Marta Gomez Releases new album

Marta Gomez Releases new album

Chesky Records announced the release of Entre Cada Palabra (Between Each Word), the new album from acclaimed Colombian vocalist and songwriter Marta Gomez.

Gomez' successful Chesky debut Cantos de Agua Dulce (Songs of Sweet Water) charted on Billboard's Top 10 Jazz Albums and was described by the magazine's reviewer as "...the essence of Latin cool."

The album also charted at #12 on the CMJ New World Chart and at #10 on the World Music Europe Chart. Gomez was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Vocalist of 2005 by Billboard's Latin Music Awards and the LA Times heralded her as "...a remarkable new talent."

Recorded live, sans overdubs, at St. Peter's Church in New York by audiophile label Chesky, "Entre Cada Palabra" is grace personified. Born in Colombia and schooled at Berklee College of Music, Gomez sings with a quiet, passionate radiance in an austere, largely acoustic instrumental setting of wafting flute lines, clapped rhythms, percolating percussion and bright-stringed guitars. The story-like songs—13 of which are Gomez originals and all sung in Spanish—are melodic gems informed by a range of South American folkloric music. Highlights include the flamenco-infused, flute-buoyed "Mar Adentro, Despacito"; the Colombian cumbia "Esta Linda la Mar" featuring the gorgeous interplay between Gomez's voice and guest Anat Cohen's clarinet; and the reflective balladic rendering of the classic Mexican ranchera "Cielito Lindo." —Dan Ouellette

Peggy Lee & Dean Martin - Medley

Minidisc Place: Retail Music Industry Battles Extinction

Minidisc Place: Retail Music Industry Battles Extinction

Josephine Livoti - debut CD ’Bright Moments’

Josephine Livoti, a New York-based jazz vocalist, announces the release of her independently produced debut CD ’Bright Moments’ on her label Sefina Music Enterprises. She will play the CD release concert Sunday, April 23rd at Saint Peter's Church, NY, with James Weidman, piano; Paul West, bass and Greg Bandy, drums. They accompanied her on her recording. Josephine's well-rounded repertoire includes songs from the Great American Songbook and compositions by jazz and Brazilian masters. Her dynamic trio plays with precision and adds creativity and soulfulness to Josephine's warm and rich vocal tones.

Josephine's vocal influences include Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina. Today, Josephine's creative inspiration for her singing comes from jazz and world music instrumentalists whose musical expression blends the old with the new, and who look to the world for their audience.

Josephine has performed with jazz masters isuch as Howard McGhee, Richard Davis, and Roland Hanna at such notable New York venues as the Blue Note, the Jazz Center of New York, and Saint Peter's Church (the "Jazz Church"). She has also been featured at The Greenwich Village Jazz Festival and the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City.

She began her career in music as an alto member of the New York Choral Society. There she developed a love for the works of Bach, especially hearing his compositions improvised in jazz settings.

Her music education includes jazz studies with Harold Danko, Hal Schaefer and Herb Buchanan; and cabaret and popular music studies with Elly Stone. At Mannes College of Music she studied voice with Marian Thompson, and received her diploma in Classical and Contemporary Music Studies, majoring in vocal performance. She has studied drama with Bill Hickey and musical theatre with Rita Gardner at the Herbert Bergoff Studio. Her interest in comedy led her to Chicago City Limits in New York City, where she studied comedy and improvisational theatre.

``Jazz Vocalists -- Hear & Now''

Jazz Alliance International Celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month with ``Jazz Vocalists -- Hear & Now''; Two-Disc Set Features 36 Standards and Contemporary Classics by Today's Reigning Voices Available in Stores April 24

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 2006--In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, Jazz Alliance International (JAI) is releasing "Jazz Vocalists -- Hear & Now." This stellar two-disc set to be released on Concord Records contains 36 standards and contemporary classics by today's top vocalists and will be available in stores on April 24.



After the success of its single-disc volumes from 2003, "Jazz Hear and Now" and "Smooth Jazz Hear and Now," JAI has assembled an overview of the jazz vocal world that is twice as comprehensive. The three dozen tracks, programmed with a focus on contemporary material on Disc One and standards on Disc Two, feature leading voices from several generations of jazz and jazz-related singers, including new stars Michael Buble, Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux; stalwarts Kurt Elling, Diana Krall and Dianne Reeves; jazz-friendly pop stars Joni Mitchell and Linda Ronstadt; and living legends Al Jarreau, Abbey Lincoln and Jimmy Scott. In addition, the collection also includes three of the jazz world's late-great voices -- Ray Charles (with Poncho Sanchez's band), Shirley Horn and Etta Jones (in duet with Vanessa Rubin).

