INDIE LABEL RELEASES SPECIAL, FOUR-DISC BOX SET OF GROUNDBREAKING JAZZ/HIP-HOP SERIES - INCLUDING BONUS MATERIAL
Santa Monica, CA - On November 21, and just in time for the holidays, Hidden Beach Recordings (HBR) will release a special four- CD box set of its groundbreaking Unwrapped series, the widely popular collection of jazzy, instrumental interpretations of standout Hip Hop classics and recent chart-toppers. Officially titled Hidden Beach Recordings Presents: Unwrapped The Ultimate Box Set, the multi-disc compilation features re-sequenced and re-mastered songs from all four previously released Unwrapped CDs (Vols. 1 - 4), broken down into “old school" and “new school" themes, as well as bonus tracks and music videos culled from the life of the project.
Among the more than 50 songs included in the Box Set are jazzy takes on such Hip Hop standards as Notorious BIG's “One More Chance," 50 Cent's “In Da Club," Outkast's “The Way You Move," Eminem's “Lose Yourself," Slick Rick's “Children's Story," The Roots' “I Got You," Common's “The Light," Tupac's “I Get Around," Busta Rhymes' “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," Nelly's “Hot In Here," A Tribe Called Quest's “Electric Relaxation," and the Terror Squad's “Lean Back," among many, many more.
These songs are given new life by some of the music industry's most talented and accomplished instrumentalists, many of whom are featured across the span of all four Unwrapped editions. Included in this All-Star lineup are such notables as keyboardists Frank McMcomb, Jeff Lorber and Patrice Rushen; guitarists Paul Jackson Jr., Everett Harp and Dennis Nelson; violinist Karen Briggs; bassist Andrew Gouche; and flautist Louis Van Taylor, as well as Hidden Beach's own sax sensation Mike Phillips, trombone impresario Jeff Bradshaw, and guitarist / singer Peter Black, among other leading musicians.
The Unwrapped series burst onto the music scene in 2001 with the critically acclaimed release of Unwrapped Vol. 1 and, without the benefit of national airplay or a high-priced marketing campaign, quickly went on to debut at the top spot on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart. Subsequent editions in 2002, 2004 and 2005 followed in the tradition of the premiere disc, all serving to build on the Hidden Beach legacy of fusing the two genres and building bridges between diverse music audiences.
Music producers Tony Joseph and Darryl Ross, who served to produce a majority of the material throughout the series, originally brought this specific concept, unnamed at the time, to HBR Founder / CEO Steve McKeever. The rest, as they say, is history.
The success of the Unwrapped series is best gauged by the impact it has had in the industry; it has spawned a number of copycat projects and, in many circles, the term “unwrapped" has come to be synonymous with the merging of jazz and Hip Hop.
The Box Set's bonus material includes songs that were included on a limited edition version of Unwrapped Vol. 2 (Jay Z's “Girls, Girls, Girls," Junior Mafia's “Get Money," and Mystikal's “Bouncin' Back"), as well as music videos for “You Got Me," “In Da Club," and “Bouncin' Back." Also included are tribute medleys to fallen rappers Biggie, Tupac and Run DMC's Jam Master Jay.
Based in Santa Monica, CA, Hidden Beach Recordings publicly bowed onto the entertainment scene in 2000 with the introduction of multi- platinum, Grammy Award-winning vocal sensation Jill Scott. The label went on to release projects from such standout artists as award-winning songwriter / vocalist Brenda Russell, Kindred the Family Soul, saxman Mike Phillips, songstress Lina, gospel legend / Grammy-winner BeBe Winans, Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker, and trombone maestro Jeff Bradshaw, among others.
On October 17, Hidden Beach released the debut CD from TribalJazz, the multi-cultural jazz group led by John Densmore, the legendary drummer and co-founder of the seminal rock band The Doors. In 2007, the label will debut new Hidden Beach artists including vocalist / musician Keite Young, singer Leigh Jones, singer / guitarist Peter Black, and the Still Waters (HBR's inspirational imprint) releases of song stylist Onitsha, and talented vocalist Sunny Hawkins.
The New Year will also bring a new studio album from Jill Scott, as well as a specialty compilation release of joint efforts between Scott and an eclectic array of hip hop, soul, instrumental, jazz, pop and gospel artists. The disc of wide-ranging collaborations shines a spotlight on the singer's incredible diversity as she has teamed over the years with the likes of Sergio Mendes and Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Chris Botti, George Benson, Al Jarreau and Kirk Franklin, Lupe Fiasco, Common, The Roots and Will Smith. Also returning in 2007 will be such Hidden Beach favorites such as Kindred, Mike Phillips and Jeff Bradshaw.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
