Recording News

Ruf Records Announces Release of Rich Man's War: New Blues & Roots Songs of Peace and Protest

Source: Just Roots PR
September 3, 2008

Album includes songs by Bob Brozman, Guitar Shorty, Norman & Nancy Blake, Candye Kane, Michael Hill, Eddy “The Chief" Clearwater and many others

Ruf Records announces an October 7 release date for Rich Man's War: New Blues & Roots Songs of Peace and Protest, a 12-song CD compilation of performances from a dozen artists that brings the protest song art form into the 21st century.

Produced by Kenneth Bays, editor of the internationally celebrated magazine Blues Revue, the new CD ...

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Rebecca Martin and Kate McGarry: Two Appealing Blends of Jazz and Folk

Source: All About Jazz
September 3, 2008

Both Rebecca Martin and Kate McGarry are native New Englanders in their 40s, and both create exceptionally appealing blends of folk and jazz in their new albums. Yet thanks to their contrasting voices and arrangements, Ms. McGarry's “If Less Is More . . . Nothing Is Everything" (Palmetto) and Ms. Martin's “The Growing Season" (Sunnyside) take their listeners on divergent sonic paths. Ms. McGarry sings in a broad, bluesy soprano that dominates her sound. Ms. Martin sings in a slightly ...

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Nicholas Payton: The Deep Blue

Source: JamBase
September 3, 2008

By: Brian Bavosa

Nicholas Payton For decades, jazz musicians have been viewed as “cool," “hip" or demonstrating an articulate, intellectual swagger that can be viewed as both polite as well as borderline taboo. New Orleans' own son, Nicholas Payton, can certainly be characterized by all of these adjectives, but also a few others all his own, especially on his Nonesuch Records debut, Into The Blue (released last April). Almost always dressed in sharp, exquisite suits, ...

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Download Four Free MP3s by Joe Locke

Source: All About Jazz
September 2, 2008

Download a free MP3 track from vibraphonist Joe Locke's latest Origin Records release Force of Four as well as tracks from three other recent releases. Free MP3 Download Alpha Punk Joe Locke From Force of Four 6:58 Free MP3 Download Sword of Whispers Joe Locke From Sticks and Strings 7:56 Free MP3 Download Van Gogh By ...

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OK|OK's "Eating Mantis" Released Today

Source: All About Jazz
September 2, 2008

ok|ok's first CD Eating Mantis was released today from Ravi Coltrane's label RKM Music. ok|ok is Kyoko Kitamura (voice, laptop), Mike McGinnis (reeds), Khabu Doug Young (guitar), Tony Moreno (drums). Their animated music video “Hunt" was recently broadcast on THIRTEEN/WNET after winning the Reel 13 short film competition. ok|ok - Eating Mantis by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Although vocalists ranging from Betty Carter to Ann Dyer to Kitty Brazelton have made exciting contributions to avant-garde jazz, the vast majority ...

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New Jazz Composers Octet, "The Turning Gate," Available in October on Motema Music

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
September 2, 2008

CD Release Celebration - October 23 at The Iridium, NYC Hailed by critic Jim Macnie as a “think tank" of today's leading jazz talent, the New Jazz Composers Octet (NJCO) is proud to release The Turning Gate, its first recording for the Motema label and third album overall. Featuring ambitious new pieces by founder- trumpeter David Weiss, pianist Xavier Davis, saxophonist Myron Walden and bassist Dwayne Burno, the album once again “stretches hard bop's kind-of-unstretchable formula" (Macnie) and points the ...

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Jazz Pianist George Kahn's "Call to Action" to Jazz the Vote!

Source: Imaginary Friends
September 2, 2008

DONATIONS FOR DOWNLOADS OF HIS COVER OF JOHN MAYER'S “WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE" As a Call To Action in the hopes of encouraging jazz lovers and perhaps future Jazz lovers (and future voters, too!) to come out in force for this November's Presidential election, Jazz Pianist George Kahn is doing his part by getting music lovers to “Jazz The Vote". George has a cover of John Mayer's “Waiting On The World To Change" on his latest CD release ...

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Graham Collier: The Alternate Mosaics

Source: All About Jazz
September 2, 2008

A previously unreleased version of “Mosaics," Graham Collier's highly acclaimed composition from 1969 will be released on September 2nd, as part of a second compilation of Graham's early music on BGO. Also on the double CD will be a previously unknown stereo version of Deep Dark Blue Centre, his first record, and Portraits. The “Alternate Mosaics" was recorded live, on the same night as the original, in The Torrington, North Finchley, London, then a famous jazz pub, now apparently a ...

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