Van Morrison Catalog Reissues Program To Kick Off
The back catalog of Irish performer Van Morrison will become available again beginning this month. A new worldwide exclusive reissue... More
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Teddy Pendergrass Has No Problem With Covers By Others
Veteran singer Teddy Pendergrass is working on a number of new projects to celebrate his musical legacy as well as help others who are coping with spinal injuries. Recently... More
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Stanley Clark To Return To Return To Forever
Veteran bassist Stanley Clark will reunite with fellow jazz veterans to re-form the pioneering fusion quartet Return To Forever for a national tour this summer. This will mark the first time... More
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Eric Marienthal Keeps Music Conversation Flowing
Saxophonist Eric Marienthal is getting major airplay for his contemporary jazz single "Blue Water" from his current CD, Just Around The Corner. The single most recently climbed to... More
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Rick Braun & Richard Elliot Launch New Single
Trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot are set to release a new single from their duet set R'n'R. The new track is titled "Better Times" and arrives... More
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Kenny G's Next Cd To Be Sold At Starbucks
Saxophonist Kenny G's next album of Latin-flavored originals will be sold nationwide through Starbucks stores. The album Rhythm & Romance, his first recording for the Concord label, will be available... More
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John Legend Performed Christmas Benefit Show
Singer John Legend performed a benefit concert on Christmas Day, December 25th, in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio. The Coming Home Christmas Benefit Concert was staged to help... More
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Mindi Abair Applauds Josh Groban
Saxophonist Mindi Abair confesses that she is a great admirer of singer Josh Groban, whose CD Noel finished out 2007 as the top-selling album of the year with... More
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Rick Braun Looking Ahead To Next Solo Set
Trumpeter Rick Braun is celebrating the holidays with his family and a hit CD. His collaboration with business partner and saxophonist Richard Elliot, R'n'R, is one of the most... More
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Brian McKnight Shares Favorite Christmas Memories
Singer and songwriter Brian McKnight likes to spend the Christmas holidays with his children and extended family every year. The Buffalo, New York-born Grammy winner says he has wonderful memories of... More
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Jeff Lorber To Join Guitars & Saxes 2008
Keyboardist Jeff Lorber is set to join the 2008 edition of the annual Guitars & Saxes trek. While Lorber has been an anchor for a number of package tours over the years, this is his first... More
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Euge Groove Set Named Top Album Of The Year by JazzTrax
Saxophonist Euge Groove's Born 2 Groove CD topped the JazzTrax list of Top 10 CDs of the year. The set featured the title track single, which was... More
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Michael McDonald Adds Original Tunes To 'Soul Speak'
Singer Michael McDonald is preparing to release his new CD, Soul Speak, next March. As previously reported, the album will feature a collection of soul covers. The lead single is... More
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Alicia Keys To Portray Lena Horne On Screen
Alicia Keys is building up her screen resume in addition to racking up hits from her new CD As I Am. The Grammy-nominated singer is reportedly going to portray screen legend Lena Horne in... More
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Patti Austin Planning Next CD
Grammy nominated Patti Austin has revealed that her next album will be a studio set of original contemporary material. The veteran performer will be teaming up with... More
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Cab Calloway, Burt Bacharach, Max Roach to Receive Special Grammys
The Recording Academy, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards next year, has announced its slate of Lifetime Achievement Grammy honorees. Among them are iconic... More
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Kenny G Tops Contemporary Jazz Charts For 2007
Perennial chart-topper Kenny G does it again this year, with three albums in Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums year end chart. Also named the top... More
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Alicia Keys To Be Saluted At BET Honors
Singer Alicia Keys will be among the honorees at the 2008 BET Honors, set for next month. The inaugural event, to be presented January 12th in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to... More
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Gamble & Huff To Get Rock Hall Induction
Songwriter-producers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, responsible for the influential "Sound Of Philadelphia" brand of pop soul, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as the first... More
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Kenny G To Host 30 Hours Of Commercial-free Holiday Music
This Christmas, join Kenny G as he hosts 30 hours of commercial-free holiday music! It all starts at 6pm Christmas Eve and runs until midnight Christmas night.... More
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Brian Culbertson 'Soulful Christmas' Tour Update
Keyboardist Brian Culbertson is in the middle of this year's Soulful Christmas holiday tour, named after his 2006 album A Soulful Christmas. The tour features... More
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Rick Braun Says Creative Stagnation A Problem In The Music Industry
Trumpeter Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot have a hit record on their hands with the chart-topping collaborative effort, R 'n' R. The album evolved from a series of informal, fun studio sessions with... More
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Michael McDonald To Release 'Soul Speak' In March
Singer Michael McDonald will release a new album called Soul Speak on March 11th, mostly made up of covers. However, unlike his two previous bestselling covers collections... More
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Mariah Carey Gets A Top Ten Single For Christmas
Digital sales of Mariah Carey's 1994 holiday single "All I Want For Christmas Is You" have reportedly landed it at Number Eight on the sales charts this week. The track also... More
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Remembering Grover Washington Jr.
