Press Release

Brian Culbertson is ready for “Another Long Night Out”

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Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson

Culbertson gears up for “Another Long Night Out”

Album pre-orders underway as the first single, “Fullerton Ave.” featuring Chuck Loeb, earns the highest debut on the Billboard chart and the music video premieres. 

Los Angeles, Calif. (23 January 2014): Twenty years in the making, the album multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson wanted to record ever since he was a 20-year-old music student at DePaul University recording demos in the bedroom of the crowded Chicago apartment on Fullerton Avenue above a costume shop that he shared with three roommates is finally ready for release. Joined by some of the most accomplished musicians in contemporary jazz, Culbertson completely reimagined the eleven songs he wrote and produced for his debut disc, “Long Night Out.” “Another Long Night Out” will be available in stores and online February 25th with Amazon and iTunes now accepting pre-orders. Culbertson will autograph albums pre-ordered through his website (www.BrianCulbertson.me).

The low-budget demos on which Culbertson played most of the instruments himself resulted in his first record deal and became his debut album. It is fitting that the entirely re-envisioned production serves as the first release from his BCM Entertainment label.

Culbertson’s 14th collection, “Another Long Night Out” is prefaced with the release of “Fullerton Ave.,” which will be the highest new single to debut on next week’s Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. A video of the sprawling jazz jam led by Culbertson on piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, keyboards, slap bass, trombone and tambourine and a towering inferno of lead guitar from Chuck Loeb premiered yesterday on Culbertson’s YouTube page (www.youtube.com/brianculbertsonmusic). The clip showcases an all-star ensemble – Paul Jackson Jr., Michael “Patches” Stewart, Eric Marienthal, Jimmy Haslip and Will Kennedy – recording the cut in the studio along with a montage of shots of the Chicago skyline and the city’s locales frequented by Culbertson, including his college apartment.

“‘Another Long Night Out’ is a return to my creative roots and reflects my love of instrumental contemporary jazz. To help realize my vision, I gathered many of the legendary musicians that inspired me to make this kind of music in the first place. People like Lee Ritenour, Chuck Loeb, Nathan East, Russ Freeman, Jonathan Butler, Candy Dulfer, Jimmy Haslip, Rick Braun, Eric Marienthal, Larry Dunn, Steve Lukather, Ricky Lawson, David Benoit and many, many more joined me in the studio. This is the project that I’ve wanted to do for many years and I’ve finally done it,” said Culbertson, an award-winning radio favorite and concert headliner who has amassed 26 No. 1 hits as an artist, producer and songwriter.

“Another Long Night Out” will be supported by record release events, in-store appearances and concert dates.

Culbertson is also a lifestyle curator who created the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, a star-studded wine and jazz festival that will take place for the third time June 11-15, 2014 drawing thousands of music and wine lovers from around the world to Napa, Calif. He will soon unveil his own wine, a Pinot Noir blended in partnership with Reata Wines and Jamieson Ranch Vineyards. For more information, please visit www.BrianCulbertson.me.

The songs that comprise Culbertson’s “Another Long Night Out” are:

“City Lights” featuring Lee Ritenour

“Fullerton Ave.” featuring Chuck Loeb

“Beyond The Frontier”

“Heroes Of The Dawn” featuring Eric Marienthal & Rick Braun

“Beautiful Liar” featuring Steve Lukather

“Double Exposure” featuring Russ Freeman

“Twilight” featuring Eric Marienthal

“Horizon” featuring Michael “Patches” Stewart

“Alone With You”

“Long Night Out” featuring Candy Dulfer

“Changing Tides” featuring Jonathan Butler

An intimate “Christmas Song” from Brian Culbertson‏

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Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson

An intimate “Christmas Song” from Brian Culbertson

Los Angeles, Calif. (5 December 2013): With the holiday season on his mind, contemporary jazz-R&B star Brian Culbertson recently took a break from recording his forthcoming “Another Long Night Out” album, sat down at the Mason & Hamlin grand piano in his studio and played a stark, emotionally stirring rendition of “The Christmas Song.” Enjoying his newfound freedoms as an independent recording artist, Culbertson recorded the seasonal classic and put it on iTunes (http://bit.ly/BCChristmasSong), Amazon (http://bit.ly/bcChristmasSong) and other major digital outlets.

