MYSTIC BOWIE'S TALKING DREADS FEATURING REGGAE VERSIONS OF TALKING HEADS HITS AND MORE SET FOR RELEASE

MYSTIC BOWIE'S TALKING DREADS will release its debut single, "Once In A Lifetime," tomorrow -- Friday, May 4 -- on iTunes, Amazon, and all digital retailers. The release of the full length debut album titled MYSTIC BOWIE'S TALKING DREADS, will feature reggae spins on classic Talking Heads songs, due June 15. In conjunction with the album release, the group will hit the road with U.S. tour dates starting May 24 in Buffalo, New York through September 2 in Salisbury, MA (with additional dates to be announced).

  

The Talking Dreads album will feature a lineup of legendary reggae figures including singer Freddie McGregor; ska guitar master Ernest Ranglin (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Monty Alexander); Soul Train Award nominated Tarrus Riley ("Start Anew," "Good Girl Gone Bad"); and saxophone great Dean Fraser. The album also includes drummer Kirk Bennett and Lincoln Thomas, McGregor's longtime guitarist. Cindy Wilson of the B-52s special guests on a duet with Mystic for "Heaven."

As a former member of the Tom Tom Club, a band that included former Talking Heads founders Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, Mystic Bowie infuses fresh life into Talking Heads' classic catalog with his high octane mix of roots reggae, ska and lover's rock.

The album will include 11 Talking Heads songs with Mystic's own unique, Jamaica-fied spin; plus two additional tracks, including:  "Love Goes to Building On Fire," "Slippery People" (Feat. Tarrus Riley):  "Burning Down The House," "Houses In Motion," "This Must Be The Place," "Once In A Lifetime," "Pulled Up," "Life During Wartime" (Feat. Freddie McGregor); "Crosseyed And Painless;"  Grateful Dead's "Shakedown Street," "Psycho Killer," "Piece of My Heart," "Heaven" (Feat. Cindy Wilson). 

Says Salon of a recent Talking Dreads live performance:  "Talking Dreads covers Talking Heads songs as shimmering one-drop reggae jewels…swapping out urbanity for roots and sincerity."

Since introducing his musically revolutionary Talking Dreads project at the High Times Music Festival in Negril in 2015, the Jamaican-born singer has performed at more than 100 shows across North America – spinning the heads of initially skeptical Talking Heads fans, and getting everyone grooving along to the rhythms and jubilant spirit of his native island.

Mystic's close personal and professional relationship with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth began when he joined the Tom Tom Club as a singer in 1996. He appeared on their 2000 album THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FUNKY and performed with them for nearly 20 years.

MYSTIC BOWIE'S TALKING DREADS current U.S. tour dates are below:

5/24/18 / Buffalo Iron Works / Buffalo, NY

5/25/18 / Jackson Downtown Summer Concert Series / Jackson, MI

5/26/18 / Vegetable Buddies / South Bend, IN

5/27/18 / Dark Star Jubilee / Thornville, OH

6/1/18 / Ocean Mist / South Kingstown, RI

6/15/18 / The Warehouse at FTC / Fairfield, CT

6/20/18 / Brooklyn Bowl / Brooklyn, NY

6/22/18 / Milkboy / Philadelphia, PA

6/28/18 / Koru Beach Klub / Avon, NC

6/29/18 / Motorco Music Hall / Durham, NC

6/30/18 / Grey Eagle Tavern / Asheville, NC

7/6/18 / Flying Monkey / Plymouth, NH

7/7/18 / The Cabot / Beverly, MA

7/14/18 / Road Jam Music Fest / Gilford, NH

7/21/18 / Bearsville Theater / Woodstock, NY         

7/27/18 / Wonder Bar / Asbury Park, NJ

8/1/18 / Fountain Square / Cincinnati, OH

8/4/18 / Moon Dancer Winery Music Festival / Wrightsville, PA

8/7/18 / Cervantes / Denver, CO          

8/11/18 / Volcanic Theatre, Bend, OR        

8/17/18 / Elks Lodge, Grass Valley, CA               

8/18/18 / Michael David Winery Festival, Lodi, CA               

8/19/18 / Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley, CA         

9/2/18 / Surfside Salisbury, Salisbury, MA

NEW RELEASES: RICHARD KOECHLI – PARCOURS; DENNY ZEITLIN – WISHING ON THE MOON; ROMAN FILIU - QUARTERIA

RICHARD KOECHLI & A BLUE ROOTS COMPANY - PARCOURS

New album from Award-winning Slideguitar player Richard Koechli. 79 minutes of finest Roots-Music; not just Blues, but footprints of Soul, Jazz, Pop, Folk & Rock. However, a seductive balance of rhythmic contrasts, melodiousness and relaxed unobtrusiveness holds everything together – in a way that reminds us of laid-back masters such as J. J. Cale. 16 new songs, a wonderfully dynamic band – and Koechli's voice, which has found its home somewhere between intimate Folk singing and soulful Blues power. What Guido Schmidt (Founder of Lucerne Blues Festival) says about Koechli: «Brilliantly delivered original compositions, deeply rooted in traditional blues, Richard Koechli bows before the legends and gets every bluesloving soul moving. If it weren't for the few songs written in Swissdialect, no one would ever come to the conclusion that this exceptional celebration of sounds from the motherland of the blues is being delivered by someone from along the Reuss River in Lucerne. Koechli impressively proves why he is considered to be one of Europe s leading blues and slide guitarists. From a musical point of view, it doesn't even matter what the name of the river in Lucerne is...»

DENNY ZEITLIN – WISHING ON THE MOON

Pianist Denny Zeitlin never fails to make us smile – and on an album like this, recorded many years after he first brought a new brightness to the world of jazz piano, we're still amazed at how he can unlock so many special moments with effortless ease! Zeitlin's always completely himself, but also never overstating his identity – just casually sliding into these note structures that are as appealing and optimistic as they are fresh – modernism, but from the brighter side of the sun – aided by the work of Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. Titles include the originals "There & Back", "Signs & Wonders", "Wishing On The Moon", and "Slickrock" – plus "All Of You" and "Put Your Little Foot Right Out". ~ Dusty Groove

ROMAN FILIU - QUARTERIA

An album of nervous rhythms and angular edges – and a set that seems to make the most of the tonal interplay between the alto of Roman Filiu, the tenor of Dayna Stephens, and trumpet of Ralph Alessi – all painted in these nicely dark colors by the piano of David Virelles! The album finds ways to swing that are quite unconventional – often building up the rhythms in blocks of sound that come as much from the horns as they do from the drums of Craig Weinrib, bass of Matt Brewer, and percussion of Yusnier Sanchez – on a set of Filiu compositions that include "Harina Con Arena", "Choiral", "Danza #5", "Fulcanelli", "Grass", "Imperator", and "For Horns & Bells". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: LOGAN RICHARDSON – BLUES PEOPLE; TOO SLOW TO DISCO BRASIL – COMPILED BY ED MOTTA; PETER BRONTZMANN & FRED LONBERG-HOLM - OUROBOROS

