The Album

Homefree is a soulful, swinging album that Freelon calls her “home brew.” The collection is comprised largely of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new original (the witty, playfully and poignant “Cell Phone Blues” composed by the singer) and spirited arrangements of two anthems (the gospel treasure “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and the national hymn “America the Beautiful”) that close the album.

Homefree opens with a brisk swing through “The Lamp is Low,” followed by the laid-back and easy-flowing arrangement of “ I Feel Pretty,” the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim West Side Story classic that features Ray Codrington’s soulful flugelhorn lines. The latter has been in the band’s set-list for some five years, including a jazz show at the Kennedy Center for Miss America contestants and their escorts.

Other highlights include a soulful groove through “You and the Night and the Music,” arranged by drummer Kinah Ayah; a skipping, reggae-tinged rendition of Cole Porter’s “Get Out of Town,” that was arranged jointly by the band turning the standard upside down during a sound check; and, a new tune to the band’s set, the rarely covered Andre Previn-written beauty, “Theme from Valley of the Dolls.” Nnenna is currently touring in support of her new release.

Details:
Nnenna Freelon
“Homefree Concord Music Group (Concord Jazz)
April, 2010

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The Album

Yesterday You Said Tomorrow references a saying that Scott’s grandfather would use to emphasize the importance of recognizing the work at hand and making the most of the available time to complete it Aided by guitarist Matthew Stevens, pianist Milton Fletcher, Jr., bassist Kristopher Keith Funn and drummer Jamire Williams, Scott address the issues head on, regardless of how uncomfortable the subject matter may be.

He opens the set with “K.K.P.D.,” a track full of dark harmonies and tense, competing polyrhythms. The title stands for “Ku Klux Police Department,” a reference to what Scott calls the “phenomenally dark and evil” attitude held by some of the local police toward African American citizens of New Orleans when he was growing up.

A more upbeat track, “The Eraser,” – penned by singer-songwriter Thom Yorke (co-founder and frontman of Radiohead) – resets the tone of the overall recording, say Scott:

“With that song, we’re erasing the issue that was raised in the previous song, and
then the album starts. Those first two songs are very much a part of the album,
but they’re there to establish an environment where you’re willing to listen to whatever
else we have to say, because you’ve been opened up to the validity of the original
argument.”

Artist Background

Since his Concord debut, Rewind That, Scott has received signifiant accolades. he was quickly tapped as one of the faces to wathch by Billboard, received a Grammy nomination for Rewind That and named one of Ebony’s “30 Young Leaders Under 30.” His style, sensibiliy and musical talent prove his appeal to both the hip-hop comunity and jazz purists, and he has performed with the like of Prince, Mos Def, DJ Muggs, Marcus Miller and Glen Ballard.

This past year Scott topped the Downbeat 2009 Critic’s Poll for Trumpeter of the Year, and he has appeared alongside George Clooney in the film Leatherheads as well as in the critically accliamed Jonathan Demme filme Rachel Getting Married starring Anne Hathaway.

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In addition, the first one to answer the following question correctly will win a copy of the album, mailed to you free of charge.

Question:

What is the name of the track from Tom Hemby’s latest album In The Moment that is in 7/4 meter?

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In the Moment features a very special tribute to the international charity, Habitat for Humanity, titled “Can I Count On You.” Writee by Robbie Nevil, this recording features such luminaries as Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Bill Champlin, Christopher Cross, American Idol’s Mandisa and Melinda Doolittle. A portion of each album sold will be donated to Habitat For Humanity

Artist Background

With over 31 years of living in Music City USA, Hemby has a long list of achievements. Widely prasied for his guitar playing, songwriting, and producing talents, Hemby is a Grammy winner and recipient of four Dove Awards, including “Instrumental Album of the Year,” for his debut album, Acoustic Christmas. He has performed live with everyone from The Judds, Chaka Kahn and Barry Manilow, to Trisha Yearwood, Martian McBride, George Strait and Ylanda Adams.

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Artists: Herb Alpert & Lani Hall
Album: Anything Goes
Label: Concord Jazz
Release Date: August 25, 2009

The Album

Anything Goes is Alpert & Hall’s debut Concord recording as a duo. Produced by Herb and Lani and recorded live at various venues in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Boston, Seattle, Washington D.C., San Francisco and the Napa Valley Opera House, the album is a spirited and heartfelt compilation of beloved American Standards.

The 14 tracks include Cole Porter’s original song and title track “Anything Goes” as well as a few instrumental songs including “Laura” and Consuelo Velazquez’s “Besame Mucho.” Lani also sings in Portuguese on the tracks “Pararaio” and “Dinorah/Morning.” The recording features Herb Alpert on trumpet and vocal, Lani Hall on vocals, and Hussain Jiffry on electric bass.