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“It is a solo piano piece of an arrangement I did many years ago. I have performed it on my Christmas tours, but had never recorded it until recently,” said Culbertson of the heartfelt, contemplative beauty. “Being able to spontaneously record and then swiftly release something new for fans is one of the energizing perks of the new music industry.”

Culbertson’s first full-length indie release and 14th album overall, “Another Long Night Out” is slated for release in late February. The project is a reimaging of his debut album, “Long Night Out,” which will mark its 20th anniversary in February. Culbertson, a multi-instrumentalist who wrote the eleven songs and played most of the instruments on the original album that he recorded in his crowded Chicago apartment while he was a 20-year-old student at DePaul University, is producing the set featuring performances by Lee Ritenour, Russ Freeman, Jonathan Butler, Rick Braun, Candy Dulfer, Eric Marienthal, Chuck Loeb, Steve Lukather and Paul Jackson Jr. along with a stellar collective of contemporary jazz musicians and a 33-piece orchestra playing arrangements by David Benoit.

Additional information about Culbertson, who will bring in the New Year on stage with his band at a New Year’s Eve Gala at the Hyatt Regency in Huntingdon Beach, Calif., is available at www.BrianCulbertson.me.

CHRIS GODBER “Where Are You CHRISTmas”

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Chris Godber has always known to whom he should give all the honor and thanks: his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He has so much to be thankful for, including his Christmas album that was years in the making, “Where Are You CHRISTmas.” And he poses this question to anyone who needs to be reminded that Jesus is the reason for the season. Chris calls this project a “labor of love” and acknowledges that he did it for his fans. It is their support and the help of some very talented musicians that make it all possible. “Where Are You CHRISTmas” comes just in time for the holiday season and is a collection of songs we all know and love.

“What Child Is This” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” have been glazed with a contemporary smooth jazz sound. “I Love Christmas” features guitarist Lowell Hopper and is pleasantly playful and engaging. Godber’s covers of “Let It Snow,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” and “The First Noel” are traditional yet very jazzy. Dony Adair lends his smooth vocals to a soulful rendition of “The Christmas Song,” and the title song, “Where Are You CHRISTmas” is reminiscent of the perfect lullaby for the holiday season. “Mary Did You Know” is beautiful and soul-stirring with just the right fusion of Chris on Saxophone and Lowell on guitar. The final song on the album is “Feliz Navidad.” It features Sam Hankins on trumpet and has a Latin jazz big band sound to it.

Bring Chris home for the holidays. You can order your copy at www.chrisgodber.com/christmas. You can also like Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chrisgodbermusic.

Chris Godber
Chris Godber

Jonathan Butler’s holiday spirit of giving gives year-round‏

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Jonathan Butler
Jonathan Butler

Butler’s holiday spirit of giving gives year-round

Singer-songwriter launches a foundation to reclaim children from drugs and poverty through music education in his native South Africa in conjunction with the release of “Merry Christmas To You.”

Sherman Oaks, Calif. (4 November 2013): It may only be the beginning of November, but two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler is in full holiday spirit with the release of his first Christmas album, “Merry Christmas To You,” and the launch of the Jonathan Butler Foundation in his South African homeland to fund music education programs that give children the purpose to overcome a life of drugs and poverty. Butler, who completed a media tour in several South African cities and performed two concerts there in September to raise funds for the foundation, will soon form a U. S. affiliate to support the foundation’s music and arts programs in South Africa for children ages 4-17.

Butler grew up in South Africa under Apartheid the youngest of 17 children and it was music that rescued him from drugs and extreme poverty thus the inspiration for the foundation comes from personal experience and a desire that has gestated for more than 20 years. The guitar-playing troubadour was 13 when he released his debut album and became the first black artist played on white radio stations in South Africa. Approached by the directors of a Pretorian music school for which Butler served as a benefactor, the foundation with the mission statement “Purpose kills addiction” finally came into being thanks to the formation of key strategic partnerships along with funding and support from the local governments and lottery in Pretoria and Johannesburg.

