THE PLACE WHERE “STYLE MEETS SUBSTANCE”

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As a child growing up, Marcus Anderson would hear his father tell him repeatedly, “protect your hands, that’s going to be your ticket.” Those words kept Marcus from having to do too much heavy work growing up, and they also were instinctively true. Marcus became a skilled saxophone player throughout his younger years and continued growing as a musician, thus inevitably becoming a multi-instrumentalist; not to mention that he is also a producer, songwriter, vocalist, and thrilling entertainer. Anderson works with some of the best artists in music. With too many to name, however, I’ll just name a few: Alex Bugnon, Brian Simpson, Nicholas Cole, and PRINCE. Although he is in a fortunate situation, Marcus embraces the opportunity to learn and grow from the wisdom of his fellow musicians. He will be releasing his fifth album titled “Style Meets Substance” on March 25th–appropriately titled as he shows that he not has “style” but also “substance.”  And both style and substance are definitely recognizable on this sexy, smooth, and funky album. Marcus exhibits versatility along with his creative instincts and ability to collaborate with just the right musicians to bring his music to life.

Marcus Anderson
Marcus Anderson

Brian Culbertson’s “Another Long Night Out” debuts at No. 1‏

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BC

Brian Culbertson’s “Another Long Night Out” debuts at No. 1

Hitmaker revisits his contemporary jazz roots joined by an all-star cast to reinterpret his debut album 20 years later.

Los Angeles, Calif. (7 March 2014): Twenty years after the release of his debut album, “Long Night Out,” award-winning contemporary jazz/R&B multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson completely reimagined the collection as “Another Long Night Out,” his 14th album and first on his BCM Entertainment label, which debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. The set spotlighting a stellar collective comprised of many of the contemporary jazz luminaries that influenced and inspired Culbertson to make the first record is the musician’s sixth album to debut at No. 1. Speeding up the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart to No. 2, the first single, “Fullerton Ave.” featuring guitarist Chuck Loeb, is on the road to earning Culbertson his 27th No. 1 single as an artist, producer and songwriter.

The day before the February 25 album release, Culbertson took over Sirius XM’s Watercolors for 16 hours programming cuts from the new collection as well as from some of the musicians featured on “Another Long Night Out” including Loeb, Lee Ritenour, Eric Marienthal, Rick Braun, Steve Lukather, Russ Freeman, “Patches” Stewart, Candy Dulfer and Jonathan Butler. Other noteworthy musicians appearing on the remake are Paul Jackson Jr., Jimmy Haslip, Will Kennedy, Nathan East, the late Ricky Lawson, Ray Parker Jr., Jeff Kashiwa, Larry Dunn and Ricky Peterson along with a 33-piece orchestra playing arrangements by David Benoit and Culbertson.

For the first time, Culbertson has made the sheet music used during the “Another Long Night Out” recording sessions available for free on his website. Musicians that want to play along can purchase “Music Minus One” mixes for piano, bass, drums and “band only” (no piano or other lead instruments) on Culbertson’s webstore.

Recorded in the bedroom of his crowded college apartment above a Chicago costume shop while he was a 20-year-old music student at DePaul University, the three demos that formed the basis of “Long Night Out” landed Culbertson a 6-album record deal. The notion to rebuild the album from scratch using fresh arrangements and feature performances from contemporary jazz royalty has long-ruminated inside Culbertson’s head and began with a wish list cast of musicians.

“The idea behind the remake was to make the album the way I always wanted to do it. Over the years, I’d randomly listen to that album. I liked the songs and arrangements, but always heard things that I would have liked to have done differently, mainly because of the limitations I had at the time. I had a very limited budget and limited technology so I tried to make the instruments sound real even though I had to use synth piano, a drum machine and synth bass. Now I can use real piano and live players along with the experience I’ve had over the past 20 years as a producer,” said Culbertson, who also had another purpose for the new recording in mind. “I wanted to return to my roots and introduce newer fans to another side of me as a musician and an artist. Contemporary jazz fans will dig ‘Another Long Night Out.’ I hadn’t done a full instrumental album in years. It is jazz fusion-y and I want to be known as a broader artist than just the R&B/funk guy. A lot of people didn’t know the (music on the) first album, which is out of print.”