LOGAN RICHARDSON – BLUES PEOPLE

Logan Richardson's really on fire here – sounding a bit different than any of his previous records, but equally creative overall! The set's got an unusual format – two guitars and electric bass dominate the middle, with heavy drums from Ryan Lee, and these very openly-blown alto parts from Richardson – sometimes as textural waves of sound, sometimes sharp and pointed, and always up to the challenges of the shifting scapes of the styles! There's a fair bit of darkness in the mix – maybe similar to some of the brooding instrumental funk of Meshell N'Degeocello – and the heavy use of guitar might be seen as a nod to the blues roots hinted at by the title – but the overall sound is very different. Titles include "The Settlement", "With You", "Uraban Life", "Pure Change", "Class Wars", "Underground", "Country Boy", "Hunter Of Soul", and "80s Child". ~  Dusty Groove

TOO SLOW TO DISCO BRASIL – COMPILED BY ED MOTTA

This very hip series just got a whole lot hipper – thanks to the selection talents of Brazilian soul legend Ed Motta – who serves up a huge host of rare tracks from Brazil! Ed's always had a deep love of the AOR sound of the 70s – and he's not only a great soul singer on his own records, but also a hell of a record collector too – one whose knowledge of rare grooves goes way beyond most other folks we've ever met! This set opens up a huge amount of Brazilian soul we'd never heard before – music that takes off from the late 70s territory of Azimuth and Banda Black Rio, and soars with sweet jazzy grooves that are completely sublime – most from the 80s, and most by artists who've never gotten their due on the reissue market. Killer all the way through – with titles that include "Pra Voce" by Carlinhos & Soninha Querioz, "Acordes E Sementes" by Gelso Oliveira & Luiz Ewerling, "Joia Rara" by Brylho, "Rota Mar" by Zeca Do Trombone, "Clarear" by Roupa Nova, "Quero Pouco Quero Muito" by Filo Machado, "Guarde Minha Voz" by Sandra Sa, "Debora" by Altay Veloso, "Copacabana Suite" by Junior Mendes, "Renascendo En Mim"b y Don Beto, "Toda Manha Brilha O Sol" by Lucinha Turnbull, "Coisas Do Brasil" by Guilerhmes Arantes, "Mare" by Carlos Bivar, "Leao Ferido" by Biafra, "Mais Uma Chance" by Santa Cruz, "Rio Best Seller" by Cassiano, and "Se Eu Te Pego De Jeito" by Jane Duboc. (Includes download!)  ~ Dusty Groove

PETER BRONTZMANN & FRED LONBERG-HOLM - OUROBOROS

An album of beautiful tones and textures – and a set that has these two different improvisers really finding some great space together! The theme here isn't compromise, but exploration – as Brotzmann reminds us what again what a multi-faceted saxophonist he can be – finding ways to mix his reed work with the stringed instruments and electronics of Fred Lonberg-Holm – who himself is really ready to go into some of the bolder places that the saxophonist can explore! Perhaps most impressive is the way that the album can shift focus within a single improvisation, sometimes leaving us to wonder which sound is coming from which musician – on titles that include "The Circle", "The Figure Eight", "The Spiral", and "The Fusion Of Opposites". ~ Dusty Groove

Two-time Grammy–winning composer and saxophonist Ted Nash releases his first live recording in over 25 years

Two-time Grammy–winning composer and saxophonist Ted Nash releases his first live recording in over 25 years. Known for his highly-acclaimed works (Presidential Suite, Chakra, Portrait in Seven Shades) this much anticipated release provides an opportunity for Nash to share his improvisational side. His inspired solos are impassioned and interactive. On this album he finds new areas of expression that will excite and move you.

These three nights at Dizzy’s were electric for me. I think you’ll hear in it the combination of great players, with history letting loose on music that has grown with me over the course of my career. On this album we share not just a night of music but the history of collaboration.

It was a wonderful opportunity to make music again with many of my favorite musicians. I have known Rufus Reid since I was 24, when we recorded an album featuring my mother and father (which never was released). Rufus always plays with tremendous instinct and flexibility and brings decades of experience to the music. Rufus appeared on my Mancini Project album (Palmetto).

I first met Matt Wilson when I was 18 and he 14, when I came to Rock Island, Illinois to play with Louie Bellson’s quartet. Of course I had no idea the skinny teenager I met that night would become one of jazz’s greatest contributors, appearing on more than 250 recordings. Matt has played on several of my albums, including Sidewalk Meeting, Still Evolved, La Espada de la Noche, In the Loop, and The Mancini Project.

This is the second time Warren Wolf and I have played in a quintet at Dizzy’s together. He is one of the most consistently killing vibraphonists I have heard; at once fiery and cool. He is also one of the most melodic players – on any instrument. I have always had a connection with the vibes, as my jazz teacher was the great vibraphonist Charlie Shoemake, with whom I also played my first small band gigs, at the long-gone Donte’s in Los Angeles.

I have known Gary Versace for years, hearing him with many great ensembles, and have always wanted the chance to play in a small group with him. I got that chance, and the experience is something I will never forget. The moments he found on Emily, for example (which we played as a clarinet and piano duo) were rich, inspiring and truly original. I feel Gary is on the cusp of being acknowledged as one of piano’s superstars.

This performance was also a chance to revisit a couple original compositions in an entirely new context, and re-explore music by some of my favorite composers: Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols, Johnny Mandel, and Henry Mancini.

Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra make once-old things fresh and new on Bending the Standard

Dave Damiani is an American singer, songwriter, producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. Having started as a bartender at the famed CHARLIE O'S JAZZ CLUB in Valley Village, CA, Dave Damiani had the opportunity to work, learn and become friends with some of the best musicians on the planet. Legends like Earl Palmer, Marty Harris, Ross Tompkins, Sam Most, Teddy Edwards, John Heard, Roy McCurdy, Frank Capp, Ernie McDaniel, Dini Clarke, Danny Grissett, George Gaffney, Mark Murphy, and Richie Cole (just to name a few) took time to mentor Dave Damiani, share stories and chord changes.

