After her successful tribute to Nina Simone (“Ledisi Sings Nina”, 2021), singer Ledisi returns with a nod to the great Dinah Washington. Produced by Christian McBride and her longtime production partner Rex Rideout, she has come up with eight pieces more or less associated with the singer from Alabama. And she opens her set with…
Mac Ayres, the self-taught singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Long Island, known for his unique blend of soul, r&b, jazz, and hip-hop, is currently on a solo tour. It’s just him and a piano. And it’s a perfect showcase to highlight his songwriting prowess. Alas, Berlin didn’t show up for last night’s concert at Lido…
Nala Sinephro, the London based Caribbean-Belgian producer, composer, and musician, has recorded her debut film soundtrack. It is for the movie “The Smashing Machine” which features Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson. The Benny Safdie-directed movie tells the story of the successful UFC wrestler Mark Kerr. It premiered last month at the Venice Film Festival and…
Harpist and composer Brandee Younger, who released her most personal and vulnerable album “Gadabout Season” this past June, is about to start her European tour. The album was recorded on Alice Coltrane’s harp and “reflects the journey — the search for meaning and beauty amid life’s most complex moments, ultimately emerging with a deeper sense…
New York-based singer Michael Mayo, who last year released his critically-acclaimed album “Fly”, recently added a handful of tracks to the album, all of them with the Swedish Norrbotten Big Band with Calle Rasmusson as arranger and conductor. The new songs once again show the immense versatility of Michael as a singer and songwriter on…
Gary Bartz, the legendary alto saxophonist who turns 85 today, releases his first studio album in a dozen years. On “Damage Control”, the sax maestro and his group NTU Troop start a trilogy called “The Eternal Tenure Of Sound” where they cover ten songs from the vast songbook of soul, pop, and Black American music….
The duo of UK-based Andy Platts and Shawn Lee, also known as Young Gun Silver Fox, are touring Europe this month after the early May release of their fifth LP “Pleasure” on Légère Recordings. Their brilliant mix of so-called Yacht Rock, Blue-eyed soul (don’t like this term but there you go), and AOR sounds of…
Kathy Kosins and Paul Randolph, who together have formed DetroitCentriX, have come up with a new single. After “What We Want” and “Ain’t No Wrong”, the Detroit-based artists are now back with “Rollerskate”. The trend by the way goes back to around 1979, when the roller disco trend started and movies like “Roller Boogie” were…
As you probably know, Gina releases a weekly 60-minute playlist of new music since early 2024. And yes, it is on Spotify. For the many bad things you can say about this streaming platform, I have discovered a lot of new artists in the last couple of years, only to find me buying their vinyl…
The highly anticipated show by the SOS Band last night at Paradiso in Amsterdam was truly remarkable. Not only because the two singers who had replaced the almost iconic Mary Davis several years ago, really delivered, but because the songs still sound really fresh after all these decades. Singer and trumpeter Abdul Ra’oof, the only…