Kurt Elling All About Jazz Interview

All About Jazz have posted their new in-depth interview with Concord Jazz vocalist Kurt Elling.

Elling discusses his new live album, Dedicated To You: Kurt Elling Sings The Music Of Coltrane And Hartman, and also shares his thoughts on the evolving music industry, as well as the integral partnerships and collaborations that have helped to inspire him and his music.

Read the interview here:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=33595&pg=1

Order the new CD here:
http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/Dedicated-To-You-Kurt-Elling-Sings-the-Music-of-Co

WIN A SIGNED MELLENCAMP GUITAR

Live Daily have launched an exclusive John Mellencamp signed guitar contest. One grand prize winner will win a copy of the new live CD Life Death Live And Freedom along with a Fender Squire Telecaster guitar signed by John Mellencamp.

Don’t miss your chance to score the new release and a sweet piece of rock memorabilia.

One Grand Prize:
- Autographed Fender Squire Telecaster guitar arctic white
- Life Death Live and Freedom CD

Five Runner-up Prizes:
- Life Death Live and Freedom CD

Enter here:
http://livedaily.com/contests/507.html

Wynton Marsalis To Perform on David Letterman

Wynton Marsalis will perform on the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ this week, Wednesday, May 13th.

The Pulitzer Prize & 9-time Grammy Award winner will perform the song “School Boy” from his new Blue Note album He & She - his 5th Blue Note release that features 22 tracks of his signature jazz, as well as spoken word and poetry tracks, all centered around the theme of the relationship between man and woman.

The show will air 11:30 ET/PT this Wednesday, May 13th.

Alt. Rockers Carbon Leaf Set To Release New Album

Alternative rockers Carbon Leaf will release Nothing Rhymes With Woman on May 19th via Vanguard Records.

Nothing Rhymes Like Woman, the band’s third release on Vanguard, is the much anticipated follow-up to the quintet’s acclaimed 2006 effort, Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat which rose to #3 on Billboard’s Top New Artists chart. Produced by John Morand, who manned the board for their 2004 Vanguard debut, Indian Summer, Carbon Leaf takes another giant leap forward with Nothing Rhymes With Woman.

The 13-song disc finds the Virginia-based band firmly in touch with its roots but committed to moving forward as highlighted on such tracks as the bluesy “Another Man’s Woman,” the soaring harmonies on “Indecision,” the deeply moving story on “Pink” about a woman battling serious illness, and the poignancy of the first single “Miss Hollywood.”

Carbon Leaf will be hitting the road beginning mid-May in support of Nothing Rhymes With Woman, with dates scheduled across the U.S.

Gary Burton / Pat Metheny To Release Quartet Live!

Concord Jazz will release a live Gary Burton Quartet album, Quartet Live!, on May 26th.

The album features three original members and jazz legends Gary Burton, Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow along with another new member, and perhaps one of the most prominent jazz drummers of his generation, Antonio Sanchez. The 11-song album was recorded live at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland, CA.

Quartet Live! starts off with Chick Corea’s “Sea Journey,” one of many songs Corea wrote for the Burton group, and features songs written by Carla Bley (“Olhos de Gato” and “Syndrome”) and Keith Jarrett (“Coral”). Metheny’s composing talents are also represented here by tunes composed during his Burton Quartet years: the fast and furious “Missouri Uncompromised,” the haunting “B and G,” and “Question and Answer,” one of Pat’s most well-known pieces.



The story begins in 1967 when bassist Steve Swallow joined with vibraphonist Gary Burton to form the original Gary Burton Quartet. In the early 1970s, then 19-year old guitarist Pat Metheny joined Burton’s band and one of the most celebrated careers in music began. A decade ago Metheny discovered drummer Antonio Sanchez, inviting him to join The Pat Metheny Group, and the two have been playing together ever since.

The result is four legendary musicians, improvisers and composers all, each at the top of his game, bringing modern jazz history to life on Quartet Live! The new Gary Burton Quartet will add more performances in the US and Canada in 2009.

Chick Corea & John McLaughlin release Five Peace Band Live

The new Chick Corea & John McLaughlin release Five Peace Band Live is available on double CD today 4.28.09 (Concord Records).

Listen to the entire album at Chick Corea’s MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/chickcoreajazz

Five Peace Band Live, was recorded during Corea & McLaughlin’s European tour last fall. The double-disc CD was made available early at performance venues on tour during March as well as via the band’s website. The album features Corea and McLaughlin’s inspired duets as well as all five members negotiating the twists and turns of the compositions. The recording includes Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Kenny Garrett – saxophone, Christian McBride – acoustic & electric basses, and Herbie Hancock special guests on the track “In a Silent Way / It’s About That Time.”