“The Jonathan Butler Foundation is about building new legacies and I’ve wanted to help the children in my native land fulfill their dreams. Teaming with the local governments to reclaim our children from the drug lords, we teach the kids to sing and play instruments. These are free-born children and it is about their legacies and saving them from drugs and poverty. I plan to visit the different townships and precincts a few times a year to give talks to the kids about how music helped me overcome drugs and poverty. There is immense talent over there (South Africa) and down the road we hope to release compilation albums in the U.S. to help sustain the foundation and its diversion programs,” said Butler.

Butler wrote, produced and played most of the instruments on “Merry Christmas To You,” an intimate 10-song set released October 1st by Artistry Music that showcases the singer with his acoustic guitar. The sparse production maintains focus on the spiritually-impassioned Butler belting out seven Christmas standards, one little known gem (“Sweet Little Jesus Boy”) and a pair of soulful originals authored by the artist, including the title cut and “Happy Holidays.” Radio stations will soon receive a double dose of yuletide glee in the form of a South African-flavored instrumental take on “Sleigh Ride” driven by Butler’s fervent fretwork and the malt shop ballad “Merry Christmas To You,” which Butler charismatically croons and decorates with elegant jazz guitar riffs. Adding horn section parts to a couple of tunes are contemporary jazz aces Rick Braun, Dave Koz and Paul “Shilts” Weimer.

After leading a group of fans out on his third South African Safari last month and playing a handful of U.S. gigs with his band in November, Butler will co-star on the coast to coast Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour with the popular sax personality, Oleta Adams and Keiko Matsui starting the day after Thanksgiving (November 29) in Sarasota, Florida and concluding three weeks later with a December 22nd concert in San Francisco, Calif.

For more information about Butler, please visit http://www.JonathanButler.com.

“Another Long Night” of success

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Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson

“Another Long Night” of success

Brian Culbertson’s first crowd-funded album surpasses fundraising goal weeks ahead of schedule.

Los Angeles, Calif. (24 October 2013): Fervent interest from Brian Culbertson’s international legion of fans powered the contemporary jazz star past his fundraising goal two weeks ahead of the close of the Indiegogo campaign launched to help bring his passion project to fruition: re-recording his entire debut album, “Long Night Out,” as “Another Long Night Out,” which will be released in February 2014 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the release of the original record.

The multi-instrumentalist was a 20-year-old DePaul University student recording demos in the bedroom of the crowded Chicago apartment that he shared with three roommates playing most of the instruments himself on the tracks that landed him a six-album record deal, but this time out he will be accompanied by many of contemporary jazz’s finest musicians – those who inspired him while making the first recording. Along with a 38-piece orchestra that will appear on a handful of tracks with arrangements by Culbertson and David Benoit, heavyweights who have already recorded parts include Rippington’s Russ Freeman, Eric Marienthal, Candy Dulfer, Toto’s Steve Lukather, Paul Jackson Jr., Fourplay’s Chuck Loeb and Nathan East, Jimmy Haslip and Will Kennedy of Yellowjackets fame, Ricky Lawson, Michael Thompson, Lenny Castro, Michael Bland and Patches Stewart with a few more marquee artists soon to be confirmed for Culbertson’s 14th collection.

“For many years, I have wanted to remake the first album using real musicians and thought the 20th anniversary would be the perfect time. I turned to crowdsourcing because I saw it as a way for fans to be more involved and get cool opportunities they normally wouldn’t get and I am all about that,” said Culbertson. “’Another Long Night Out’ is a return to my roots as a contemporary jazz player compared to the more commercial instrumental funk and R&B that I’ve been doing lately. I always liked these songs and I even like them more now with real musicians playing them.”

