THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER RIP RONNY JORDAN, 1962-2014 |  |
- RIP RONNY JORDAN, 1962-2014
- CONCORD RELEASES SWEETHEART 2014 - MUSIC FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
- JENNIE LAWS - LOVE EASILY
- NEW RELEASES - TOUCH OF CLASS - LOVE MEANS EVERYTHING; FREE SOUL - URBAN MELLOW; SARAH MANNING - HARMONIOUS CREATURE
- NEW RELEASES - SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS - GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT; DEROBERT AND THE HALF-TRUTHS - I'M TRYIN'; GRACINHA LEPORACE
- NEW RELEASES - ARI BROWN - GROOVE AWAKENING; FUNKEE BOY - SOUL PURPOSE; STEVE DAVIS - FOR REAL
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Posted: 14 Jan 2014 12:13 PM PST
Acid jazz guitarist Ronny Jordan has passed away at the age of 51. His death was confirmed by his family on Tuesday, January 14 when his brother and sister set up a Facebook page in remembrance of Ronny. Their statement reads as follows:
Dear Friends, Family and Well Wishers,
It is with our deep regret that Ronny Jordan has recently passed away. We are still coming to terms with the loss of our brother.
We are taking steps to manage Ronny's personal affairs and so we ask if you could kindly bear with us as we deal with his matters in the background. We appreciate that Ronny has got many fans around the world and so we ask that you keep an eye out for further announcements in relation to his funeral arrangements.
In the meantime, tributes to Ronny can be left on this FB page.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
With every blessings and love..
Rickey and Denise
Brother and Sister
Ronny Jordan biography by Jason Ankeny: The Antidote One of the acid jazz movement's most prominent guitarists, London-born Ronny Jordan is widely credited with returning the instrument to its rightful place as a major force in modern-day jazz; despite outcries from purists, few other artists of his era proved more pivotal in knocking down the long-immutable boundaries of contemporary black music. The son of a preacher, Jordan's early musical history was rooted in gospel; his first public performances were with gospel groups, but the outbreak of Brit-funk during the early '80s led him to begin exploring other avenues of music, culminating in a fascination with jazz. A self-taught guitarist, his early influences included Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Grant Green, and when hip-hop began to take off, Jordan started exploring ways to fuse jazz and rap together. The first fruit of his endeavors was the single "After Hours," a primitive foray into what would eventually become known as acid jazz. Record companies initially wanted no part of Jordan's music, but when his distinctive cover of the Miles Davis classic "So What" became a hit, it was clear something was afoot. He soon released his debut LP, 1992's Antidote, but it was rapper Guru's breakthrough 1993 album, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, on which Jordan's guitar work was prominently featured, that made acid jazz a viable proposition. He subsequently issued such albums as 1993's Quiet Revolution, 1996's Light to Dark, and 2000's Brighter Day. ~ allmusic.com
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CONCORD RELEASES SWEETHEART 2014 - MUSIC FOR VALENTINE'S DAY
Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:48 AM PST
Just in time for Valentine's Day comes Sweetheart 2014, a collection of indelible, handpicked covers from a remarkable group of modern musical dreamers who artfully grapple, in one way or another, with that most vexing of subject to ever befall mankind, L.O.V.E. Sweetheart 2014 (Hear Music/Concord Music Group) will be available on CD exclusively at Starbucks and all digital outlets beginning February 4th, 2014.
The fifth in a series created exclusively for Starbucks, Sweetheart 2014 features 13 all-new recordings by Jim James, Vampire Weekend, Fiona Apple, Phosphorescent, Brandi Carlile, Beck, The Head and the Heart, Ben Harper, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Valerie June, Blake Mills, Bahamas and Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. The eclectic performances also serve as a love letter to the essential songwriters covered here. Jim James' soulful turn on Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low," Beck's mournful version of John Lennon's "Love," Fiona Apple and her sister, cabaret singer Maude Maggart's imaginative rendering of Anton Karas' "I'm in the Middle of a Riddle," (a song from the landmark soundtrack to 1949's "The Third Man"), Phosphorescent's luminous cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" and Vampire Weekend's superlative interpretation of "Time to Say Goodbye [Con te partirò]" made famous by Andrew Bocelli, are just a few examples.
