With every season, there is change. For Jonathan Butler, that change was embraced, and a body of work was subsequently created. “Living My Dream” was born out of a time of transition for Butler while he held on to his faith in God to see him through trying times. At this appointed time in his life, he is well rounded and very seasoned. He is enjoying making life changes, new hobbies, and new passions. Jonathan wholeheartedly knows that this is divinely the right time and right season for him as a man, husband, father, grandfather, and artist. He says his inspiration for making “Living My Dream” is his daughter, Jodie. Jodie–an artist in her own right–collaborated with her father on the romantic and healthily risqué “Night To Remember.” Additionally, he also shares collaborations with Marcus Miller, Elan Trotman, Davy Nathan, and the late George Duke. This album is all about Butler’s identity and storytelling that crosses multiple genres of music and is easily identifiable. The first radio single and first song on the album, “African Breeze,” is one that was written many years ago, and he felt it was time to retrieve it out of the archives. When I spoke with Jonathan, like always, it was like talking to an old friend. He makes such an indelible impression and is always honest. He wants everyone to know that he is a real man with real issues and not just an artist to be admired. That is what “Living My Dream” expresses to the world. Sitting at #1 on iTunes and on Billboard, Butler says, “I’m a granddad who’s kicking butt, taking no prisoners, and “Living My Dream.” I love it!
Jonathan speaks from the heart and very candidly with me:
The pulse of “Can You Feel It” can truly be felt throughout Braun’s entire latest release. On every funky tune, you hear the resounding theme loud and clear, no matter whether it is “Get Up And Dance” or “Another Kind Of Blue.” As Rick looks forward to the release of his sixteenth album, he feels blessed to have fans old and new who love his music. Embarking on this journey, he wanted to encompass the vibe of “Beat Street.” When it was all said and done, Rick Braun’s intent to create organic music with his friends and create a funky album with a real experience was accomplished. He humbly gives credit to Philipe Saisse, Brian Culbertson, Euge Groove, Jeff Lorber, Elliot Yamin, and Dave Koz whom collaborated with him to breathe life into his project. From beginning to end, “Can You Feel It” will take you on a funky, musical ride. Ironically, Rick’s birthday is 2 days before the July 8th release date of “Can You Feel It.” I have a feeling that he is going to have many reasons to celebrate this year.
Rick and I talk about the unmistakable funkiness of this album.
The pulse of “Can You Feel It” can truly be felt throughout Braun’s entire latest release. On every funky tune, you hear the resounding theme loud and clear, no matter whether it is “Get Up And Dance” or “Another Kind Of Blue.” As Rick looks forward to the release of his sixteenth album, he feels blessed to have fans old and new who love his music. Embarking on this journey, he wanted to encompass the vibe of “Beat Street.” When it was all said and done, Rick Braun’s intent to create organic music with his friends and create a funky album with a real experience was accomplished. He humbly gives credit to Philipe Saisse, Brian Culbertson, Euge Groove, Jeff Lorber, Elliot Yamin, and Dave Koz whom collaborated with him to breathe life into his project. From beginning to end, “Can You Feel It” will take you on a funky, musical ride. Ironically, Rick’s birthday is 2 days before the July 8th release date of “Can You Feel It.” I have a feeling that he is going to have many reasons to celebrate this year.
Rick and I talk about the unmistakable funkiness of this album.
Las Vegas Jazz Festival lineup a guaranteed winner
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Cameo, Keith Sweat, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Eric Benét, Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi, Will Downing, Brian Culbertson, Euge Groove and more will put the soul into the September 19-21, 2014 music festival.
Phoenix, Arizona (24 June 2014): Since the roots of jazz are in rhythm and blues, it should be no surprise that a stellar cast of Grammy-winning and chart-topping R&B and funk artists have been booked to perform at the Las Vegas Jazz Festival slated for September 19-21, 2014 outdoors on the spacious grounds of the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa. Tickets start at $65 for a single-day ticket and range up to $975 for a 3-day seat in the pit and are available now online at http://www.lvjazzfestival.com or by calling the event’s promoter and producer BTWconcerts.com at 602.244.8444.
