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"High Notes --
Low Notes" |
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December 2008 |
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Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard died on the 29th at the age of 70. He was known primarily for playing bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 60s and on. His unmistakable, recognizable, and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop. The 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards Ceremony, to be held on Sunday, February 8, 2009, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and once again will be broadcast live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. 2. International Vocalist of the Year 3. International Group of the Year 4. Female Vocalist of the Year 5. Male Vocalist of the Year 6. Guitarist 8. Keyboardist/Pianist of the Year 9. Album of the Year
10. Drummer/Percussionist of the year 12. Broadcaster of the Year 2009 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award |
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November 2008 |
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Wall Street Journal story from Nov. 19 by Barry Mazor, "Why Country Radio Not Only Survived but Thrived." The article acknowledged the founding of the Country Music Association, its formation of the Country Music Foundation and the televised Country Music Awards as primary factors in that format's rise from marginalized backwater to a radio titan for nearly 50 years. Jazz and smooth jazz also tried repeatedly to create similar institutions, such as the International Association of Jazz Educators, Jazz Alliance International and the Smooth Jazz Awards, but those endeavors are now defunct. Clear Channel's WZJZ/Ft. Myers APD/MD Randi Bachman weighed in by e-mail with the following related observation: "Young [country] talent gets on the road cheaply and is supported by the record companies, and reaches out with live shows (cheaply) and station visits and giveaways, much as live radio once did. Country radio gets involved in the community and helps bring those young performers along. Of course, country music's presence on Country Music Television and the cable TV network Rural Free Delivery doesn't hurt, because it's all about reaching out and the star's accessibility and relatability." Bachman continues, "I was at a boat-show remote this past weekend -- big-ticket lifestyle items. Some 40-ish-looking guy with his kid says [of WZJZ], 'Oh, that's the station grandma always has on.' Perception? I told him, 'Half my artists are half your age.' Smooth jazz music and the artists are great, but even regional acts want thousands of dollars to do a show. Kiss smooth jazz goodbye, boys, unless you can change the perception of what it is for the general public." (Thanks to Carol Archer from Radio and Records) |
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October 2008 |
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Saxophonist Kirk Whalum, has opened a Twitter (similar to a blog) account and is calling on his fans to join him. For more information, go to twitter.com/kirkwhalum. Kirk's latest project is Promises Made, an all-star benefit album by "The Millennium Promise Jazz Project Featuring Kirk Whalum." Larry Carlton recently received - The "Titan of Tone" from Premier Guitar Magazine. The award was presented at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during Gibson's celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the ES-335 Guitar. Larry, Mr 335, was asked to headline and host the event, which featured all-star performances from Larry and a few of his friends and fellow musicians including John Pizzarelli, Gary Puckett, Joe Bonamassa, Dennis Coffey, Joel Hoffner and Matthew Shariff-Hobley. Stay tuned for some upcoming videos from the show on Mr 335 TV.