December 12th marks what would have been saxophonist Grover Washington Jr 's 64th birthday. A prolific saxophonist who recorded more than 25 albums in his 30-year career and pioneered the fusion of pop and jazz, Washington died of... More
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Marvin Gaye's 'Here, My Dear' Reissued
The late Marvin Gaye's 1978 album Here, My Dear, which he wrote about the breakup of his marriage, is being reissued as a double-disc set with special bonus materials on January 15th. The expanded edition package includes... More
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Aretha Franklin Considering Biopic Casting
Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin has just released Jewels in the Crown: All-Star Duets with The Queen of Soul, which pairs her with such peers as Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Keith Richards...More
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Rick Braun Says 'R N' R' Recording Was All About Having Fun
Rick Braun and saxophonist Richard Elliot have a hit record on their hands with the chart-topping collaborative effort, R 'n' R. The set, released on their own ARTizen label, is the first full album that... More
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Steely Dan Plans New Album and Tour
Steely Dan is setting its sights on a new album, followed by a summer 2008 tour. Donald Fagen told Reuters that he's "back into songwriting mode" -- both solo material and with Steely Dan. He revealed that... More
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Rick Braun Says Duo Hit With Richard Elliot Has A Third Party
Rick Braun and Richard Elliot have been enjoying the public response to "R 'n' R," the title track from their new collaborative CD. The tune has landed at... More
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'Emeril Live' Ends Opportunities For Smooth Jazz Artists
Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse will end his decade on the hit Food Network show Emeril Live! with a final studio taping in New York December 11th. The loss of the Food Network show is also a loss for musicians... More
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Babyface Says 'Fire and Rain' Is Song of Hope
Babyface has charmed fans with his version of the James Taylor classic "Fire And Rain," which has been re-recorded by a number of artists over the years. The meaning of the song has also been debated over the years, with some seeing it as... More
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Patti Austin Nabs Grammy Noms For 'Avant-Gershwin'
Veteran performer Patti Austin earned a Grammy nomination for her live big-band project Avant-Gershwin, which celebrates the music of the revered American songwriter George Gershwin. The nominations, announced in Los Angeles, revealed that... More
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Dave Koz, Queen Latifah, Kirk Whalum, Spyro Gyra Get Grammy Nominations
Saxophone star Dave Koz, keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, and veteran band Spyro Gyra were among the contemporary jazz and instrumental pop acts recognized the morning of December 6th, among the 2008 Grammy nominees. Also garnering recognition are... More
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Frank Sinatra To Be Honored With U.S. Postal Stamp
Frank Sinatra will be honored by the U.S. Postal Service, who announced December 5th that a stamp commemorating him will be... More
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Seal Says 'System' Is Designed As Entertainment
British singer and songwriter Seal says that his new CD, The System, works on a number of levels. While he was inspired to... More
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Jonathan Butler Calls Performing in South Africa 'Emotional'
Singer and guitarist Jonathan Butler recently released Live In South Africa, his first live recording and DVD to be released in his home country. Butler, a native of Capetown, said... More
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Kelly Rowland, Patti LaBelle Michael Bolton in 'Clash of the Choris'
Singers Kelly Rowland, Patti LaBelle, Michael Bolton, Nick Lachey, and Blake Shelton will compete in a brand new reality show to create the ultimate performance choir. The five will face off in... More
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Lalah Hathaway Readying Her 'Self Portrait'
Vocalist Lalah Hathaway has begun working on her next CD, which is tentatively titled Self Portrait. Her first release for the revived Stax label is expected sometime in the spring of 2008. Hathaway is... More
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Dave Koz 'At the Movies' to be Released in Expanded Edition
Dave Koz's popular At The Movies CD of favorite movie themes will be re-released in February in a special deluxe edition together with a new DVD. Blue Note will issue... More
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George Becomes Part of Heads Up Int'l Family
Veteran keyboardist and producer George Duke has signed a recording and distribution agreement with Heads Up International for his next CD release, due sometime in September of 2008. Duke's next CD release will... More
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Marcus Miller's U.S. Release CD due in February
The new CD by Grammy-winning bassist Marcus Miller will be titled simply Marcus when it is released in the U.S. this February. The project had been... More
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Candy Dulfer in Sweet Spot with 'L.A. City Lights'
Saxophonist Candy Dulfer has another smooth jazz hit on her hands with the track "L.A. City Lights," which reached the Number One spot on... More
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Queen Latifah Inspired by Quincy Jones Sound
Singer Queen Latifah mixed pop and R&B songs of the '70s with big band selections from earlier eras for her current CD release Traveling' Light. Included on the disk are selections like "I Love Being Here With You," which makes references to... More
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Jeff Kashiwa Has Fondness for Pop Music
Saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa says that with all of his jazz training, he still has a weakness for pop music. The artist, who released his CD Play earlier this year, says... More
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Dave Koz's 'Winter Night' Makes Number One
Saxophonist Dave Koz gets a special gift for the holiday season. His new CD Memories Of A Winter's Night, moves to Number One on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart this week. The boost was to the top spot was sparked by... More
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Gerald Levert Remembered by Jim Brickman
The late singer Gerald Levert is featured on the new holiday CD by keyboardist Jim Brickman, titled Homecoming. Levert, who passed away a year ago from... More
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Happy Birthday Will Downing
Happy birthday wishes to vocalist and composer Will Downing, who celebrates his 44th birthday November 29, 2007. The singer is currently battling... More
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Dave Koz on the Road Again with Holiday Tour
Busy saxophonist Dave Koz kicked off the tenth annual version of his Dave Koz & Friends A Smooth Jazz Christmas tour... More
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