Afro-beat Band Big Mean Sound Machine Releases Fourth Album Runnin’ For The Ghost

In a time when people need to come together more than ever, Big Mean Sound Machine is spreading positivity through communal dance by creating music that moves people of all ages and backgrounds. On April 7th, the ten piece band breaks new sonic ground and creates a unique flavor of instrumental music with their fourth full-length studio album, Runnin’ for the Ghost, co-released by Peace & Rhythm and Blank Slate Records; pre-orders available on Bandcamp.

While on tour, Big Mean opened a new chapter when the band had the honor of meeting and playing with master drummer Tony Allen (pioneer and co-creator of afrobeat with Fela Kuti and the Africa 70). His dream of seeing afrobeat music spread globally to become bigger than any one person or any one group motivated Big Mean to carry the torch of original dance music into the 21st century. Though traditional afrobeat has had a major influence on Big Mean Sound Machine, the music on Runnin’ for the Ghost reaches far beyond tradition and pushes the band’s sound in new ways through the mixing and blending of many genres, keeping with the spirit that inspired Allen and Kuti to create their own style in the first place.

On Runnin’ for the Ghost, Big Mean continues to harness their collective creativity as the majority of the conception, arrangement and production came from within the band. Bassist and band leader Angelo Peters led the charge in producing the new record while recruiting Matt Saccuccimorano (of Big Mean's previous release Contraband) to engineer the first live studio session. Later, Peters engineered and mixed the rest of the album at Big Mean Studios with additional recording and production from bandmates Dan Barker, Andrew Klein and Lucas Ashby. Big Mean’s synth wizard Dana Billings added the final touches in mastering the album, completing the process.

To push forward into new creative territory, while recording Runnin’ for the Ghost the band tried a different approach than usual by learning, arranging and recording certain tracks in a single day, crafting the music spontaneously in the studio.  This new collaborative approach shines through on the standout track “Van Chatter.”  The song delves into the realm of West African Highlife and Central African Soukous with articulate and fast moving guitar sounds alongside a call and response horn melody, creating a lively conversation between tradition and innovation.

Another highlight is the lead single, “Seeing The Bigger Picture,” which incorporates Afro-Cuban percussion patterns and a driving, melodic bass groove that support an uplifting horn melody and a swirling analog synthesizer solo. Each band member’s unique musical voice serves as a thread in a seamlessly intertwined fabric of sound, creating an anthem for Big Mean’s mission to move people.  It premiered on Live for Live Music and kicked off the band’s successful, fan-driven #JoinTheMachine Kickstarter campaign. The premiere of the music video for “Seeing The Bigger Picture” will coincide with the album release.

Big Mean Sound Machine has toured relentlessly for the past three years, often with only a few days off between runs. They recently wrapped up an East Coast Tour that included a week long residency in Miami as part of the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. The band is currently on tour in support of the new album.

Track List:

Return of the March

Seeing The Bigger Picture

Van Chatter

Runnin’ for the Ghost

Hired Gun

Burning Van

Kang’s Lament

Triple Bacon

The G

Sahara Cell Phones

Another Grain of Sand

www.bigmeansoundmachine.com

www.facebook.com/bigmeansoundmachine

www.instagram.com/bigmeansoundmachine

www.twitter.com/BigMeanSound

www.youtube.com/user/BigMeanSound

www.soundcloud.com/bigmeansoundmachine

Thirty-Five National Music Artists Perform In Dallas first annual Riverfront Jazz Festival

Dallas' first annual Riverfront Jazz Festival, presented and produced by The Black  Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), will host  national music artists and highlight the  city's charm and unique, diverse culture on Labor Day Weekend, September 1-3, 2017 on three stages at the  stately Horseshoe Park, 811 Pemberton Hill Road.

Erykah Badu, Will Downing and Najee are the festival Honorary Chairs and among the diverse artists who will perform. Other talent includes Euge Groove, Oleta Adams, Peter White, Keiko Matsui, Jon Secada, Rachelle Ferrell and Ruben Studdard. The multi-genre music ranges from Jazz (Traditional and Smooth), R&B, Pop, Soul, Blues and Neo-Soul will be performed on two main stages– the Visit Dallas Jazz Main Stage and the Blues and Soul Main Stage. A third stage will be dedicated specifically for 50 young promising artists.

Friday, September 1 lineup kicks off on the Visit Dallas Jazz Main Stage at 7:30 p.m. with Dallas talent, Young Gifted and Black Artists, a new recording group, followed by Grammy-winner Shaun Martin featuring Andrea Wallace and Martha Burks and ending with the incomparable multi-Grammy, Soul-Train, American Music award-winner, Erykah Badu.

On Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3, at 12 noon

ACTS ON VISIT DALLAS JAZZ MAIN STAGE:  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: Six Brothers on Sax (Keith Anderson, Tom Braxton, Mark Felton, Art Sherrod, Jr., Joseph Vincelli, Clay Prichard), Jeff Lorber, Rahsaan Patterson (Tribute to Donny Hathaway), Divas of Jazz, Pop and Soul (Freda Payne, Eloise Laws), Will Downing, Oleta Adams and Najee.

ACTS ON VISIT DALLAS JAZZ MAIN STAGE:  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: Chuck Loeb, Jazz in Pink featuring Karen Briggs, Jonathan Butler, Keiko Matsui, Rachelle Ferrell, Peter White, Paul Taylor and Euge Groove.

ACTS ON BLUES AND SOUL MAIN STAGE:  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: R.L. Griffin "The Reverend," Wanda King, Lucky Peterson, Lady Tambourine and the New Orleans Soul Band, Yarbrough and Peoples featuring Benita Arterberry, Martha Wash and Pieces of A Dream.

ACTS ON BLUES AND SOUL MAIN STAGE:  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: Jackie Scott and the Housewreckers featuring Eddie Shaw, Ruben Studdard, Melanie Fiona, Alex Bugnon, Jon Secada, Kim Waters and Phil Perry

www.tbaalriverfrontjazzfestival.org 

Clarinet Superstar Anat Cohen Presents Two Irresistibly Melodic, Rhythmically Buoyant Albums of Brazilian Music: Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos and Rosa Dos Ventos

Anat Cohen, celebrated the world over for her expressive clarinet virtuosity and charismatic stage presence, presents two high-spirited new albums of Brazilian music: Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos and Rosa Dos Ventos. Both albums were recorded in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia as close collaborations with native musicians - Outra Coisa with Marcello Gonçalves (who plays the 7-string guitar) and Rosa Dos Ventos with Trio Brasileiro: Dudu Maia (bandolim, the Brazilian mandolin), Douglas Lora (7-string guitar) and Alexandre Lora (percussion, including the pandeiro, a Brazilian frame drum). Melodically and rhythmically irresistible, both albums will be released by Anzic Records on April 28, 2017.

