Joe-DoubleBack: Evolution Of R&B (2013)
You can't go wrong with this one. Nice tracks all the way through.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Pick Hit CD Of The Month
Joe-DoubleBack: Evolution Of R&B (2013)
You can't go wrong with this one. Nice tracks all the way through.
Janelle Monae New Release Soon
Janelle Monae recently told Billboard Magazine that her sophomore album, "The Electric Lady," will include collaborations with Prince and Miguel.
Monae, who graces the cover of the mag's September issue, explains her friendship with Prince and how excited she was to work with the music legend.
"I had a chance to produce an icon," says Monáe. "It's not every day that he collaborates. I'm honored and humbled that he trusted me. He is forever my friend, and I am forever indebted. I can't say too much else about it."
Monae describes Prince as a friend who she can seek advice from.
"We are great friends, and he is a mentor to us, to me," she says. "It's a beautiful thing to have a friend -- someone who cares about your career, and wants to see you go far and to push boundaries and shake up the world -- give whatever they possibly can to the cause."
Her new album is due out in September and she intertwined her songwriting chops with her storytelling skills.
She said she wants to "tell universal stories in unforgettable ways."
The single is a duet with Erykah Badu titled "Q.U.E.E.N." The single has sold 31,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
http://singersroom.com/content/2013-08-09/Janelle-Monae-Covers-Billboard-Plus-Reveals-The-Electric-Lady-Cover-Art-and-Track-List/#ixzz2blMfEy1B
Monae, who graces the cover of the mag's September issue, explains her friendship with Prince and how excited she was to work with the music legend.
"I had a chance to produce an icon," says Monáe. "It's not every day that he collaborates. I'm honored and humbled that he trusted me. He is forever my friend, and I am forever indebted. I can't say too much else about it."
Monae describes Prince as a friend who she can seek advice from.
"We are great friends, and he is a mentor to us, to me," she says. "It's a beautiful thing to have a friend -- someone who cares about your career, and wants to see you go far and to push boundaries and shake up the world -- give whatever they possibly can to the cause."
Her new album is due out in September and she intertwined her songwriting chops with her storytelling skills.
She said she wants to "tell universal stories in unforgettable ways."
The single is a duet with Erykah Badu titled "Q.U.E.E.N." The single has sold 31,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
http://singersroom.com/content/2013-08-09/Janelle-Monae-Covers-Billboard-Plus-Reveals-The-Electric-Lady-Cover-Art-and-Track-List/#ixzz2blMfEy1B
RIP To Mr. George Duke. 1 of the greatest keyboard players ever. From his work with Frank Zappa all the way to Stanley Clarke,to his own solo work,he had an amazing body of work.
George Duke, who began his career as a jazz pianist in the 1960s but made his name by crossing musical boundaries, died on Monday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 67.
He had suffered heart complications after being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, said his manager, Darryl Porter, who confirmed the death.
The name of the instrument with which Mr. Duke is perhaps most closely associated also describes his approach to music: synthesizer. While he remained a respected figure in the jazz world, over the years he also played keyboards with Frank Zappa and Michael Jackson, sang lead on a Top 20 single and produced pop and rhythm-and-blues hits for others. His work has been sampled by hip-hop and electronic artists, including Daft Punk.
“I was in a rock band, I played with a bunch of Brazilians, I played R&B with Parliament-Funkadelic and all of that,” he said in an interview before his most recent album, “DreamWeaver,” was released last month. “I mean, I’ve done jazz with Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley. It’s a goulash. It’s a gumbo.”
Mr. Duke, who as a small boy begged his mother to buy him a piano after she took him to see Duke Ellington, began playing professionally at a time when many musicians were interested in blending genres. He played in a trio that backed the singer Al Jarreau while he was still a teenager, then accompanied Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz musicians at clubs in San Francisco. By the early 1970s he had performed and recorded with Adderley, the jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. (His six-year stint with Zappa included an appearance, with the rest of the band, in the feature film “200 Motels.”)
Zappa “told me one day that I should play synthesizers,” Mr. Duke wrote on his Web site. “It was as simple as that!” Urged by Zappa, he said, he experimented with a few types of synthesizers before settling on the ARP Odyssey, “purely to be different from Jan Hammer, who was playing the Minimoog.” Mr. Hammer was a member of the guitarist John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, one of the first jazz-rock fusion bands to achieve widespread success.