Attracting festivalgoers from all over the country for a weekend of live music and lush living at the premier resort, the Las Vegas Jazz Festival opens with a classic R&B pairing of Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Cameo on Funky Friday establishing the tone for a weekend of old school revelry. Sax showman Eric Darius will be the first artist to storm the stage at this year’s event.
R&B crooners Keith Sweat, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and EricBenét top the Seductive Saturday marquee with each culling material from his own extensive hit-filled songbook. Soul-jazz saxophonist Euge Groove always delivers a power-packed performance swirling R&B, jazz and gospel. The music begins with the first ladies of urban-jazz Jazz in Pink featuring Gail Jhonson and Karen Briggs with special guest Jeanette Harris.
Soulful Sunday showcases sophisticated solo sets from vocalists Anthony Hamilton, Ledisi, Will Downing and Leela James. Contemporary jazz dynamo Brian Culbertson will serve up masterfully performed contemporary jazz instrumentals and funk grooves. Rising saxophone stars Elan Trotman and Jessy J shall share the stage with singer Selina Albright for a run through of their radio singles and fan favorites.
Located 15 minutes from the Vegas Strip, the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa mixes elegance and excitement along with luxurious amenities that include a rejuvenating spa, a pool with waterfalls and whirlpools, flourishing floral gardens, eleven restaurants and a casino all set amidst a prestigious collection of golf courses. A large portion of the festival patrons come for the entire weekend in order to immerse themselves fully in the music and lifestyle. A limited number of resort and ticket packages are available by emailing packages@lvjazzfestival.comor by calling the box office at 602.244.8444.
About BTWconcerts.com
Phoenix, Arizona-based BTWconcerts.com is one of the preeminent concert producers in the Southwest. Among the star-studded jazz and R&B concerts and multiday music and lifestyle festivals that the company promotes at first-class resorts for adult audiences are the Arizona Jazz Festival (http://ArizonaJazzFestival.com), San Diego Jazz Festival (http://www.SanDiegoJazzFest.com) and the Las Vegas Jazz Festival (http://www.LVJazzFestival.com). BTWconcerts.com’s sister company for events at sea, BTWatsea.com will launch the maiden voyage of the Maxwell + The 7 Seas Cruise (http://www.maxwellatsea.com/) May 3-10, 2015 hosted by the Grammy-winning balladeer.
When jazz great Norman Brown bestows upon you the title of First Lady of Smooth Jazz, you know you are doing something right. Gail Jhonson has been performing music since she was a young girl in her home town of Philadelphia. She recalls traveling to various venues with her group and being so young that they had to sit off to the side and away from the main crowd. Nevertheless, they continued to woo crowds, and Gail continued to become more immersed in music and fueling her passion. Jhonson’s hard work over the years has paid off and still continues to yield her great things. One of the many highlights in Gail’s career was when she received a Grammy nod for her CD “Pearls” in 2009. I told her that I felt like she was a phenomenal woman for overcoming the loss of a son and still maintaining a heavy presence in the world of jazz. She truly does it all. She’s a recording artist, touring musician, appears on TV shows, and performs at many jazz festivals. To top it all off, Gail is the leader of the all-female jazz ensemble “Jazz In Pink” which is comprised of Karen Briggs, Althea Rene, and Mariea Antionette. The group can often be seen sharing the stage with other women in jazz. Next week, Jazz In Pink will be joining the line-up of awesome artists at the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway. I can’t wait to wear my pink.