Anat - born and raised in a musical family in Tel Aviv but a resident of New York City since 1999 - has been declared Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007. She has also been named the top clarinetist in both the readers and critics polls in DownBeat Magazine, the jazz bible, for multiple years running. The Chicago Tribune summed up Anat's appeal this way: "The lyric beauty of her tone, easy fluidity of her technique and extroverted manner of her delivery make this music accessible to all." Since she first visited the country in 2000, Brazil has become a home away from home for Anat, a frequent destination for her to explore in depth music that has captured her heart. Several of her previous seven albums as a leader feature Brazilian classics and original pieces she composed under the influence of Brazilian music.

Marcello Gonçalves says:"Anat has such a great passion for Brazil. She speaks Portuguese far better than I speak English. More than that, Anat can play Brazilian music better than many Brazilian musicians. Her accent is perfect." About her affection for the country and its music, Anat says: "Brazilian music, whether it's choro or samba or the sounds of the northeast, makes me feel alive and full of emotions. In many places around the world, there's a strict divide between those who play and those who listen. When I first went to Brazil, I immediately felt that music there doesn't just belong to musicians but to everyone, as part of their daily lives. Some people play, some sing, some dance, some clap along. It's part of the social fabric. I like that."

  

Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos

Moacir Santos (1926-2006) was an innovative Brazilian composer and inspirational educator for the bossa-nova generation (his students including Baden Powell and Sérgio Mendes, among many others). Critic Ben Ratliff ranked Santos' 1965 LP Coisas - the title translating as "Things" - at No. 72 in a list of the 100 most important albums in his book The New York Times Essential Library: Jazz. He called the record "one of the great accomplishments in modern Brazilian music... It mixes marches, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, strong melodies, jazz syncopation and bracing harmony of an Ellington-like concision; it gestures at different kinds of Brazilian regional music but is overall a highly original work." With added lyrics, Santos' "Coisa No. 5" became the hit "Nanã" recorded by some 100 artists, including jazz covers by Herbie Hancock and Kenny Burrell. Wynton Marsalis, who joined Santos on his final album, pointed out that Santos mingled Brazil's birthrights from Europe and Africa "with the liberty of jazz."

For Outra Coisa, Gonçalves arranged a dozen Santos pieces from their large-ensemble scores into intimate, lyrical duets, with Anat often playing in the rich lower register of her instrument and Gonçalves channeling the orchestral textures of the originals into his 7-string guitar (which has an extra bass string). "The music of Santos has always been such a treasure," says Gonçalves, a longtime member of Trio Madeira Brasil. "But it wasn't until I started going closely through his scores that I realized how natural they feel on guitar, as if they had been composed for the instrument. Also, the clarinet was Santos' own first instrument, so it seemed doubly right with Anat.

"Moacir Santos' music has this lightness and freedom," Gonçalves adds. "Anat can really dance and sing with it - just listen to her beautifully warm sound and playful phrasing in 'Nanã' and 'Coisa No. 1.' I had spent a year working on this repertoire. When Anat visited Brazil, I proposed that we get together so I could show her my arrangements. She suggested meeting directly at a recording studio. When we started playing, Anat - who has known me for many years - said: 'I've never seen you so happy!' I responded, 'Yes, I never have been this happy!' So our album documents two spontaneously happy days in the studio."

About the sessions, Anat recalls: "Marcello and I recorded in Rio right alongside each other and without headphones, letting the music sound as natural as possible in the room acoustically. I have a special affinity for the combination of clarinet and 7-string guitar - the instruments can exchange the roles of soloist and accompanist easily. With Marcello's mastery of the guitar, he can function as the harmonic instrument, the bass player and the soloist sometimes all at once. It often feels as if I'm playing with a full orchestra with Marcello, and I just love his sound and sense of swing.

"As far as Marcello's arrangements, they felt so wonderful that I fell in love with the music immediately," Anat adds. "The creations of Moacir Santos have a sense of calm beauty, along with these rooted grooves, which he called 'mojo.' His music combines Afro-Brazilian accents with North American influences, and the melodies are eternal. One of my favorites is 'Paraíso,' which is such a ravishing, haunting tune. Each of these songs is a little world of its own - I'm discovering more in them all the time."

Rosa Dos Ventos

Rosa Dos Ventos ("Wind Rose," or weathervane) continues Anat's kindred-spirit collaboration with Trio Brasileiro, with the album's title hinting at the way fresh inspirations pass into their music like a breeze. They previously paired up for the 2015 Anzic album Alegria da Casa. In the liner essay to that first album, Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto wrote about how the sound of these musicians playing together transports him not to a concert hall but "to a happy gathering of friends in botequim, or corner bar in a small Brazilian town, where the music flows spontaneously and everyone takes part in the roda, or circle of musicians."

Formed in 2011, Trio Brasileiro is dedicated to performing traditional choro music as well as their own compositions that put a contemporary spin on choro. The group comprises percussionist Alexandre Lora (whose array includes the pitched "hand pan"), Douglas Lora (a member of the award-winning Brasil Guitar Duo) and Dudu Maia, one of Brazil's finest mandolinists (who plays a special 10-string bandolim on Rosa Dos Ventos). Anat joins Maia and the Lora brothers to teach the choro style annually at Centrum in Port Townsend, Washington. Choro - the word translates as "cry" - developed in late 19th-century Rio much like its cousin jazz in New Orleans, with Brazilian musicians combining such traditional European dance forms as the polka, waltz and mazurka with African and South American rhythms. Again, like jazz, choro became a vehicle for improvisers.

"I love choro because it's the perfect mix of classical music and jazz, where it demands precision but everyone can inflect the music with their own personality and interpretation," Anat says."As a clarinetist, I can be the soloist or join in the counterpoint with the 7-string guitar. As with the style of early New Orleans jazz, choro functions on group polyphony where everyone has a role yet it's open and free-spirited, with simultaneous melodies happening. It can be groove-oriented like a party, or it can be full of saudade, of longing. It was actually choro that brought me back to the clarinet after years of concentrating on the saxophone."

For the Rosa Dos Ventos sessions, the foursome lived together for a week in Brasilia, inventing freely and recording at Maia's home studio. They built on the more traditional choro sounds of Alegria da Casa, re-imagining the music with original compositions by Anat and each member of the trio that incorporate far-flung influences, including from Spain ("Flamenco") and India ("O Ocidente Que Se Oriente") as well as the worlds of salsa ("Das Neves") and even rock (the dramatic "Rosa Dos Ventos"). There are plenty of effervescent rhythms ("Baião Da Esperança," "Ijexá") and bittersweet melodies ("Teimosa," "Pra Você, Uma Flor"), as well as sparkling virtuosity ("Choro Pesado," "Valsa Do Sul"). The arrangements are textured throughout, with Anat's lyricism a key voice whether adding beguiling touches to "Lulubia" ("Lullaby") or improvising "Sambalelê" as a virtual solo over a spare backdrop of percussion.

Anat and Trio Brasileiro unveil the music of Rosa Dos Ventos on the road in May with a tour of the U.S. and Europe, including a May 16-17 stand at the Jazz Standard in Manhattan. The clarinetist says: "Playing with Trio Brasileiro - three of the most sensitive, inventive musicians I know, along with being sweet guys - is such a joy for me. And I think you can hear that joy in the music we make together."

