Author: TKA

INTERVIEW: Stacey Kent with Jazzwise Magazine

JAZZWISE MAGAZINE- Peter Quinn

Sony/OKeh Records. 4-star review ****

This intimate 12-track collection is Stacey Kent’s first standards album since her 2003 recording, “The Boy Next Door.” It sees the US-born, London-based vocalist team up with the legendary Brazilian composer and guitarist, Roberto Menescal, one of the founders of Bossa Nova and winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 Latin Grammy Awards.

Menescal and Kent have teamed up before, on her previous album, “The Changing Lights” (2013) but hearing the fruits of their close musical relationship unfold over the course of an entire album is a real joy. Whether it’s the profound sadness of ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ or the mid-tempo swing of ‘No moon At All’, these spare and sparse arrangements, with only Kent’s husband, Jim Tomlinson on tenor sax and flute, and bassist Jeremy Brown for company, go right to the heart of the song. From the scene-setting ‘Only Trust Your Heart’ to the title track, tempos are, on the whole, extremely slow, allowing the listener to fully appreciate the mellifluous dovetailing of voice and guitar. This is an extremely beautiful meeting of minds.

JAZZWISE spoke to Stacey Kent and Jim Tomlinson about the album:

Read more INTERVIEW: Stacey Kent with Jazzwise Magazine ›

REVIEW: Bettye LaVette at City Winery

ELMORE MAGAZINE-

Bettye LaVette is a force to be reckoned with. In 2015, the R&B queen celebrated 50 years in the music industry with the release of both a new album, Thankful N’ Thoughtful, and an autobiography, A Woman Like Me, in September.

This January, as part of the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters, LaVette graced the City Winery stage in New York City, bringing with her a talented host of friends, including Catherine Russell, Davina and the Vagabonds and Jack Broadbent.

 

(1/22/16)

Read more at Elmore Magazine

Bettye LaVette on TKA

FEATURE: Charles Lloyd & The Marvels To Release New Album Jan. 15 Featuring Willie Nelson & Norah Jones

On January 15, 2016, Blue Note will release I Long To See You, the profound new album from Charles Lloyd & The Marvels. The album finds the iconic saxophonist and recent NEA Jazz Master in the company of a new band featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz, along with his longtime quartet members bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland. The album also includes two remarkable guest vocal appearances by Willie Nelson and Norah Jones. All together they have created a sumptuous collection of 10 songs that range from traditional hymns to anti-war folk protests to re-envisioned Lloyd originals from his earlier recordings.

The album’s lead single “Of Course, Of Course,” a fresh reworking of the title track of his 1965 Columbia album, was released today and is available from digital retailers and on streaming services. Fans who pre-order a download of the album will receive the track right away. I Long To See You will also be released on CD and vinyl. Lloyd will also begin a run of winter tour dates with the Marvels on January 24 which will include performances in New York (Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jan. 29-30), Boston (Berklee Performance Center, Jan. 31), and Austin (Paramount Theatre, Feb. 10). Visit charleslloyd.com for more info.

(12/18/15)

<<Read more at Blue Note>>

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REVIEW: Catherine Russell at Birdland

Stephen Holden for THE NEW YORK TIMES

At a moment when the world can seem dangerously out of balance, it is still possible for a musician to convey a groundedness and a joy that don’t seem smiley-faced and goody-goody. A fine place to find it is Birdland, where the jazz singer Catherine Russell began a short run with her sextet on Tuesday evening, projecting a strength, good humor and intelligence that engulfed the room in a mood of bonhomie. She reminded you that even in the most chaotic times, there are oases of calm.The daughter of Louis Armstrong’s longtime musical director Luis Russell and the singer Carline Ray, Ms. Russell is steeped in early jazz — from Dixieland to ’40s and ’50s R&B. Ms. Russell is not a nostalgist examining the past for curiosity’s sake. The vintage songs she chose were treated as standards whose sentiments apply as much today as ever.

Read more REVIEW: Catherine Russell at Birdland ›

FEATURE: Chargaux Is Making Orchestra (So Very) Cool Again

THE HUFFINGTON POST — Meet Charly and Margaux, also known as Chargaux. They play violin and viola, respectively, but not the kind you tuned out at your high school orchestra concert. The two Brooklyn-based artists rework the traditionally classical instruments’ vibes, releasing bubbling, boiling liquid sounds, somewhere between the brashness of jazz and the mellowness of R&B.The musicians met by chance three years ago and have been playing together ever since. Their EP “Broke and Baroque” comes out next week — you can hear their single “I’m So Pretty” here — but they’ve already captured the attention of New York’s art and fashion set with their infectious and unexpected covers of songs like Beyonce’s “Partition” and Kanye’s “Flashing Lights,” which they played at last week’s Opening Ceremony fashion show. Oh yes, they also did the “cute little solo” at the end of Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe.” The fact that the ladies have flawless style themselves certainly doesn’t hurt.

Read the full feature on The Huffington Post

Chargaux on TKA

AWARD: Gary Burton 2016 NEA Jazz Masters Recipient

The National Endowment for the Arts will honor four jazz leaders – including Gary Burton – with the 2016 NEA Jazz Masters award for their significant accomplishments in the field.

This year’s honorees range from fiery saxophonists who cut their teeth with the legendary John Coltrane, to a vibraphonist who reshaped the direction of jazz by introducing rock elements, to one who has dedicated her life to assisting jazz musicians in need.

The NEA Jazz Masters award is the highest honor that our nation bestows on a jazz musician and includes a cash award of $25,000 and an award ceremony and celebratory concert, among other activities. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary events, the annual NEA Jazz Masters celebration will take place in April 2016 in the nation’s capital, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Read the full summary at the National Endowment for the Arts

Gary Burton on TKA

FEATURE: Women Who Rock: Davina and The Vagabonds

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Natalie Nyhus — We are starting a new series on the WCCO This Morning show about Minnesota women who rock.

We know all Minnesota women rock, but we are featuring the women on stage who lead with their voices and musical talents. We start with Davina from “Davina and the Vagabonds.”

We are coming out of the gate hot with this one. Davina puts a new twist on an old sound. WCCO’s Natalie Nyhus went into the home and closet of the woman who rocks a piano and killer vintage looks.

Davina, of Davina and the Vagabonds has been spreading sunshine from her piano seat since she was 6 years old.

Read more on CBS Minnesota

Davina and The Vagabonds on TKA