As a leader, Mr. Duke focused in the middle and late 1970s on groove-oriented funk. His versatility also made him a sought-after collaborator. Working in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, he recorded one of his best-known albums, “A Brazilian Love Affair,” with the singers Milton Nascimento and Flora Purim. He also worked with other major names in fusion, including the drummer Billy Cobham, with whom he was co-leader of a band in the 1970s, and the bassist Stanley Clarke, with whom he formed the Clarke/Duke Project in 1981.
By that time he had become more of a pop act, singing and often playing a hand-held synthesizer while standing center stage in concert. Collaborating with Mr. Clarke, he wrote and sang “Sweet Baby,” a ballad that became his first pop hit, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard singles chart in 1981. Soon after that the duo had another hit with “Shine On,” which reached No. 41.
While he pursued a career as a leader, he continued to participate in recording sessions for notable albums like Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” and to produce other artists. In 1984 he produced Deniece Williams’s No. 1 hit “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” Among the other singers whose records he produced were Jeffrey Osborne, Angela Bofill, the duo A Taste of Honey and the jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, who was his cousin.
His song “I Love You More” was sampled by Daft Punk for the 2001 hit “Digital Love.”
Mr. Duke was born on Jan. 12, 1946, in San Rafael, Calif, near San Francisco. He grew up listening to gospel music in the Baptist church his family attended. He graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1967.
His survivors include two sons, John and Rashid. His wife, Corine, died last year.
Critics sometimes said that Mr. Duke’s music was too smooth, not challenging enough, and that he was too eager to court a broad audience. He disagreed.
“I really think it’s possible (and still do) to make good music and be commercial at the same time,” Mr. Duke wrote. “I believe it is the artist’s responsibility to take the music to the people. Art for art’s sake is nice; but if art doesn’t communicate, then its worth is negated. It has not fulfilled its destiny.”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/arts/music/george-duke-crossover-musician-with-frank-zappa-dies-at-67.html?_r=0&
George Duke, who began his career as a jazz pianist in the 1960s but made his name by crossing musical boundaries, died on Monday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 67.
He had suffered heart complications after being treated for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, said his manager, Darryl Porter, who confirmed the death.
The name of the instrument with which Mr. Duke is perhaps most closely associated also describes his approach to music: synthesizer. While he remained a respected figure in the jazz world, over the years he also played keyboards with Frank Zappa and Michael Jackson, sang lead on a Top 20 single and produced pop and rhythm-and-blues hits for others. His work has been sampled by hip-hop and electronic artists, including Daft Punk.
“I was in a rock band, I played with a bunch of Brazilians, I played R&B with Parliament-Funkadelic and all of that,” he said in an interview before his most recent album, “DreamWeaver,” was released last month. “I mean, I’ve done jazz with Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley. It’s a goulash. It’s a gumbo.”
Mr. Duke, who as a small boy begged his mother to buy him a piano after she took him to see Duke Ellington, began playing professionally at a time when many musicians were interested in blending genres. He played in a trio that backed the singer Al Jarreau while he was still a teenager, then accompanied Dizzy Gillespie and other jazz musicians at clubs in San Francisco. By the early 1970s he had performed and recorded with Adderley, the jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. (His six-year stint with Zappa included an appearance, with the rest of the band, in the feature film “200 Motels.”)
Zappa “told me one day that I should play synthesizers,” Mr. Duke wrote on his Web site. “It was as simple as that!” Urged by Zappa, he said, he experimented with a few types of synthesizers before settling on the ARP Odyssey, “purely to be different from Jan Hammer, who was playing the Minimoog.” Mr. Hammer was a member of the guitarist John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, one of the first jazz-rock fusion bands to achieve widespread success.
As a leader, Mr. Duke focused in the middle and late 1970s on groove-oriented funk. His versatility also made him a sought-after collaborator. Working in Rio de Janeiro in 1979, he recorded one of his best-known albums, “A Brazilian Love Affair,” with the singers Milton Nascimento and Flora Purim. He also worked with other major names in fusion, including the drummer Billy Cobham, with whom he was co-leader of a band in the 1970s, and the bassist Stanley Clarke, with whom he formed the Clarke/Duke Project in 1981.