States project producer Michael Cuscuna, "In 36 tracks on two discs, we set out to make a representation of vocal jazz that would be listener-friendly to the novice just looking to get into this music with the intention for a balanced, wide-ranging slice of what is happening on the jazz scene today. We embraced the time-honored icons, veterans making a comeback, new artists (the emerging and successful) and singers from other fields who've chosen to do jazz projects. The bulk of the repertoire is standards, but we have included jazz originals and contemporary pop and R&B tunes that demonstrated that the art of jazz singing is by no means restricted to the Tin Pan Alley songbooks."

States JAI president Suzan Jenkins, "We know each track will help us in our continuing efforts to expand the audience for jazz by attracting all music lovers who simply appreciate great music. The collaborative efforts of the many parties involved in compiling Vocal Jazz Hear and Now -- artists, producers, publishers, recording companies, manufacturers, presenters, non-profits and media -- speak to the power of the Alliance and our continued diligence to preserve and promote the vital heritage of one of America's greatest national treasures."

Glen Barros, president, Concord Music Group, added "We are proud to distribute this superb benefit CD and contribute to the efforts of the Jazz Alliance in furthering the growth and development of jazz."

Proceeds from the sales of "Jazz Vocalists -- Hear & Now" will benefit JAI and JAI-supported programs.

JAI, a subsidiary of the International Association of Jazz Educators, is dedicated to expanding the audience and visibility of jazz by raising the profile of the art form and by fostering better working relationships within the global jazz community through advocacy, education and research. For more information, go to www.gotjazz.info.

The mission of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) is to assure the continued worldwide growth and development of jazz and jazz education. Now in its 38th year, IAJE's annual conference is regarded as the largest annual gathering of the global jazz community. For more information, go to www.iaje.org

CASSANDRA WILSON - Thunderbird

Out on 4-4-2006

"Cassandra Wilson never fails to surprise and inspire. Sexy, honey-velvet vocals wrapped around her own jazzy blue compositions or inventive interpretations of others’ material led TIME magazine to name her “America’s Best Singer” in recent years. On her new CD thunderbird, which Blue Note Records will release on April 4, 2006, she has collaborated with red hot producer T Bone Burnett to surprise, yet again."


Track Listing

1 Go To Mexico
2 Closer To You
3 Easy Rider
4 It Would Be So Easy
5 Red River Valley
6 Poet
7 I Want To Be Loved
8 Lost
9 Strike A Match
10 Tarot

Sony takes MiniDisc to Mac

Sony plans to introduce Mac support for its new MiniDisc Walkman for the first time.


The company took the wraps off its all-new MiniDisc product, the MZ-RH1, this morning. This portable device is being marketed as a mobile recording studio.


Sony plans to make the device Mac compatible, “bringing greater choice in digital audio devices to Mac users”.


The company will release Mac software for the new product in “summer 2006”, it said.


The player can handle audio in the following formats: LinearPCM, ATRAC (ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus) or MP3 format.


It will also record audio, with several built-in features to enhance that use. Users can adjust the mode to reflect what they are recording, which could be a live event, their own ‘jam’ session, or a meeting.

The MZ-RH1 will be available from May 2006 across Europe.

Shirley Horn - Marian McPartland - PIANO JAZZ

Taped for McPartland's National Public Radio program in December 1984, three years before the release of I Thought About You, Horn's breakthrough album for Verve, the 55-minute session is a musical delight. The two women quickly establish a warm and mirthful rapport punctuated with more than a few contagious belly laughs.

Horn has three vocal features (”I Could Have Told You,” “Violets...,” “There's No You”), and finds common ground with McPartland as they duet on three “dirty old blues” (”Billie's Bounce,” “Cherry,” “Shirley's Blues”) and a slice of Ellingtonia (”Love You Madly”). The women's unabashed mutual admiration and sterling musicianship make this document all the more precious in light of Shirley Horn's passing just four months ago, at the age of 71.

New poll on Ella's Forum

Hi,
click here and go to the albums section to vote!

Miky

A temporary change in my mail address

Hi to everyone,
due to a long illness I'll be in the hospital for a month or two. Here they gave me a PC, but I cannott access my Gmail account, so I've created a new email account where you can reach me. This new address is only temporary, and it's: michelescasso@libero.it

Please feel free to write whenever you want!

Miky

Ella sings Summertime (Berlin, 1968)

Ella sings Misty

R.I.P. -- Sid Feller

Sid Feller, 89, Arranged Ray Charles Tunes

by Stephen Miller
New York Sun, February 17, 2006

Sid Feller, who died yesterday at 89, was a producer and
arranger whose 30-year partnership with Ray Charles produced
lushly arranged hits such as "Georgia on My Mind" and "I
Can't Stop Loving You."