Shortly after receiving his master's degree in Commercial Music from the California State University in Los Angeles, Dave began his pursuit to put together the perfect band with youth and style.  His debut album "Watch What Happens" has been receiving worldwide airplay. Brad "Martini" Chambers was the first to discover Dave Damiani's originality.  Brad has been playing him constantly on www.martiniinthemorning.com since 2013. Additionally, receiving airplay on over 300 radio stations and on Satellite Radio XM 71 (Siriusly Sinatra). In January Dave Damiani hosted his own hour on Sirius XM Siriuisly Sinatra #71, while hosting his good friend and New Jersey brother Joe Piscopo swung the studio say, “hi”!

Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra have produced shows with Frank Sinatra Enterprises, The Grove, Citi, Capital One, American Airlines, Jack Daniels, George Benson, Molly Ringwald, Bobby Ridel, Landau Murphy Jr., Hailey Reinhart, Renee Olstead, Steve Tyrel, Larry King.

With the release of their captivatingly titled debut album Bending the Standard: The Anthology, Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra make once-old things fresh and new, turn tradition into timelessness and transform the musical masterpieces of eras gone by into suddenly hip, relevant and vibrant expressions of our current American moment. Led by visionary Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, arranger, producer and bandleader Dave Damiani, the contemporary big band ensemble - known for years as "L.A.'s premiere event band" - offers an expansive, 18-track set of artfully re-imagined Songbook standards. Little covered pop rarities, colorful lyrical re-workings of Sinatra-associated treasures and a handful of Damiani originals that vibe seamlessly with the more familiar tunes.

The collection's lead single is a brisk, Latin-flavored stroll through "Come Fly With Me" that showcases the band's bright, brassy immediacy and the singer's slyly snappy phrasing. The track also features the pulsing foundation of legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine.

As one of the city's premier jazz multi-talents, Damiani has worked with and produced a wide array of popular artists. One of the ways he enjoys Bending the Standard is inviting well known musical friends to the party.

Dave creates transcendent duets with contemporary jazz singer Spencer Day ("Please Be Kind"), "The Voice" alum and Postmodern Jukebox member Maiya Sykes ("Wives & Lovers") and America's Got Talent Season 6 winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. ("East of the Sun - And West of the Moon").

Damiani takes the Quincy Jones arranger/producer role on "Bye Bye Blackbird" (featuring Renee Olstead on vocals) and "Come Home To West Virginia," a showcase for Murphy's extraordinary vocal talents. Dave Damiani & Alex Frank - penned a tribute to Murphy's home state was used to raise over $1.5 million to help regional flood victims in 2016.

In addition to putting his unique stamp on Sinatra affiliated songs like "Taking a Chance on Love," "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know," "That's All" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street," Damiani & Frank cleverly and humorously refashions the lyrics to "The Tender Trap" ("The Tinder App") and "Come Fly With Me (LA Version)," which pays homage to the city's quirky personalities, sports teams, culinary delights and hangouts. This track is one of several on Bending the Standard to spotlight remarkable American locales.

"Manhattan" begins with the orchestra swinging on "New York, New York" before the singer romps through Rodgers and Hart's "We'll Take Manhattan," complete with a riff on the end that includes a "Hamilton" reference.

"It's Pure AC - Atlantic City" is an ode to the famed city and deep musical history, centered around the historic 500 club, where Martin & Lewis got their start and legends like Frank, Nat and Elvis once held court.

Of course, the first person we think of when we hear Damiani sing the soaring words of "Come Fly With Me" is Ol' Blue Eyes, but he's earned praise and endorsement of the Sinatra family precisely because he doesn't try to, as he says, "be Frank or imitate him in any way, but pay homage" by finding deeper historical and emotional reasons for recording songs indelibly connected to him.

Damiani's music, including tracks from his previous solo albums Watch What Happens (2013) and Midlife Crisis (2015), has been a staple these past years on Siriusly Sinatra, a pop standards-oriented channel (71) on Sirius XM Radio. He has both hosted the weekly segment "Playing Favorites" and was featured on the show with special guest, comedian Joe Piscopo.

Over the years, Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra have performed for CBS's hit show Vegas starring Michael Chiklis & Dennis Quaid, The Sinatra 100 Celebration with George Benson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Larry King (60th Anniversary in show business), Tommy Lasorda (90th Birthday party), Ryan Seacrest, Gene Simmons, David Spade, David Hasselhoff, Jack Klugman, CBS Television, Rupert Murdoch (engagement party at the Wynn Hotel), FOX Television, Wolfgang Puck, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott, The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Four Seasons, The Ritz Carlton and many other celebrities and legendary entities.

Dave Damiani & the No Vacancy Orchestra will be touring in the Summer of 2018, kicking off July in Atlantic City. Their tour will include performances at Birdland in NYC, Bethesda Blues & Jazz (Bethesda, MD), The Blue Room at the Waldorf Astoria in New Orleans and the Hard Rock in Biloxi, MS.

Bass Legend Jeff Berlin To Release 30th Anniversary Edition 12-inch Vinyl “Joe Frazier - Round 3” Feat. Steve Vai & David Sancious

Joe Frazier - Round 3 smokes because the players are smoking. They took a wonderful piece of music and lit a fuse under it! - Jeff Berlin

Legendary bassist Jeff Berlin will be releasing on May 11th a 30th Anniversary Edition 12-inch vinyl of his signature song “Joe Frazier.” The EP “Joe Frazier - Round 3” will include a newly remastered version of the original song from his critically acclaimed 1987 album “Pump It!” and a completely re-imagined version, composed and performed by Jeff, Steve Vai (lead guitar), David Sancious (keys), Keith Carlock (drums) and Tom Hemby (rhythm guitar). This limited-edition EP will be available as signed audiophile vinyl, signed CD, or digital release, with collector's editions including an autographed chart of the new arrangement. Digital “mix minus” tracks of the single will also be offered so you can play along with these iconic musicians.

Says Jeff, “'Joe Frazier' is a song that has remained with me throughout my career. No matter where I am in the world, people ask to hear this song. 2017 marks the 30th anniversary of the rendition that I recorded on my second solo record, 'Pump It!' While chatting about the tune with producer John McCracken, we thought to come up with a new version, calling it 'Joe Frazier - Round 3.' For me, this new song is almost entirely different from the previous two renditions and, quite honestly, I think that this is one of the best tunes I ever wrote.”

Musicians:

Bass and Keyboards: Jeff Berlin

Guitar Solo: Steve Vai

Additional Keyboards: David Sancious

Drums: Keith Carlock

Rhythm Guitars: Tom Hemby

Shakers: Gabriela Sinagra

Says Jeff, “Steve Vai's guitar solo was searing. He showed why he is one of the greatest of the great guitarists in the world. David Sancious' keyboards put color and style into JF. The man is a legend and helped to put the 'orchestra' into 'Joe Frazier.' Keith Carlock’s drumming is like a train clicking down the tracks. He instantly grabbed the quarter note and never let it go for over seven minutes of musical percolating. Tom Hemby is one of Nashville's top studio guitarists. But on 'Joe Frazier,' he sounded like the guitarist for James Brown and AC/DC.”

