It was just last week at an industry convention BBQ when I was spinning a couple of tunes from the great Ramsey Lewis. Those two songs in question are timeless tracks from his productive 70s period: the Maurice White-produced “Sun Goddess” from the album of the same name (1974) and the equally legendary “Brazilica” from…
The title of Rebecca DuMaine‘s third album is from Antonio Carlos Jobim‘s lyric to “One Note Samba” which is featured here as one of two Brazilian flavored tunes. The other is “The Face That I Love” by Marcos Valle (actually known as “The Face I Love”) which was also recently covered by the brilliant Stacey…
It’s a new chapter for singer Melody Gardot with her new album “Currency Of Man”. If you’re an avid reader of liner notes and credits like I am, it was fascinating to read the name Jerry Hey for example doing all the horn arrangements on the record. It was Jerry who, in addition to millions…
His songs have this special quality of staying in your head for a long time. And he has the wit and humor in his songwriting that is something of a rare thing these days (“I’d Sleep With Your Cat But I’m Scared He Might Bite”). Add to this his virtuosity as a pianist. And voilà…
Trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, who has worked with Patti LaBelle, Kindred The Family Soul, or Jill Scott, and who released the wittily entitled “Bone Appetit” a couple of years ago to great acclaim (the album featured Maysa, Raheem DeVaughn, and Marsha Ambrosius), has assembled an all-star cast for one special night at the Kimmel Center for…
It is an incredibly sad week with so many of our good ones leaving us. Louis Johnson, one half of the Brothers Johnson, passed away yesterday at only 60 years old. My first encounter with his amazing slapping technique was with their hit song “Stomp”. But that wasn’t the only one of course. “Strawberry Letter…
He worked with Donald Byrd and the Mel Lewis Orchestra and as an artist, was influenced by the great Gil Evans. The saxophonist and arranger was artistic director for Blue Note Records and has rearranged the music of Prince, Carole King, the Beatles, and others for a Jazz orchestra. I had the privilege and honor…
“Playing By Ear” is the name of Bruce Lundvall‘s biography which came out last year, written by Dan Ouellette. And that’s what Bruce did when he started a marketing job at Columbia Records back in 1960. He was later responsible for signing acts like Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and Wynton Marsalis and in…
Rhodes Ahead Vol. 1 was released by pianist Marc Cary in early 2000 and I’m still going back to that album with its amazing Rhodes and Moog sounds of “Making Love, Making Music” (destined to become a Fusion classic), the housey “Inside Yourself”, the dreamy “Home Comin’”, or my favorite from that album, the irresistible…
I have always admired the voice of singer Victor Fields who was born in New York and currently lives in Oakland. His warm and soulful timbre is gracing five records up until now and his latest is dedicated to the great Lou Rawls, himself a one-of-a-kind singer with a distinctive baritone who had an extremely…