Music News Net

MADELEINE PEYROUX Announces The Blue Room Album, and Concert Dates

MUSIC NEWS-  Madeleine Peyroux's new album The Blue Room has been revealed for a March 5^th release, from Decca Records.  The Blue Room sees Madeleine and longtime collaborator / legendary producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock), re-examine Ray Charles' classic, and one of his most controversial albums, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music. 

"Ray's 'cultural landmark' album has always been a part of me," says Klein. "Madeleine naturally came to mind with this project. Much like Charles who in 1962 jelled R & B, Gospel, Country and Jazz, Madeleine is at a nexus of styles. She comes from the same places, blending Jazz, Blues, Country and
Pop."  The duos' concept was in no way intended to replicate the instrumentation, arrangements, style or sequence of the original album. Instead, Madeleine and Mr Klein represented the artistic freedom Ray exhibited, using imagination to break down musical categories and barriers.   

Newport Folk Fest and Newport Jazz Fest 2013 Dates Announced

Music News - George Wein, Chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc., has
announced the dates of the 2013 Folk and Jazz festivals in Newport, RI.  The 2013 Newport Folk Festival will be held July 27 & 28 and the Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management is set for August 2 thru 4. Additional information will be announced in the coming months.

"Following this year's Folk Festival that sold out three months in advance and one of the best Jazz Festivals ever, we want to make sure that music fans have the 2013 dates now.
More than 40,000 people attended the two festivals, many from throughout the area and from around the world. Music lovers are already looking toward next year's concerts and it is helpful to give them the opportunity to schedule travel and lodging plans as early as possible," said Wein, who has produced the Jazz and Folk festivals since their inceptions in 1954 and 1959, respectively.

For more information on the Newport Festivals, visit www.newportfolkfest.net and www.newportjazzfest.net.

NPR Music Hosting Live Broadcasts of Newport Folk & Jazz Fests

MUSIC NEWS- For five decades, music fans have gathered in Newport, RI, over consecutive weekends to celebrate two storied genres. NPR Music, together ith partner radio stations, honors this tradition by continuing to mark a new one – bringing George Wein’s Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival to the world for the fifth straight year. The weekends of July 27-29 and August 4-5 audiences can enjoy exclusive digital and on-air broadcasts of dozens of concerts, beginning Friday, July 27 with the trifecta of Wilco, Blitzen Trapper and  Megafaun.

At the Folk Festival on July 27, 28 and 29, NPR Music teams with WFUV New York; FolkAlley.com (WKSU) Kent, Ohio; and mvyradio in Martha’s Vineyard and Newport to bring audiences an array of shows. The following weekend on August 4 and 5, NPR Music joins WBGO Jazz 88.3FM Newark and 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio to present performances from the Jazz Festival.

Newport Jazz Fest 2012 Kicks Off New Orleans Style with Dr John

MUSIC NEWS - The 2012 Newport Jazz Festival® presented by Natixis Global Asset Management will laissez les bons temps rouler on Friday, August 3, at 8:00 pm at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino with a tribute to the birthplace of Jazz.

Bourbon Street Comes to Bellevue Avenue: Newport Salutes New Orleans will serve up the sounds of Dr. John and the Lower 911 featuring Jon Cleary, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in a 50^th Anniversary celebration and special guests Catherine Russell and Jonathan Batiste.  In addition to the swinging music, the evening will include some of the Big Easy's next best thing - food. Newport's own Russell Morin Fine Catering will offer New Orleans-style Shrimp Po' Boys, Cajun Chicken and Tasso Jambalaya and Southern Pecan Tarts for purchase.Jazz fans are also invited to participate in A Newport Summer Tradition!, an exclusive cocktail party hosted by the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue, on Friday, 6:30pm - 7:45pm.