Also a popular concert draw known for high-energy performances and masterful musicianship, Culbertson will begin rehearsals next week for an entirely new show that will be unveiled at a dress rehearsal March 12 for invited guests and 94.7 The Wave Los Angeles radio station contest winners with the first tour dates in support of “Another Long Night Out” taking place March 20-23 at Seattle’s Jazz Alley. Last week, Culbertson played a short set in Napa for Wine Country royalty as he launched his own wine, “Culbertson” Pinot Noir by Reata Wines, a personal blend he created in partnership with Jamieson Ranch Vineyards. Tickets for Culbertson’s third annual Napa Valley Jazz Getaway, a star-studded wine and jazz festival that will again lure thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world to Napa June 11-15, 2014, are on sale now with the June 14 & 15 shows taking place on the stunning Jamieson Ranch property.

For more information, please visit www.BrianCulbertson.me.

THE BLU J’Z

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The family-originated band The Blu J’z began as the vision of Reggie Silva. He grew up in a family of musicians, so it’s no coincidence that he chose to make music his life.  In 1998, The Blu J’z began performing in local venues around Fresno, CA doing cover songs and original tunes. A few years later, the band went through personnel changes, and Reggie found himself battling throat cancer. Thankfully, Reggie survived his fight and decided to pull his band back together by putting his son Richard in charge. He is the band’s promoter and saxophone player. Since then, the band continues to play locally as well as open up for smooth jazz acts such as Brian Culbertson and David Sanborn. The Blu J’z are well on their way to becoming a well-known smooth jazz band.

The Blu J'z
The Blu J’z

Jazz and R&B stars set to groove Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego‏

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Jazz and R&B stars set to groove Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego

 

Maxwell, Brian Culbertson, Charlie Wilson, Ledisi, Mint Condition, Robert Glasper, Anthony Hamilton and Boney James among the performers at the Payne Pest Management San Diego Jazz Festival taking place May 23-25, 2014.

 

Phoenix, Arizona (28 February 2014): With much of the nation presently suffering through the worst winter in decades, perhaps planning to party in luxury Memorial Day Weekend with a stellar slate of jazz and R&B favorites will help make the snow, ice and frigid temperatures a bit more bearable. The second edition of the Payne Pest Management San Diego Jazz Festival returns to the posh Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in sun-soaked Carlsbad, North San Diego County May 23-25, 2014 for a memorable three-day weekend of live music, dancing and warm weather fun with thousands of festival goers from all over the U.S. Tickets are on sale now and available online at www.SanDiegoJazzFest.com or by calling 602.244.8444

Grammy-winning soul balladeer Maxwell headlines opening night crooning a seductive set from his hit-filled R&B-pop songbook, a favorite mood-setter for the ladies and Lotharios. Energetic contemporary jazz-R&B multi-instrumentalist hitmaker Brian Culbertson bodes to make it “Another Long Night Out” when he performs cuts culled from his similarly titled new album. Emerging saxophonist Dominic Amato warms up the crowd.

Day two gets underway with jazz, R&B and hip hop mixologist Robert Glasper who is touring in support of “Black Radio 2,” the follow-up to his Grammy-winning disc. Up next, Mint Condition serves a refreshing taste of Saint Paul, Minnesota that incorporates the best of old school and new school R&B, funk and soul with tinges of jazz, Latin and Jamaican rhythms dynamically performed by a skintight band. Out promoting her forthcoming album, “The Truth,” 8-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ledisi offers a smooth blend of sophisticated soul seasoned with jazz nuances. “Uncle” Charlie Wilson will show them how it’s done old school-style when the 2013 BET Lifetime Achievement Award winner and 7-time Grammy nominee turns it out during his headline set featuring a dazzling cast of musicians and dancers along with nearly as many costume changes as Beyoncé.