Listen to what this phenomenal woman has to say about how she does it all:
Eric Darius is a man on a mission.–so much so that his latest album is titled “On a Mission.” He is an electrifying musician whose live performances have been known to “wow” crowds of his fans. Having fallen in love with the saxophone at a very young age, he has always known that this was his destiny. And it is a destiny that he doesn’t take for granted. He is driven because he knows that he has been given a gift and is very blessed–blessed to travel around the world performing for his countless fans and blessed to be a talented musician and composer. Darius incorporates Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Pop, Rock, and R&B to create music that everyone can relate to and enjoy. He is also an advocate for exposing music to school-aged kids all the way through to college students because of what influence and impact music had on his on life as a kid. Yes, Eric is on a mission and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Chart-topping trumpeter returns July 8 with “Can You Feel It,” his first contemporary jazz album in five years; “Get Up and Dance” starts the party at radio
Sherman Oaks, Calif. (29 May 2014): It’s been five years since trumpeter-flugelhorn player Rick Braun released an album full of the funky R&B contemporary jazz grooves that made him one of the genre’s most consistent hitmakers over the past twenty years, but the award-winning musician, producer and songwriter returns to his signature sound July 8with the release of his sixteenth album, “Can You Feel It,” which will be issued by Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Records. A bona fide contender as the feel good anthem for the summer of 2014, Braun’s “Get Up And Dance,” a collaboration with tenor sax sensation Dave Koz, is already collecting radio playlist adds.
After scratching a creative itch to croon jazz standards on his two most recent releases, “Sings with Strings” and the holiday-themed “Swingin’ in the Snow,” Braun had a very specific direction he wanted to pursue for “Can You Feel It” for which he wrote or co-wrote nine tunes along with helming the production.
“When I started working on this album, which was about a year in the making, there were two goals that I had in mind. I wanted it to be really organic and have a lot of my friends playing on it. Young players melding together with the old faithful,” explained Braun.
So he reached out to a bunch of his friends, colleagues and collaborators and dialed back the time machine twenty years ago to the era of his breakthrough disc, “Beat Street,” to help chart the course for “Can You Feel It.”
“It’s a return to the sound and style of “Beat Street,” which essentially was a tribute to my years playing in War. I took out all of the sequencing with one exception and made the record like a garage band using great live players. It was a lot of fun making the record. It’s energetic and earthy. We hit it hard—kind of like Tower of Power—capturing the energetic, funky horn band sound. I wanted lots of horn section parts on the album.”
Braun added a new weapon to his arsenal: valve trombone. And he stacked the tracks with layers of horns section parts adding power, punch and potency. His friends were eager to join the festivities enabling Braun to toss the ball around the horn with Koz, Brian Culbertson, Philippe Saisse, Jeff Lorber, Euge Groove, Elliott Yamin and a retinue of ace players such as Frank “Third” Richardson, Nathaniel Kearney Jr., Randy Jacobs, Nate Phillips, Adam Hawley, Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Fields, Tony Moore, Phil Davis, Ramon Islas and more. Bud Harner, who co-wrote the first single with Braun, helped shepherd the album as associate producer.
A popular and dynamic performer who draws material for his set lists from his vast catalogue of No. 1 chart hits, radio playlist staples and fan favorites, Braun is touring nationally in support of “Can You Feel It” as a member of Jazz Attack with fellow contemporary jazz titans Peter White and Groove. Sprinkled in his concert calendar are dates with BWB, the all-star trio made up of Braun and Grammy winners Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown. The Allentown, Pennsylvania native entered the professional ranks by co-writing a Top 20 pop hit for REO Speedwagon (“Here With Me”) before becoming a first-call sideman touring and recording with Rod Stewart, Sade, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole and Tom Petty. Braun released his solo debut, “Intimate Secrets,” in 1992, but it was the success of “Beat Street” that forced the horn man to choose between continuing as a sideman and taking center stage as an artist. The decision came easily and Braun has never looked back on the path to stardom.
There is no other wine and jazz festival in the world like the Napa Valley Jazz Getaway (www.NapaValleyJazzGetaway.me) , an immersive music and lifestyle experience taking place June 11-15, 2014 showcasing a stellar lineup of performers headlined by the event’s founder and creative director Brian Culbertson who partnered with the best wineries and restaurants in beautiful Napa Valley.
Culbertson, a charismatic contemporary jazz star who recently released his sixth album (“Another Long Night Out”) to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart that spawned his 27th No. 1 single as an artist, producer and songwriter, is very hands on and involved in every aspect in planning the Getaway down to the minutest detail. He curated a luminous lineup of contemporary jazz and R&B heavy-hitters to perform and prepared a full slate of wine tastings, fine dining at popular Napa restaurants and post-concert gatherings where the artists meet and mingle with the guests, many of whom will be traveling to California Wine Country from all over the globe for the third annual festival scooping up VIP (sold-out), multiday (4-day Gold and 2-Day Silver Packages) and single-day tickets.
