BRASIL BRAZIL 3 CD Release March 3rd

Brasil Brazil New CD Release!

"Brasil Brazil weave a brand of jazz that fits seamlessly into the fabric of world music. Their show is energetic and inspiring,
not to mention musically remarkable."
-Leta McLaughlin - OC Weekly/ Orange County

"With a lavish splash of color this happy ensemble educates and entertains with the best of Brazilian Jazz".
-Mark Bialczak - Herald American Post/ NY

Internationally renowned singers, Ana Gazzola & Sonia Santos, once again bring the liveliness and flavor of Brazilian music and culture to their new CD release, “Brasil Brazil 3.” This is the third CD under this name which includes, “Brasil Brazil 1” and “Brasil Brazil 2” and these native Brazilian song birds have recorded solo CDs (“Sorte” for Sonia Santos and “Brazilicious” for Ana Gazzola) along with two DVD’s, ”Brasil Brazil Live At The Syracuse Jazz Festival” and “Brasil Brazil LA Live.”

With their strong rhythmic African roots, these two experienced vocalists have put together a band of top quality musicians from the North and South of Brazil that includes an exciting and colorful stage show. The musical authenticity and versatility of the Brasil Brazil band is spiced with Latin and African drumming tinged with a hint of jazz, contemporary and original arrangements that present all the rhythms and faces of this colorful and tropical culture. The addition of a variety of unique percussion instruments played skillfully by these high energy ladies and their band members leaves audiences of all ages entertained and educated about the music of Brazil and the music of their souls.

Both Sonia and Ana had successful musical careers in Brazil before they decided to venture out into the international world music scene. After extensive touring, they met in Los Angeles, realized they had the same goals and formed their own successful company, Yellow Green Productions. Their current release, “Brasil Brazil 3”, is a joyful experience continuing to demonstrate the spiritual conviction of union, love and peace that is the trademark of their performances.

For more about Brasil Brazil go to: www.BrasilBrazilShow.com
Distributed by City Hall Records and available at iTunes and CDBaby.com

Saltman Knowles Review: Blogcritics.org

Music Review: SaltmanKnowles - Return of the Composer

Written by Kit O'Toole
Published December 22, 2008

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/12/22/024553.php
Blogcritics.org - published by Eric Olsen
Blogcritics is an online magazine, a community of writers and readers from around the globe.

Fans of modern jazz should seek out SaltmanKnowles’ newest release, Return of the Composer. The Washington, D.C.-based jazz group includes Mark Saltman (bass), William A. Knowles (piano), Lori Williams Chisholm (vocals), Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson (drums), Rob Landham (alto saxophone), and Alvin Trask (trumpet). The band cites Billy Strayhorn, Horace Silver, and Charles Mingus as major influences. This somewhat free-form type of jazz pervades their fourth release.

The group makes heavy use of vocalese throughout the album, with Williams Chisholm’s voice becoming another instrument on such cuts as “Bellport,” where she trades lines with the saxophonist. During the Brazilian-tinged “A Study in Purple,” her voice complements the elaborate percussion. Her soulful vocals add a touch of soul on “Seeds and Deeds,” while Jackson’s drums and Saltman’s bass provide a driving, almost funky beat.

While vocalese is prominently featured, the deft instrumental skills of the band still impress. “Homeland” features an extended (and blazing fast) saxophone solo by Landham, and “Shalom and Salaam” works due to the tight syncopation of Knowles, Landham, Trask, and Saltman. Once again the saxophone and piano solos are the true standouts, their improvisation accompanying but never dominating the driving beat and melody. Trask occupies the spotlight on the midtempo “Disfavor,” his muted trumpet skillfully navigating the frequent tempo fluctuations. Landham and Trask trade lines, never overshadowing the other’s playing.

The lone track featuring actual lyrics, “Pain Management” serves as a welcome respite from the scatting and instrumental songs. The tune begins as a lament, suddenly launching into a ripping saxophone solo. The real star of “Pain Management,” though, remains Jackson’s intricate percussion. He consistently impresses with his ability to smoothly change the tempo throughout the song without any abrupt transitions.