The Sunday program begins with a riveting show from R&B-soul singer-songwriter Leela James, a force of nature new school performer cut from the same cloth as such classic vocalists as Aretha, Stevie, Chaka and Marvin. After, soul-jazz saxman Boney James will set “The Beat,” his Grammy-nominated disc that spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart. Grammy-winning gritty-voiced R&B-soul singer Anthony Hamilton is the festival’s closer.

Phoenix, Arizona-based festival producer BTWconcerts.com will soon announce additional artists.

Tickets for the Payne Pest Management San Diego Jazz Festival start at $50.00 for a single-day seat and go up to $750.00 for a three-day Skybox ticket. Hotel and ticket packages are also available through the San Diego Jazz Festival website.

In addition to the lifestyle expo providing a myriad of food, clothing, arts and culture choices adjacent to the concert grounds, weekend events include a Friday Night After Party (free for those with ticket stubs for that evening), a Saturday Night All-Star Jam ($25.00) including some of the festival’s performers and a Sunday morning Gospel Brunch ($55.00).

The Payne Pest Management San Diego Jazz Festival is a music and lifestyle experience attracting a diverse adult audience with many coming for the entire weekend in order to enjoy the extensive array of activities and amenities offered at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa that cater to mind, body & sport. Guests relax and play on the internationally renowned golf course and tennis courts, sparkling pools and adventurous slides, state of the art fitness facilities and the No. 1 Wellness Spa in the nation according to Spa Magazine.

 

About BTWconcerts.com

Phoenix, Arizona-based BTWconcerts.com is one of the premier 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 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 at sea events, BTWatsea.com, will launch the maiden voyage of the Maxwell + The 7 Seas Cruise (http://www.maxwellatsea.com) in 2015.

 

About Payne Pest Management

One of the 100 largest pest control companies in the United States with over 35 years of experience, the family owned and operated Payne Pest Management is a full service termite and pest control company servicing residential and commercial properties in San Diego, Irvine and Los Angeles. For more information, please visit http://www.paynepestmgmt.com.

Jazz singer Anna Danes escapes into love‏

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Jazz singer Anna Danes escapes into love

Debut album, “Longing,” from the vocalist who found refuge in song after running from Communism and a heartbreaking marriage, will be released March 25.

Solana Beach, Calif. (24 February 2014): As a child, Anna Danes escaped Communist Poland and as an adult, she found the strength to move on from an unhappy marriage. Both times, she found solace by singing. Love songs in particular soothed her dampened spirit while she idyllically longed for freedom and romance. Lacking support and encouragement for her artistic pursuits, Danes, armed with the Great American Songbook, found empowerment in a San Diego-area recording studio where she worked with producer Larry B. White, three-time Grammy-winning engineer-mixer Steve Churchyard and an ensemble of noted session players to record “Longing,” her debut album that will be released March 25 on DLG Recordings.

In the late 1970s, Danes fled Poland with her parents. After being turned away by Sweden, they immigrated to Ottawa, Canada where the young girl suddenly forced to learn English felt alone and isolated. She sang in a Polish church and it brought a sense of comfort and belonging. Flash forward: after giving up a successful law practice to move to California to be with her future husband, Danes found herself in a marriage that had lost its shine and stifled her creative endeavors. As her self-confidence began to wane, she rediscovered singing and started to come alive. The recording project was liberating and a life-altering experience, but in order to fully embrace the freedom she found in song, she had to dissolve the relationship for good. Perhaps the most emotionally-charged performance on “Longing” appears on the disc’s closing number, “I Wish You Love.” While recording the poignant farewell, tears streamed down Danes’ face as she sang, symbolically saying goodbye while wishing her now ex-husband love.