Escaping the studio last week to co-host a weeklong jaunt to the Mexican Riviera aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise with soul saxsation Boney James, Culbertson is back on land recording, pausing only to play concert dates this weekend in Las Vegas and Phoenix. Also a lifestyle curator who serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, ticket sales are robust for Culbertson’s third annual wine and jazz festival in California wine country slotted for June 11-15, 2014. Culbertson will top the bill that features more than 18 artists including Eric Benét, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Morris Day & The Time, Earl Klugh, Mavis Staples, Eric Darius, Average White Band and comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans.

For more information, please visit http://www.BrianCulbertson.me and http://igg.me/at/brianculbertson.

A Jazzy Christmas Wish Fulfilled‏

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A Jazzy Christmas Wish Fulfilled

Pianist and vocalist Peggy Duquesnel will release “All I Ask for Christmas” on November 5th, a double-disc set comprised of instrumental and vocal renditions of holiday standards and spirited originals.

Long Beach, Calif. (10 October 2013): There is always a bit of an uproar when Santa and the elves debate over music preferences while toiling away in their North Pole workshop preparing for the big night. Some prefer swinging to straight-ahead jazz instrumentals while others prefer contemporary vocal numbers. Multidimensional pianist and vocalist Peggy Duquesnel’s “All I Ask for Christmas” is certain to satisfy everyone with her generous 21-song collection that will be released November 5th by Joyspring Music. Duquesnel produced the two-CD set – one acoustic jazz instrumental disc and one vocal disc – offering fresh arrangements of seasonal standards along with four new songs that she composed and recorded as both instrumental and vocal selections. The entire album will be serviced to jazz radio stations while smooth jazz outlets will be gifted with the single, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” featuring genre star Rick Braun’s regal flugelhorn.

Duquesnel is having a prolific year. In April, she released “Seems Like I Know You,” a five-song EP that she produced with noted contemporary jazz musicians Jeff Lorber and Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) on which she exercised her fitness as an adult contemporary singer-songwriter while engaging her light jazz muscles. The instrumental portion of “All I Ask for Christmas” is a return to the classically-trained pianist’s roots in straight-ahead jazz presented with elements of adult pop, contemporary jazz and inspirational material on this, her seventh full-length outing. Backed by a crackling quartet – Grammy-nominated bassist Brian Bromberg on upright, drummer Joe La Barbera (Bill Evans, Tony Bennett, Bill Cunliffe), percussionist Brian Kilgore (Barbra Streisand, John Williams, Elton John, Coldplay, Aerosmith) and guitarist Jay Leach (“American Idol,” Barry Manilow, Gladys Knight) – Duquesnel’s arrangements are influenced by storied artists from yesteryear (George & Ira Gershwin, Horace Silver, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra) along with a dose of contemporary acoustic jazz (Dave Grusin, Bob James, Miles Davis).

On the vocal disc, Duquesnel sings and scats three duets with debonair vocalist Bill Cantos: the bebop title track penned by Duquesnel; the aptly titled “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song),” which was written and recorded by Amy Grant; and another new Duquesnel gem, “Under the Christmas Tree,” a romantic country gospel waltz adorned with Leach’s pedal steel guitar. Talented newcomer Emma Werderman impresses with a vocal full of moxie during a duet with her mentor (Duquesnel) on the stunning “Mary Did You Know” further illumined by Duquesnel’s piano eloquence. Duquesnel’s glowing jazzer “Light of Christmas” and the waltz-like “Christmas is Here” are new songs written with warmth, familiarity and timeless qualities that have the potential to become enduring evergreens.

“The album concept is to take familiar Christmas songs and put them with unique arrangements that have a jazz influence, but that are all accessible to a broad audience. In the process of making the album, I decided to do instrumental versions of the vocal songs. I am both a vocalist and an instrumentalist and enjoy playing these songs just as much instrumentally as vocally. For the listener, having both versions makes a lot of sense because they set two entirely different moods,” said Duquesnel, who invites you into the studio to observe the making of the album by watching the EPK (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSApuhPMt8o).