The absorbing performances also include Bahamas' meditative version of Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind," Thao & the Get Down Stay Down's cover of Ray Charles' "If You Were Mine," Ben Harper's intense translation of Mazzy Star's "Fade into You," Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' rave up of Stevie Wonder's classic "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," Brandi Carlile's paean to Fleetwood Mac with "The Chain," Blake Mills' singular stamp on Bobby Charles and Stanley Lewis's "I Hope," The Head and the Heart's adaptation of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me" and Valerie June doing the Carter Family proud on "Happy or Lonesome."
Its clear each performer brought something very personal to this project. "I chose this song from Nilsson 'Don't Forget Me' because I had recently lost touch with a very important person in my life," confides Head and the Heart singer Josiah Johnson, its swelling strings bringing to mind the music of a bygone time.
Phosphorescent mastermind, Alabama native Matthew Houk, reflected on Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time," "It's one of the most longing songs I've ever heard. It's special that such a slight thing can carry so much emotion in just a few lines and chords." Houk's haunting version leaves a similarly wistful impression.
Ben Harper says of his minimalist piano reworking of Mazzy Star's alt-rock classic "Fade Into You," "My friend Jason Yates played piano on the original, so I always listened to that part closely. It's one of my favorite songs and I've wanted to cover it forever."
The charming Anton Karas waltz "I'm in the Middle of a Riddle" is another one of Sweetheart's gems. Fiona Apple and Maude Maggart's sibling harmonies transport the listener back in time. Karas, who became a sensation thanks to his massive mid-century "The Third Man Theme," was a zitherist and the reverberating, melancholy sound of the zither can also be heard in this duo's tribute.
Vampire Weekend's version of "Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò)," made famous by the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, is another grand eccentricity. Calling it "one of the greatest love songs of all time," frontman Ezra Koenig attests, "Its beauty transcends language." Vampire Weekend transform the "poperatic" mega-hit with a deft, old school electronic rhythm and ultra-romantic Italian vocals.
For his part, Jim James is unequivocal about the meaning of Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low," stating simply, "This song is the sound of love." He makes it his own with the signature resonance Rolling Stone once described as "echo-drenched spirituality." Beck, meanwhile, sings and plays guitar, bass, drums and particularly affecting piano on the Plastic Ono Band-era Lennon classic "Love." The outing recalls Beck's own Sea Change.
It's Valerie June, however, who may have the last word on love. The Memphis-born folk/blues/soul performer lends her supernatural presence to a rendition of the Carter Family's 1934 classic "Happy or Lonesome." "In every moment of true love, there are moments of parting," she says. "The story of this song is sweetness and hopefulness even though we can't hold on to those we love forever. Wild hearts must run free. But nothing of loving is ever lost – it only changes form." It's the perfect distillation of Sweetheart 2014's many splendored charms.
Sweetheart 2014 Track List:
1. Turn Your Lights Down Low – Jim James (5:00)
2. Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partirò) – Vampire Weekend (3:14)
3. Love – Beck (3:16)
4. Tomorrow Is a Long Time – Phosphorescent (4:19)
5. Don't Forget Me – The Head and the Heart (4:08)
6. Happy Or Lonesome – Valerie June (1:53)
7. Always on My Mind – Bahamas (4:16)
8. If You Were Mine – Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (2:47)
9. Fade Into You – Ben Harper (4:30)
10. I'm In The Middle Of A Riddle – Fiona Apple featuring Maude Maggart (2:38)
11. The Chain – Brandi Carlile (4:17)
12. I Hope – Blake Mills (3:08)
13. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours – Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (2:36)
Executive Producers: Holly Hinton and Matt Marshall
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Posted: 14 Jan 2014 11:42 AM PST
Also on her upcoming album will be a feature from Detroit Soul star Dwele, a song co-written with legendary songwriter Leon Ware, tracks produced by Jahi Sundance, Mateo Laboriel, Pascal Guyon, JL Brown, and Sebastian Rogers, more co-writes with songwriters Dayyon Alexander and Dylan Lloyd as well as a few performances by child prodigy drummer Tony Royster Jr. It promises to be entertaining, eclectic, musical, heartfelt and soulful from top to bottom just like her debut EP "Introducing Jennie Laws," except now Jennie has blossomed on a whole new level as a vocalist, songwriter, producer and arranger.