“Recording the album was monumental for my re-birth. I was so lost, living in a lonely marriage where ‘something was missing,’ but I am back now thanks to the music. Singing revived me and brought hope back into my heart,” said Danes, whose classic vocal timbre possesses warmth, fullness, familiarity and charm delivered in an easy manner with conversational phrasing. “I chose each and every song (for the album) that fit my style and voice, but subconsciously they show that I was missing love. I was ‘lost and lonely’ like (Antonio Carlos) Jobim says in ‘Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars Corcovado,’ which I recorded for the album.”

“Longing” showcases Danes in lush acoustic vocal jazz settings surrounded by White’s piano, upright bass (Bob Magnusson and Rob Thorsen), horns (John Rekevics and Scott Hecker), guitar (Mark Chosak), drums (Kevin Koch), percussion (Monette Marino) and the Heart Strings Quartet.  White freshly arranged ten standards including Jobim’s “Meditation,” Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me,” Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose,” Ray Noble’s “The Very Thought of You” and more modern material such as George Harrison’s “Something” and Charles Fox & Norman Gimbel’s “Killing Me Softly.” The session includes a pair of originals, “Sweet Valentine” and “The Sun Won’t Shine Today,” composed by White with lyrics by Margaret White.

With the sad days behind her, a radiant Danes appears glowingly on the cover of “Longing” gazing out at sea with a slight smile on her face. She is excited about the future again and what it may have in store. Living in North San Diego County with her young daughter, Danes exudes enthusiasm when discussing her unexpected new career as a jazz singer. She plans to continue singing – both on record and performing live – while keeping her heart open for love. For more information, please visit www.AnnaDanes.com.

Danes’ “Longing” contains the following songs:

“Splendor in the Grass”

“Meditation”

“Something”

“Sweet Valentine”

“Killing Me Softly”

“The Sun Won’t Shine Today”

“The Very Thought of You”

“La Vie En Rose”

“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars Corcovado”

“It’s All Right With Me”

“Dream A Little Dream of Me”

“I Wish You Love”

“Groove-O-Matic” glory for guitarist Blake Aaron‏

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“Groove-O-Matic” glory for guitarist Blake Aaron

 

No. 1 single will appear on the “Soul Stories” album coming this summer.

 

Aliso Viejo, Calif. (20 February 2014): Guitarist Blake Aaron is still tucked away in the recording studio tinkering on his forthcoming fifth album, “Soul Stories,” yet he’s already topped the charts with a single from the session. Aaron’s cool electric jazz guitar dances to a retro ‘70s disco groove aided by big vibrant horn blasts on “Groove-O-Matic,” which has spent the last nine weeks at No. 1 on the Groove Jazz Music chart and entered the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs Top 5.

“Groove-O-Matic” is the second single to hit the charts from the album slated for release this summer on Innervision Records. Jazz crooner Spencer Day was featured on “You’re The One For Me,” which reigned in the Top 10 for 20 weeks. The first album Aaron has produced on his own, “Soul Stories” is a collection of soulful jazz, funk and Latin grooves and includes an appearance by urban jazz saxophone star Najee.

“’Soul Stories’ is literally the musical story of my soul. It’s been a long-time coming and spans the journey of my marriage and the birth of my two children. It’s my first CD that is entirely self-produced, my biggest radio and commercial success to date and has been nicknamed our ‘Third Child.’ I’m very proud of the record and look forward to performing it live,” said Aaron, who will perform tracks from the disc with his band and special guests this Saturday night at Spaghettini in Seal Beach, Calif.

Aaron headlines the San Antonio Summer Arts Jazz Festival on June 1and is presently lining up summer dates in support of “Soul Sessions.”