SaltmanKnowles enjoys performing as a “cohesive unit,” and Return of the Composer exemplifies this statement. The musicians complements one another, letting a player solo while the others play an accompanying melody or beat. Williams Chisholm appears very comfortable with singing vocalese, her scatting providing the perfect instrumentation or flourish for various songs. It’s refreshing to hear straightforward modern jazz performed by some excellent artists, encapsulating traditional improvisation while occasionally injecting some soul and funk into the music. Any fan of modern jazz will enjoy Return of the Composer, and it will be interesting to see how SaltmanKnowles continuously evolves in the jazz genre.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Wishing all of you a very Happy Holiday season.

Thanks for all your support of our artists and for keeping the music alive!

From all of us at SV Media Relations



Look for our future releases coming in 2009:
Danny Green, "With You In Mind" - Release date January 20th
Saltman Knowles, "Return of the Composer" - Release date February 10th
Brasil Brazil, "Brazil Brasil 3" - Release date February 27th
Ramana Vieira, "Lagrimas De Rainha (Tears of a Queen)" - Release date March 24th
(Christmas tree image from: http://www.freefoto.com)

REVIEW POINT BLOG features Saltman Knowles

Saltman Knowles: "Return of the Composer"

Review by Dennis Brotz, guest author at:

Review Point (Blogcritics.org) site of Paul Jordan

http://reviewpoint.blogspot.com/2008/12/saltman-knowles-return-of-composer.html

Sunday, December 14
The legendary author of Slaughterhouse Five, and many other books, Kurt Vonnegut, used to be fond of saying

"The United States of America has come up with only two good new things: Alcoholics Anonymous and jazz."

The first, with it's 12-Step Program now adapted to over 200 different addictions and problems, spiritually awakens even atheists to taste Heaven - and sometimes Beyond - Now. Great art similarly can take even absolute misery and make us experience it as sublime. Or Better. Such is the jazz CD Return of the Composer by Saltman Knowles.

Jazz is quite sophisticated music. So much so that it's usually beyond me. But then I'm lucky if I like one or two new songs a year from any genre. And for me melody is the key. If the melody's not immediately compelling, forget it, I can't pay attention. Occasionally a song can grow on me beyond how it originally strikes me. For example, a first listen to Jewel's Pieces of You album bounced off me almost completely, as did Losing my Religion by R.E.M. and Imagine by John Lennon. Now I more than love them. Songs like Time of the Season by the Zombies and Let's Live for Today by the Grass Roots bowled me over immediately. Now you get my range...

Saltman Knowles members seem to be among some of the most highly credentialed in their genre. Reading their bios is the only way to fully appreciate this. Of relevance to me is the fact that one of Mark Saltman's most striking major influences was Dr. Yusef Lateef, the great American multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator whom Mark met while attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Discussions, according to Mark, would involve

"all kinds of things, including music, religion, and politics. He is Muslim and I am Jewish, so we really went into the whole religious thing. It was totally respectful and totally enlightening."

And - more than coincidentally? - at the heart of the Middle East conflict and terrorism today. Lateef also encouraged Mark to find his "own sound within." Wherein the Divine resides. Or, as Christ put it to the Pharisees, who didn't believe in him, "The Kingdom of God comes not with observation. You can't say, 'Look! There it is!' Or, 'Behold! It is there!' For the Kingdom of God is within you." Or, as the old saying goes: "We don't see the world as it is, but as we are." The Greeks claimed the influence of the goddess Muses. Their art then helping us tap into our own Divine Spark within!

Mark is also an educator in the Washington, D.C. schools and likes exploring the relationship between sound and color in the study of Synaesthesia. Cutting-edge stuff at a time when it's being demonstrated that we humans actually have at least 53 senses, and not just the 5 Aristotle named a long long time ago. He also said that a fly had eight legs. And almost no one bothered to check otherwise - to discover they only had 6 - until centuries later... And then, natch, there's the possibility we have a 6th or 7th Sense or Senses. Further information about all this can be found at ecopsych.com, describing Project NatureConnect, whose founder Dr. Cohen, claims it's the Grand Unified Field Theory most science claims is as yet undiscovered. William Knowles and the soulful vocalist Lori Williams-Chisholm's qualifications also bear deeper investigation and are very relevant, but the main point I'm getting at here is that - whatever the credentials - very little impresses me musically.

Great melody being an absolute requirement to open my Inner Door. And - with the help of other very skilled musicians - that very requirement seems the central bond of the two core members of Saltman Knowles in their

"mutual hunger for melodic content woven within a tapestry of harmonic emotional patterns. It all starts with a singable melody, because without that there is no glue. Then we like to do something that sounds harmonically unique...to write things that evoke very strong feelings."