ANAT COHEN & MARCELLO GONÇALVES - Outra Coisa: The Music of Moacir Santos

1. Amphibious

2. Coisa No. 1

3. Outra Coisa

4. Coisa No. 6             

5. Coisa No. 10

6. Nanã (Coisa No. 5)

7. Coisa No. 9

8. Mãe Iracema

9. Oduduá

10. Maracatucuté

11. Paraíso

12. Carroussel

All songs by Moacir Santos (except #7, by Moacir Santos/Regina Werneck)

Anat Cohen, clarinet & Marcello Gonçalves, 7-string guitar

Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves Coisa N.10 by Moacir Santos

ANAT COHEN & TRIO BRASILEIRO - Rosa Dos Ventos

1. Baião Da Esperança (Douglas Lora)

2. Pra Você, Uma Flor (Douglas Lora)

3. Das Neves (Dudu Maia)

4. Valsa Do Sul (Anat Cohen)          

5. Flamenco (Alexandre Lora)

6. Rosa Dos Ventos (Douglas Lora)

7. Sambalelê(Anat Cohen)

8. Ijexá(Dudu Maia)

9. Teimosa (Anat Cohen)

10. "O Ocidente Que Se Oriente" (Alexandre Lora)

11. Choro Pesado (Douglas Lora & Dudu Maia)

12. Lulubia (Dudu Maia)

Anat Cohen, clarinet & Trio Brasileiro: Dudu Maia, bandolim; Douglas Lora, 7-string guitar; Alexandre Lora, pandeiro, hand pan, percussion

Choro Pesado - Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro

Anat Cohen tours the U.S. and Europe with Trio Brasileiro throughout May, including a May 16-17 stand at New York City's Jazz Standard:

5/3 - Seattle, WA @ Triple Door

5/4 - Portland, OR @ Old Church

5/6 - Los Angeles, CA @ Blue Whale

5/7 - Phoenix, AZ @ MIM

5/9 - Albuquerque, NM @ Outpost

5/11 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Kuumbwa

5/12 - San Jose, CA @ Cafe Stritch

5/13 & 14 - Denver, CO @ Dazzle

5/15 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery

5/16 & 17 - New York, NY @ Jazz Standard

5/19 - Nantes, France - Pannonica

5/20 - Coutances, France - Theatre Municipal

5/23 - Munich, Germany - Jazzclub Unterfahrt

5/25 - Prague, Czech Republic - Jazzdock

5/27 - Milan, Italy - Blue Note Milano

 

Virtuoso Violinist Regina Carter Digs Deep Into the Ella Fitzgerald Catalogue on Ella: Accentuate the Positive

A hundred years after her birth, the ever-eloquent Ella Fitzgerald continues to teach us lessons. Regina Carter has chosen this moment to celebrate the First Lady of Song's infectious and inclusive artistry with unabashed joy. "Accentuate the Positive, I thought was the perfect title considering the mood of the country and the world right now," Ms. Carter says. "We need some positive vibes."

On Ella: Accentuate the Positive, out April 21 from OKeh/Sony Music Masterworks, the virtuoso violinist reveals the many faces of Fitzgerald that have influenced Carter's own remarkable path in music. Apart from the title track of Accentuate the Positive, Carter resists the allure of the songstress' most recognizable hits. Carter has mined tunes from deep within Ella's bountiful catalogue, and brought them to the surface with a distinct freshness. The reward is rich for the listener.

"One of the many things that I adore about Ella is that she just loved music and didn't box herself in," Carter explains. "She recorded everything, not just the American Songbook -- doo-wop, Stevie Wonder and Beatles songs, even some country western music. The fact that she experimented with so many different styles made me feel that, with this record, I would pay respect to her by taking the music and doing something else with it. I feel that she would smile in agreement."

To realize her vision of the album, which transforms the songs through a lens of classic 1950s-'60s soul and blues, Carter calls on an impressive roster of musicians and arrangers. The violinist is accompanied by her longtime rhythm section of bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Alvester Garnett, and is joined by pianist Xavier Davis and guitarist Marvin Sewell. Both Lightcap and Sewell serve double-duty as arrangers.

This talented group is supplemented by in-demand bassist Ben Williams, producer and hitmaker Ray Angry, renowned vocalist Charenee Wade and pianist Mike Wofford, Fitzgerald's own former accompanist and musical director. Two tracks feature vocals by Carter's fellow Detroiters, actress and singer Miche Braden; and longtime friend and vocalist extraordinaire Carla Cook, who first introduced Carter to jazz violin while the two were classmates at Cass Technical School.

"When people arrange tunes, their voices become part of the recording as well," Carter says. "I wanted to have many voices and many stylistic approaches on this record."

Adoration of Ella Fitzgerald is a theme that is woven throughout the violinist's career. Many songs previously have found their way onto Carter's recordings. For instance, "Oh, Lady Be Good," shows up on 1999's Rhythms of the Heart while "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" appears on the 2006 release, I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey, the moving tribute to Carter's late mother. Central to Carter's choice of songs for the album was the ability to spark a connection between the audience and the material, similar to the connection she felt upon hearing Ella for the first time. On the heels of Braden's spirited, gospel-tinged performance on the opening "Ac-cen-tchu-ate the Positive" comes Williams airily funky arrangement of "Crying in the Chapel." Best known as a hit for '50s R&B group, The Orioles, and recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley to Bob Marley, the song was the B-side to Ella's 1953 single "When the Hands of the Clock Pray at Midnight." Lightcap's bluesy take on "I'll Never Be Free" follows, while Davis' sultry Rhodes sets the tone for the slinky groove of Sewell's arrangement of "All My Life."

Wofford's setting of the standard "Dedicated To You" pares the band down to a violin/piano/bass trio, allowing Carter's touching lyricism to shine. Angry gives "Reach for Tomorrow" a shimmering ballad treatment, while Wade's gutsy R&B take on "Undecided" shines the spotlight on Cook's powerhouse, no-nonsense vocal. Carter pairs off with Sewell for an intimate duo rendition of "Judy," the song that jump-started Fitzgerald's career on the stage of the Apollo Theater. Finally, Sewell's gutbucket slide guitar fuels the rootsy version of "I'll Chase the Blues Away" to bring the album to a close.

A student of the violin from age four, Detroit native Carter first focused on listening to classical music. But a vast wealth of influences crept into her ears via her music-loving family. Her older brothers brought home Motown and other soul records, an influence certainly felt on Accentuate the Positive. From her parents' record collection she would pull titles at random -- one day jazz albums, the next, movie soundtracks. It was through that treasure trove that she first heard Ella and instantly was hooked.

"Something about her voice made me feel like I had a personal connection," Carter recalls. "When she sang, I felt really warm and safe, almost a maternal connection. It just felt like love." For Carter, the enchantment continued into adulthood. She grew to realize how much technique and virtuosity were involved in producing a sound so remarkably warm and inviting. "As an adult, I realized what an instrument she (Ella) had," Carter continues. "She had an incredible voice and I gained a lot of respect for her along with the love I had always felt. For years, I would get up and put on an Ella track first thing in the morning. That was the way I needed to start off my day."