Bass Player Magazine Lifetime Achievement Awards will will presented to Verdine White (Earth, Wind and Fire), session great Carol Kaye and punk pioneer Mike Watt on November 1st in Los Angeles. Nathan East (Fourplay) will be presenting to Verdine White. Jazztrax Catalina Jazz Festival is being broadcast on the world wide web this year. October 4, 5, & 6, October 10, 11, 12 and October 17, 18, & 19. Listen live. |
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September 2008 |
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| Rodney Lee, keyboardist for Mindi Abair and Chris Standring is the proud father of a baby boy, born Saturday September 27. An inspirational message from Wayman Tisdale |
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August 2008 |
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| Bobby Caldwell is having dental surgery. He will not be able to participate in Jazz on the River in Guerneville, CA. From The Associated Press: OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former NBA player Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated Monday because of bone cancer. Tisdale, 44, revealed on his Web site that the surgery was scheduled for Monday. His wife, Regina, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night the surgery had taken place as planned. "Everything went well," she said. Tisdale, a 6-foot-9 Tulsa native who played for Oklahoma before spending 12 seasons in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, first learned he had cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2007. Tisdale, now an award-winning jazz musician, under went treatment and later had knee replacement surgery and resumed touring. Tisdale was still undergoing chemotherapy when he told the AP in June that "I feel better than ever. I'm excited. I've got a whole new look on life. I look at life on a whole 'nother radar." Tisdale told the AP that his latest album, "Rebound," was inspired by his ongoing fight against the cancer. On his Web site, Tisdale said removing a portion of the leg would be the best way to ensure that the cancer would not return. "This may sound drastic, but I have put it in God's hands and now have peace, knowing that this is the best way to put this disease in check," he said. "I have complete faith that with the Lord's blessings this surgery will eliminate the cancer from my body and I'll soon be back on the road doing what I do best." According to statistics from the National Cancer Institute, about 63 percent of people diagnosed with bone cancer live at least 10 more years. Tisdale said he planned to resume touring in the fall and that he would attend an annual cruise that he hosts. In 1983, Tisdale became the first freshman to make The Associated Press' first-team All-America list. Tisdale was also an All-American in 1984 and 1985. He was the Big Eight Conference's player of the year in each of his three seasons with the Sooners and still holds Oklahoma's single-game, season and career scoring records. He played on the U.S. team that won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. He went on to average 15.3 points per game during his pro career. Mack Avenue Records, has acquired the assets of Rendezvous Entertainment, the recording company launched in 2003 by Dave Koz, radio executive Frank Cody and music industry executive Hyman Katz. Mack Avenue was founded in the late '90s by Gretchen Valade and Tom Robinson. Under the new agreement, Mack Avenue will add Rendezvous artists Wayman Tisdale, Brian Simpson, Kirk Whalum, and Jonathan Butler to its roster. The acquisition also transfers to Mack Avenue the Rendezvous Entertainment catalog, which includes contemporary jazz releases by popular artists like Marc Antoine, Michael Lington, Kyle Eastwood and Patti Austin's Grammy-winning 2007 CD, "Avant Gershwin." Also in the catalog are popular "Rendezvous Lounge" and other chill and lounge compilations, as well as the all-star "Golden Slumbers" series by Dave Koz. |
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July 2008 |
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| Check out this You Tube video by the incredibly talented bass player Andre Berry. You'll recognize him, he's Mindi Abair's bass player and there are few artists in the genre Andre has not backed at one time or another. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMy8x7AkBF0 Euge Groove has donated his personal Selmer Ref 54 Tenor saxophone to his old high school music program to be raffled off. This was his main sax that he toured and recorded with for 3 years. he also used this horn on his "Just Feels Right" album. If you would like to buy a $25 ticket, just go to http://www.shhsrebelband.org/ for details. You could win a sax that lists for $9,250 as well as help the South Hagerstown High School band program. The drawing will be held at 7p.m. on 13 September 2008. You need not be present to win. Natalie Cole has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. According to her doctors, she is responding well to the treatment. Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by exposure to infected blood. First American Express, and now Citibank is offering premium seating at concerts. Citibank, in conjunction with Live Nation has developed Private Pass for Citibank members to obtain presale tickets. Find out more at www.privatepass.citi.com Quincy Jones's 75th Birthday concert on July 15 at the Montreux Jazz Festival included Herbie Hancock, Nathan East, Patti Austin, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Mick Hucknell, Nana Mouskouri, Petula Clark, Ledisi, and Paulo Nutini, to name a few. The nearly six-hour concert ended at two in the morning with dozens of performers singing "Happy Birthday" to the legend known as "Q". Radio and Records Smooth Jazz chart will join Billboard’s two jazz albums charts in Billboard on a biweekly basis. The Smooth Jazz chart, overseen by chart manager Gordon Murray, will consist of the top 15 smooth jazz singles positions. Jazz FM Returns To U.K. Airwaves: Founder of The Local Radio Company and current executive chairman, Richard Wheatley, was also part of the original jazz team and hopes to use the infrastructure of TLRC to bring back jazz to U.K. fans. Jazz FM will return on DAB Digital Radio multiplexes in London, the Northwest, West Midlands in England and in Glasgow, Scotland. The station is currently broadcasting online and in Glasgow but this new deal with TLRC will see presenters, hopefully including former MD and Fusion Flavours host host Steve Quirk, return to the station, which they sold in 2002. Wheatley comments: "I am delighted to announce that we have signed a licensing agreement with Guardian Media Group to broadcast Jazz FM on DAB, and through the Internet and digital television. This represents a major opportunity for us to develop a new business in a market segment which is not currently being served by any U.K. radio broadcaster at low risk and with minimal cash investment. We are currently working with GMG and expect to begin broadcasting in late autumn." Jazz FM was last heard in the U.K. on 102.2 FM in London before re-branding as Smooth FM in 2005. |
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June 2008 |
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Larry Carlton received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Guitar Player magazine. Larry has had a rich career from the Crusaders to Fourplay and a legacy as a session player that includes the guitar on Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" that was voted one of the three best guitar links in rock music history by Rolling Stone magazine, as well as a stew of hits. See a video about his Lifetime Achievement Award at: The critically acclaimed new talent, Esperanza Spalding, 23, makes her network TV debut on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on Wednesday, June 4. She will perform “Precious,” the first single from her debut recording, “Esperanza,” for Heads Up International. (You will find it on our CD Release page.) On Wednesday, June 11, she will appear on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Please check local listings for show times. Travis Vega is an up and coming Smooth Jazz artist from the Central Valley of California. He sent Smooth Jazz Notes a copy of his CD and we included it on our CD Release page. It's really quite good and we expect to see great things from Travis in the future. It's wonderful to see the younger generation interested in the genre. Check his music out at www.travisvega.com. |
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May 2008 |
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The first annual International Jazz Awards, a global television special, celebrating over 100 years of jazz music, will take place in Beverly Hills, California at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday, June 29th. The nominees associated with Smooth Jazz are: CONTEMPORARY 2. Outstanding Performance In A Vocal (Female) 3. Outstanding Performance In A Duo Or Group/Instrumental 6. Outstanding Performance In A Duo Or Group/Instrumental FUSION NEW ARTISTS (US/INTERNATIONAL) 18. Outstanding Song Of The Year 19. Outstanding Album Of The Year 20. Producer Of The Year 22. Outstanding Performance In A Holiday Album 24. Outstanding Performance Of A New Artist In Duo Or Group/Instrumental In Hip-Hop Jazz U-NAM has officially moved from Paris, France to Los Angeles, California to better pursue his music career. |
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April 2008 |
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Always creative, Dave Koz is requesting fans to vote for your three all-time favorite Dave Koz songs from Dave’s previous CD’s. Your favorite songs may end up on his new Greatest Hits CD coming out this Fall! Watch the Video and vote for your favorite songs. Always the philanthropist, Dave Koz and his sister Roberta have created a company in honor of their late mother, Cookies For a Koz. Koz says that his mother Audrey Koz, who died in 2005, spent her adult life spreading happiness, love and smiles through the proliferation of her chocolate chip cookies. Cookies For A Koz is Koz's way of ensuring that the special magic and love she put into every batch lives on. As the name implies, this company is also committed to raising money for an important cause: the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, which helps seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment and education. This was Audrey’s favorite charity, and Koz has long been global ambassador. Ten percent of the purchase price of these cookies goes directly to Starlight. Cookies available are original chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, white chocolate chip, and snickerdoodle. Go to cookiesforakoz.com. Guitarist Joyce Cooling has made a commitment to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to assist them in fund raising and increasing awareness for those suffering from mental illness. WLOQ is sponsoring a kick off concert by Cooling for a fundraising walk in Orlando and will be walking with their