Residing in a lively, culturally rich area of Washington D.C., their last release, It's About the Melody received excellent reviews and won the Best International Jazz song from Toronto Exclusive Magazine in 2007.

Some of the melodies on this album were - how to put it? - Beyond Infinitely Sweet! Far more significant was that within days of just listening to the album once, I experienced a feeling of love or Love in a Divine - or Beyond? - Sense, stronger than any I've felt in my 55 years. Coincidence? The themes on this possible masterpiece very much cut to the very spiritual heart of not only the new millennium, but the timeless. Homeland, for example, is about a longing for a place to call your own where you feel like you belong and can feel comfortable. The concept is more of a spiritual home than a physical one.

The composition Shalom and Salaam, comes from the word "peace" in Hebrew and Arabic. It uses elements from both cultures and almost all of our wishes to find a peaceful settlement to the seemingly unsolvable and extremely dangerous Middle East Conflict. Seeds and Deeds is about the deeds we do today being the seeds for things tomorrow. The Nichiren Buddhist chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" means "Devotion to the mystic law of instantaneous simultaneous cause and effect through sound vibration" wherein Awakening and Enlightenment can occur as the Experience of The Heaven Beyond Heaven. Here. Now. In this lifetime. Instant karma gonna get you!

A Pillar of Saltman was written for Mark's dad, Kopi Saltman, who passed away, and while very quiet, always tried to hold firm to his ethics and beliefs. A State of Being wherein - as described by Bill Wilson, entails very special almost immediate Rewards: "When I follow the dictates of a Higher Power, I presently live in a new and wonderful world - that gets increasingly wonderful as time goes on - no matter what my present circumstances". Pain Management is a song for the broken hearted. She ran off with another man. Saltman Knowles renders this so the listener gets a sublime experience, though not necessarily immediately. The smiles of almost outrageous joy on the CD cover reflect a genuine condition of being that the music inside actually creates or elicits in the listener. Sometimes with a delayed-effect.

As our spiritual, emotional, psychological, artistic, and political landscapes unfold and develop - with always some initial growing pain - very painful in many circumstances - into a potential New Golden Age such as humanity has never seen before, perhaps even ushering in a New Heaven and a new Earth, God knows we can use all the Help we can get. Enlightening some of our suffering. And in that sort of suffering, the Buddha informs us, the sufferer leaves. Saltman Knowles' "Return of the Composer" gives Precisely That State of Being - and in this humble listener's opinion - beyond sublimely more, just opens New Eden's door. Nothing more is a chore.

Saltman Knowles Joins Pacific Coast Jazz Label; “Return of the Composer” slated for February 10

San Diego, CA – November 30, 2008 - San Diego-based independent record label, Pacific Coast Jazz (PCJ), announces the signing of Washington, DC-based jazz ensemble, Saltman Knowles. The agreement anticipates the release of their new CD, Return of the Composer, slated for a street date of February 10, 2009.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to represent Saltman Knowles’ fifth and most impressive CD to date,” says Donna Nichols, founder and president of Pacific Coast Jazz. “This album truly confirms the compositional strength of Mark Saltman and William Knowles with a track list of sophisticated yet soulful original music.” Nichols’ label has teamed up with publicist Joy Foster of SV Media Relations and radio promoter Neal Sapper at New World N’Jazz for access to international media buying and radio promotion.

Bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles, the leaders of this seamless blending of sounds, met while attending the composition program at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and created a musical bond with similar affections for the music of Billy Strayhorn, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton and Charles Mingus, among others. “They are a true find for our artist roster,” added Nichols.

Their latest CD project, Return of the Composer, emphasizes their commitment to original music with a deep love for melodic color, texture, and groove. The group continues their journey into the creative musical exploration by including vocalist Lori Williams-Chisholm as an instrumental effect doing vocalease on many of the songs.

Pacific Coast Jazz, founded in 2003, is a boutique jazz label that also offers artist management services. All PCJ artists are distributed worldwide by MVD Audio/Big Daddy Music. For information on Pacific Coast Jazz, visit: www.pacificcoastjazz.com. For more information and interviews with Saltman Knowles, visit www.saltmanknowles.com or contact Joy Foster at SVMediaRelations@gmail.com.