Prestige Records Launch imeem Page

In celebration of the legendary label’s 60th anniversary, Prestige Records has launched an imeem profile page featuring music from the new Very Best Of Prestige Records CD, which includes jazz legends Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

Check out the page, and stream 10 full tracks from the new CD at:
http://www.imeem.com/prestigerecords

The new imeem page coincides with Concord Music Group’s yearlong 60th anniversary celebration of Prestige Records, which begun with the release of The Very Best Of Prestige Records - a 2-CD set of classic tracks from the legendary label’s catalog featuring the iconic jazz artists of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

The new ‘must have’ collection features 25 essential Prestige tracks, and is packed with classic photographs covering a 20-year span from 1949-1969, truly representing Prestige’s golden era. A full slate of assorted CD releases and other special bonuses are planned throughout the year.

Paul Brown & Marc Antoine Ticket & Signed CD Contest At ContemporaryJazz.com

Contemporary Jazz have launched a Paul Brown & Marc Antoine giveaway to win a pair of tickets to the KIFM festival in San Diego on May 23 featuring performances from Paul Brown & Marc Antoine in support of their new CD Foreign Exchange.

The winner will also get a signed copy of Foreign Exchange.

Head over to http://www.contemporaryjazz.com/brownantoine to enter.

Also follow Contemporary Jazz on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomorrowjazz to also enter to win a copy of Foreign Exchange.

Download The Rentals New Mp3 At RCRD LBL

Free mp3 download site RCRD LBL is currently offering a new mp3 from indie rock band The Rentals. You can download “Story Of A Thousand Seasons Past” here:

The Rentals mp3 @ RCRD LBL

The title track is taken from The Rentals’ new EP The Story Of A Thousand Seasons Past, the first installment of a year-long multi-media project at therentals.com.

Rentals EP #1 Now Available

The new four-song digital EP from The Rentals titled The Story of a Thousand Seasons Past is available now. It is the first of three musical chapters from their yearlong online multimedia project Songs About Time.

Produced by The Rentals and Dave Trumfio, the EP features Jamie Blake, Lauren Chipman, Dan Joeright and Rentals founder and front man Matt Sharp. The track 'Song Of Remembering' features a guest appearance by Pixies guitarist Joe Santiago.

The band has also launched a pre-order for the limited deluxe edition box set that will be released by the end of 2009. The box set will include Matt Sharp photography, all three EPs on both CD and Vinyl, a DVD, VIP backstage passes and much more.

The new EP can be streamed for free, embedded on any website in its entirety, and purchased at: http://therentals.com/. You can also get the embed code from the widget below.

Tony Bennett / Bill Evans AOL Full Album Stream

AOL is currently streaming The Complete Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Recordings, a new 2-disc collection to be released this week by Concord Music Group / Fantasy Records.

The sublime collection spotlights the iconic song stylist Tony Bennett dueting with legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans from their two albums. Disc 1 combines the originally issued recordings, The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album and Together Again, with two bonus tracks, including a superb version of Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing”; disc 2 features alternate takes from both sessions.

Listen here: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/2

Cassandra Wilson AOL Full Album Stream

AOL is currently streaming jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s new album, Closer To You: The Pop Side.

Released this week via Blue Note / EMI, the new collection features Wilson’s best covers of pop / rock hits originally recorded by U2, Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, Sting, Neil Young and Cyndi Lauper, among others.

Wilson was recently honored with the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album honors for 2008’s Loverly.

Listen to Closer To You: The Pop Side in its entirety here:
http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/4

Sarah Borges Vinyl Giveaway At Ultimate Guitar

Ultimate Guitar just launched a Sarah Borges giveaway, and prizing includes a vinyl copy of her new album, The Stars Are Out (available now on Sugar Hill / Vanguard).

Grand Prize Winner
- The Stars Are Out full-length vinyl
- The Stars Are Out autographed CD
- “The Day We Met” 7” vinyl

4 Runner Ups
- The Stars Are Out autographed CD
- “The Day We Met” 7” vinyl

Enter now:
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/contests/sarah_contest.htm

Concord Music Group To Release The Complete Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Recordings

The Concord Music Group will release The Complete Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Recordings on April 14th via Fantasy Records.

The sublime 2-CD collection spotlights the iconic song stylist Tony Bennett dueting with legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans from their two albums. Disc 1 combines the originally issued recordings, The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album and Together Again, with two bonus tracks, including a superb version of Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing”; disc 2 features alternate takes from both sessions.