To support “All I Ask for Christmas,” Duquesnel will perform three shows during the holiday season in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas: November 24th at the Hoson House in Tustin, December 11th at Fields Pianos in Santa Ana and December 19th at Vitello’s Jazz & Supper Club in Studio City.

Duquesnel’s “All I Ask for Christmas” consists of the following titles:

Disc 1 – Instrumental Songs

“Little Drummer Boy”

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

“All I Ask for Christmas”

“Mary Did You Know”

“Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

“Christmas is Here”

“O Christmas Tree”

“Silent Night”

“What Child is This”

“Under the Christmas Tree”

“I Wonder as I Wander”

“Light of Christmas”

Disc 2 – Vocal Songs

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town”

“Mary Did You Know”

“Light of Christmas”

“Silent Night”

“All I Ask for Christmas”

“Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)”

“Under the Christmas Tree”

“I Wonder As I Wander”

“Christmas is Here”

For more information about Duquesnel, please visit http://www.PeggyDuquesnel.com.

Growing Jazz Getaway offers a divine taste of Napa‏

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Growing Jazz Getaway offers a divine taste of Napa

Brian Culbertson assembles an array of jazz & funk stars for the 2014 Napa Valley Jazz Getaway.

Los Angeles, Calif. (7 October 2013): While in the midst of the vineyards last June to shoot a promotional clip for the third annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, the flourishing jazz and wine festival’s Founder and Artistic Director Brian Culbertson looked into the camera and vowed “More artists, more music, more food and of course, more wine.” The hit-making contemporary jazz and R&B mixologist is making good on his promise with the unveiling of the powerhouse lineup of jazz and funk artists that will perform for the many thousands of Getaway attendees who will come from all over the U.S. to Napa Valley from June 11-15, 2014.

Slated to join Culbertson for five-days of concerts, wine tastings, fine dining and unique social opportunities are Eric Benét, Lee Ritenour, David Grusin, Ohio Players, Morris Day & The Time, Earl Klugh, Mavis Staples, Average White Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Eric Darius, David Benoit, Michael Lington, Eric Marienthal, Jazz in Pink featuring Gail Jhonson, Althea Rene and Karen Briggs, Cecil Ramirez and the comedic mind of Keenen Ivory Wayans.

VIP Packages are already sold out with Four-day Gold Packages ($499) on sale now through the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway website (www.NapaValleyJazzGetaway.me). Two-day Silver Packages ($229) will go on sale in late November.

The 2014 Napa Valley Jazz Getaway will open with several VIP-only events as well as an exclusive Welcome Dinner Concert and Jam Session at renowned chef Cindy Pawlcyn’s Wood Grill and Wine Bar with a performance by the Cecil Ramirez Quartet along with Culbertson and saxophonist Lington for which a separate ticket is required (available through the Getaway website for $125). The Thursday night theme concert on June 12th will be Jazz Legends at the Lincoln Theater, which will also be the venue for Friday Night Funk Night. The music moves outdoors on June 14 & 15 to the breathtakingly beautiful setting at Jamieson Ranch Vineyards for concerts that run from 4-10:30 PM. Afternoon happenings during the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway include a cigar and port event hosted by Lington with Ramirez and daily Wine Downs at the luxurious Westin Verasa Napa, the host hotel that for the first time will be solely reserved for guests of the Getaway. The Westin Verasa will also be the scene for the hot Late Night Hangs scheduled for Thursday through Saturday evenings post-concert during the Getaway at which fans can meet and mingle with the artists after their stroll down the Cab Carpet. As in previous editions of the Getaway, silent and live auctions will be held to benefit The GRAMMY® Foundation, which supports music education programs in schools, a mission of Culbertson, who raised nearly $100,000 for the organization during the first two Napa Valley Jazz Getaways.

Culbertson said, “It is extraordinary how much the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway has grown in just our third year and I’m so excited about our incredible lineup for 2014, our biggest and best yet. In addition to being joined by these legendary artists, I continue to invite more exquisite wineries to be involved with the Getaway as well as many more unique restaurants to be present at our outdoor events to provide a true ‘taste of Napa’ experience. I look forward to welcoming wine and jazz enthusiasts to the beautiful Napa Valley once again.”

