook Collection on August 20, 2013 (international release dates vary). Featuring six previously unreleased tracks and new liner notes, the compilation celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pablo Records, the jazz label founded by Norman Granz in 1973. The story of Pablo Records is a story of one veteran producer's return to the music he loved best. Norman Granz, founder of Jazz at the Philharmonic, so missed the recording aspect of the music business — which he'd abandoned in 1962 when he sold his Clef, Norgran, and Verve labels to MGM — that a little more than a decade later he decided to take the plunge and start up yet another label. Based in Beverly Hills, California, at the time, Granz secured a distribution deal and launched Pablo Records in 1973, quickly building a world-class catalog of albums by legendary artists Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, and Oscar Peterson — all of whom Granz managed — as well as Count Basie, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Sarah Vaughan, and many others. After releasing more than 350 albums in a span of less than 15 years, Granz sold Pablo to Fantasy in 1987, which in turn merged with Concord Records in 2004 to form Concord Music Group. Recorded between August 1979 and January 1980, Sophisticated Lady: The Duke Ellington Collection is a two-disc set that features six previously unreleased recordings along with classic tracks originally from Vaughan's 1980 albums of Duke's music, Duke Ellington Song Book One and Duke Ellington Song Book Two. "What makes this reissue especially significant," says Tad Hershorn, archivist at the Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies and author of the collection's liner notes, "is a rare confluence of what I have come to think of as 'late breaking history' and late-breaking news: this collection is both. In this case, it is the inclusion of six previously unreleased recordings of arrangements by the peerless Benny Carter which opens this collection of the Vaughan-Ellington recordings, presented chronologically by recording date." The six Carter-arranged tracks — "Sophisticated Lady," "In a Sentimental Mood," "Lush Life," "Solitude," "Day Dream," and "Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face)" — include what Hershorn calls "a lush orchestral backdrop" of big band and string arrangements, along with shining solo work by Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone. "These are not alternate takes. They are recordings of entirely different arrangements of the songs than those that were released on the original Ellington Songbook albums," says compilation producer Nick Phillips. "It's fascinating now to not only hear, for the first time, each of these six newly discovered arrangements and recordings and appreciate them on their own merits, but also to be able to compare and contrast the very different arranging approaches to the same songs." Regardless of the song arrangements, one fact about Sarah Vaughan remains perfectly clear while listening to Sophisticated Lady: "She's one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time," says Phillips. "Her singing throughout this collection certainly underscores that."