team, Music for the Mind, on Saturday, May 3. WLOQ’s free benefit concert will take place on Friday, May 2. Cooling and producer and partner Jay Wagner are working on their next release, “Global Cooling,” which will be out this summer. A portion of the proceeds from its sale will also go to NAMI. Mindi Abair breaks yet more new ground with an interactive online concert, in conjunction with the release of her label debut for Peak, "Stars." The event will take place on May 1 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on www.deeprockdrive.com. Fans get to vote online for the songs they want her to perform as she's playing, and they can even choose the camera angles. Stanley Clarke, one of the most innovative electric bass players in history will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 18. Stanley's numerous list of accomplishments: gold and platinum records, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, accolades from virtually every readers and critics poll in existence; as well as Rolling Stone’s very first Jazzman of the Year, and bassist winner of Playboy’s music award for 10 consecutive years. Congratulations to Stanley Clarke on his vast accomplishments! Jazz singer Nancy Wilson is in the hospital for treatment of a collapsed lung. A spokeswoman for the 71-year-old Grammy-winning singer says she is expected to recover but is expected to miss some concert dates. SmoothJazz.com is now available on the Apple iPhone. iPhone users simply download the free broadcasting software from FlyTunes.fm, and they are all set to receive hundreds of popular Internet radio stations, including smoothjazz.com and its chilled-out spin-off, smoothlounge.com. |
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March 2008 |
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Our sympathy to Corinne Bailey Rae, whose husband, Jason Rae was found dead in England. A man has been arrested on suspicion of supplying him with drugs. Michael Lington was sworn in as a citizen of the United States on March 20. He arrived in this country in 1990 from Denmark.The Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards will be held on Friday, March 7, at the Living Arts Center, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. International Instrumentalist of the Year Keyboardist/Pianist of the Year |
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February 2008 |
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Rick Braun has started a new website call www.MusicMinusYou.com where you can download Smooth Jazz songs minus the guitar or bass or keyboard or drums so that you can play along. He is currently holding a contest. What do I need to do to win? GOOD LUCK and always have fun !!! The winner and a guest will be flown by MMU to a city to be selected at a future date and provided hotel accommodations and brought up on stage for a guest appearance during the show. You will be invited back stage during the show and photographs will be taken. You will be given the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Rick Braun and you' will have lots of photo “ops” with the guys. The 2008 Grammy's... |
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January 2008 |
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East Bay Soul, a new Smooth Jazz Super Group will be touring extensively throughout the year. Former Tower of Power members Greg Adams: (Trumpet, Flugelhorn) and Lenny Williams: (Lead Vocals) will be supported by: Two benefit concerts for Carl Evans Jr., will be presented in San Diego on January 20, 2008. Carl Evans Jr., underwent surgery on Dec. 10, 2007, to remove his left leg below the knee. This surgery was necessary to continue his ongoing battle against diabetes. A founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Fattburger, Evans has been a beloved and highly respected member of San Diego's jazz community for the past 30 years and has sat in on piano regularly with the Anthology House Band. The upcoming benefit concert is a combined effort of Anthology, San Diego's acclaimed new live music venue, and 17 of San Diego's finest jazz musicians. They are producing the concerts to help offset some of the medical expenses and future care for Evans. Anthology will donate the venue, and the all-star artist ensemble will contribute their performances. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock, Kirk Whalum, Patti Austin, and Randy Crawford & Joe Sample have been nominated for NAACP Image Awards. A Russian tour January 24 to 31 will feature Eric Marienthal, Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb, Jimmy Haslip, Will Kennedy & Sergei Chipenko Brian Culbertson will be the opening act for Barry Manilow's large arena shows from January 11 to February 24 Connecticut native Jay Rowe, best known as keyboardist for Chieli Minnuci & Special EFX, has announced the details for his annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert, which will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at The Parsons Complex in Milford, CT. This yearly event benefits the music education department of the Milford public school system. In addition to Jay, the line-up includes Marion Meadows, Joyce Cooling, Ken Navarro, Eric Marienthal, and Chieli Minucci. Tickets for this event are $40, and go on sale on 12/14. Tickets can be purchased online at www.jayrowemusic.com. For more information, please call: (203) 874-4150. Also, you can visit www.myspace.com/jayrowemusic to hear a live recording from the 2007 show. |
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