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a genius on the guitar,” Aaron pours passion and precision into his fretwork. Emerging from the studio where he was an in-demand session player and stepping out of the shadows after being a long-time sideman, Aaron launched his solo career with 2001’s “With Every Touch” containing appearances by contemporary jazz stalwarts Eric Marienthal and David Benoit. Singles from the debut album as well as from subsequent releases – “Bringin’ It Back,” “Desire” and “A Romantic Christmas” – have always been favorably received at radio and charted well nationally. Since 2008, Aaron has hosted the internationally syndicated “The Blake Aaron Radio Show” that he describes as an “artist to artist show” on which he jams live on the weekly program with guests that have included Anita Baker, Kenny Loggins, Brian Culbertson, Boney James, Peter White, Rick Braun, Mindi Abair, Earl Klugh, Lee Ritenour, Nathan East, Paul Jackson Jr., Jackiem Joyner and Jessy J. His resume includes playing on and composing music and theme songs for films and popular television series such as “MAD TV,” “The Ben Stiller Show,” “Super Dave Osborne” and “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.” Additional information is available at www.BlakeAaron.com.

“Soul Stories” contains the following songs:

“Groove-O-Matic”

“Encantadora”

“You’re The One For Me”

“Wes Side Story”

“You’re My Miracle”

“Sara Smile”

“Europa”

“Soul Stories”

Saxman Jackiem Joyner’s urban-jazz grooves “Evolve”

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Saxman Jackiem Joyner’s urban-jazz grooves “Evolve”

 

April 29th album release featuring duets with Gerald Albright and Keiko Matsui will be previewed at radio by the futuristic “Generation Next.”

 

Sherman Oaks, Calif. (19 February 2014): As a young turk on the contemporary jazz scene, saxophonist Jackiem Joyner is far from complacent and staid in his sound and style. Not afraid to challenge the fan base that took him to No. 1 twice and Top 3 two more times on the Billboard chart, Joyner gets adventurous on his fifth album, “Evolve,” which will be released April 29th by Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Records. It’s his first on which he wrote and produced the entire set, including the first single going to radio in mid-March, “Generation Next,” an up-tempo urban-pop track with vibrant flashes of strings that provide a contrast to Joyner’s gentle melodic sax.

Juxtaposing invigorating otherworldly sonicscapes under tender sax melodies, “Evolve” is a dynamic, highly-rhythmic session that is unpredictable laced with traces of the familiar. Listening will take you to a different place while defining Joyner as a musician and a writer beyond what we have already heard from the chart-topping rhythm and groove guy. The imaginative new set has a greater purpose with the introductory single, “Generation Next,” serving as “a declaration that the next generation of jazz musicians is here to stay. Music evolves, including jazz. All types of sound evolve. So do people and our imaginations. That is what I tried to put on tape. ‘Evolve’ captures the changes in my musical mind and how I have evolved as an artist. Rather than fitting in with the traditional, I’m bringing the audience along with songs that unfold over different and interesting soundscapes even as I move towards a live organic sound,” explains Joyner.

In addition to playing alto and soprano sax on the record, Joyner is a multi-instrumentalist who played many of the instruments heard on the collection along with a couple of high-profile assists from Grammy-nominated sax player Gerald Albright and internationally-renowned keyboardist Keiko Matsui. The collaborations are noteworthy for different reasons. When Joyner was in high school, Albright was his idol thus dueting with him on “Big Step” was a thrill. Joyner tours in Matsui’s band when not performing his own dates and wrote “Europa” with her mind. On a few tracks, he was joined by his touring band – guitarist Kayta Matsuno, bassist Tim Bailey, keyboardist Bill Steinway and drummer Raymond Johnson – to record live in the studio.

“Evolve” marks a return for Joyner to the contemporary jazz-urban instrumentals for which he achieved notoriety on his first three albums after 2012’s “Church Boy,” an offering that landed on Billboard’s Jazz Albums and Top Gospel Albums charts. Joyner was named Debut Artist of the Year for his 2007 debut, “Babysoul,” by Smooth Jazz News. His sophomore set, “Lil’ Man Soul,” registered a pair of No. 1 Billboard hits with “I’m Waiting For You” reigning for 12 weeks and winning Song of the Year honors at the 2009 American Smooth Jazz Awards. Two singles from Joyner’s self-titled third record climbed into Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Songs Top 3. He’s toured the world extensively in support of each release and anticipates a busy year of touring in 2014 – both with his own band and with Matsui. For more information, please visit www.JackiemJoyner.com and www.facebook.com/jackiemjoyner .