As the head in-house arranger for Capitol Records and then
ABC Records, Feller also worked with Peggy Lee, Mel Torme,
Paul Anka, Steve Lawrence, and Eydie Gorme, and later in his
career was the musical arranger for "The Flip Wilson Show,"
and a host of other televised music specials.

But it was his special relationship with Charles that marked
the highest point in his career. The two men struck up a
close friendship around the time Charles left Atlantic
Records in a dispute over the ownership of record masters.
Feller helped woo Charles to the ABC label in 1959, and the
two turned out a series of albums starting with "Genius Hits
the Road." It was Feller who worked with Charles to produce
the two breakthrough albums "Modern Sounds In Country and
Western Music," which brought Nashville strings to Charles's
unique blend of country, rhythm, and blues. Among the tunes
on the two disks were "You Don't Know Me," "Careless Love,"
"You Are My Sunshine," and "Your Cheatin' Heart."

In the liner notes to the Rhino recording "Genius & Soul -
The 50th Anniversary Collection," Charles is quoted saying,
"Sid researched the hell out of it and came up with 250
tunes. I picked the ones I liked, and of the ones I picked,
they were all new to me except 'Bye Bye, Love.'"

Charles is reputed once to have said, "If they call me a
genius, Sid Feller is Albert Einstein."

Their relationship continued after Feller left ABC in the
mid-1960s to work in Hollywood, and Feller regularly toured
with Charles and conducted during his appearances with
orchestras.

Feller grew up in Brooklyn. His father, an Austrian Jew,
sold citrus fruit in the downtown Manhattan Washington
Market. Feller learned to play trumpet, his primary
instrument, while in the Boy Scouts. He also played the
piano, and credited his early interest in music and
arrangement to his mother consenting to have one hoisted
through the window of the family's Brooklyn walkup.

By the time Feller was in his mid-teens he was playing gigs
in the Poconos and small clubs in Manhattan. Feller was
completely self-taught as an arranger, and he told intimates
that he began figuring out the craft one day in the
Catskills on an hours-long sojourn in a rowboat, during
which he produced the arrangement for a song he had composed
himself.

In 1938, he was playing in the Hungarian orchestra at
Zimmerman's Budapest, a 48th Street restaurant, and also
taking lessons from a trumpeter playing in the orchestra at
nearby Minsky's Burlesque. It was there, while watching his
teacher play, that he first spotted Gertrude Hager, a
16-year-old chorine. Three years later, they were married at
Fort Knox, Tenn., where Feller was stationed as a warrant
officer leading a wartime entertainment unit.

Feller had played in Jack Teagarden's big band before the
war, and continued to provide Teagarden with arrangements
afterward. He toured with Carmen Cavallero ("The Poet of the
Piano"), and in 1951 signed on with Capitol as a producer,
arranger, and conductor. At Capitol, he worked with Jackie
Gleason, Nancy Wilson, and Dean Martin. He also led a band
on "USA Canteen," later renamed "The Jane Froman Show," a
short-format music show on CBS.

In 1955, Feller moved to ABC Records, where he provided
arrangements for Charlie Byrd and Woody Herman, among
others, before beginning his collaboration with Charles.

Although he had few writing credits, he did get one for the
song "You Can't Say No in Acapulco" for Elvis Presley's
movie "Fun in Acapulco" (1963).

Feller left ABC in 1965 and moved to Los Angeles and worked
as a freelance arranger and producer, working with Ms.
Wilson, Shirley Bassey, and Eddie Fisher. He added horn
arrangements on the Grass Roots' 1969 album "Leavin' It All
Behind," and horn and string arrangements to the "Osmond
Christmas Album" (1976). His list of credits from the 1970s
through this year as arranger, producer, or conductor
includes blues, Broadway show tunes, comedy, jazz, Latin,
and lounge.

Feller slowed down significantly after a heart attack in the
late 1990s, and moved to suburban Cleveland, where he was
coincidentally featured in a recent exhibition on Charles at
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was credited as producer
of eight of the 17 soundtrack songs on the recent biopic
"Ray."

"I cried through the whole move," Feller told the Cleveland
Plain Dealer. "Because as I watched Foxx's performance, I
really thought I was seeing Ray again."
_____

Sidney Harold Feller

Born December 24, 1916, in New York City; died February 16
in Beachwood, Ohio; survived by his wife, Gertrude, his
children Lois Feller, Bill Feller, Debbie Feller, and Jane
Toland, and five grandchildren.