Accentuate the Positive is the end result of Carter's daily communion with and lifelong devotion to the music of Ella Fitzgerald. In her heartfelt and deeply personal interpretations of these songs we can hear the same degree of warmth, feeling and elegance that imbued the legendary singer's work as filtered through Carter's singular voice. And that's nothing but positive.

Ella: Accentuate the Positive Tracklisting:

1. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

2. Crying in the Chapel

3. I'll Never be Free 

4. All My Life 

5. Dedicated to You        

6. Reach for Tomorrow   

7. Undecided

8. Judy  

9. I'll Chase the Blues Away      

  

Regina Carter  · Ella: Accentuate the Positive

OKeh Records  ·  Release Date: April 21, 2017

www.ReginaCarter.com

Experimental Guitarist Rex Shepherd Releases Three Albums Digitally

Described as Robin Trower meets Miles Davis

Guitarist Rex Shepherd has released three albums digitally: “Ohio”, “Sonority” and “Duets”. Combining elements of jazz improvisation and harmony with an approach to guitar playing heavily influenced by diverse players such as Jim Hall, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, and sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Rex Shepherd has forged a niche for himself with original music that typically lies somewhere just outside the usual genre labels but is still music that is approachable.

Says Rex, “This new music was recorded in my personal studio, much of it with other musicians in duets, and at various times throughout the last few years. The past several years have delivered to me a greater understanding of the fleeting nature of this lifetime, so I decided to release much of what I had accumulated, in part to satisfy my own need to communicate musically with the world outside of my little sphere of existence, but also I wanted to honor the musicians who played this music with me. It is these musical and personal relationships that are at the heart of creating music, whether composed or improvised, and for the people who listen to it I hope it also creates a connection between us. Much peace and music to all people, everywhere.”

Having been described as “Robin Trower meets Miles Davis”, Shepherd's music spans from full on instrumental jazz rock tunes to traditional jazz compositions with a good dose of free improvisation and sound experimentation using “prepared” and effected guitar sounds and instruments such as the “oceanharp” and the Theremin.

Shepherd's band, sometimes going under the name No End of Now, employs a revolving cast of the most creative players he can find who are willing to take part in a project that is often arranged while playing and with no limitations on the players' expression of the music. The compositions are also a blend of influences, from Wayne Shorter to John Cage, and most often are directly inspired by people, literature and other art forms, and experiences that hold significant meaning in Shepherd's life.

Says Rex, “I feel really lucky to get to play with some great musicians and always look forward to meeting new people to create sounds with...it's amazing how the same music can sound so different with the personalities of other players in any given moment. Playing with a group is a very fluid thing when everyone is listening, then responding...it becomes intuitive and ethereal, the closest thing to telecommunication I've ever experienced. When I play solo it’s similar in a way, in that I am responding to inner voices and emotional impulses in a meditative sort of way. I'm not a technical player, I rarely practice technique unless I discover a particular thing I want to use to express my ideas. With whatever technique I have, I hope that I can bring out the best of my musical ideas. One of my main influences, Jim Hall, is a master lyricist and I could only hope for a fraction of the melody under that guy's fingers. I play what I want to play and I don’t want to copy anyone, but I do a pretty good impression of myself most of the time.”

The releases:

Ohio

With the exception of “Desire”, a ballad Rex wrote several years ago, the music on this recording is all improvised. The songs consist of duet recordings captured in his studio after he had returned home to Ohio for a short time. “The musicians joining me on this recording are not only thoughtful and skillful players but are also beautiful people, and I am grateful to them for their music and their friendship during my stay on the 'North Coast'”.

https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/ohio

Sonority

This recent recording features a set of improvised tunes that were arrived at after John and Rex conducted their usual pre-roll discussions about the state of current affairs in the U.S. “Being fortunate enough to have two voices with which to speak out against what I see as injustice, inequality, and hatred, I felt that releasing this music, even if not listened to by many, would at least add to the spirit and energy of the peaceful movement for change taking place currently.”

https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/sonority

Duets

Except for the improvisations “Etude #2” and “April 9th”, this release features compositions by Rex that have existed anywhere from 15 years, in the case of “In the Shade”, to just two days before being recorded like “Happy Little Trees”. “The takes are imperfect. The music is presented here with minimal changes in the mixes so that it will accurately depict our journey feeling our way through it. I preferred to keep the imperfections so that these takes more closely resemble the music that one might hear if John and I were playing the tunes live, where boundaries are pushed and the music flows moment by moment. When challenged with making music I am buoyed by a quote from my musical hero, the great Jim Hall, 'The instrument keeps me humble. Sometimes I pick it up and it seems to say: No, you can't play today. I keep at it anyway, though.' Much peace and music to all people, everywhere.”

https://rexshepherd.bandcamp.com/album/duets

Website: https://rexshep.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicpagerexshepherd/

NEW RELEASES: THE LEGACY OF FUNK; MAXINE WELDON - CHILLY WIND; LLOYD MCNEIL – WASHINGTON SUITE

THE LEGACY OF FUNK (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A sweet set of funky club cuts from the late 70s and early 80s – music that's definitely on the funkier side of the disco spectrum, and which also does a nice job of covering ground from the time before and after the big dancefloor explosion too! This isn't gritty funk, of the funky 45 variety – but instead the tighter, sharper, more mainstream modes that came into play as the 70s moved on – still played by musicians who were at the top of their game, and recorded in ways that allowed all the sharpness of the music to find a new sort of groove! The package includes a few never-issued mixes – including "That's What You Get For Being Polite (DJ Reverent P edit)" by The Jacksons, "Looking Up To You (DJ Reverent P edit)" by Michael Wycoff, "So You Wanna Stay Down (DJ Reverend P edit)" by The Isley Brothers, and "Rockin After Midnight (DJ Reverend P edit)" by Marvin Gaye – plus the cuts "Till You Take My Love (12" mix)" by Harvey Mason, "Love Is Always On Your Mind (12" mix)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Brazilian Love Affair" by George Duke, "Dazz (Dazz disco mix)" by Brick, "Joy To Have Your Love" by Patti LaBelle, "Remote Control" by The Reddings, "Play That Funky Music White Boy" by Wild Cherry, "Haboglabotribin" by Bernard Wright, "Get It Right" by Aretha Franklin, "Sun Goddess" by Ramsey Lewis, "The Groove" by Rodney Franklin, "I've Had Enough" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Hurry Up & Wait" by The Isley Brothers, "Coming To You Live" by Charles Earland, "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs, "Funkin For Jamaica" by Tom Browne, "Risin To The Top" by Keni Burke, and "Do It Any Way You Wanna (Tom Moulton mix)" by People's Choice.  ~ Dusty Groove