PACIFIC COAST JAZZ LABEL NEW RELEASES

PACIFIC COST JAZZ (PCJ) Label presents:

Danny Green "With You In Mind"
Release Date: January 20, 2009
www.DannyGreen.net

Saltman Knowles "Return of the Composer"
Release Date: February 10, 2009
www.SaltmanKnowles.com

For press review copies or interviews contact:
SV Media Relations
SVMediaRelations@gmail.com

Radio Promotion:
Neal Sapper, New World N' Jazz

Sheila Jordan "Winter Sunshine" CD Review

CD REVIEW:
From Rifftides- Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/


Sheila Jordan, Winter Sunshine (Justin Time).

The first word in the CD's title may refer to Jordan's age, the second to the quality of her singing. She is seventy-nine and sounds thirty. Part of her schtick in this live recording at Montreal's Upstairs club is to tell the audience how tired she is, but she doesn't sound tired. She sounds like a young bebop and ballad singer with sunshine in her voice. If there must be scatting, let it be the kind of canny scatting Jordan does in "I Remember You" and her montage of "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" and "Little Willie Leaps." She praises pianist Steve Amirault, bassist Kieran Overs and drummer André White...for good reason. The chatter between songs wears thin after two or three hearings, but it is on separate tracks, and most CD players are programmable.

"In A Mellow Tone" music of Sheila Jordan and Ellen Johnson

November 14, 2008

PLAYLIST for "In A Mellow Tone" on

NOVEMBER 19, 2008

Ron Sweetman's “In A Mellow Tone” can be heard on CKCU-FM every Wednesday from 9 to 11 PM EST at 93.1 FM in the Ottawa region and around the world on Internet Radio.

Ron Sweetman

Ron Sweetman has been an activist for jazz and blues since arriving in Canada in 1969. He was a founder member of L’Atelier de Musique Experimentale (1972), Jazz Ottawa (1976), and Music Now (1997). He has written for CODA magazine since 1970, and has been a member of the Down Beat International Critics Poll since 1982. He has hosted his weekly jazz and blues radio show “In A Mellow Tone” on CKCU-FM 93.1 since May 1976. In his spare time, Ron is a management consultant. Ron can be reached via email at: ronsweetman[at]kalixo[dot]com.

SHEILA JORDAN


The greatest living jazz singer, Sheila Jordan, turns 80 on November 18th. In this tribute program, we’ll trace her recording career from 1962 to 2008.

Artist: Sheila Jordan with Aki Takase
Album: ABC
Tune: I Hear Your Music
Label: Eastwind

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Portrait of Sheila
Tune: Am I Blue
Label: Blue Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Portrait of Sheila
Tune: Falling In Love with love
Label: Blue Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Portrait of Sheila
Tune: Hum Drum Blues
Label: Blue Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Portrait of Sheila
Tune: Let’s Face the Music and Dance
Label: Blue Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan with George Russell Sextet
Album: Things New
Tune: You Are My Sunshine
Label: RLM

Artist: Sheila Jordan with Roswell Rudd
Album: Blown Bone
Tune: Blues for the Planet Earth
Label: Emanen

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Lost & Found
Tune: The Very Thought of You
Label: Muse

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Lost & Found
Tune: Anthropology
Label: Muse

Artist: Sheila Jordan with Vienna Art Orchestra
Album: Quiet Ways: Ballads
Tune: If You Could See Me Now
Label: Amadeo

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Jazz Child
Tune: Everything Happens To Me
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan & Theo Bleckmann
Album: Jazz Child
Tune: Oh Henry
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Little Song
Tune: Little Song
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Little Song
Tune: Blackbird
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Little Song
Tune: Barbados
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: Blue Skies
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: All Blues
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: Freddie Freeloader
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: Humdrum Blues
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: Mood Indigo
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: Celebration
Tune: Sheila’s Blues
Label: High Note

Artist: Sheila Jordan & Ellen Johnson
Album: These Days
Tune: Little Messenger
Label: Vocal Visions

Artist: Sheila Jordan & Ellen Johnson
Album: These Days
Tune: The Crossing
Label: Vocal Visions

Artist: Sheila Jordan
Album: From A Mother’s Heart
Tune: Dat Dere
Label: Vocal Visions