By that time he had become more of a pop act, singing and often playing a hand-held synthesizer while standing center stage in concert. Collaborating with Mr. Clarke, he wrote and sang “Sweet Baby,” a ballad that became his first pop hit, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard singles chart in 1981. Soon after that the duo had another hit with “Shine On,” which reached No. 41.
While he pursued a career as a leader, he continued to participate in recording sessions for notable albums like Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall” and to produce other artists. In 1984 he produced Deniece Williams’s No. 1 hit “Let’s Hear It for the Boy.” Among the other singers whose records he produced were Jeffrey Osborne, Angela Bofill, the duo A Taste of Honey and the jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, who was his cousin.
His song “I Love You More” was sampled by Daft Punk for the 2001 hit “Digital Love.”
Mr. Duke was born on Jan. 12, 1946, in San Rafael, Calif, near San Francisco. He grew up listening to gospel music in the Baptist church his family attended. He graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1967.
His survivors include two sons, John and Rashid. His wife, Corine, died last year.
Critics sometimes said that Mr. Duke’s music was too smooth, not challenging enough, and that he was too eager to court a broad audience. He disagreed.
“I really think it’s possible (and still do) to make good music and be commercial at the same time,” Mr. Duke wrote. “I believe it is the artist’s responsibility to take the music to the people. Art for art’s sake is nice; but if art doesn’t communicate, then its worth is negated. It has not fulfilled its destiny.”
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/arts/music/george-duke-crossover-musician-with-frank-zappa-dies-at-67.html?_r=0&
Thursday, December 20, 2007
J Records Drops Ruben Studdard
After a promising start as winner of the second season of "American Idol," Studdard seems to have fallen short of expectations and has been dropped from J. A rep from his label has confirmed the artist's departure to SOHH.
Studdard's first J Record release Soulful, released in 2003, is RIAA certified platinum. His 2004 gospel follow up, I Need An Angel also fared well - reaching gold status. However sales of his 2006 project The Return have been unable to match his previous success, moving barely 235,000 copies.
Studdard has been putting in work to strengthen other aspects of his career. In November, he spent time touring alongside Robin Givens in a play called "Heaven I Need a Hug" and according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he is currently preparing to play jazz great Fats Waller in a national theatre tour of "Ain't Misbehavin'."
Theater has proven to be a popular career move for many "American Idol" standouts, most notably Fantasia, who has starred as Celie in the Broadway version of "The Color Purple." Diana DeGarmo has appeared in "Hairspray," Frenchie Davis was featured in "Rent" and Tamyra Gray won roles in both "Rent" and "Bombay Dreams."
Studdard is also scheduled to make a holiday appearance in his hometown Birmingham, Alabama this weekend, performing with his old band Just a Few Cats at the WorkPlay soundstage.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
J.A.M. Awards
Run-DMC turntablist Jam Master Jay will be in the hearts and minds of rappers Snoop Dogg, Raekwon and Jim Jones, who comprise a star-studded line up of performers for this year's J.A.M Awards concert.
The event, which will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 29) at the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center Studios in New York City, will honor Jam Master Jay, who was killed in his recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002.
In addition to Snoop Dogg, Jones and Raekwon, the concert will feature performances from Marley Marl, Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Dead Prez, Papoose, Q-Tip, Everlast featuring DJ Muggs, DMC, Kid Capri, Mister Sinister, EPMD, Lord Finesse, Bumpy Knuckles, DJ Kay Slay and DMC, who will perform some of Run-DMC's classic hits.
J.A.M. award winners will also be announced at the event, which will highlight the most positive aspects of rap music.
Among the nominees are Chuck D., Dr. Cornell West and Will Smith (Justice Award); Spike Lee, Robert L. Johnson and Lee Quinones (Arts Award) and Nelly, Wyclef Jean and Kanye West (Music Award).
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music, an organization created in honor of Jam Master Jay, by his wife Terri Corley-Mizell, DMC and close friends to support music and arts education in rural and urban schools.
Among those expected to attend the award ceremony and concert is the family of Jam Master Jay, NYC graffiti legend and Lordz of Brooklyn front-man Kaves and Foundation board members Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Erik Blamoville, Rob Principe, Constance Schwartz, Cathy Symeonidis, Ivan Taback and others.
