Recording News

"Boom Town" Takes Soul-Jazz Saxophonist Richard Elliot To #1

Source: Great Scott P.R.oductions
December 8, 2011

The first single from In The Zone explodes at radio as the album garners acclaim Escondido, CA: Soul-jazz saxman Richard Elliot has been blowing up radio with the funky single Boom Town, which has taken command of Billboards BDSradio.com smooth jazz national airplay chart for the past four weeks. The track, produced by Elliot and fusion pioneer Jeff Lorber, is the debut single from Elliot's October release, In The Zone, and the latest of more than a dozen #1 singles ...

Continue Reading...

Smooth jazz takes a romantic turn on saxophonist Sébastien James' new album

Source: Lauren Rogers
December 8, 2011

With the onset of winter, the long distance to the arrival of Valentine's Day becomes gradually closer. The Internet offers countless selections when it comes to soundtracks for the day of lovers, but few offer the stylish sheen and emotional pull of saxophonist Sébastien James' new album, Jazz & Lounge. The title of the record promises a relaxing atmosphere, and it isn't exaggerating. The shimmering beauty of James' sax is prominently showcased, especially on velvety smooth covers of Roberta Flack's ...

Continue Reading...

On Second Thought: Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 - Fool on the Hill (1968)

Source: Something Else!
December 8, 2011

Like a Wayback Machine, certain sights, sounds, smells and tastes transports us to certain times and places in our lives. Listening to Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 from their hitmaking days from four and half decades ago puts me right back into preschool. Fool On The Hill was probably Mendes' most popular album in the U.S., and being squarely in the target demographic of adults too old for rock 'n' roll and too young for Glenn Miller, my dad snapped ...

Continue Reading...

Elliott Sharp and Scott Fields - Afiadacampos (Neos, 2010) ****

Source: Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels
December 8, 2011

By Paul Acquaro According to Scott Fields' website, this recording with Elliot Sharp, Afiadacampos, came out in 2010, which on the cusp of 2012, makes me a little more than fashionably late. Apologies for my tardiness, however, I am pleased to report the music has not aged a bit. I think the first thing that stuck out to me on this recording is just how nicely recorded the steel string acoustic guitars sound. Since they are rather indistinguishable sonically, the ...

Continue Reading...

Amy Winehouse: Lioness

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
December 8, 2011

At the time of Amy Winehouse's death on July 23, the celebrated soul-ska singer hadn't really released much in the way of music. Though Frank was recorded in 2003, the album wasn't released in the U.S. until late 2007—after her second album, Back to Black, became an American sensation in 2006, winning her five Grammys. As Burt Bacharach noted a bunch of weeks ago during my at-home conversation with him,  “Most people don't realize that it's still hard for many ...

Continue Reading...

Funky Butt Brass Band Releases Holiday EP

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
December 8, 2011

The Funky Butt Brass Band has released a holiday EP, Shiny Christmas Balls, as a digital download. The EP (pictured) includes seven tracks, available individually for $1 each or $5 for all seven. Titles include “I'll Be Your Santa Baby," “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," “Christmas In New Orleans," “We Wish You A Public Domain Christmas Medley," “Shiny Christmas Balls," “The Dreidel Song" and “Crazy Sleigh." Shiny Christmas Balls is on sale now via the FBBB's Bandcamp page, ...

Continue Reading...

Stunning covers of Johnny Mercer and Freddie Hubbard among highlights of new album

Source: Graham Taylor
December 8, 2011

Trumpet, meet master. In the hands of Steve Klenke, the trumpet becomes a paintbrush in which he can render stunningly beautiful imagery, from the playful innocence of a “Little Sunflower" to the awe-inspiring majesty of an “Evening Star." With or without words, the songs on Klenke's latest album, Tangerine, bloom in Technicolor. They are brightly lit and are brimming with good vibrations; combining jazz standards with his own timeless compositions, Klenke offers the best of the past and present with ...

Continue Reading...

Elio Villafranca And Arturo Stable To Release "Dos Y Mas"

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
December 7, 2011

Elio Villafranca and Arturo Stable, two Cuban-born maestros of jazz and world music, unveil Dos Y Mas, the debut recording of their exquisite new piano and percussion collaboration, which comes out on Motéma Music on January 10, 2012. Villafranca's virtuosic and multifaceted pianism engages Stable's poly-rhythmic percussion genius on ten original compositions that pay tribute to the spiritual, classical and traditional legacies of Cuba, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Spain.

The intimate musical journey of Dos Y Mas ...

Continue Reading...