Tour Dates

EPK Video: “Anything Goes”

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Artist: Najee
Album: Mind Over Matter
Label: Heads Up
Release Date: August 21st, 2009

Album Info

Mind Over Matter, the new recording by saxophonist Najee was released on August 25, 2009 through Heads Up International (a division of Concord Music Group). In addition to Najee’s fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, the album also includes songwriting and guest appearances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalists Eric Benét and Gary Taylor.

Najee describes the album was inspired by Miles Davis’ approach to songwriting, especially in the latter part of his career:

“In his later years, he took a very loose and improvisational approach. He would
start with nothing more than a groove that Marcus Miller or some other member
of his band would lay down. And from there he would just develop these melodies
that were very simple but at the same time very compelling and very memorable.
It was a creative process that bypassed the nuts and bolts of the song and just
got right to the essence of it.”

Commentary

It’s not hard to find the groove in Mind Over Matter. It’s evident from the opening bars of the midtempo “Love You a Lifetime,” a song that positions Najee’s smoky sax lines alongside the solid horn arrangements charted by fellow saxophonist Will Holton (who also shares the writing credit with Najee on the track). “This song has a bit of the neo-soul element,” says Najee. “That’s a groove that works very well when we play live. People love to get up and dance at our shows. Will was able to bring that spirit to this song.”

The upbeat followup track, “Sweet Summer Nights,” is co-written by Najee and Darren Rahn. “One of the most under-utilized songwriters in this genre,” according to Najee. “He’s a well-kept secret who has written for Wayman Tisdale and many others. He’s very good at writing songs that contemporary jazz radio likes to play.” Equally upbeat and breezy is the title track, a composition that showcases not only Najee’s ability to build a sophisticated solo on a simple riff, but also the engaging solo work of keyboardist and track co-writer Will Brock.

Eric Benét provides some whimsical and suggestive vocals on “We Gone Ride,” a track that balances his distinctive voice with the work of a carefully layered horn section. It’s a complex song, but it allows for plenty of room for everyone to contribute.

Jeff Lorber lends a hand with writing/producing and keyboards on the playful “Stolen Glances” and the insistent “One More Thing.” Although they’ve shared numerous festival dates in recent years, Mind Over Matter was the first opportunity for Najee and Lorber to collaborate in the studio.

Whatever the groove – be it R&B, neo-soul, contemporary jazz or an intriguing blend of all these styles and more – Mind Over Matter adds another layer of sophistication and polish to Najee’s substantial and diverse body of work.

“Whenever I go into the studio, I try to make a record that’s a little different
from the last one. I want people to get the same Najee that they’re familiar
and comfortable with, but at the same time, I want them to hear something
fresh, something interesting, something unpredictable – with a couple extra
voices in the mix that they haven’t heard on my records in the past.” – Najee

More Album Info

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Info About The Coltrane Box Set Series

Featured here on Side Steps is all the great saxophonist’s work as a sideman for the label, except for the takes with Miles Davis which are featured in ‘The Miles Davis Quintet: Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions’, released in 2006. He is featured supporting Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Red Garland, Tadd Dameron, Mal Waldron, Elmo Hope and Ray Draper.

The production is immaculate with 24-bit remastering from the original analog master tapes, a 72-page book with rare photographs, discography, and sessionography, essays by music historian Ashley Kahn, an interview transcript with Prestige founder Bob Weinstock, and fully reproduced original album cover artwork and notes.

Disc 1

features John Coltrane alongside trumpeter Donald Byrd and saxophonist Hank Mobley in the Elmo Hope session recorded in May 1957 that was released as The Elmo Hope Sextet album ‘Informal Jazz’. It also features six tracks recorded in November 1956 with Tadd Dameron as leader that appeared as ‘Mating Call’, and which also featured bassist John Simmons and drummer Philly Joe Jones.

Disc 2

begins with ‘Tenor Madness’, from May 1956 with John Coltrane alongside leader Sonny Rollins, with Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums, released on Sonny Rollins’ album ‘Tenor Madness’ and one of the greatest jazz tracks of all time. What might have been? This was the only time that the two great saxophonists recorded together. The disc is completed by the eight takes from the April /May 1957 sessions led by Mal Waldron featuring John Coltrane in the company of Jackie McLean, Bill Hardman, Idrees Sulieman, Art Taylor that were released as ‘Mal – 2′.

Discs 3 and 4

feature 15 tracks from two sessions recorded in mid-November and mid-December, 1957, under the leadership of Red Garland. They feature – in addition to John Coltrane – Donald Byrd, George Joyner, and Art Taylor. These highly creative sessions were released as the albums ‘Soul Junction’, ‘Dig It!’, ‘High Pressure’ and ‘All Mornin’ Long’.

Disc 5

captures Coltrane’s last two sessions as a sideman for Prestige. The first is from December 1957 and yields five tracks with tuba player Ray Draper as leader which appeared on the album ‘The Ray Draper Quintet’. The second session from January 1958 features Gene Ammons as leader with Mal Waldron on piano, George Joyner on bass and Art Taylor on drums with tracks that featured on the Gene Ammons albums ‘Groove Blues’ and ‘The Big Sound’.