Tickets for the J.A.M. Awards and concert are currently available at Ticketmaster outlets.
http://allhiphop.com/blogs/news/archive/2007/11/28/18940475.aspx
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
R.I.P. Sean Taylor
Redskins, Hurricanes mourn Sean Taylor
As friends and admirers placed flowers and stuffed animals outside the home of former University of Miami standout Sean Taylor, police searched the premises Tuesday for clues they hope will lead to his killer.
Taylor, a safety in his fourth season with the Washington Redskins, was pronounced dead early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He had been shot in the thigh before dawn Monday when an armed intruder attacked him in his bedroom.
Taylor, 24, underwent seven hours of surgery Monday to repair a severed femoral artery, but he never regained consciousness.
Taylor's was the latest violent death in the UM football community. A year ago, defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death in Kendall in an unsolved case.
"This just tears me apart," said Don Soldinger, a former assistant coach at UM who spent time with Taylor in February during the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
"Sean was a solid cat, and I haven't been the same since I heard about it. It's a sad thing, man. I just hope they find out what happened."
Miami-Dade police were trying to determine that Tuesday, removing a computer and other items from the home Taylor shared with his girlfriend, 24-year-old Jackie Garcia, and 18-month-old daughter, Jackie.
Garcia is the niece of actor Andy Garcia, according to CNN.com.
Jackie Garcia, a former UM soccer player who met Taylor on campus, was in the bedroom when he was shot but wasn't able to describe the assailant, police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said.
Police also were seeking a connection to a break-in at the home last week. A burglar stole nothing but left a knife on a bed.
The house is in Palmetto Bay, in south Miami-Dade. Taylor was there recovering from a knee injury.
Pedro Taylor, Sean Taylor's father and the police chief in Florida City, 17 miles south of the crime scene, drove away from the house Tuesday afternoon, giving a thumbs-up sign to a throng of reporters.
He did not stop to answer questions but released a statement and said funeral arrangements would be announced soon.
"It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon," the statement said. "Many of his fans loved him because of the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him, the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him. I can only hope and pray that Sean's life was not in vain, that it might touch others in a special way."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will honor Taylor's memory at all games played this weekend.
His life as a professional athlete included several controversies. He was fined by the NFL for infractions including spitting in an opponent's face. He also had a long legal battle stemming from an incident near his home in which he was accused of brandishing a gun during a dispute over an all-terrain vehicle. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and received probation.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who flew to Miami on Monday with running back Clinton Portis - another former UM star - and other team members, called Taylor's death "the worst imaginable tragedy."
Hopes for Taylor's recovery had been raised Monday night by news that he was alert enough to squeeze the hand of a doctor.
"Things turned for the worse," family friend Donald Walker told The Washington Post. "(There) seemed like a lot of hope after he responded to the doctor's command. But he lost a lot of blood."
A Redskins source told the newspaper that Taylor's heart stopped twice during surgery.
Taylor was shot in the thigh, an especially dangerous wound because the femoral artery is one of the body's biggest blood vessels.
An injury of that type "essentially means you can lose all the blood in your whole body within five minutes," Dr. Mary Pat McKay, director of George Washington University's Center for Injury Prevention and Control, told The Associated Press.
Taylor had an outstanding career at UM, where he played from 2001 through 2003. He was named the Big East defensive player of the year his last season, tying a Hurricanes record with 10 interceptions. The Redskins selected him with the fifth overall choice in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Known as a bit of a loner, Taylor seldom agreed to interviews at the university and didn't seem comfortable when he granted reporters access. Even his teammates and coaches thought Taylor to be somewhat distant, but they had no problems with his disposition on the field.
"I think Sean was a little bit misunderstood from the standpoint that he was a very quiet and shy kid," former 'Canes coach Larry Coker said. "He was perceived by some as having an attitude, but he really didn't. Like many young people, he had his growing pains."
Soldinger, the former UM assistant, said he first became acquainted with Taylor, who was born in Miami, when he began participating in the university's summer camps as a boy.
"He was only 6 or 7 years old, but you could see that ability even when he was a little kid," Soldinger said.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2007/11/28/m1a_Taylor_1128.html
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