The first meeting of the vocalist and pianist, The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album (1975), featured the pair performing standards, as well as a moving rendition of Evan’s classic tune, “Waltz For Debby.” Other standards include “But Beautiful,” “The Days Of Wine And Roses” and “Young And Foolish.”

The first meeting established the Bennett-Evans chemistry, with the two having plenty of room to make their own personal statements. In 1976, the pair returned to the studio for Together Again, opening with Evan’s solo rendition of “The Bad And The Beautiful,” and continuing with moving renditions of “Lucky To Be Me” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is.”

Reflecting back, Bennett remains especially proud of these sessions with Bill Evans, citing them as the most satisfying projects of his long career. Nick Phillips produced the remastered compilation with new liner notes by Will Friedwald.

Paul Brown & Marc Antoine To Release Collaboration CD Foreign Exchange

Concord Music Group / Peak Records are set to release a new collaboration CD from smooth jazz guitar superstars Paul Brown & Marc Antoine; Foreign Exchange is out April 7th on Peak Records.

Produced by Brown, co-produced by Antoine, Foreign Exchange is 11 tracks featuring guest performances from the genre’s most acclaimed artists, including Jessy J and keyboardists Philippe Saisse and Gregg Karukas. The new CD features a wide variety of influences; pop, jazz, old school R&B, soul-jazz, and Brazilian & Latin music.

Paul Brown and Marc Antoine will be hitting the road as a duo in support of the album.

Sarah Borges' The Stars Are Out Available Now

Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles released The Stars Are Out this week via Sugar Hill Records / Vanguard.

The follow up to her critically lauded Diamonds In The Dark (2007), The Stars Are Out is a vibrant, far-reaching display of what Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles are all about. Exploring new terrain, both as a writer and a performer, Sarah knew the character of her third album need to be more upbeat than its contemplative predecessors. The Stars Are Out is a soundtrack for Saturday nights, not Sunday mornings.

QuickTime is currently featuring a promo, with a free mp3 of “Better At The End Of The Day”:
http://sbbs.otmg.net/qt/

The ten selections of The Stars Are Out—five new originals, and five covers—winnowed down by Sarah, band mates—guitarist Lyle Brewer, bassist Binky, and drummer Rob Dulaney—and producers Paul Q. Kolderie (the Pixies, Lemonheads, Radiohead) and Adam Taylor, include tunes attributed to Smokey Robinson (a radically reworked “Being With You”), Stiff Records act Any Trouble (“Yesterday's Love,” penned by Clive Gregson), and the Magnetic Fields' “No One Will Ever Love You.”

The results of The Stars Are Out include the slinky, '60s stroll of “Me and Your Ghost”; the flirtatious, guitar-driven kickoff, “Do It For Free”; and “It Comes To Me Naturally,” a hip-shaking tale of a girl-about-town, originally recorded by bar band supreme NRBQ.

Wynton Marsalis’ New Album He And She Now Streaming At iLike

Marsalis' fifth Blue Note release, He And She, is centered around that eternally compelling and most elemental of subjects: the relationship between a man and a woman.

The album features 22 tracks of Wynton's signature jazz style as well as spoken word / poetry. It’s an ambitious effort, combining spoken word and music, and Marsalis has given his quintet some formidable charts. The album is tempered with flashes of humor and plenty of swing. There’s ease and elegance and more than a little wisdom in these grooves.

He And She is now streaming in its entirety at iLike:
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Wynton+Marsalis

Concord Music Group Set to Release The Very Best of Prestige

Concord Music Group are set to launch a year-long 60th anniversary celebration of Prestige Records, with a full slate of assorted CD releases and other special bonuses, beginning next week (March 24th) with the release of The Very Best Of Prestige Records 2-CD set.

The Very Best Of Prestige Records is a 2-CD set of classic tracks from the legendary label's catalog featuring the iconic jazz artists of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, and more. The new must have collection features 25 essential Prestige tracks, and is packed with classic photographs covering a 20-year span from 1949-1969, truly representing Prestige's golden era.

The Very Best Of Prestige Records is available 3.24.09 (CD &Digital).

Streaming audio available here:
http://otmg.net/pages/prestige-60th-anniversary

Cassandra Wilson To Release Covers Collection On April 7th

Grammy-award winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson will release Closer To You: The Pop Side on April 7th via Blue Note / EMI.

With her unmistakable honeyed husky voice, she has made intimate and personal statements with jazz, blues, R&B, country and pop. Closer To You: The Pop Side is a new collection of Wilson’s best covers of pop / rock hits, originally recorded by a who’s-who of top musicians, including U2, Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, The Band, Sting, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Cyndi Lauper and The Wallflowers.