Jennie has played many roles as a musician; string arranger for the likes of Ryan Beatty, Anjulie, Jenna Andrews and Saidah Baba-Talibah, background singer for Michael Buble, INXS and Omar Lyefook, or featured vocalist and writer on rapper Promise, producer Luca Dayz and DJ KickRaux' new projects, but never does she shine so brightly as when she's doing her own music. This one-of-a-kind blue-eyed soul sensation hailing from Toronto is about to take the world by storm, starting with the release of her new single; "Love Easily."
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Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:55 AM PST
TOUCH OF CLASS - LOVE MEANS EVERYTHING
A killer little soul group who recorded with John "Monster" Davis in the mid 70s – really soaring with a groove that rivals some of their bigger contemporaries on the east coast group scene! Touch Of Class sing in a style that's sometimes fragile, but often more suited to the soaring grooves that Davis gives them on the album – a mode that's partly disco, partly pop, and which should have been as huge as any of their Philly or New York contemporaries. There's a "slightly different" feel to the record that we really like – and tracks include "Love Means Everything", "Anything", "One Half As Much", "Love Me Tonight", "I'm In Heaven", and "You Got To Know Better". And just for the record, this appears to be the same record as I'm In Heaven, issued on the Midland label in 1976 – but it's presented here on another label with a date of 1981.~ Dusty Groove
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FREE SOUL - URBAN MELLOW
Free Soul music is alive and well into the 21st Century – a continuing evolution of a great genre that was first pegged by Japanese diggers in the 90s! "Free Soul" was a term first coined to refer to genre-crossing work from the 70s that was upbeat, joyous, and a very freewheeling approach to soul music – a mode that moved past easy cliches or genre conventions, and which often brought in bits of jazz, Latin, or other influences as well. This set of contemporary work really follows the same spirit of the classics – and shows a whole range of artists who've really been making some great music in recent years – the kind of cool cuts that we used to have to track down on older vinyl, but which have really been making our world bright in recent years. Titles include "Man In The Middle" by Roos Jonker, "Summer's Loss" by Ben Westbeech, "Get Lucky" by Hyleen Gil, "Neverland" by Quadron, "Game Over" by Daley, "Who's That Lady" by Lucas Arruda, "Trust" by Inc, and "All That I Can Say" by Gretchen Parlato. ~ Dusty Groove
SARAH MANNING - HARMONIOUS CREATURE
The title's a great one for this album by alto saxophonist Sarah Manning – as she's got a very strong sense of harmony on the record, and mixes her reed lines wonderfully with the guitar of Jonathan Goldberger and viola of Eyvind Kang! Both musicians have these tones that come into contact with the alto in ways that are rich and bright, yet always have a dark edge too – one that comes through even more strongly when Sarah really takes off on her solos! Other group members include Rene Hart on bass and Jerome Jennings on drums – and titles include "Tune Of Cats", "I Dream A Highway", "Copland On Cornelia Street", "On The Beach", and "Three Chords For Jessica". ~ Dusty Groove
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Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:50 AM PST
SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS - GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
Tremendous work from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – a set that took a bit longer to hit the racks than expected, but which really shows a richness that more than makes up for the delay! Sharon's a singer who's always been great – but she steps out strongly here with a sense of maturity that seems to take her vocals even farther than before – and The Dap Kings are more than ready to match her energy with some funky work of their own! Jones has gone through a lot in recent years – both with the band and in her own personal life – and the record's a proud summation of life's challenges and triumphs, served up in the instant-classic style that has made Sharon one of the greatest living soul singers of the past few decades. Bosco Mann knocked things out of the park with his raw production – and also wrote a good number of tracks on the set too – and titles include "Making Up & Breaking Up", "Long Time Wrong Time", "People Don't Get What They Deserve", "Retreat", "Stranger To My Happiness", and "Now I See". (Includes bonus download code!) ~ Dusty Groove
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DEROBERT ADAMS AND THE HALF-TRUTHS - I'M TRYIN'