Dianne Reeves wins GRAMMY for good night, and good luck.

February 09, 2006
Dianne Reeves wins GRAMMY for good night, and good luck.
Last night, Dianne Reeves (Download Music) took home the "Jazz Vocal Album" GRAMMY for her soundtrack to the George Clooney film good night, and good luck. The album was one of my Top Ten from 2005

Seasons of a Life - Lena Horne

1. Black Is
2. Maybe
3. I've Got To Have You
4. I'll Always Leave The Door A Little Open
5. You're The One
6. Something to Live For
7. Chelsea Bridge
8. Singin' In The Rain
9. Willow Weep For Me
10. Stormy Weather

Anita O'Day's new CD

"New releases and Info:

Anita's NEW CD will be out April 18, 2006. We have finished CD. It is entitled, "Indestructible Anita O'Day". With Eddie Locke, Chip Jackson, Roswell Rudd, Lafayette Harris, Tommy Morimoto and the great Joe Wider and a few others! It is in the classic style of the 60's Blue Note sound.

Anita's vocals are raw, honest and the have the wisdom of an 86 year-old women who has seen and been through more life than most of us ever will...Listening samples...coming very soon. If I must say so myself...this is the best record she has made in many many years. We recorded it three times, the third being the charm. The last sessions are with the great musicians listed above. They swing, she swings and so does the cd, It has 11 songs. 10 vocals and one instrumental. We did a version of Duke Ellington's, A Slip of the Lip Might Sink a Ship- John Colliani's amazing intense piano in a Louis Prima style will get all you swing dancers on your feet. John also plays on Is You Is and Gimme a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Scotch, we took liberties here, Anita and I re-wrote the lyrics to suit her tastes at the time. I can't wait for you to hear this record by this amazing 86 year-old master. The cover is a photo by Travis Anderson, a really great photographer from Minnesota. You can hear a audio bite from Blues Skies. Click on Blue Skies to the right."

(from her site)

Concord acquires Telarc!

Acquisition Strengthens Concord's Position as One Of The Industry's
Preeminent Independent Record Companies

Beverly Hills, CA - The Concord Music Group today announced the
acquisition of Telarc International Corporation. The Cleveland, Ohio-
based Telarc has been a leader in classical and jazz recordings for
over 25 years. Included in the transaction is Heads Up
International, which became part of Telarc in 2000. Heads Up is
known for its highly successful catalog of contemporary instrumental
and world music. Following the recent acquisition of Fantasy, Inc,
this transaction further bolsters the Concord Music Group as one of
the world's largest and most dynamic independent record companies.

Founded in 1977 by musicians and former teachers Bob Woods and Jack
Renner, Telarc has amassed 46 GRAMMY(tm) Awards and a catalog of
more than 1,000 master recordings ranging from classical and
classical-crossover to jazz and blues, from such legendary artists
as Dave Brubeck, George Shearing, Ray Brown, Andre Previn, and Oscar
Peterson. The current jazz roster includes celebrated
singer/guitarist John Pizzarelli and vocalist Tierney Sutton.
Telarc's extraordinary classical roster includes landmark recordings
from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Cincinnati
Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras, and the Mormon Tabernacle
Choir. Artist-oriented and known throughout the industry for sonic
innovation and super-high quality audio, Telarc became the first
label to commercially use digital recording in 1978, and, in 1983,
was one of the first to launch compact discs in a joint effort with
Sony Corporation. In 2004, Telarc was named Label of the Year by
Gramophone Magazine in the UK.

Heads Up International's roster, headed by founder and label
president Dave Love, includes internationally respected artists such
as Spyro Gyra, Najee, Michael Brecker, The Yellowjackets, and highly
acclaimed world music artists Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Hugh
Masekela. Both Telarc and Heads Up have a significant number of
recordings in high definition and Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD)
format, based on the superior Direct Stream Digital recording
technology.

"The cultures of our companies are very similar and we see lots of
synergies through the merging of our talented staffs and our mutual
goals," says Telarc president Bob Woods. "Glen Barros and I have
known each other for some time and I respect the creative indie
mentality our companies share, which allows us to respond quickly to
the constant change and abundant opportunities in our industry.
We'll be a larger entity, but we won't move slowly. Besides," Woods
added, "Telarc and Heads Up are certain that they will kick
Concord's butt in the company softball game."