Sheila Jordan Review and NY TImes Listing

Review: Chris Spector, Midwest Record www.midwestrecord.com

11/13/08
SHEILA JORDAN/Winter Sunshine-Live at Upstairs: Reprising her 76th birthday recording with a set for her 80th birthday, this grande dame of jazz vocal shows about as much signs of slowing down as Marian McPartland. Certainly a survivor with a rich jazz history under her belt, she didn’t think she’d live to make this recording as the last birthday recording was done the night before surgery to fix a 99% blocked artery. None of that has slowed her down showing her to be a perfect example of music keeping you young. A stellar set for jazz vocal fans that want it old school without having to sit through the lessons. (Justin Time)

Listing: 11/13/08 - New York Times

SHEILA JORDAN (Tuesday through Thursday) Ms. Jordan is what they call a musician’s singer, sure of phrase and light on her feet. For this celebratory engagement, which kicks off on her 80th birthday, she corrals a handful of the players with whom she has a good rapport, including the pianist Steve Kuhn, the bassist David Finck and the drummer Billy Drummond. (Also on hand: a string quartet stocked with improvisers like the violinist Mark Feldman.) At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 60th Street and Broadway, (212) 258-9595, jalc.org; cover, $35, with a minimum of $10 at tables, $5 at the bar. (Chinen)

Politics and All that Jazz...

It's been a long time coming... but finally we not only have an historic moment in our political landscape but the promise of good music too!

I have to admit it feels good to know that our President-Elect enjoys the music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. He's listening to that on his iPod. And I'm glad that he keeps an open mind to listen to other types of music too because that speaks well of how he will govern our nation.
Listening with the ability to hear.

Not to mention some of his other favorites are old-school soul (Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire ), and classical (Yo-Yo Ma). Oh yeah, and he thinks we should have arts in the schools.

Sounds like he might be a political jazz cat. Louis, Duke, Bird, Count, Mingus, Miles, Coltrane, Betty, Shirley, Billie, and the rest are smiling now. Let the swinging and improv begin!

Sheila Jordan CD Release "Winter Sunshine"

Justin Time Records releases the new live recording
from Sheila Jordan, "Winter Sunshine".

Musicians:
Sheila Jordan, vocals | Steve Amirault, piano | Kieran Overs, bass | André White, drums

Songs include:
Comes Love, I Remember You, Lady Be Good, Whose Little Angry Man Are You, Dat Dere, Ballad For Miles, Little Willie Leaps, The Crossing, Sheila's Blues

Entirely non-derivative, Sheila Jordan is one of only a tiny handful of jazz singers who fully deserve the appellation and for whom no other term will do. This live set captures her refreshingly unusual musical imagination, her indomitable spirit and her hilarious between-song banter (separately indexed), which will have you alternately laughing and crying. This release coincides with Sheila’s 80th birthday! (Nov 18).

Information from: http://www.justin-time.com/works/JUST_233-2/

CD REVIEW: Danny Green, "With You In Mind"

CD Reviews: Danny Green, “With You In Mind”

By: Edward Blanco

Danny Green is a pianist and composer from San Diego who makes an

impressive debut with this first album blending Brazilian and Latin jazz

elements with a taste of mainstream and classical nuances to forge one heck of

a recording. Except for Danilo Perez’s “Suite For The Americas,” a tune

containing strong Latin influences, Green contributes ten varied originals

running the gamut in style from the Brazilian flavor of “Baio Pra Voce” and

“Doctor Pasta,” to the beautiful mainstream title track and the classical finale

“Lullaby for A Poet.”

He attributes his passion for Brazilian music to the time spent at California’s

Brazil Camp and this passion is well played out here where Green lays down

hot tones playing the piano, Fender Rhodes and the Melodica. Also

performing on this album is Justin Grinnell (bass), Dylan Savage (drums),

Tripp Sprague (soprano sax) and Allan Phillips on percussions.

The music starts off with three Brazilian colored tunes but none match the

lively and bouncy meter of “Jellyfish” influenced by the music of Jovino

Santos-Neto. The following piece “Gigi” is a showcase number for Green

where he dominates the melody only to step aside for a tasteful solo from

bassist Grinnell. Green performs on the Melodica on the samba-shaded “Panic

Nap” and shares the spot light with saxophonist Sprague on the last Brazilian

influenced piece on the album, “The Last Minute.”

While the majority of the music falls within the Brazilian/Latin camps, the

best composition on the album has to be the title track written by Green as a

dedication to his girlfriend, now fiancé. “With You In Mind” is a gorgeous soft

love ballad where Green shines on the keys laying down excellent piano lines.

The other tender mainstream jazz number on the disc is the cushy ballad piece

“Off The Streets.”