MAXINE WELDON - CHILLY WIND

Fully righteous work from singer Maxine Weldon – working here with bigger backings from Ernie Wilkins that mix in a bit of blues, soul, and funk! The style's never too polished, and almost has a similar feel to some of Esther Phillips' work on the Kudu label during the early 70s – soulful vocals at the lead, backed by some hip jazz and electric instrumentation from players who include Blue Mitchell and Bobby Bryant on trumpet, Hadley Caliman and Ernie Watts on tenor and flute, George Bohannon on trombone, and Freddy Robinson on guitar. Titles include "Don't Make Promises", "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", "Country Son", "I'll Remember Today", "Fire & Rain", "I Who Have Nothing", and "Ain't Got Nobody". ~ Dusty Groove

LLOYD MCNEIL – WASHINGTON SUITE

One of the most beautiful albums ever recorded by DC flutist Lloyd McNeil – and one of the grooviest, too! Lloyd's work is always amazing – stretched-out, spiritual, and filled with life – but this time around, there's a definite groove to the record that's undeniable – an increased sense of rhythm, yet one that's still extremely creative, especially in the mellower moments – which are among some of the most compelling that McNeil ever recorded. The tunes were originally scored for a dance group, and feature a core combo with Lloyd on flute, some great Fender Rhodes from Eugene Rush, and sublime bass and drum patterns – mixed with some haunting added woodwinds, played by a combo that also features the legendary Andrew White. The whole record has a beautifully rhythmic quality, filled with throbbing, modal, soulful grooves – and tracks include "Home Rule", "City Triptych", "2504 Cliffborne Pl", "Just 71% Moor", and "Fountain In The Circle".  ~ Dusty Groove

 

Saxophonist DAYNA STEPHENS releases GRATITUDE featuring Brad Mehldau, Julian Lage, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland

Gratitude, saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Dayna Stephens' eighth album as a leader, is a gift from Stephens to the world, and to himself; simply an album of beautiful music played by a group of master musicians, led by one of the scene's leading artists, that can be enjoyed by the connoisseur or the casual listener. And, on a deeper level, an expression of gratitude from the saxophonist, for the warmth, love, peace and strong connections he has shared with friends, family and fellow musicians, as he climbed his way back to health after fighting Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSG), a rare kidney disease.

Stephens elaborates, "one thing that unites every song on this record is they were all at one time or another ear worms that stuck around for a while, and often returned for lengthy stays. Another uniting factor is that they all have to my ear enchanting, beautiful singable melodies, and give me a strong sense of sentiment. When we recorded these songs I was conflictingly full of hope, peace and uncertainty. Hope that my years would be extended, peace that I was lucky to have made it that far with lots a great moments and experiences, despite the circumstances, and yet, uncertainty, because it wasn't yet clear how the journey was going to continue. Now after receiving so much love and support from so many people in my life, I am saturated with immense gratitude, perhaps completing a circle that started with those ingredients. This collection of songs serves as an expression of that deep-seated gratitude." 

  

Gratitude, featuring Dayna Stephens (tenor & baritone saxophones, EWI, synthesizer, bass-trk 9), Brad Mehldau (piano, tack piano-trk 4), Julian Lage (guitar), Larry Grenadier (bass) and Eric Harland (drums & cymbals), will be released on April 7, 2017 on Stephens' new label, Contagious Music.

Gratitude was masterfully produced by legendary producer, Matt Pierson, and Stephens and his band were guided by music from a number of incredible composers, such as Aaron Parks, Michelle Amador, Rebecca Martin, Billy Strayhorn, Louis Cole, Massimo Biolcati, Pat Metheny, Olivier Manchon and Julian Lage.

More About The Music on Gratitude With Dayna Stephens: Emilie was introduced to me by violinist/composer Olivier Manchon. He dedicates it to his sister Emilie and its got a nice, simple melody that when combined with the pleasantly unexpected harmony creates a beautiful song to connect with.

A dear friend, pianist Aaron Parks, wrote In A Garden. I've had the pleasure of playing the composition with him on several occasions and it often paints scenes for me one would find in a fantasy movie. Some of the visuals in the Robin Williams movie, What Dreams May Come, come to mind.

Amber Is Falling (Red and Yellow) was written by vocalist/composer Michelle Amador, and has been on my list of favorites since the mid 2000s when we played it in San Francisco with her group, Michelle Amador and the True Believers.

The Timbre of Gratitude is the only original song of mine on Gratitude. In a loose way the happy sounding beginnings of each new section represent the many positive moments of encouragement I have received throughout my journey thus far.

Don't Mean a Thing at All is a song written by the wonderful vocalist/songwriter, Rebecca Martin. I first heard her sing it in a duo setting with our bassist, and her husband, Larry Grenadier, and immediately fell in love with its melody and lyric.

Woodside Waltz refers to a city in Northern California called Woodside, which has tons of scenic views of the SF Bay through tall redwood trees. While recording it we discovered that the recording studio (The Club House in Rhinebeck, NY) had a tack piano, which was perfect for bringing out the essence of this gem written by our guitarist, Julian Lage. The entire band was even willing to tune down our instruments, a dozen cents flat or so, to match the tuning of the piano, which hadn't been given any TLC in some time.

We Had A Sister is a hauntingly beautiful song by Pat Metheny.  I first heard this tune, as a young, fledgling saxophone student, on Joshua Redman's second release, Wish. Since that time it's remained a song I've wanted to record. 

Isfahan is one of many masterpieces by the great Billy Strayhorn. I'm reminded of Joe Henderson's version he recorded on his album, Lush Life-The Music of Billy Strayhorn. I really admire how personal and intimate Henderson's playing was, which is why I felt it was a good idea to do this one as a trio with Larry and Julian.

Clouds is one title for two songs written by two composers, bassist/composer Massimo Biolcati and drummer/producer/composer Louis Cole. Biolcati's melody, a tune I've played many times while we were both in the Monk Institute, is full of nice, intricate surprises. Cole's version was my introduction to his unique, magical sonic world, which I have since become a huge fan off.

www.daynastephens.net

Tommy LiPuma, 1936-2017

Grammy award-winning record producer and music business executive Tommy LiPuma died Monday evening in New York City after a brief illness.  His death was confirmed by his wife, Gill LiPuma.

LiPuma's productions have resulted in more than 75 million albums sold (with 35 of these certified gold or platinum), 33 Grammy nominations, and five Grammy wins. George Benson, Natalie Cole, Miles Davis, Diana Krall, Sir Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand are but a few of the artists whom he produced during his career.

In addition to his record production work, LiPuma served in significant positions at almost every major record company—from being the first staff producer at A&M Records, and co-founder of Blue Thumb Records, in the 1960s; to head of Jazz and Progressive Music at Warner Bros. through the '80s; to Senior Vice-President of A&R at Elektra, and President of GRP and Impulse, in the '90s. From '98 to 2004, he was Chairman of Verve Music, and Chairman Emeritus from '04 through '11.

Born Thomas LiPuma in 1936, he grew up in Cleveland and studied the saxophone as a high school student.  LiPuma initially worked as a barber before he was offered an entry-level position packing records at a warehouse, which served as his entry into the music business.