Geoffrey Keezer Returns to Piano Trio with On My Way to You

Geoffrey Keezer’s peers and elders have considered him a master of the piano trio function since he burst on the scene as a 17-year-old wunderkind in 1988, when he made the first of 22 albums as a leader or co-leader. Surprisingly, Keezer has devoted few of those dates to the piano-bass-drums format, as he does on his latest, the self-released On My Way to You, serving as a major contribution to the idiom.

Throughout the dazzlingly intense proceedings, Keezer upholds a remark Christian McBride made in 2005 on the occasion of Keezer’s previous trio recording, Wildcrafted: Live At The Dakota: “Of all the pianists from our generation, Geoffrey is the one I always have to listen to twice,” McBride told DownBeat. “I’m not always sure it’s him, because he never repeats himself. Technically, I don’t believe there’s anything on the piano he can’t play. And in terms of interpretation, he comes up with the most brilliant ideas that you could ever think of.”

For On My Way to You, Keezer convened bassist Mike Pope, a member of his sparkling co-led quartet with vibraphone master Joe Locke, and drummer Lee Pearson, his bandmate in Chris Botti’s high-profile group for many years. They perform on nine selections, five of them with the individualistic, communicative singer Gillian Margot, whose last album, Black Butterfly, inspired the L.A. Jazz Weekly to remark that “her honey-toned voice delivers hints of a young Aretha Franklin.” That vibration comes through on the penultimate track, a Keezer-Margot duo on Ewan MacColl's “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” before Keezer concludes with solo ruminations on the Beatles’ “Across The Universe,” then summons the trio to join him on John Lennon’s “Give Peace A Chance.”

Throughout the proceedings, Keezer applies his formidable technique, harmonic knowledge, rhythmic ingenuity, abiding soulfulness, and rigorous logic to conjure fresh approaches to new and old standards and several originals. Stevie Wonder’s “These Three Words,” a gospel-influenced pop ballad written for the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, is addressed as a 3/4 waltz. Keezer drew on John Coltrane’s anthemic “Dear Lord” as inspiration for the double-time swing feel he superimposes on Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic ballad, “May This Be Love,” from the 1967 album Are You Experienced?.

Keezer interpolates a plugged-in nod to Miles Davis’ early ‘70s funk-jazz hit “On The Corner” in the middle section of his quirky, irreverent arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “Brilliant Corners,” and then, over a drum'n'bass beat, uncorks a turbulent, precise piano solo that never strays far from the melody. He slows the pace on a highly reharmonized, phantasmagoric treatment of the oft-played American Songbook chestnut “All The Things You Are,” gradually building a steamy groove that propels a transition into Earth, Wind and Fire’s “Serpentine Fire.”

On the collaborations with Margot, Keezer touches on elements of love, longing and desire. As an example, consider how Keezer’s nuanced touch complements Margot as they navigate the ascendant arc of “Red Leaf,” an elegiac, affirmative song on which he collaborated with author Michael Perry, a fellow Wisconsin native. Piano and voice achieve an uncanny mind-meld on the co-composed “You Stay With Me” — Margot projects her magnificent contralto to equally compelling effect both when conveying her tender, sensuous lyric and then improvising in dialogue with the piano during the latter section. They also co-wrote the percolating “Guanajuato” (named for the Central Mexican city where they performed a duo concert several years ago), on which the protagonists engage in a protracted, intuitive musical conversation.

“Writing music together with someone is relatively new for me,” Keezer says. “I’ve always been fiercely autonomous as a composer. But I’m at a place now where collaborating is highly productive and rejuvenating.”

Stream Tracks from On My Way to You

Keezer credits the “direct influence” of singer/pianist Shirley Horn on the way he and Margot — complemented by poignant strings — stretch out the tempo and find space between the beats on the title track (a 1988 song by composer Michel Legrand and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman). He describes their duo on “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” as “another chance to explore how much space is possible in music.

“I feel this is my most mature album,” Keezer says. “At least one definition of what it might mean to be mature was to feel I didn’t have to fill up all the space. I learned that lesson playing with people like Jim Hall, who continually, night after night, would ask me to play less and less.”

In everything that he plays herein, Keezer refracts lessons gleaned during the first decade of his career on stints with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and combos led by Art Farmer, Benny Golson and J.J. Johnson, and the end-of-the-‘90s Ray Brown Trio. On his own early recordings, Keezer convened modern masters like Steve Nelson, Bill Pierce, Donald Harrison, Joshua Redman, Charnett Moffett, Victor Lewis and Billy Higgins to navigate his challenging compositions.

“When I got to New York in the late ’80s, it was the clear mission of the pianists there to play strong and hard, to give it up a thousand percent every time,” Keezer says, summing up his animating principle. “Bands don’t play like that anymore. Music has to change and that’s fine. But even though I’ve lived in California for almost 20 years, I’m coming out of that late ’80s New York piano style for sure.

“I’m not trying to be anything other than just who I am as a musician. I’m comfortable with it. I don’t mean comfortable in the sense of resting on my laurels, or that I’m not interested in improving. I always want to get better. But this feels like the best piano playing I’ve done on record. I think it’s my best album to date.”



Upcoming Geoffrey Keezer Trio Performances:

June 17 / Sam First / Los Angeles, CA

June 27 / The Rex / Toronto, ON

June 28 / The Jazz Room / Waterloo, ON

June 29 & 30 / Rochester Jazz Festival / Rochester, NY

July 7 / The Side Door / Old Lyme, CT

July 8 / South / Philadelphia, PA

September 2 / The Dunsmore Room / Minneapolis, MN

September 5 / Jazz at Five / Madison, WI

October 4 & 5 / Drake University / Des Moines, IA

November 16 / California Jazz Conservatory / Berkeley, CA

November 17 / Sequoia Room / Fort Bragg, CA

Upcoming Geoffrey Keezer Duo Performances:

July 1 - 5 / Mezzrow / New York, NY

July 1: w/ Ingrid Jensen

July 2: w/ Steve Wilson

July 3: w/ Robin Eubanks

July 4: w/ Gillian Margot

July 5: w/ Donny McCaslin

Geoffrey Keezer · On My Way to You

Release Date: June 22, 2018

NEW RELEASES: JAMES BROWN - YOU'VE GOT THE POWER; LEON BRIDGES - GOOD THING; TIM WARFIELD - JAZZLAND

JAMES BROWN - YOU'VE GOT THE POWER

Through the gospel-impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex polyrhythms of his beats, the legendary James Brown became one of the most important figures in the transformation of rhythm & blues into SOUL music. This essential 3-CD collectors edition contains 75 remastered studio tracks, consisting of the fabulous early singles both A & B sides James Brown made for the Federal and King labels, between 1956 and 1962. This is the material upon which Browns kingdom was built. His early repertoire marks one of the most important building blocks of the soul and funk idioms. Highlights include Please, Please, Please, Think, Try Me, Shout and Shimmy, Night Train, I Want You So Bad, It Was You, and the instrumental numbers Cross Firing and the funky Hold It. Browns back-up singer Yvonne Fair is also featured belting out the original version of the worldwide smash I Got You (I Feel Good) titled I Found You. These recordings provide an opportunity to peek in on the still-growing Brown and hear him paying homage to his early influences. R&B balladry, doo wop, gospel and blues are all evident throughout this triple-set. In addition, this collection contains a bonus track from the same period, consisting of the over-looked (Do the) Mashed Potatoes. It was recorded by James Brown and his band in Miami in 1959 and released by the small label Dade Records as a two-part single in 1960. For contractual reasons the recording was credited to Nat Kendrick & The Swans. The foot-tapping rhythms, spine-tingling stylings and sentimental mood renderings so typical of James Browns early performances can all be heard here. All of these sensational sides are a good starting place to explore the constellation of The Godfather of Soul. I

LEON BRIDGES - GOOD THING

A soaring set from Leon Bridges – a full length second album that's every bit as classic as his debut, but in a completely different way! Where Coming Home was maybe Leon's answer to the generation of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, Good Thing is more of a nod to the era of Maxwell and D'Angelo – but, as before, coming across with a vibe that's completely Bridges' own – this ebullient, bubblingly soulful quality that's completely sublime – and which has Leon's voice fitting perfectly with the mellow grooving beats, keyboards, and guitar. The singer's voice is maybe even better than before – sure to win over an even new wave of ears – and titles include "If It Feels Good Then It Must Be", "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand", "Bad Bad News", "Shy", "Beyond", "Forgive You", "Lions", "You Don't Know", and "Georgia To Texas". ~ Dusty Groove

TIM WARFIELD - JAZZLAND

Over the course of 69 minutes, this group of mid-career modern masters led by saxophonist Tim Warfield, offers a state-of-the-art view of inspired 21st century groove-focused improvisation. 'Jazzland' is Tim Warfield's ninth Criss Cross album, and his third encounter on the label - following 2007's One For Shirley (Criss 1304) and 2010's Sentimental Journey (Criss 1324) - on which he frames his singular tenor and soprano saxophone sound with the magisterially funky and swinging rhythm section of Hammond B3 master Pat Bianchi, Philadelphian drum titan Byron "Wookie" Landham, augmented - as on Sentimental Journey - by Bronx-born percussion wizard Daniel Sadownick. Trumpet titan Terell Stafford, a frequent Warfield partner, shares the front line. Personnel: Tim Warfield (tenor and soprano saxophone), Terell Stafford (trumpet, flugelhorn), Pat Bianchi (Hammond B3 Organ), Byron Landham (drums), Daniel Sadownick (percussion).

NEW RELEASES: MARLENA SHAW – GO AWAY LITTLE BOY: THE COLUMBIA ANTHOLOGY; RONNIE CUBER – RONNIE’S TRIO; RUTH KOLEVA – CONFIDENCE TRUTH

MARLENA SHAW – GO AWAY LITTLE BOY: THE COLUMBIA ANTHOLOGY

A huge set of work from the mighty Marlena Shaw – one that really documents the new level of genius she hit during her late 70s run at Columbia Records! After cutting some jazzier sides at Cadet in the late 60s, and some super mellow fusion ones at Blue Note in the early 70s, Marlena moved to big fame at Columbia during the mid 70s – working in a righteous smooth soul approach that skated the line between warm romantic ballads and righteous statements of female pride and power. The ultimate example of this is her fantastic remake of "Go Away Little Boy", merged here with the tune "Yu Ma", into a 7 minute track that has a sublime monologue in the middle – one in which Marlena accuses her man of hiding behind his heritage to not get down to business at a day to day level! Other tracks show Marlena as one of the most expressive, most together women in soul during the 70s – and the package features 28 tracks in all, including some rare single cuts too. Titles include "Yu-Ma/Go Away Little Boy", "The Writing's On The Wall", "No Deposit No Return", "Places", "Theme From Looking For Mr Goodbar", "I Thank You", "Touch Me In The Morning (rmx)", "It Was A Very Good Year/I'm A Foster Child", "I Think I'll Tell Him", "Sweet Beginnings", "More", "Pictures & Memories", "Moonrise", "Dreamin", "Rhythm Of Love", "Look At Me Look At You", "Shaw Biz/Suddenly It's How I Like To Feel/Shaw Biz", "I'll Be Your Friend", "Mama Tried", and "Walk Softly". ~ Dusty Groove

RONNIE CUBER – RONNIE’S TRIO

Ronnie Cuber's almost got a surprised look on the cover here – as if someone snapped the camera when he wasn't ready for the shot – but maybe that surprise also comes from the wonderful way in which his baritone sax works in a trio setting! The format here is one that's been familiar for tenorists from the late 50s onward – as the leader works with help from Jay Anderson on bass and Adam Nussbaum on drums – but the use of baritone in such a setting is a great change, especially when handled with the soulful depth that Cuber brings to his music! Ronnie clearly enjoys the freedom here, and definitely has a nice edge throughout – but he also never overindulges, and keeps most tunes at just the right level to maximize his creative flow. Titles include "Silver's Serenade", "Jean Marie", "The Jody Grind", "So Danco Samba", "Bernie's Tune", "All The Things You Are", and "Just Squeeze Me".  ~ Dusty Groove

RUTH KOLEVA – CONFIDENCE TRUTH

A lofty batch of modern pop soul from Ruth Koleva – a Bulgarian singer with the soaring voice and the kind of universally appealing approach that ought to make her a worldwide star! The production is breezily modern, with crisp beats and spacey keys, built for the kind of beaming, yet delicately emotional vocals that Ruth was seemingly born to sing, and the mix of effervescent pop and moving depth is a tough thing to balance. Ruth pulls it off masterfully! Includes "Oceans", "Run", "Tokyo", "A New Home", "Basil", "The Rain", "I Don't Know Why", "Wantchu" and "What You Say To A Girl?" and "Didn't I?". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES: HUGH MASEKELA – MASEKELA ’66 – ‘76; JESSICA LAUREN - ALMERIA; ED JONES – FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

