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Genre-Busting Pianist Michael Kaeshammer Announces 15th Studio Album 'Turn It Up' Out March 17
Source:
Collabo PR
Michael Kaeshammer isn’t so much a pianist as a piano whisperer, a master musician and songwriter able to coax dazzling, kaleidoscopic sounds from his instrument in a way few can rival. That gift powers Kaeshammer’s upcoming 15th album, Turn It Up, due out March 17. The new single “Never Knew What Love Was,” which showcases Kaeshammer’s pure-pop style, was released last week at all streaming services and digital retailers (Listen Here). The song follows the release of the title track, ...
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Burt Bacharach: Jazz Covers
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Songs by the late Burt Bacharach worked neatly as instrumental covers, especially when jazz artists were compelled by labels to record with-it albums of contemporary hits in the 1960s and '70s. Like Henry Mancini's music, Burt's melodies were clean and catchy and weren't tied directly to specific artists, which is what made many rock-artist hits difficult to cover convincingly. Here are 12 of my favorite jazz covers of Burt's compositions: Here's Wes Montgomery playing Wives and Lovers... Here's Stan Getz ...
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Ronald Wayne Announces New Smooth Jazz Single 'Grooved'
Source:
Ronald Wayne
American musician, composer, and song writer Ronald Wayne will present his newest instrumental smooth jazz release—chilled, energetic, and stays in the groove! His new release “Grooved” will kick off a series of year-long nonstop smooth jazz music releases, including an EP mid-summer, and finishing off the year with a full album release of Hotter Than the Sun late 2023. You can join Ronald Wayne on this smooth jazz musical journey, subscribe to his email list, and listen to previous releases ...
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The Lost Trumpet of Don Ferrara
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Jazz has much in common with a seabed littered with sunken ships that once transported gold. In addition to the musicians who today are household names, there are many other terrific musicians who didn't quite reach that status but were hailed by peers and disappeared early. Some abandoned their instruments for a more steady job. Others moved into teaching. Or they passed away too young. In each case, they became forgotten and their reputations drifted downward until they settled on ...
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Billy Taylor: Two Fresh Sound Releases
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Between 1950 and 1960, jazz was dominated by elegant jazz pianists. The list is long and includes Oscar Peterson, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Russ Freeman, Lou Levy, Ahmad Jamal and others. A pianist who belongs on this list but is often forgotten is Billy Taylor. Billy's technique was unrivaled in many ways because he covered so much ground effortlessly, from stride and swing to bop and Latin. As bassist and manager John Levy told me in 2010, “Billy was naïve—in ...
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Jazzahead! 2023 Announces Thirty-Six Showcase Artists / Bands
Source:
Michael Ricci
The jury’s decisions have been made, jazzahead! 2023 at MESSE BREMEN continues to take shape–there is a definite buzz of anticipation here! Out of no fewer than 576 applications, 32 artists and bands have been selected to perform at the world's largest jazz trade fair from 27 to 30 April. These are in addition to the four “Commissioned Works”, collaborative bands brought into being by invitation, which were outlined in the most recent press release. As well as the “Commissioned ...
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Giacomo Gates Sings The Song, Tony Adamo Writes The Music
Source:
Tony Adamo
Jazz troubadour and terminal hipster Giacomo Gates just keeps getting better and better. Gates is one of the top male jazz singers around today. He's a talented, skillful, and a rock-solid professional. With his vocalese and bebop attitude, he sings, scats, dropping his swinging baritone voice into every lyric he sings. A few years ago, singer, spoken word recording artist Tony Adamo asked Gates to stop by and dig Adamo’s recording session for his CD, Tony Adamo And The New ...
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Shorty Rogers: The Swingin' Nutcracker
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Once again, it's that time of year to announce my choice for induction into the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame. This year marks the Hall's 15th season and one of JazzWax's oldest traditions. This year, let's welcome Shorty Rogers's The Swingin' Nutcracker, a hip and happening original interpretation of Tchaikovsky's music. You'll find the album here. The Nutcracker Suite was first performed in 1892 as a two-act ballet choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. George Balanchine updated ...
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