Within a year, LiPuma moved to Los Angeles to be a radio promoter for Liberty Records, before transitioning to the publishing end of the business and embarking on his production career with early recordings for Jackie DeShannon, Randy Newman, and The O'Jays (the latter yielding the Top 40 R&B hit, "Lipstick Traces").

His later tenures working at A&M, Blue Thumb (which he co-founded with partner Bob Krasnow), Horizon, Warner Bros. and, eventually, GRP/Verve Records found him producing successful albums for artists including George Benson (Breezin'), Natalie Cole, Miles Davis, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Queen Latifah, David Sanborn, the Sandpipers ("Guantanamera") and Barbra Streisand.

It was during his last label stint at GRP/Verve that LiPuma began his collaboration with Diana Krall, yielding eleven records, multiple Grammy nominations and over 15 million albums sold.

In 2011, Paul McCartney asked him to produce his next album, Kisses On The Bottom.  The record was a critical success for the Concord Music Group, garnering a Grammy Award for Best Pop Standard Album (Vocal). LiPuma continued producing records subsequently for his longtime collaborator Leon Russell as well as for up-and-coming trumpeter Dominick Farinacci.  Fittingly, his final production was his collaboration with Diana Krall on her forthcoming album, Turn Up the Quiet, engineered by Al Schmitt.

Outside of music, LiPuma's passion was 20th Century American Modernism. Works from his collection, which features pieces from such artists as Marsden Hartley, John Marin, and Alfred Maurer, have been displayed at numerous museums and galleries around the United States.

In 2012, the Board of Trustees of Cuyahoga Community College named the College's arts center the Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts, in recognition of LiPuma's support of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, the College and the students served.

LiPuma is survived by his wife Gill, daughters Jen Monti and Danielle Wiener, and grandchildren Matty, Julia, Chloe and Ava.  The family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his name to the Tommy LiPuma Endowment Fund at Cuyahoga Community College or to City Meals on Wheels. Plans for a public memorial service will be announced shortly.

 

Trombone Shorty Foundation's 5th Annual Shorty Fest Announces Lineup

The fifth annual Shorty Fest, a benefit concert for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, will fill two stages at the House of Blues New Orleans with an incredible lineup of jazz, blues, funk, rock and soul artists on Thursday, May 4, 2017 – in between the two weekends of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. 

Shorty Fest 2017 presented by Presqu’ile Winery is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Trombone Shorty Foundation, which provides music education, instruction, mentorship and performance to young, underserved musicians, helping to pass on the unique cultural and musical heritage of New Orleans to its youth.

Shorty Fest has built a reputation as a showcase for up-and-coming musicians and honoring the mission of mentorship that is at the heart of the Trombone Shorty Foundation. The event, which sells out every year, has become a Jazz Fest tradition, bolstered even more this year with the Trombone Shorty Academy’s partnership with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

Shorty Fest 2017 will take place May 4 at the House of Blues New Orleans, 225 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA with doors opening at 8:00 p.m. and performances beginning at 9:00 p.m.

“The fifth annual Shorty Fest is the place to be to see the future of our music during Jazz Fest, including the next generation of New Orleans superstars, the Trombone Shorty Academy students,” said Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. “With the support of our incredible sponsors, we are developing our city’s best and brightest young musicians, who would not otherwise be able to pursue this path. Shorty Fest is the culmination of years of hard work, passion and commitment.”

A leading foundation dedicated to preserving New Orleans’ musical heritage, this year marks the first that the Trombone Shorty Academy is officially partnered with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, with a new home at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center. In addition to Presenting Sponsor Presqu’ile Winery, Shorty Fest is supported by Official Automotive Sponsor, Acura; Official Beer Sponsor, Oskar Blues Brewery; Second Stage Sponsor, CAN’d Aid Foundation; and Media Sponsor, Spread Music Now.

Shorty Fest 2017 Lineup:

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue - a hard-edged funk band that employs hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and improvisation in a jazz tradition. They've rocked audiences headlining New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since 2013 in the coveted closing spot, recently toured with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and performed at venues and festivals all over the globe.

Seratones – This up-and-coming Shreveport group mixes up a combination of Southern musicality, and garage rock ferocity.

New Breed Brass Band - living and breathing the culture of New Orleans, infusing funk, rock, jazz, and hip-hop into a custom-made enhancement of second-line brass band tradition.

The Main Squeeze- From Red Rocks to High Sierra Festival, the band’s captivating live performances have earned them a devoted national following.

Sexual Thunder- high-energy psychedelic funk band from New Orleans, that blends contemporary synth and electronic percussion sounds with classic funk instrumentation and six-part vocal harmonies.

MainLine- This 8-piece funk/hip-hop/soul ensemble incorporates traditional New Orleans brass band horns with a funk/jam band feel and modern hip-hop elements.

Voices of a Nation - Big Chief Juan Pardo’s music is an electrifying display of a culture that dates back over two hundred years in New Orleans, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition.

The Peterson Brothers– These Austin, Texas brothers feature a uniquely modern blend of blues, soul, and funk. Alex, 17, on bass and vocals, and Glenn Jr., 20, on guitar and lead vocals, have grown up playing together since they were very young.

Trombone Shorty Academy students - The Trombone Shorty Academy provides aspiring underserved high school musicians mentorship and experience in music performance, reading and writing while teaching New Orleans musical traditions like brass-band, traditional Jazz, Blues and gospel, Mardi Gras Indian funk, Hip-Hop, and Shorty’s own hybrid sound of “SupaFunkRock.” The Academy combines education in the region’s rich musical history with immersion in a performance ensemble under the guidance of musicians Erion Williams, Edward Lee, and and Julian Gosin of New Orleans’ own The Soul Rebels, and Jenard Andrews of New Breed Brass Band.

Founded by renowned New Orleans musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews in 2013, the Trombone Shorty Foundation is Andrews’ vision of sharing his passion to inspire the next generation by developing their musical talent and connecting them to the city’s unique musical heritage. Frontman of the band Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Andrews credits the support of his own positive role models in the rich New Orleans music community for helping him make his way into the world of music, where he has grown into an internationally recognized, Grammy Award-nominated artist.

Currently in its fifth year, the Trombone Shorty Academy partners with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation to perpetuate the musical heritage of the region, by teaching local high school students homegrown New Orleans music—from brass band and traditional jazz to more modern funk and rhythm & blues styles, all of which play an integral role in the richness and depth of New Orleans’ musical legacy. For more information on the Trombone Shorty Foundation, please visit: http://www.tromboneshortyfoundation.org.

Ella Fitzgerald's Centennial Year Commemorated With A Global Ella 100 Celebration The First Lady Of Song Honored With Several Album Releases

The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, Verve Label Group and UMe are pleased to announce some of the major initiatives confirmed as part of this year's Ella 100 centennial celebration honoring one of the most beloved and influential vocalists of all time, Ella Fitzgerald. Throughout 2017 to April 2018, the 100th anniversary of Fitzgerald's birthday (April 25, 1917) will be celebrated across the world with prestigious exhibits, a trove of new music releases and myriad independent tributes and concerts.