“Evolve” contains the following song titles:

“Generation Next”

“Europa”

“Double Bass”

“Breathe”

“Evolve”

“Born To Fly”

Interlude

“Later Tonight”

“See Through Me”

“Big Step”

“A Gentle Walk On Water”

“MAN WITH A HORN” … MELVIN MILLER

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Melvin Miller is a talented trumpet player with the ability to engage and entertain audiences in a style like no other. Having been influenced by legendary musicians such as Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie, Miller has crafted his own sound. Being versatile is one attribute that makes Melvin so appealing. He can play everything from Jazz to R&B to Pop. His career in music is vast and worldwide. Melvin is the composer of the fanfare for The Trumpet Awards, has performed with the UniverSoul Circus, and has served as the musical director for Gloria Gaynor. It is no surprise that he has also shared the stage with dynamic artists such as Alex Bugnon, Eric Essix, James Brown, and Wynton Marsalis just to name a few. Residing in Atlanta has opened the door for Miller to become the fifth man of the group Five Men On A Stool–an experience he shares with fellow talented musicians. In the midst of all that he’s a part of, Melvin still creates great music. To his loving mother, he is the “young man with a horn.” And this title has followed him throughout his life. As a tribute to his mother, he wrote his latest album, “I Hope You Dance.” Each song has a distinct meaning and direct connection to his mother whom he lost a few years ago. Through the pain and with the help of friends and family, he masterfully created a musical gem. The album has an array of songs ranging from up-tempo, funky grooves to smooth heartfelt tunes. I haven’t experienced another album quite like it.

Melvin talks to me about his career and opens up about the making of “I Hope You Dance.”

Melvin Miller
Melvin Miller
Melvin Miller
Melvin Miller

INCREDIBLE PIANIST RUSLAN SIROTA

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Ruslan’s story is just as incredible as he is a pianist. Fleeing with his family from the Communist Soviet Union to Israel would prove to be the perfect catalyst for his future. He was such a great musician that he was granted a full scholarship to the Berklee School of Music, and it was there that he would learn many valuable lessons about music and life. He accredits his journey for allowing him to explore and be creative. With aspirations and perseverance, he navigated his way around the music scene. It wasn’t long before Ruslan found himself working with the legendary Stanley Clarke. And that was just the beginning. He’s won a Grammy as well as collaborated with George Duke, Marcus Miller, Seal, and Chick Corea. When Ruslan decided to do an album, it was only befitting that he do so on Stanley Clarke’s label, Roxboro Entertainment Group. His debut album, “Ruslan,” has 14 songs–some of which are collaborations. It serves as the culmination of Ruslan’s varying abilities while maintaining authenticity. I find it magical and mesmerizing.

Listen to his story in his own words.

Ruslan Sirota
Ruslan Sirota
Ruslan Sirota
Ruslan Sirota

VANDELL ANDREW

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Vandell Andrew hails from New Orleans where jazz is rooted and abundant. It wasn’t until he was a teenager attending a summer camp that, unbeknownst to him, his future would be set in motion. He would later lay down the trumpet for the saxophone, and the rest is history. After enduring hurricane Katrina, Andrew relocated to Texas. It was there where his passion was fueled, and music became his life. As always, on the other side of every storm, there is a rainbow. For Vandell, that rainbow was a collection of original music and a debut album titled “Years Later.” He went on to share the stage with jazz musicians such as Kirk Whalum and collaborate with others such as Darren Rahn. He recently released an EP titled “Turn It Up.” And that is exactly what he wants his fans to do: turn it up and enjoy. They have done just that and embraced Vandell’s new music, giving it great reviews.

Vandell and I talk about the past and the present.

Vandell Andrew
Vandell Andrew