Extras

In addition to the 5 discs, the box set also includes the a 72-page book with:

- with rare photographs
- discography
- sessionography
- insightful essays by noted music historian Ashley Kahn
- interview transcript with Prestige founder Bob Weinstock
- fully reproduced original album cover artwork and notes

This very well researched and produced release completes the picture of two very productive years for John Coltrane with Prestige!

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His new album, Good Day, which released September 8th, 2009, is a culmination of originals that have simmering and taking shape for the past several years. It was released through Peak Records, a division of the Concord Music Group and is now available online and in stores.

The Album & White’s Commentary

While it’s White’s vision that ultimately drives Good Day, he does get some assistance and inspiration from “DC,” the versatile keyboardist/programmer/songwriter who has produced and/or collaborated with a variety of contemporary jazz artists in recent years, including Paul Brown, Jeff Golub and Chuck Loeb. Also helping out was keyboardist / producer Philippe Saisse, an accomplished solo artist in his own right who has helped to re-shape the careers of Rick Braun, Marc Antoine and Gato Barbieri, among many others.

The set opens with the lively title track, a piece co-written by White and arranger Michael Egizi that features an intriguing vibraphone solo from Saisse. White comments on the track, saying:

“This song has a killer groove and a great melody. Philippe played this
wonderful solo on the vibes. It’s something I’ve never put on a record before,
but I try to do something on every album that’s a little different – some sound,
some instrument, some style. This time, it was the vibraphone.”

The genesis of “Love Will Find You” is an intriguing story. The basic elements of the song were originally submitted to White by his younger brother, guitarist/songwriter Danny White, who had written it with Basia, his long-time collaborator. White earned partial songwriting credit by rearranging Basia’s vocal line and putting his own melody on top of it.

“I basically took the song that she and Danny wrote, chopped it up, took
her scat part – which she sings at the beginning and at the very end in the
original version – and put it into the middle of the song as well,” he says. “I use
it as a hook throughout the song. I just thought it was cool that we could
collaborate like this and come up with two versions of the same song.”

The easygoing closer, “Say Goodnight” – which White describes as “a typical Peter White ballad” – is a tip of the hat to pop balladeer Al Stewart, with whom White toured and recorded for nearly twenty years (and co-wrote Stewart’s 1978 hit “Time Passages”).

“We would end the show with just him and me playing the guitar after the rest of the
band had left the stage. He’d say to the crowd, ‘Say goodnight to Peter White,’ and I
would leave the stage for him to finish the show. The phrase has always stuck with me
in the years since.”

Even as the sun sets on Good Day, the recording overall represents a beginning for White – an opportunity for him to reconnect with the clever and engaging songcraft that characterized his earlier recordings.

“These songs had been raw demos for a long time. Hearing them come to
life by introducing them to other musicians who were experiencing them for the
first time was very exciting, and very surprising. I had lost track of the possibility
that these songs could have so much potential beyond what I’d originally
envisioned. If I had finished this project purely by myself, it wouldn’t have been
anywhere near as good. It’s the different ingredients and spices and colors
provided by other people that make it what it is.”

Artist Info

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Recorded in High Definition by HDNet, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Play the Music of Ray Charles gives music lovers a front-row seat to the sold-out concert, including never-before-seen rehearsal footage, interviews and photos. It can be seen in select cinemas from October 15th and arrives in-stores on both Blu-Ray and DVD on October 20th from A&E Home Entertainment for $19.95 (SD) and $29.95 (BD).

The concert event, including a half-hour backstage, behind-the-scenes interview special, airs on HDNet in true high definition on October 18th at 8:00 p.m. ET and on SIRIUS XM’s Real Jazz channel, SIRIUS channel 72 and XM channel 70 on October 18th at 8:00 pm ET. Blue Note Records will release a live album of the concert in Spring 2010.

Pre-Order Yours Today at Amazon
- DVD
- Blu-Ray

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Winning the 2008 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition has afforded Irabagon the opportunity to assemble a dream-team of musicians, including the stellar rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, alongside veteran producer Don Sickler and legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder.

The Album

While The Observer is comprised of compositions that are clearly rooted in the melodies and harmonies of jazz’s myriad and long-nourished traditions, they are treated with a liberal helping of Irabagon’s open-eared eclecticism. Much of the intrigue generated by such an approach results from his decisive but malleable playing style.

Irabagon’s sound blends the relaxed and loping ease of Adderley with the bold and up-front precision of Wayne Shorter’s tone, but he shows no trepidation about launching into the occasional multiphonic passage in the manner of John Coltrane or Anthony Braxton.

- Artist Info
- More album info at On Target Media Group

Album Samples

(1) “Joy’s Secret”
- Quicktime
- Windows Media

(2) “January Dream”
- Quicktime
- Windows Media

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