HUGH MASEKELA – MASEKELA ’66 – ‘76

A fantastic collection – way more than just a greatest hits set of work by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela – and instead a special package put together by Hugh himself, shortly before his death – featuring an album-by-album selection of the best cuts from his Chisa Records releases, including the complete tracks of the albums Hedzohleh Sounds and I Am Not Afraid! During his Chisa years, Hugh really opened up his groove – taking the mix of jazz and South African soul of the early days, and fusing it with all the new influences he was picking up on the LA scene – then finding a way to go backwards, and open up new channels for African inspiration in his music – as he worked with a trans-Atlantic blend of musicians that also included help from members of The Crusaders too! The music here just gets hipper and hipper as the years go on – and the whole thing comes in a book-like package that also features great notes on every period of music – spread out over 3CDs, with a total of 47 tracks that include "Ha Lese Le Di Khana", "You Keep Me Hangin On", "Hush", "Stimela", "In The Market Place", "Jungle Jim", "Whitch Doctor", "Colonial Man", "Been Such A Long Time Gone", "African Secret Society", "If There's Anybody Out There", "Boermusiek", "Bajabula Bonke", "Child Of The Earth", "Woza", "Salele Mane", "Caution", "Yei Baa Gbe Wolo", "Mace & Grenades", "Blues For Huey", and "Son Of Ice Bag". ~ Dusty Groove

JESSICA LAUREN - ALMERIA

When Jessica Lauren first grabbed our ears 20 years ago, she was a keyboardist on the London contemporary scene – but with a much deeper jazz vision than most – an artist whose appearances on record always made any sort of song come across with a spiritual sound that was unique for the time! Move forward to the present, when so many others have finally hit Jessica's territory – and the pianist has stepped far forward again – to open up this rich flow of ideas that's overflowing with global elements as well! The album's easily Jessica's deepest work to date – and not only features her own great keyboards and percussion, but also this very cool wordless vocal style – borrowed a bit from Brazilian fusion of the 70s, but given a fresh spin here – and combined with instrumentation that includes woodwinds, marimba, percussion, flugelhorn, and drums. The whole thing's wonderful – with echoes and elements that evoke the special genre-crossing space of Bobby Hutcherson in the mid 70s, the work of Flora Purim and Airto, the 70s South African recordings of Dollar Brand – and some of the hippest sides of some of Lauren's London contemporaries. Titles include "Simba Jike", "Amalfi", "Kofi Nomad", "Teck Et Bambou", "Chocolate Con Churros", "Argentina", and "Beija Flor". ~ Dusty Groove

ED JONES – FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Beautiful work from reedman Ed Jones – a key force on the London jazz scene for decades, but an artist who also seems to be completely reborn into a new setting with this album! Jones blows here in the company of younger musicians – including the great Riaan Vosloo on bass, whose work we loved with Nostalgia 77 – whose Benjamin Lamdin recorded the album, and really helps shape its soulful spirit! Yet the real star is Jones throughout – as most songs are his, and his tenor and soprano solos are more powerful than we ever remember – showing a depth in his talents that might have been lost forever, had he not gotten this chance to shine for Impossible Ark. Brigitte Beraha contributes vocals on one track – a tribute to Wayne Shorter – and titles include "Nomadology", "Pandora's Box", "Ebb & Flow", " Marielyst", "Solstice", and "Starbright". ~ Dusty Groove

TIMO LASSY lates release his 6th album MOVES

Timo Lassy is a man on the move. The Finnish tenor-giant, noted as a “rising star” in Downbeat and called “phenomenally great” by Tagesspiegel, now presents his sixth album in ten years. “Moves” is his grand opus, featuring his five-piece-band, as well as Ricky-Tick Big Band Brass, the legendary 71-year-old Fin-Jazz-star Eero Koivistoinen, rapper Paleface and singer Joyce Elaine Yuille from Spanish Harlem, USA. The first single “Lashes” coincided with a sold-out gig at the Savoy theatre in Helsinki. Allaboutjazz wrote about the band’s recent concert at WDR Jazzfest, recorded for arte TV: “These Finnish musicians have a great gift to authentically turn a style from the past into something fitting hot in the present time.”

Lassy’s newest movement can be seen as a result of his exceptional career so far. Raised in Helsinki and educated at the famous Sibelius academy there, he was a part of the Nu Spirit Helsinki movement early on, as well as the member of the Five Corners Quintet. From this renowned group, which recorded with legendary American vocalist Mark Murphy and was remixed by Nicola Conte, he went on to form his own Timo Lassy Band some ten years ago, “one of Europe’s sharpest bands” according to the Sunday Times UK and “quality swinging jazz with a difference” (Gilles Peterson). Five incredible albums – and a superb collaboration with José James – later Lassy presented the EP “When The Devils’s Paid” in 2017. The song, written by Timo and featuring vocals by Brazilian giant Ed Motta (with lyrics by British Acid-Jazz-legend Rob “Galliano” Gallagher), was playlisted on JazzFM in the UK for five consecutive weeks.

“Moves”, the new and sixth album, is a result of Timo Lassy’s musical path so far and a bold step into the future. It encompasses all the elements that have made his sound so far – from 60s Soul and Latin Jazz to soulful Vocal Jazz – and boldly moves in a modern direction, encompassing electronic sounds and even Hip Hop with Finnish rap-legend Paleface. A fantastic hour of musical magic that combines melodic depth and a richness of sound – most certainly Jazz that knows the tradition and feels the spirit of the moment.

NEW RELEASES: RITA COOLIDGE – SAFE IN THE ARMS OF TIME; WAAJU; BEN LAMAR GAY - DOWNTOWN CASTLES CAN NEVER BLOCK THE SUN

RITA COOLIDGE – SAFE IN THE ARMS OF TIME

2018 release from the veteran singer and songwriter. After ten years during which she bore witness to some of her life's greatest joys and deepest sorrows - and the publication of her acclaimed 2015 memoir, Detla Lady - Rita Coolidge is back with Safe in the Arms of Time, her 18th solo album and a reaffirmation of her indomitable spirit and unquenchable creative thirst. Safe in the Arms of Time is colored by Rita's pivotal role in the Los Angeles singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s, where she made her bones as a top backup singer - that's Rita on the refrains of Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With" and Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" - before embarking on a platinum-selling solo career. "The idea was making an album that had the same appeal of my early records - to make a roots record about my own roots," Rita says. Rita and producer Ross Hogarth gathered an all-star lineup of the era's top musicians - guitarist Dave Grissom, bassist Bob Glaub, John "J.T." Thomas on keyboards and drummer Brian MacLeod - at L.A.'s Sunset Sound Recorders, the famed recording studio where Rita recorded her first solo albums. The album includes a duet with Keb' Mo'. Three songs were co-written by Rita Coolidge. Other songwriting contributions include Keb' Mo', Graham Nash and Chris Stapleton.