With You In Mind is more than well worth the spin, it is indeed a brilliant

musical statement from pianist Danny Green, one of the new young lions of

jazz that I’m sure we will be hearing more of in the future. For the present

however, you may want to give this new album a listen, I guarantee you won’t

be disappointed.

Year: 2008

Label: Alante Records

Artist Web: www.dannygreen.net

Source: www.ejazznews.com

NPR Radio Features Sheila Jordan on Jazzset

NPR Radio Airs
JAZZSET WITH DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER

Jazz Vocalist Sheila Jordan Honored In Concert
By Becca Pulliam


To Listen: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96317824

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, October 30, 2008- At the Kennedy Center in Washington,D.C., long-stemmed roses are wrapped in a big red ribbon on the stage, and words like "innovative and passionate" are used to honor vocalist Sheila Jordan with the 2008 Mary Lou Williams Award for a Lifetime of Service to Jazz.

Jordan accepts the honor by thanking Kennedy Center artistic advisor Dr. Billy Taylor — "always in my corner then and now" — as well as George Russell, who "put me on record for the first time," and "all the young singers throughout the years, the instrumentalists, my beautiful daughter, and most of all, I want to thank the Bird, Charlie Parker," a great friend and inspiration."

Then Jordan improvises, saying in song that she's nervous, and that every time she comes to Washington, D.C., she thinks of her dear friend: fellow singer and lifelong Washingtonian, the late Shirley Horn. Now that she's nearing her 80th birthday on Nov. 18, Jordan is making a new record with a string quartet. She says that it's been her desire ever since Charlie Parker with Strings came out. "He was like my big brother; nothing romantic," she adds, answering an
unspoken question. One thing Jordan does not do is listen over and over to her recordings: "Hear it once, let it go!" she says.

JORDAN'S SET LIST
"Lucky to Be Me" (from On the
Town by Bernstein Comden &
Green)
"Dat Dere" (lyric by Oscar Brown
Jr., music by Bobby Timmons)
"Ballad for Miles/It Never Entered
My Mind" (Jordan/Rodgers & Hart)
"Sheila's Blues"

JORDAN'S BAND
Steve Kuhn: piano
David Finck: bass
Billy Drummond: drums

Sheila Jordan 80th Birthday Celebration in New York

New York, NY, October 21, 2008 : One of the remaining legends of jazz vocals, Sheila Jordan, celebrates her 80th birthday with a series of performances November 18th – 20th at Dizzy’s Coca Cola along with the Steve Kuhn Trio and String Quartet featuring Steve Kuhn, piano; David Finck, bass; Billy Drummond, drums; Mark Feldman, violin; Barry Finclair, violin; Vincent Lionti, viola; Harold Birston, cello. Set times are 9:30 and 10:30 with reservations required. Contact 212.258.9595 or visit http://www.jalc.org/.

All Music Guide says that vocalist Sheila Jordan is "one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers." Starting with her 1962 debut Blue Note recording Portrait of Sheila, Jordan has become an iconic jazz figure, influencing many other artists in the jazz vocal genre. The New York Times raves, "Her ballad performances are simply beyond the emotional and expressive capabilities of most other vocalists."

One of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers, Sheila Jordan has a relatively small voice, but has done the maximum with her instrument. She is one of the few vocalists who can improvise logical lyrics (which often rhyme), she is a superb scat singer, and is also an emotional interpreter of ballads. Yet despite her talents, Jordan spent much of the 1960s and '70s working at a conventional day job. She studied piano when she was 11 and early on, sang vocalese in a vocal group. Jordan moved to New York in the 1950s, was married to Duke Jordan (1952-62), studied with Lennie Tristano, and worked in New York clubs. George Russell used her on an unusual recording of "You Are My Sunshine" and she became one of the few singers to lead her own Blue Note album (1962).

However, it would be a decade before she appeared on records again, working with Carla Bley, Roswell Rudd, and co-leading a group with Steve Kuhn in the late '70s. Jordan recorded a memorable duet album with bassist Arild Andersen for SteepleChase in 1977, and has since teamed up with bassist Harvie Swartz on many occasions. By the 1980s, Sheila Jordan was finally performing jazz on a full-time basis and gaining the recognition she deserved 20 years earlier. She recorded as a leader (in addition to the Blue Note session) for East Wind, Grapevine, SteepleChase, Palo Alto, Blackhawk, and Muse, resurfacing in 1999 with Jazz Child. - by Scott Yanow from All Music Guide

For more information about Ms Jordan go to: www.sheilajordanjazz.com

The Jazz Radio Toolbar For Jazz Music Fans

http://www.jazz-toolbar.com/index.htm

I just discovered a new community for jazz lovers, The Jazz Radio toolbar.