Culbertson is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer who became a fan favorite for the vitality and prodigious skills that he brought to contemporary jazz ever since the release of his 1994 debut disc, “Long Night Out,” signaled the arrival of a consistently creative and engaging artist. The keyboardist and trombonist is back in the recording studio working on his 14th collection, a remake of the first album that he made in his crowded apartment bedroom “studio” while he was a 20-year-old college student. But this time out, instead of playing most of the instruments himself, he will be joined by an all-star collective of contemporary jazz artists comprised of many of the musicians that inspired him while recording the original. “Another Long Night Out” will be released in February 2014 in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the first record. Additional information about Culbertson is available at http://www.BrianCulbertson.me.

Highlights of the 2013 Napa Valley Jazz Getaway can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oaRaeCnhO6Y.

Surveying the soul of pop music: saxophonist Theresa Grayson’s “Live2Love”

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Theresa Grayson
Theresa Grayson

Surveying the soul of pop music

Saxophonist Theresa Grayson’s “Live2Love,” a compelling mix of pop gems from past to present and soul-jazz originals, will be released November 5th.

Houston, Texas (16 September 2013): Theresa Grayson wears her passion for soulful pop music proudly. From Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oats, Sade and Tony! Toni! Toné! to Bruno Mars, Maroon 5 and John Legend, the saxophonist-flutist mines hits from decades past to present on her sophomore album, “Live2Love,” which will be released November 5th by L2L Records. The disc also showcases five soul-jazz originals, four of which were penned by Grayson including the first radio single, “Afterthoughts,” an urbane track featuring soprano sax, scat-like vocalization and live instrumentation typical of the set from producer Terence Fisher.

Grayson alternates between expressive tenor and soprano sax on “Live2Love” augmented by graceful flute flourishes. She wields soprano on the lush ‘70s retro themed “More Pressure.” The frenetic pace on “Locked Out of Heaven” gushes streams of flowing melody. Grayson presents “Sarah Smile” as a soulful tenor serenade and she surprises with soothing lead and backing vocals on “Smooth Operator.” “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” soars upon a futuristic sonicscape giving flight to the saxtress’ impassioned calls. “Moves Like Jagger” prances feverishly with a sense of urgency established by a driving beat. The stately “Natural Woman” receives an anthem-like rendering. Lights dim for “Spend My Life” and “Close Your Eyes,” seductive urban adult contemporary grooves lit by Grayson’s sensual soprano and a vocal chorus. Desire permeates the ballad “Just A Little Time” while the longing continues on the classic slow jam “It Never Rains in Southern California,” which closes the collection.

“Leading my own band for several years, I have always had a set list that mixes feel good originals and cover songs with unique arrangements that get people up dancing and my goal with ‘Live2Love’ was to capture that spirit in the studio. I’m really happy with these arrangements of songs from multiple eras, and as a songwriter and arranger, I appreciate the chance to introduce my own material. The music is a reflection of my heart and the melodies I play are the steps of my own experiences. My desire is to touch a special place in the listener’s heart and create a warm feeling of peace and happiness. I want to leave the listener smiling, knowing that this was more than just a recording, that it was a life experience that I want to share with them,” said Grayson, who will preview the album at an October 26th concert date at Sugas Deep South Cuisine & Jazz Bar in Beaumont, Texas.

Having been reared in the church, the Tyler, Texas-born and Houston-raised Grayson debuted in 2010 with “It’s All About You,” an outing comprised of inspirational instrumentals. The fashionably coiffed and flashily wardrobed Grayson has strutted her high heels on concert stages with Peter White, Mindi Abair, Michael Bolton, Will Downing, Marion Meadows and Ronnie Laws as a sidewoman and an opener. She earned a pair of master’s degrees and is pursuing a doctorate in music education. Additional information is available at http://www.TheresaGrayson.com.