WAAJU - WAAJU

Olindo Records is delighted to present its second release and first LP by London based afro-latin jazz quintet Waaju. A project that never stands still, Waaju’s members have been busy as part of other ensembles (Caravela, Bahla, Jordan Rakei, and Ashley Henry to name a few), which means they cherish each time they get to make music together. The five cuts on this LP are only a snapshot of what they’re doing and continually trying to do - the tip of the iceberg - but one that speaks volumes about their intentions. Waaju is influenced by the samba funk of 1970's Brazil combined with the more widely known Louisiana funk of The Meters, et al. Its irresistible lilting rhythm and infectious energy are brought into a new modern jazz sphere displaying the spontaneity in improvisation of each member.

BEN LAMAR GAY - DOWNTOWN CASTLES CAN NEVER BLOCK THE SUN

One of the most unusual "best of" collections you'll ever own – given that it features material pulled together from seven different albums by Ben LaMar Gay – none of which were ever released! The package is more of a debut than anything else – and a hell of a musical statement, too – as Ben's music is almost completely without referent – and that's saying a lot, given the already genre-busting nature of other releases on the International Anthem label! We might list the music under jazz – as it does feature some jazz instrumentation – but there's also lots of electronic elements too, often used in these shape-shifting ways that criss cross with other elements – like bass clarinet, flute, viola, and voice – all kind of crashing together in waves of sonic energy that embrace multiple genres at once, but never have the hokey result of other music that might try to do such a thing. Instead, imagine Ben's voice as being this bold cut-up experiment (in the original William S Burroughs mode) – but one that might have been taken across the scope of an entire record collection, sweeping up snatches of jazz, electronica, orchestral music, folk, hip hop, and lots more – all with results that are as revolutionary as Burroughs' writing. Titles include "Muhal", "Music For 18 Hairdressers – Braids & Friends", "7th Stanza", "Gator Teeth", "Swim Swim", "Kunni", "Oh No Not Again", "Jubilee", and "A Seasoning Called Primavera".  ~ Dusty Groove

A new album from Uruguayan legend Hugo Fattoruso

Far Out Recordings has announced the new album from Uruguayan funk, jazz and candombe legend Hugo Fattoruso! After a twenty-year search for the man behind the cult 70s jazz-funk group Opa, we are honoured to present Hugo Fattoruso Y Barrio Opa: a new work from Fattoruso and his team of world-class musicians, including the sensational Candombe drumming of the renowned Silva brothers. Recorded at Sondor Studios, Montevideo, the album is the natural development of the original Opa sound, fusing Afro-Uruguayan rhythms, jazz harmony and heavy funk attitude, under Hugo’s unique musical vision.

Born in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo in 1943, composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Hugo Fattoruso has had a profound influence on every aspect of Latin American musical culture. From early beginnings, playing in his family band at street festivals around Uruguay, to fronting Los Shakers: South America’s answer to the Beatles, and one of the most successful rock and roll groups from the continent. At the end of the sixties Fattoruso was looking to broaden his musical horizons, and in 1969 he moved to New York where he formed Opa and went on to rub shoulders with the likes of Ron Carter and Creed Taylor.

Fusing Candombe with rock, jazz, funk and other Latin American rhythms, Opa created a distinctive Afro-Uruguayan voice within the global jazz vernacular, influencing a generation of musicians throughout the seventies and beyond. During the eighties Fattoruso moved to Brazil, where he continued to work and record with Brazilian artists including Milton Nascimento, with whom he composed the World Music Grammy winning Nascimento album in 1997. Fattoruso also famously collaborated extensively with Airto Moreira, arranging and playing on a plethora of hit records including Fingers and I’m Fine, How Are You. More recently Fattoruso’s music has been sampled by the likes Flying Lotus and Madlib.

With such a prolific career, Fattoruso’s relative obscurity seems odd. Uruguay is dwarfed on either side by Brazil and Argentina, and while geography may have something to do with it, Hugo’s own elusiveness may also explain why someone so influential has been hitherto, so underappreciated. A deeply humble figure, never settling for too long in any one place, Hugo has dedicated his life to music and little else. It has taken twenty years for Far Out to track down the man behind Golden Wings and Magic Time, and it wasn’t until label boss Joe Davis met a Uruguayan producer (over one too many artisanal beers) at a world music conference in Budapest, that he finally made contact with one of his musical idols.

Following a few internet meetings and some very long impassioned conversations about Hugo’s life, music and mutual musical friends in Brazil, Hugo began writing the new album, and Joe booked a seat on the next flight to Montevideo. Recorded at the state of the art Sondor Studios in Montevideo’s iconic Barrio Sur district, the album features some of the world class musicians at the forefront of today’s Uruguayan jazz scene, including Hugo’s son Francisco Fattoruso on bass, Tato Bolognini on drums, Albana Barrocas on percussion and Nicolás Ibarburu on electric guitar. The album also features the Candombe drumming of the legendary Silva brothers, Mathías, Guillermo Diaz and Wellington, who give the album its Afro-Uruguayan identity, transporting the listener to Barrio Sur, the spiritual home of Montevideo’s Candombe heritage.

DAVE KOZ AND HIS FRIENDS RETURN WITH SUMMER HORNS II FROM A TO Z, A STUNNING SET OF 11 CLASSIC TUNES

June 22, 2018 release features Gerald Albright, Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and Aubrey Logan with guest vocalists Jonathan Butler, Kenny Lattimore and Sheléa

  

Five years ago, after Dave Koz and Friends released Summer Horns—the GRAMMY-nominated album that paid tribute to classic songs featuring killer horn sections—all that the musicians could think about was how much fun they’d just had. They toured behind the album during the summer of 2013, then vowed to spend the following summer doing it all over again.

“The second tour was even better than the first,” says Koz, the world-class saxophonist who piloted the release, which rocketed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. “We had a total blast and the fans really gravitated toward it.”

There was no question in Koz’s mind that a sequel was in the stars, but getting everyone’s schedules to align was never going to be easy, each participant being a headliner with bookings well into the future. It took a few years but finally, says Koz, through “divine intervention,” a window of time opened up so that everyone could be in the same place at the same time.