You can get it to go right to your toolbar so you can listen to jazz and be informed 24 hours a day!

Here's the info from their website but check it out for yourself:
The Jazz Radio toolbar is a totally free browser add-on, that is meant for Jazz music fans to listen to jazz radio stations online. The highlight of the toolbar is a radio player with over 100 jazz radio stations broadcasting worldwide,including podcasts.

You can always define your own stations and add them to the radio by yourself. Beside the radio, the add-on contains rich content from the world of Jazz : Music reviews, new albums, news , jazz clubs, festivals and events around the world, tickets, and more content updates weekly.

San Diego Pianist Danny Green Joins Pacific Coast Jazz

San Diego, CA – October 9, 2008 - San Diego-based independent record label, Pacific Coast Jazz (PCJ), announces the addition of San Diego-based Brazilian jazz pianist, Danny Green, to their roster of distinctive artists. Green’s own independent label, Alante Recordings, will now be an associate label under the Pacific Coast Jazz umbrella.
This affiliation anticipates the release of Green’s first solo release With You In Mind, slated for a street date of January 20, 2009. “The quality of Danny’s work is outstanding and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to high quality independent artists,” says Donna Nichols, founder and president of Pacific Coast Jazz. Nichols’ label has teamed up with publicist Joy Foster of SV Media Relations and radio promoter Neal Sapper at New World N’Jazz and will give Alante Records access to international media buying and retail distribution.

Clearly Danny Green has managed to carve out a place for himself in the lineup of young San Diego jazz artists who have a pulse on keeping the tradition of jazz piano alive while stepping boldly into the future through the use of cultural sounds and world music rhythms. With You In Mind is Danny’s debut solo outing and was co-produced with Allan Phillips and features Justin Grinnell (bass), Dylan Savage (drums), Allan Phillips (percussion) and Tripp Sprague (soprano saxophone). In With You In Mind Danny Green combines both Brazilian and Latin influences and cradles them in mainstream jazz and classical nuances. As a result of Danny’s musical influences his sound comes across to listeners as a pianistic mixture of Bill Evans, Brad Mehldau, Danilo Perez, and Ravel with original compositions emerging from the sincerity of his soul. “A beautiful addition to our artist roster,” added Nichols.

Pacific Coast Jazz, founded in 2003, is a boutique jazz label that also offers artist management services. All PCJ artists are distributed worldwide by MVD Audio/Big Daddy Music. For more information on Pacific Coast Jazz, please visit: www.pacificcoastjazz.com. For media information or interviews with Danny Green, please contact: Joy Foster at SV Media Relations at: SVMediaRelations@gmail.com. Visit Danny Green’s website at: www.dannygreen.net

Meet Sound Visions Media & Pacific Coast Jazz

I'm busy, as usual at SV Media Relations, spreading the word about all the great musicians at Sound Visions Media (http://www.SoundVisionsMedia.com).
I also want to introduce you to another wonderful label, Pacific Coast Jazz (http://www.PacificCoastJazz.com).

Both of these companies have amazing artists in the genres of jazz, world music, improvised music, smooth jazz, inspirational and anything they think is quality music in those areas.

Some of the new releases and events for both of these companies that we are helping to promote includes:

Danny Green, "With You In Mind" (Pacific Coast Jazz)
Don Braden, "Gentle Storm"
Judi Silvano, "Cleome: Live Takes"
Sheila Jordan's 80th Birthday Celebration at Dizzy's in New York
Educational releases: "You Sing Jazz" and "Modern Chord Melody" by John Stowell

We''ll be updating you on all of these projects in the days to come.
If you have already heard some of these releases let us know what you think.
If you are a journalist and would like to receive a review copy please contact me and I'll be happy to be your errand girl for jazz.

Keeping you informed

This blog is for jazz fans, jazz journalists, jazz labels, or any other kind of jazz media service.

I'll be keeping you posted on what's happening at SV Media Relations and anything else that might be of interest.

You can find our press releases, new releases, coming releases and just a sense of release by visiting this blog.

I'm just the errand girl...you do the rest!