Grayson’s “Live2Love” contains the following songs:

“More Pressure”

“Locked Out of Heaven”

“Sarah Smile”

“Smooth Operator”

“Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”

“Moves Like Jagger”

“Natural Woman”

“Spend My Life”

“Afterthoughts”

“Close Your Eyes”

“Just A Little Time”

“It Never Rains in Southern California”

“Another Long Night Out” for Brian Culbertson

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“Another Long Night Out” for Brian Culbertson

On the 20th anniversary of its release, the multi-instrumentalist hitmaker returns to his contemporary jazz roots to remake his debut album joined by many of the accomplished artists that inspired him.

Los Angeles, Calif. (12 September 2013): Brian Culbertson was a 20-year-old student at DePaul University recording demos in his bedroom “studio” in a crowded apartment that he shared with three roommates above a costume shop on a busy Chicago street. Those demos not only landed the then trombone player in DePaul’s jazz ensemble a record deal, but they were released a year later – February 1994 – as part of his debut album, “Long Night Out,” on which Culbertson played most of the instruments himself. Twenty years later, he’s an award-winning recording artist, songwriter and producer who is currently in the studio revisiting that first collection of songs that will be released in February 2014 as “Another Long Night Out,” but this time he’ll be accompanied by many of the contemporary jazz artists who influenced him when making the original.

Culbertson’s recent releases have primarily been excursions aboard R&B and funk grooves thus “Another Long Night Out” marks a return to his roots in contemporary jazz. Among the preeminent musicians joining him in the recording studio to play on the 11-song album are the Rippington’s Russ Freeman, Eric Marienthal, Candy Dulfer, Toto’s Steve Lukather, Paul Jackson Jr., Fourplay’s Chuck Loeb and Nathan East, Jimmy Haslip and Will Kennedy of Yellowjackets fame, Ricky Lawson, Michael Thompson, Lenny Castro, Michael Bland, Patches Stewart and a 38-piece orchestra with additional legendary artists soon to be added. Culbertson is producing the record.

Another major change for the keyboardist-trombonist who has released his 13-album catalogue through major record labels is that Culbertson decided to go the independent fan-funded route in order to get his worldwide fan base intimately involved with the project. In recent years, he has been a leading figure in contemporary jazz when it comes to embracing technological innovation, social media and video blogs and is energized about the new music business, the creative freedoms it affords and the opportunities to interact directly with fans.

Said Culbertson, who discusses the new project and shares footage from some of the recording sessions in his latest video blog (www.YouTube.com/BrianCulbertsonMusic), “I’m excited about being able to make the album the way I’ve always wanted to make it. With the limited resources I had at the time, most of ‘Long Night Out’ was just me on drum machines, synth bass and sampled/synth piano trying to sound like real instruments. Now I’ve got some of the best contemporary jazz musicians on the planet playing those parts. This record is a true passion project and a return to my roots as a recording artist. I’m also enthused about opening up the recording process to fans via fan funding, which is almost like having them there in the studio with us. They’ll get to hear demo versions of songs and early mixes in almost real time. The entire recording process will be documented on my video blog. Plus we’ll be offering fans extraordinary experiences such as personalized videos and phone calls, private concerts, concert tickets, video blog shout outs or a thank you in the album’s liner notes, signed sheet music and CDs, a limited edition vinyl copy of ‘Another Long Night Out,’ an opportunity to hang with me at the mastering session followed by dinner or the chance to come to a rehearsal for my 2014 tour. I can even play on your record.”

A highly-popular headline concert performer, Culbertson is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, a five-day festival of wine and jazz in breathtaking Napa, California. The luminous lineup for the third edition of the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, slated for June 11-15, 2014, will be revealed by the end of the month in conjunction with the release of tickets.

For more information, please visit http://www.BrianCulbertson.me and http://igg.me/at/brianculbertson.

A Master Marks A Milestone‏

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A Master Marks A Milestone

Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan to embark on a historic 50th anniversary U.S. concert tour

accompanied by his accomplished sons-students Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan.