Closer To You: The Pop Side celebrates the finest pop covers from Wilson’s seven albums recorded with Blue Note during her lengthy tenure with the legendary label.

Wilson won her second Grammy® Award in February, earning the Best Jazz Vocal Album honors for Loverly, her critically acclaimed 2008 Blue Note release. Blue Note Records is celebrating its 70th Anniversary as the world’s premier and longest-running jazz label with special commemorative releases and events throughout 2009.

New Wynton Marsalis Embeddable Widget

Check out the new album-themed Wynton Marsalis embeddable widget / player. It features streaming audio from the upcoming album He And She, album artwork & bio, and the player can be embedded into any blog or webpage.

He And She is 22 tracks featuring alternate tracks of spoken word / poetry and Wynton’s signature jazz music centered around the relationship between man and woman. The album will be released March 24th on Blue Note Records.

Link: http://www.bluenote.com/wyntonmarsalis/webtools/heandshe/

Thin Lizzy Vinyl Contest At The Vinyl District

The Vinyl District is giving away two vinyl copies of Thin Lizzy’s Still Dangerous.

"Still Dangerous" is the raw, unadulterated, untouched sound of THIN LIZZY at the absolute height of its powers. Recorded on the band's sold-out 1977 "Bad Reputation" tour, "Still Dangerous" captures the classic quartet of Lynott, Downey, Gorham and Robertson on fire at the celebrated Tower Theatre in Philadelphia.

Enter here: http://vinyldistrict.blogspot.com/2009/03/tvds-eleven-weeks-of-record-store-day_09.html

Ronnie Milsap AOL Full Album Stream

AOL is currently streaming country legend Ronnie Milsap's new album, Then Sings My Soul: 24 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Songs. The six-time Grammy winner’s 2-disc is in stores tomorrow via EMI CMG.

With 40 #1 chart-toppers under his belt, Ronnie Milsap is expanding his palette with Then Sings My Soul, his first foray into gospel-inspired music. Milsap went back to the deep, rich, gospel tradition of hymns like “Holy Holy Holy” and “Amazing Grace,” both featured on the new album.

Listen at AOL now: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/12

Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles Debut Video for First Single “Do It For Free”

Boston-based Sarah Borges sings "It's always the same every night" on the first single "Do It For Free" from her forthcoming CD The Stars Are Out (March 24th - Sugar Hill Records.)

The raucous and driving video tells the story of a lover scorned who finds temporary solace in the arms of another. The story is interspersed with performance shots of the band doing what they do best - playing fearlessly and commanding the stage with their good-time-rock-n-roll party vibe.



The band is in the midst of confirming a North American tour for the spring and will make a stop in Austin for SXSW. 


For a complete list of tour dates, click here: http://sarahborges.com

The Rippingtons To Release Modern Art on March 10th

Smooth Jazz pioneers The Rippingtons will release their latest album, Modern Art, on March 10th via Peak Records (Concord Music Group).

With a legacy firmly rooted in smooth Jazz, The Rippingtons’ 18th release features an explosive lineup lead by founder Russ Freeman alongside Dave Karasony, Bill Heller, as well as new bassist Rico Belled and special guest, returning saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa.

Paris Groove (Windows Media Stream, right-click to copy)

Paris Groove (QuickTime Stream, right-click to copy)

Modern Art breaks new stylistic ground, incorporating exotic world music elements on the sensuously romantic, acoustic guitar driven “Paris Groove” and adds an Eastern authenticity to the hypnotic “Black Book” with an electric sitar. With the sizzling interaction between Freeman’s slow burning electric guitar and Kashiwa’s wild sax improvisations, the easy grooving “One Step Closer” and bluesy “Body Art” will remind longtime fans of the band’s glory days of the '90s, but with a souped up twist!

The Rippingtons, whose first lineup included future contemporary Jazz superstars Dave Koz, Kenny G and David Benoit, dominated the instrumental and urban Jazz landscape from the late ‘80s on with their often exotically titled hit recordings, including Kilimanjaro, Tourist in Paradise and Welcome to the St. James Club.

Modern Art is available on CD & digitally March 10th via Peak Records

Eliane Elias Catalog Contest At ARTISTdirect

Enter now at ARTISTdirect to win jazz pianist/singer Eliane Elias’ 8-CD catalog, including her latest album, Bossa Nova Stories.

Released via EMI/Blue Note, the 14-song collection celebrates the 50th anniversary of bossa nova, and features the classic bossa nova track “The Girl From Ipanema” as well as Stevie Wonder’s “Superwoman.”