The June 12 and June 13 concerts at the Lincoln Theater are theme nights. Jazz Legends Night (June 12) stars Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Earl Klugh plus special guests Eric Marienthal, David Benoit and more.
Friday Night Funk Night (June 13) struts out The Ohio Players, comedian Keenen Ivory Wayans, and Brian Culbertson & The Funk Experience with Eric Darius, Marqueal Jordan and Marienthal. Before the show, the annual silent auction and wine reception will take place in the lobby to benefit The GRAMMY Foundation.
The weekend concerts move outdoors to the stunning Jamieson Ranch Vineyards grounds. Saturday’s marquee will be lit by Brian Culbertson’s 20th Anniversary Show, Morris Day & The Time, Average White Band and Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Sunday spotlights Eric Benét, Mavis Staples, Darius and Jazz in Pink featuring Gail Jhonson, Althea Rene and Karen Briggs. Between sets on both days, the crowd will be entertained by The World Famous Rick & Russ Show featuring CJ Flash.
The Napa Valley Jazz Getaway celebrates the good life while providing a taste of the idyllic Napa Valley. Daytime events scheduled for June 11 are VIP wine tastings and a luncheon while the evening offers welcome dinners at two locations: one at Round Pond for VIPs serving a performance by Benoit and Culbertson, and the sold-out dinner at Black Stallion Winery featuring live music by Cecil Ramirez and Michael Lington. Another sold-out show is “piano2piano” by Culbertson & Benoit in the round at Rutherford Hill Winery on June 13 from 12-2pm, which includes lunch and a wine tasting. After, Lington hosts a cigar & port event at Prager Winery & Port Works open to all from 2-4pm.
Wine Downs at The Westin Verasa Napa will take place afternoons June 12-15 for VIPs and Gold Package holders to enjoy wine tastings and intimate solo performances by some of the Getaway artists. After the June 12-14 concerts, VIPs and Gold Package holders are invited back to The Westin Verasa Napa for “Another Long Night Out” Late Night Hangs for music, drinks and prix fixe dining. Silver Package holders are welcome to join the Hang on June 14.
Golfers can play in the 2ndNapa Valley Jazz Getaway Golf Tournament at Chardonnay Golf Club on Saturday morning, June 14.
Saxophonist Sam Rucker has something to say, and he wants everyone to listen. Thus, he titled his sophomore album “Tell You Something,” set to be released on June 3, 2014. Although his roots are in hip hop, his love for the saxophone has led him into the world of contemporary jazz. When listening to this album, you can hear bits of hip hop, gospel, and soul. Having written, co-written, and produced 8 original songs and his own rendition of 3 classics, Sam made sure to keep it organic and authentic. His first radio single released to radio is “Be True 2 Who U R.” Sam chose this song because he recognizes the importance of being true to yourself and your craft no matter what it is, and he knows that everyone can benefit from that lesson. Rucker believes that music should be felt and should feel good. He has surely accomplished this with “Tell You Something.”
Sam and I have a great conversation about his new album.
If you’re a fan of the best musicians in the world, or if you’ve ever listened to any music, I assure you you’ve heard the sounds of Nathan East. He’s been making music for the last 40 years and has set a precedent that far supersedes most musicians’ careers. Nathan is driven by his passion for music and his family. Those forces have propelled him to the top of his craft. Additionally, he is a founding member of the renowned group, Fourplay whom he still performs with. All throughout his career, he’s been a sought-after collaborative force that has worked with the best in the industry in a variety of genres. At the behest of fellow musicians, East took a leap into the spotlight releasing his debut solo self-titled album, “Nathan East.” For his fans worldwide who love his music, he has delivered a collection of songs that will leave you longing for more. For this project, he joined forces with Bob James, Chuck Loeb, Michael McDonald, Sara Barielles, and his own son featured on the song “Yesterday.” Although this is Nathan’s solo album, he remains true to who he is as a seasoned musician and welcomes his collaborators to showcase their talents, as well.
Nathan tells me about his journey and how blessed he feels everyday.
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