The greatest work we've heard so far from DeRobert Adams and the Half-Truths – a record that really pushes the singer into classic soul territory! DeRobert has always had a vintage approach to his music – but this full set plumbs a depth we never would have expected at the start – an extremely rich sense of delivery that's rooted in gospel, linked together with a range of southern soul and funk modes that really belie the Tennessee roots of the group, plus contemporary touches that really get past some of the more stock modes of the deep funk underground! All tracks are originals, but they're so good you'd swear you know them from older records – and by that, we don't mean that they're copies or cliches – just the kind of work that's so good, you're surprised you're hearing it for the first time. And if the strength of the record is any indication of justice in the mainstream, you'll be hearing lots more from the group in the near future – as this sweet set sounds like the start of a great career. Titles include "My Momma Told Me", "Goin Places", "Write A Letter", "Do It Alone", "I Don't Get Mad No Mo", "The Speech", "The Dole (part 2)", and "Ooo Wee". ~ Dusty Groove
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GRACINHA LEPORACE
Great early work from singer Gracinha Leporace – a vocalist you might know from her later work in Bossa Rio, or her recordings with husband Sergio Mendes! Even at the start, Gracinha's a hell of a singer – a vocalist who's capable of all the coolness of the bossa era, yet still richly expressive in all the right ways – with a jazzy flourish at times that's perfect for the album's lively backings from Oscar Castro Neves! Instrumentation includes some sweet organ lines with a Walter Wanderley sort of groove – plus other moments that use woodwinds in this really lovely way – almost echoing some of the early Deodato charts. The whole thing's wonderful – a real lost bossa treasure – and titles include "Prece", "Cancao Da Desesperanca", "Ultima Batucada", "Rancho De Ano Novo", "A Saudade Fez Um Samba", "Sem Saida", "Cantiga", and "Em Tempo". ~ Dusty Groove
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Posted: 14 Jan 2014 07:45 AM PST
ARI BROWN – GROOVE AWAKENING
Chicago is known as a jazz city that carries on the tough tenor sax tradition. The blues feeling was always an important element for the great tenor sax players like Gene Ammons, Von Freeman, Eddie Johnson, Red Holloway and now that they are all gone it' Recording information: Riverside Studio, Chicago, IL (05/13/2013-05/15/2013). Album Personnel: Ari Brown (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Kirk Brown (piano); Avreeayl Ra (drums); Dr. Cuz (percussion). Tracks include: One for Ken; Groove Awakening; Enka; Veda's Dance; Lonnie's Lament; In A Sentimental Mood; 3bop 4 Mal; Wayne's Trane; and Give Taanks (Song for Gerri). ~ cduniverse
FUNKEE BOY - SOUL PURPOSE
Chart Topping/Award Winning Smooth Jazz recording artist Funkee Boy follows up his award winning/#1 selling CD "Philosouphy" with his 3rd CD "Soul Purpose". This stellar CD blends Funkee Boy's signature keyboard playing/songwriting/music production w/ A-List artists Warren Hill, Najee, Bob Baldwin, Cindy Bradley, Nick Colionne, LEILA, Surface, Lamone, Timmy Maia, Tevin Michael and more!!! Funkee Boy stays true to his "philosoulphy" of blending his roots RnB + Funk + Jazz = SOUL. If you like Smooth Jazz, RnB, Soul, Piano, Saxophone, Tasteful Vocals with meaningful lyrics then this CD is for you!! Tracks include: Bonafide; Let It Flow; Déjà vu; I Can't Tell You Why; Treasure; Step In The Name Of Love; Karma; Bring Back the Days; Keystroke; New Day; Satisfied; Escala; and Just the Way You Are. ~ cduniverse
STEVE DAVIS - FOR REAL
Beautifully-blown work from Steve Davis – one of our favorite contemporary talents on the trombone, and an artist who can really make the instrument swing in an old school sort of mode! This set may well be one of Steve's most soulful in years – a great date with Larry Willis on piano, who brings in this mix of groove and lyricism to his lines – and partners with Davis at a level that recalls vintage collaborations between Curtis Fuller and Cedar Walton! The Davis/Willis team is augmented beautifully by tenorist Abraham Burton, whose lines have a slightly deeper edge, and really add a great layer to the sound – and the rhythm swings strongly with Nat Reeves on bass and Billy Williams on drums. And once again, Davis is a fountain of great new material – a wealth of original songs that include "For Real", "Nicky D", "Days Gone By", "Big East", "Daylight", "I Found You", and "Tactics". ~ Dusty Groove
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