Enter here: http://ee.otmg.net/

Chick Corea & Gary Burton Win Best Jazz Instrumental Album Grammy Award

Chick Corea & Gary Burton picked up a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album (Individual or Group) for 2008’s The New Crystal Silence. Released on Concord Records, the 2-CD collection revisited the duo’s 1972 landmark work, Crystal Silence.

The New Crystal Silence @ Amazon

The New Crystal Silence @ iTunes

Chick Corea & Hiromi: AOL Full Album Stream

Grammy-award winning pianist Chick Corea released Duet, a 2-CD live performance with up-and-coming virtuosic Japanese pianist Hiromi, this week via Concord Records.

AOL’s Spinner is currently streaming Duet in its entirety.

Listen here: http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/9

Originally released in Japan in 2007 on Universal, Duet became the top-selling jazz album of the year. The 12-track, 2-CD release marks Chick Corea’s first recorded piano duet album since 1978’s An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert.

The first CD features an original by each pianist as well as four covers, including Thelonious Monk’s “Bolivar Blues” and Lennon-McCartney’s “Fool On The Hill.” The second disc features two originals from Corea and Hiromi, and the two adventurously meld Joaquin Vidre Rodrigo’s classic “Concierto de Aranjuez” with one of Corea’s best-known tunes, “Spain.”

Duet is a masterwork of remarkable pianists of two different generations and cultures who transcend all boundaries to converse with each other with an inspired exuberance and passion.

Girls Rock: The Movie Released On DVD

Liberation Entertainment released Girls Rock: The Movie on DVD this week, chronicling an all-girls rock ‘n’ roll camp in Portland.

At Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp, girls ranging in age from eight to 18 are taught that it’s OK to sweat like a pig, scream like a banshee, wail on their instruments with complete and utter abandon, and that “it is 100% okay to be exactly who you are.”

The girls have a week to select a band, an instrument they may have never played before, and write a song. In between they are taught various lessons of empowerment by indie rockers such as Carrie Brownstein from Sleater-Kinney and The Gossip’s Beth Ditto.

The film follows several campers as they prepare for the final concert for an audience of over 700 people: Laura, a Korean adoptee obsessed with death metal; Misty, who is emerging from a life of meth addiction, homelessness, and gang activity; and Amelia, an eight-year-old who writes experimental songs about her dog Pipi.

What happens to the girls as they are given a temporary reprieve from being sexualized, analyzed and pressured to conform is truly moving and revolutionary.

For more, go to: http://www.girlsrockdvd.com/

You Me and Iowa Premiere New Video At ARTISTdirect

ARTISTdirect has the exclusive video premiere of Los Angeles indie rock outfit You Me and Iowa’s new video for “Margaret Mourning.”

The song is taken from the band's sophomore album The Adventures of You Me & Iowa, available now.

Check out the new video here:
http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/window/media/page/video/0,,4917891,00.html

Check out the band on MySpace here:
http://www.myspace.com/youmeandiowa

Peter Cincotti Full Album Stream At AOL

Singer-songwriter-pianist Peter Cincotti's new album, East Of Angel Town, is now being streamed in its entirety at AOL.

Produced by David Foster, East Of Angel Town marks 25-year-old Cincotti's first work of all original material, and explores musical styles that blend pop, rock, blues, funk and jazz.

East Of Angel Town is now available via Warner Bros.

Listen here: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/8

Benny Golson Releases New Album On Concord Jazz

The new album from sax legend and Grammy Lifetime Achievement award winner Benny Golson hits stores this week via Concord Jazz (CD & digital).

New Time, New ‘Tet is Golson’s first new studio recording in five years and elaborates the traditional jazztet concept; combining Golson’s new compositions with standard jazz repertoire. The album features classics like Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy”, Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin,” and Grammy-winning vocalist Al Jarreau reprises Golson’s classic “Whisper Not.”

Led by Benny Golson, the debut of his new jazztet features heavyweight musicians, Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Steve Davis (trombone), Mike LeDonne (piano), Buster Williams (bass) and Carl Allen (percussion). The stellar sextet revives the legendary group’s highly regarded three-horn front line, along with its classic, tight ensemble work and sophisticated sound.

Concord Jazz have also released The Best Of Benny Golson - a career-spanning retrospective compilation release in celebration of Golson’s 80th birthday.

Purchase at Amazon

Purchase at iTunes

Blue Note 7 Full Album Stream At AOL

AOL is currently streaming the Blue Note 7’s new album, Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records, in its entirety. To commemorate Blue Note’s 70th anniversary, the all-star tribute band have compiled an eight-song collection of classic Blue Note repertoire, including Thelonious Monk’s “Criss Cross” and Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance.”

Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records is in stores now.

Listen to Mosaic here: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/4