Summer Horns II From A To Z, scheduled for release on June 22, 2018 via Concord Records, is the result, a stunning set of 11 more timeless tunes reimagined by Koz (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes), joined by alto saxophonist Gerald Albright and tenor saxophonist Richard Elliot—both returnees from the earlier session—with new additions Rick Braun (trumpet) and Aubrey Logan (trombone and vocals). A crew of ace rhythm players collaborates with the Summer Horns lineup along with a who’s who of arrangers: Tom Scott (who’s worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin to Steely Dan), Greg Adams (best known for Tower of Power, but also Santana and Elton John) and GRAMMY-winning arranger Gordon Goodwin. Braun, himself a legend of contemporary jazz, produced the album, with co-production by Koz.

With the creative team in place, the biggest dilemma facing Koz, Braun and the others was which songs to choose—or, rather, how to narrow down an enormous list of contenders. “My original list was in the hundreds,” Koz says. “We’d have good-natured arguments during weekly conference calls. We each pitched songs and then tried to get other people on our team.”

The final track list, 11 in all, is impeccable, to say the least. Opening Summer Horns II From A To Z is a medley of Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1976 smash “Getaway” and the KC and the Sunshine Band dance staple “That’s the Way I Like It.” Next up is “More Today Than Yesterday,” the only Top 20 hit from the Spiral Starecase, from the spring of 1969. “Most people, when they hear that song, think it was by Chicago,” says Koz. “It sounded so much like them.” The Crusaders’ “Keep That Same Old Feeling,” written by that group’s late trombonist Wayne Henderson, is next, with a horn arrangement by Adams (best known for his work with Tower of Power) and Braun.

The fourth track in the sequence gives the album its subtitle, “From A to Z.” It’s another medley, and on paper it seems an improbably marriage: Here, with a horn arrangement by Gordon Goodwin and rhythm arrangement by Goodwin and Braun, are the 1939 Billy Strayhorn standard “Take the ‘A’ Train,” made famous by Duke Ellington, seamlessly intertwining with hip-hop icon Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is).” Hence the A to Z.

How in the world did this one come about? Says Koz, “Somebody sent me ‘Roc Boys’ and said, ‘Jay-Z’s got this song that’s got a bunch of horns in it.’ I’m a fan but I don’t know that music well. I heard that track and I said, ‘That horn line is so great! We have to utilize it somewhere.’ Originally, it was going to be its own song. But also on the song list was ‘Take the “A” Train.’ Rick Braun said, said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do something so classic and so old and yet modernize it?’ It was [Concord Records president] John Burk, the executive producer of the album, who said, ‘Maybe the two songs could work together. It would be really funny to go from A to Z.’”

This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” a Top 10 hit for Natalie Cole in 1975, is dedicated to the late vocalist, who was a friend of Koz’s. It’s sung on Summer Horns II From A To Z as a duet, by R&B star Kenny Lattimore and the young vocalist Sheléa. “We started to develop this track, which is very uptempo and really fun,” says Koz. “Tom Scott wrote a brilliant horn arrangement. And then we were thinking, maybe we should look for a male singer because anything we’d do with a female vocalist would immediately be compared to Natalie’s version. Tom came up with the idea of doing it as a duet. It’s not an easy song to sing and their vocal performance is a complete tour de force.”

“Before I Let Go,” written by Frankie Beverly of the R&B group Maze, features a lead alto sax solo by Gerald Albright, and is followed by Paul Simon’s pulsing “Late in the Evening,” from the singer-songwriter’s 1980 album One-Trick Pony. Koz remembers being in a restaurant with friends when Simon’s recording came on the house music system. He immediately emailed himself so he wouldn’t forget it when he got home. Braun didn’t even need to hear Koz’s reasoning: “It's in,” the producer told him. “I don't care what the others say.”

Playing acoustic guitar on the tune, and singing the lead vocal, is the South African great Jonathan Butler. “He went total South Africa on it,” says Koz. “Now this song has a completely new point of view. It pays homage to the original, but it takes it to a completely new place.”

Summer Horns II From A To Z only grows more intense as it plays on. If you want to make a funky record, you’ve got to have some Stevie Wonder on it, and it doesn’t get much funkier than 1971’s “If You Really Love Me.” Following that track is “Conga,” the 1985 breakthrough hit for Gloria Estefan and her then-band Miami Sound Machine. Aubrey Logan, the 30-year-old singer and trombonist on the album, provides the lead vocal. She received a special surprise while the group was recording the track.

“We got the track together and Aubrey always loved that song and looked up to Gloria as one of her mentors,” Koz says. “It’s got a great arrangement from Tom Scott and a really cool modern rhythm arrangement that Rick did. Gloria is a friend so I said to myself, ‘I have to play this for Gloria.’ I sent it off to her via email and said, ‘I just want you to know we're doing this Summer Horns record and we did your song and I hope you like it.’ I was just looking for a little musical blessing. She didn't send back an email; she sent back a track with her singing harmony to Aubrey's lead vocal! Aubrey’s jaw dropped to the floor.”

Michael Jackson’s Earth Song, with a horn arrangement by Scott and—as is the case with several tracks on the recording, a rhythm arrangement by Chris “Big Dog” Davis—features a lead tenor sax solo by Elliot and lead vocal by Ashling Cole. Summer Horns II From A To Z wraps up with a piece of vintage Americana, “Route 66,” written by Bobby Troup and recorded by everyone from Nat “King” Cole to the Rolling Stones. Logan, who Koz discovered when he saw her performing with the group Postmodern Jukebox, fronts the tune with her trombone and lead vocal. The horn and rhythm arrangement is courtesy of Goodwin, who fronts his own outfit called the Big Phat Band.

Recording Summer Horns II From A To Z, says Koz, was just as much of a treat as the first go-round in 2013. “It reminds me of my youth,” he says of this music. “I grew up playing in jazz bands. That’s how I was educated in music, playing in a saxophone section and playing in a big band, then sometimes doing small group stuff, playing with other horn players. For most horn players, even if you go on to do more solo work, part of your identity is rooted in being in a section and blending with others. How do you do this? How do you play that? All these fine nuances of music are in there somewhere.”

That passion is shared by all of the musicians who took part in the project, and audiences fortunate enough to catch a live Summer Horns show—they’ll be touring this summer—immediately feel the heat too. “With this music, the fans know every song,” says Koz. “And the musicians leave their egos at the door and show up with a commitment to the band. We know that this is not a replacement for our solo careers, that we will resume them eventually, so it’s not like we’re saying bye-bye to that. But people see all the star power on stage—where everybody could do a two-hour show on their own—the five of us with an incredible band, and it’s an event. Then we get addicted to the response from the fans! That’s why we did it again.”