Glen Barros, president and CEO of the Concord Music Group, said, "We
are incredibly proud to welcome Telarc and Heads Up to the Concord
family, as we truly admire these great labels. Telarc's history of
impeccable audio and musical standards has made it one of the
world's most respected independent labels and we are honored to be
the ones chosen to safeguard this rich legacy. As with all great
record companies, Telarc and Heads Up are built on a solid
foundation of great artists and great people. We truly look forward
to working alongside Bob Woods, Dave Love, and their talented team
and know that they will make a great contribution toward the
achievement of our mutual goals." Added Barros, "The only thing I'm
worried about is how Bob is going to take the news when he finds out
that there is no company softball game."

The Concord Music Group is one of the world's largest independent
record and music publishing companies, committed to offering
innovative, high-quality popular music. Concord Music Group's family
of labels includes Peak, Playboy Jazz, Stretch, Concord Picante, and
Fantasy Records, which is home to such historic imprints as
Milestone, Pablo, Prestige/New Jazz, Riverside/Jazzland [one word],
Stax/Volt/Enterprise, Specialty, Takoma, and many more. The combined
catalog features over 3,000 albums from such legendary artists as
Charlie Byrd, Rosemary Clooney, Herb Ellis, Stan Getz, Mel Torme,
John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Miles
Davis, Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Isaac Hayes, Albert King,
Thelonious Monk, Joe Pass, Art Pepper, Otis Redding, Vince Guaraldi,
Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan, Sam Cooke, Count Basie, and Creedence
Clearwater Revival, just to name a few. In 2004, Concord Records, in
association with Starbucks Hear Music, released Ray Charles' final
recording, Genius Loves Company, winner of 8 GRAMMY(tm) Awards
including Album of the Year. The label's current roster includes
GRAMMY(tm) Award-winning artists Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Sergio
Mendes, Ozomatli, Eddie Palmieri, and Poncho Sanchez, among many
others. Peak Records, a joint venture with Concord, is an industry
leader in smooth jazz and R&B and features a stellar artist roster
including The Rippingtons, Gerald Albright, David Benoit, LaToya
London, and Lee Ritenour.

Concord's acquisition of Fantasy late last year paved the way for
the re-signing of rock icon John Fogerty after years of estrangement
from Fantasy. As founder and songwriter of the legendary band
Creedence Clearwater Revival, and throughout a stellar solo career,
Fogerty has written some of rock music's most enduring classics such
as "Bad Moon Rising," "Proud Mary," and "Fortunate Son." The Long
Road Home - The Ultimate John Fogerty - Creedence Collection, was
released on November 1st, 2005.

Concord Music Group is owned by Act III Communications and Tailwind
Capital. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and JPMorgan Chase provided debt
financing for this transaction.

Ella Fitzgerald's 1953-1954 Chronological CD on Classic Label is available! Hooray!!!!!!!!
1. Careless
2. Blue You
3. I Wonder What Kind Of A Guy You'D Be
4. When The Hands Of The Clock Pray At Midnight
5. Crying The Chapel
6. An Empty Ballroom
7. If You Don'T Know, I Know Who Will
8. Melancholy Me
9. Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell
10. Moamin' Low
11. Taking A Chance On Love
12. I Whised Onn The Moon
13. Baby
14. I Need
15. Who'S Afraid
16. I'M Glad There Is You
17. Baby, What Else Can I ,Do
18. What Is There To Say ?
19. Makin' Whoopee !
20. Until The Real Thing Comes Along
21. People Wil Say We'Re In Love
22. Please Be Kind
23. Imagination
24. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
 

Tony Bennett among Kennedy Center Honorees
NEA Jazz Master Tony Bennett was one of several honorees at this Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in Washington, D.C. The celebration lauded the lifetime achievements of outstanding American artists including singer Tina Turner and actor Robert Redford. Bennett was honored with performances by jazz vocalist Diana Krall and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis . You can read more about the evening in The Boston Globe . 

Interview -- Ruth Price, Director of The Jazz Bakery, Los Angeles

"Twelve years ago, jazz vocalist Ruth Price put her piano in a Los Angeles photographer's studio and presented a jazz concert. Today, she runs The Jazz Bakery, one of the most prestigious jazz clubs in the United States. The Bakery features a wide range of jazz, 'from Legends to Latin.' A concert-only venue (no noisy restaurant service), the club's natural wood stage and ceiling offer exceptional acoustics. In addition to the usual headliners, you might hear Uri Caine performing classical music, or a trio from Poland or Japan. And Ruth has succeeded by running the club as a non-profit organization. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing her.

The Jazz Bakery is a non-profit jazz club. Why did you choose to go with a non-profit business model rather than the more traditional for-profit club?
Because I had never been in business, and the idea horrified me.
So with a non-profit I had a board that could help me open, and I could turn to them with questions. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It's been that way always, ever since we started almost 12 years ago.

And it's called the Jazz Bakery because you're "