Fitzgerald's remarkable career and extraordinary legacy will be the focus of several exhibitions and events at institutions throughout the United States. In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which since 1997 has housed memorabilia of Fitzgerald's demonstrating the scope of her achievements and character, will open a new display titled First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald at 100 on April 1st, kicking off Jazz Appreciation Month. The year-long exhibit will feature awards, letters, sheet music and costumes from Fitzgerald's archives as well as videos of her performances. The Library of Congress, home to the Ella Fitzgerald Collection, an archive that consists of Fitzgerald's entire music library and thousands of scores, parts, lyric sheets, and arrangements of works performed and/or recorded by Fitzgerald, will celebrate Lady Ella with a concert by award-winning singer Dianne Reeves on March 31. On the day of her centennial, noted jazz historian and Senior Music Specialist Larry Appelbaum will lead a multi-media homage to the beloved singer.

The GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles will celebrate the life, music and charitable legacy of the 13-time GRAMMY® winner and Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, with the opening of a new exhibit titled Ella at 100: Celebrating the Artistry of Ella Fitzgerald. Opening on what would have been Fitzgerald's 100th birthday, April 25, 2017, the all-encompassing exhibit will commemorate the late icon with rare recordings, photos, personal telegram correspondences, wardrobe pieces such as her well-known Don Loper beaded gown and her GRAMMY Awards, all on loan from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. Fitzgerald holds the distinction of being the first African-American to win a GRAMMY® Award: In 1958 at the inaugural ceremony, she won two awards for her vocal performances on Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book and Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book. Ella at 100: Celebrating the Artistry of Ella Fitzgerald will be on display in the GRAMMY Museum's Mike Curb Gallery on the fourth floor through fall 2017.

Fitzgerald's Song Book recordings, widely considered her greatest achievement and a cornerstone of 20th century recorded popular music, are the focal point for the Great American Songbook Foundation's recently opened exhibit, Ella Sings The Songbook. Located in the Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Ind., the exhibit, which runs until October, shines a spotlight on the classic recordings Fitzgerald made with Norman Granz at Verve between 1956 and 1964. Historic photos, sheet music, magazines and other artifacts, culled from both the foundation's own archives and on loan from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, tell the story of these career-changing albums. The exhibit also includes an interactive multimedia station with video of live international performances and more than 30 audio recordings. In conjunction with the standing exhibit, the foundation has also assembled a traveling display with educational materials that will be available on loan to local schools and community groups. For more information, contact the foundation at (317) 844-2251 or info@TheSongbook.org.

Verve and UMe will celebrate Ella Fitzgerald's centennial with a slate of exciting releases throughout the year and into 2018. On April 21, 100 of her most popular songs will be released as a new 4CD box set titled 100 Songs For A Centennial. The collection, which will also be available digitally, spans Fitzgerald's Decca and Verve years, beginning with her earliest recordings with Chick Webb and his orchestra in 1936 and culminating with the GRAMMY® Award-winning "Mack The Knife," her famous live recording from 1960's Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife. Some of the many highlights include "Summertime," "A-Tisket, A-Tasket,"  "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," and "I've Got You Under My Skin." 

Also on April 21, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Books, a collaboration with Nelson Riddle that is highly regarded as the pinnacle of her legendary Song Book series, will be released as a limited edition 6LP vinyl box set. A replica of the rare 5LP set originally released in 1959, the Ella 100 edition recreates for the first time since its initial release the original stereo box set on vinyl, the originally included five lithographs by French impressionist painter Bernard Buffet, as well as the hardcover book, Words And Music, which for this set has been updated with additional historical information and an afterword by noted author David Ritz. The 2017 collection was newly mastered by Ron McMaster at Capitol Studios in Hollywood where the album was originally recorded in 1959 under the supervision of Verve Records founder Norman Granz. A sixth LP enlarges the original 10-inch instrumental EP with orchestra tracks on Side One and additional material from the sessions on Side Two. One of the bonus tracks, a mono alternate take of "Oh, Lady Be Good!," is on vinyl for the first time. View the behind-the-scenes album trailer here: https://youtu.be/5oZKdy3KM6M.

Later in the year, all of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong's beloved duets, combining for the first time their Decca singles with three ageless Verve albums and bonus tracks, will be released as a 4CD/digital set titled Cheek To Cheek: The Complete Ella & Louis Duets. Further on, Verve will release a new album featuring Fitzgerald's classic vocal recordings accompanied by new orchestral arrangements by the London Symphony Orchestra.

In an effort to present Fitzgerald's music in the best possible fidelity, the eight classic albums that make up the Ella Fitzgerald Song Books were made available on February 17 in a variety of high-resolution audio formats. The albums, which include Fitzgerald interpreting work by the most beloved composers of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and Hollywood – Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and Rodgers & Hart – are available individually and for the first time as a hi-res audio bundle as Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Original Song Books. Each album's cover art, inconsistent in all previous digital releases, has been restored to the original design and the albums are in the original sequence. A showcase for Fitzgerald's underappreciated talents as well as a celebration of America's great composers, the Song Book series debuted in 1956 with Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book and launched Verve Records.

Some of Fitzgerald's most cherished earliest recording will be brought into the digital age when the 300 singles she recorded for Decca from 1935-1955, nearly three-quarters of which never appeared on an album, will be made available digitally in the form they were released (A side/B side) for the first time on March 24. With more than half the tracks making their digital debut, the mammoth collection will be divided into four volumes that will encapsulate Fitzgerald's two-decade-long Decca career. Vol. 1, 1935-1939 includes songs teenaged Ella recorded as the featured singer fronting the world-renowned Chick Webb Orchestra while Vol. 2, 1939-1941 features 50 tracks credited to Ella and Her Famous Orchestra, when she took over the Chick Webb Orchestra following Webb's untimely death at age 30. Vol. 3 1942-1949 covers the 1940s, when Fitzgerald formally became a Decca solo artist in her mid-twenties and Vol. 4 1950-1955 chronicles the first half of the 1950s before Fitzgerald's manager Norman Granz created Verve Records and brought her on board.

Ella Fitzgerald's centennial will be celebrated across the globe at a host of official and unofficial tributes and concerts. Some of the key events include the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.'s two-night concert March 24-25 featuring acclaimed singers Sy Smith, Capathia Jenkins, and Montego Glover performing Fitzgerald's songs with the NSO Pops. In New York City, Lincoln Center and the Apollo Theater, where Fitzgerald made her stage debut and won Amateur Night as a teenager in 1934, will each honor Fitzgerald with multiple nights of exciting programming. A continually updated list of events can be found at EllaFitzgeraldFoundation.org.

Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she sold more than 40 million albums and received most every honor a performer could dream of winning, including the Kennedy Center Honor (1979), the National Medal of Arts (1987), France's Commander of Arts and Letters (1990), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1992) and 13 Grammy Awards. In 2007, the United States Postal Service honored Fitzgerald with a postage stamp.