Houston, Texas (4 September 2013): Way back in 1963, a young sarod player from India named Amjad Ali Khan first came to perform Indian classical music for American audiences. Half a century later, the now highly-regarded master of the stringed instrument definitive of the Indian classical music sound is set to launch a 50th anniversary U.S. concert tour this Saturday in Houston, Texas. The four-week trek that runs September 7th through October 4th will incorporate a teaching residency at Indiana University, a book launch event at the Indian Consulate and a performance at the United Nations’ International Day of Non-Violence in New York City (October 2nd).

Continuing a family lineage that makes him a sixth-generation performer, the Grammy-nominated Khan will be accompanied on the concert swing by his sons, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, prodigious sarod players trained by the virtuoso. The concerts are comprised of three sections. Amjad Ali Khan performs the first half backed by a pair of tabla (percussion) players. Brothers Amaan and Ayaan perform a sarod duet to open the second half before Amjad Ali Khan joins to interact with his scions – disciples of the master – for the final portion performed as a sarod trio, during which the audiences witness the time-honored rite of passage as the father passes down his musical inheritance to his sons.

“The occasion of the 50th anniversary of my first concert in the United States allows me to reflect on the growth of Indian classical music there and change with the sarod in particular. There is no essential difference between classical and popular music. Music is music. I want to communicate with the listener who finds Indian classical music remote,” said Amjad Ali Khan, who splits his time between living in India and New York. “Since my childhood, I always wanted my instrument (sarod) to be able to express the entire range of human emotions…to sing, shout, whisper, and cry. All the emotions! It has been a long journey so far and by the benevolence of the heavens, the sarod has become far more expressive than it was 25 years ago.”

Amjad Ali Khan’s five-day residency for course credit at Indiana University from September 23-27 will examine the fundamentals of Indian classical music along with the lifestyle, relevancy to the modern world and how composition aids in the preservation of its tradition and techniques. He gave a similar class at Stanford University last winter. Having been taught by his father, Haafiz Ali Khan, Amjad Ali Khan penned a recently published book on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his father-guru’s passing entitled “My Father, Our Fraternity,” which will be feted at the Indian Consulate on October 1st in New York City.

Together the Khans have performed all over the world since 1996, including at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Kennedy Center and the Sydney Opera House. Following Indian classical music precepts, their performances are improvisational with the compositions often determined the day of the show inspired by the moods and emotions of the artists. Amjad Ali Khan, who has received esteemed honors from UNESCO, UNICEF, World Economic Forum, the Indian, French and Japanese governments and had Amjad Ali Khan Day declared by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in 1984, considers the audience to be the soul of his motivation. The musicians collaborate with each serving as the performer, composer and conductor. Having made their U.S. debut in 1991, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan have proven their own mastery of the sarod, which has garnered awards and acclaim for recording projects in Indian classical and contemporary music settings. After the American tour, the Khans will perform in France, Belgium and Amsterdam in November and return to the U.S. in late February for concert dates through March. Additional information is available at http://www.sarod.com, http://www.AmaanAliKhan.com and http://www.AyaanAliKhan.com.

Celebrate Amjad Ali Khan’s 50th anniversary U.S. concert tour this fall with Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan on the following dates:

September 7 Houston, Texas Wortham Center (joined by Rahim AlHaj)

September 10 Philadelphia, Penna. Philadelphia Ganesh Festival

September 13 Chicago, Illinois Chicago World Music Festival

September 14 Baltimore, Maryland Johns Hopkins University

September 15 Boston, Massachusetts Berklee Performance Center

September 16 Boston, Massachusetts New England Conservatory of Music

September 19 San Francisco, Calif. SF JAZZ Center, Miner Auditorium

September 22 North Brunswick, NJ North Brunswick Township High School

September 23-27 Bloomington, Indiana Indiana University residency

September 28 Bloomington, Indiana Lotus World Music & Arts Festival

October 1 New York, New York Book launch at the Indian Consulate

October 2 New York, New York UN’s International Day of Non-Violence (private)

October 4 Louisville, Kentucky Kentucky Center for the Arts