In her six decade long career, the Queen of Jazz recorded more than 200 albums and roughly 2,000 songs, making her the most recorded female – and the second most recorded – performer in history. Among those recordings are works with some of history's greatest musicians and legendary songwriters.

Fitzgerald's distinct style has influenced multiple generations of singers and her work transcends generations and musical genres. She had an extraordinary vocal range and flexibility and possessed a preternatural gift for pitch, rhythmic sense and flawless diction. Immensely versatile, she could sing it all from jazz and bebop to ballads, swing, pop and rock. With an unparalleled ability for mimicry and "scat" singing, Fitzgerald also produced melodic lines that put her in the category of great instrumental improvisers. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless.

Fitzgerald performed her last concert at Carnegie Hall in 1991. She passed away due to complications from Diabetes, dying in her Beverly Hills home on June 15, 1996.

The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation was created and funded in 1993 by Ella Fitzgerald in order to fulfill her desires to use the fruits of her success to help people of all races, cultures and beliefs. Fitzgerald hoped to make their lives more rewarding, and she wanted to foster a love of reading, as well as a love of music. In addition, she hoped to provide assistance to the at-risk and disadvantaged members of our communities - assistance that would enable them to achieve a better quality of life. The Board of Directors of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation seeks to continue Ella Fitzgerald's goals by making charitable grants serving four major areas of interest: Creating educational and other opportunities for children; fostering a love and knowledge of music; including assistance to students of music the provision of health care; food, shelter and counseling to those in need and specific areas of medical care and research with an emphasis on Diabetes, vision problems and heart disease.

100 SONGS FOR A CENTENNIAL TRACK LISTING

Disc 1

1. Sing Me A Swing Song (And Let Me Dance)

2. (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have To Swing It

3. Dedicated To You

4. Big Boy Blue

5. I Got A Guy

6. A-Tisket, A-Tasket

7. I Found My Yellow Basket

8. McPherson Is Rehearsin' (To Swing)

9. F.D.R. Jones

10. Undecided

11. I Want The Waiter (With The Water)

12. Imagination

13. Five O'clock Whistle

14. Cow-Cow Boogie

15. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

16. I'm Making Believe

17. Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

18. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine

19. I'm Beginning To See The Light

20. It's Only A Paper Moon

21. You Won't Be Satisfied

22. Stone Cold Dead In The Market

23. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons

24. My Happiness

25. Baby, It's Cold Outside

Disc 2

1. Oh, Lady Be Good!

2. That Old Feeling

3. I Hadn't Anyone Till You

4. Black Coffee

5. Soon

6. There Never Was A Baby Like My Baby

7. Walking By The River

8. Taking A Chance On Love

9. Until The Real Thing Comes Along

10. You Leave Me Breathless

11. Lullaby Of Birdland

12. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea

13. It Might As Well Be Spring

14. Miss Otis Regrets

15. You Do Something To Me

16. I've Got You Under My Skin

17. Moonlight In Vermont

18. Cheek To Cheek

19. Manhattan

20. Thou Swell

21. I Wish I Were In Love Again

22. Blue Moon

23. (In My) Solitude

24. Comes Love

25. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

Disc 3

1. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

2. In A Mellow Tone

3. I Never Had A Chance

4. What Will I Tell My Heart

5. Summertime

6. Little White Lies

7. You Hit The Spot

8. You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

9. Let's Face The Music And Dance

10. Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)

11. Puttin' On The Ritz

12. You Make Me Feel So Young

13. Moonlight Becomes You

14. Let's Fall In Love

15. My Old Flame

16. They All Laughed

17. I Can't Be Bothered Now

18. My One And Only

19. I Got Rhythm

20. Stairway To The Stars

21. Misty

22. Hooray For Love

23. Out Of This World

24. Come Rain Or Come Shine

25. Stella By Starlight

Disc 4

1. I Hear Music

2. Love Me Or Leave Me

3. Hallelujah, I Love Him

4. The Very Thought Of You

5. Warm All Over

6. Almost Like Being In Love

7. All The Things You Are

8. A Fine Romance

9. Yesterdays

10. Honeysuckle Rose

11. On The Sunny Side Of The Street

12. Tea For Two

13. Trouble In Mind

14. See See Rider

15. Can't Buy Me Love

16. The Sweetest Sounds

17. Skylark

18. Something's Gotta Give

19. Dream

20. Cotton Tail

21. Duke's Place

22. Something To Live For

23. Whisper Not

24. Time After Time

25. Mack The Knife

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Books

Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set Track Listing

Vol. 1

Side A

1.  Sam And Delilah

2.  But Not For Me

3.  My One And Only

4.  Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

5.  Beginner's Luck

Side B

1.  Oh, Lady Be Good!

2.  Nice Work If You Can Get It

3.  Things Are Looking Up

4.  Just Another Rhumba

5.  How Long Has This Been Going On

Vol. 2

Side A

1.  'S Wonderful

2.  The Man I Love

3.  That Certain Feeling

4.  By Strauss

5.  Someone To Watch Over Me

6.  The Real American Folk Song

Side B

1.  Who Cares?

2.  Looking For A Boy

3.  They All Laughed

4.  My Cousin In Milwaukee

5.  Somebody From Somewhere 

Vol. 3

Side A

1.  A Foggy Day

2.  Clap Yo' Hands

3.  For You, For Me, For Everyone

4.  Stiff Upper Lip

5.  Boy Wanted

6.  Strike Up The Band

Side B

1.  Soon

2.  I've Got A Crush On You

3.  Bidin' My Time

4.  Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?

5.  Of Thee I Sing (Baby) 

Vol. 4

Side A

1.  The Half Of It, Dearie, Blues

2.  I Was Doing All Right

3.  He Loves And She Loves

4.  Love Is Sweeping The Country

5.  Treat Me Rough

Side B

1.  Love Is Here To Stay

2.  Slap That Bass

3.  Isn't It A Pity?

4.  Shall We Dance?

5.  Love Walked In

6.  You've Got What Gets Me 

Vol. 5

Side A

1.  They Can't Take That Away From Mwe

2.  Embraceable You

3.  I Can't Be Bothered Now

4.  Boy! Look What Love Has Done To Me

5.  Fascinating Rhythm

Side B

1.  Funny Face

2.  Lorelei

3.  Oh, So Nice

4.  Let's Kiss And Make Up

5.  I Got Rhythm 

Bonus Vol. 6

Side A – instrumentals originally on box set 10-inch

1.  Promenade

2.  March Of The Swiss Soldiers

3.  Fidgety Feet

4.  Prelude I

5.  Prelude II

6.  Prelude III

Side B – all tracks not in original box set

1.  Somebody Loves Me – from the album Get Happy!

2.  Cheerful Little Earful – from the album Get Happy!

3.  But Not For Me – 45rpm single version

4.  Lorelei – alternate take/from pre-release sampler

5.  Love Is Here To Stay – alternate take/from pre-release sampler

6.  Oh, Lady Be Good! – alternate take/first time on vinyl

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