JACK BRUCE, VERNON REID and others Form SPECTRUM ROAD

MUSIC NEWS - Spectrum Road is a new collaboration between four notables of modern music: the legendary Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid, John Medeski and Cindy Blackman Santana.   From a shared passion for the music of legendary drummer Tony Williams, the band will release their self-titled debut album on June 5 via Palmetto Records.  Later that week, Spectrum Road celebrates its arrival with a  performance at Bonnaroo on June 9, which also serves as the first show of a USA summer concert tour. Complete tour itinerary will be announced shortly.

“To be able to play and record in this band alongside three of the most creative and stellar musicians in the world is a longtime dream come true,” said Vernon Reid. “The idea for Spectrum Road first came about in 2001 and it was the ongoing belief in the kind of record we knew we could make together that made it come to fruition.”

2012 Newport Jazz and Folk Fests Dates Announce

MUSIC NEWS- Newport Folk and Jazz Fests are a go for 2012 as today, George Wein, Chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.,  announced the dates of the 2012 Folk and Jazz festivals in Newport, RI. The Newport Folk Festival will be held July 28 & 29 and the Newport Jazz Festival is set for August 3 thru 5. Additional information will be announced in the coming months. 

"Following a sold-out 2011 Folk Festival and a very successful Jazz Festival, we want to make sure that music fans throughout the area and around the world have the 2012 dates on their calendars early," said Wein, who has produced the jazz and folk festivals since their inceptions in 1954 and 1959, respectively.

More information on the Newport Festivals, at  newportfolkfest.net and newportjazzfest.net.   Save the dates, and see you there!

Newport Folk and Jazz Fests to Simulcast Live

MUSIC NEWS - Continuing its tradition of bringing listeners the best live music from across the country, NPR Music, together with six partner radio stations, is exclusively live webcasting and broadcasting dozens of performances from this year's (sold out) Newport Folk Festival and the August 6 & 7 Newport Jazz Festival, offering four days of music from leading bands, singers and artists.  

For the Folk Festival on July 30 and 31, NPR Music and WFUV New York, FolkAlley.com (WKSU) Kent, OH, and mvyradio in Martha's Vineyard and Newport, RI are live video streaming many acclaimed acts. At the Jazz Festival on August 6 and 7, NPR Music with WBGO Newark, 89.7 WGBH Radio Boston and WICN New England are broadcasting and audio webcasting line-ups from three stages.

RETURN TO FOREVER Returns; Tour News

MUSIC NEWS - Return To Forever, the mind-blowing experimentors of jazz / rock who transformed the music world, will debut a historic new lineup this summer and return with a "must see" tour of 32 USA cities. The tour brings a re-imagined musical dimension to both the amazingly influential group and its repertoire. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, May 21.

Zappa Plays Zappa, the musical tribute to Frank Zappa, joins the bill alongside "Return To Forever IV" (RTF IV), the group's new incarnation. The RTF IV lineup includes core members Chick Corea (keyboards), Stanley Clarke (bass) and Lenny White (drums), along with Mahavishnu Orchestra alum and violin virtuoso Jean-Luc Ponty as well as guitarist Frank Gambale.

Newport Folk and Jazz Fests Get New Sponsor

MUSIC NEWS - For the first time in the history of the Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Folk Festival, one company will be a sponsor at both events. The Rhode Island jewelry designer and manufacturer Alex and Ani will sponsor the Harbor Stage at Fort Adams State Park at the Newport Folk Festival on July 30 & 31 and at the Newport Jazz Festival on August 6 & 7,  announced the Newport Festivals Foundation. 

Based in Cranston, RI, with a flagship store at Newport's Bowen's Wharf, Alex and Ani will also create limited edition charms that will be introduced and available exclusively at the 2011 Newport Folk and Newport Jazz festivals.

So Who is Grammy Winner Esperanza Spalding?

MUSIC NEWS - One of the most asked questions from last night's 53rd Grammy Awards has been- Who is Best New Esperanza Spalding?  Well, she's a bassist, singer and composer and is the first jazz musician to ever win the Best New Artist GRAMMY Award. She was nominated this year along with Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence & the Machine, and Mumford and Sons. Her inclusion in this mainstream category certainly signifies her considerable appeal to a broad audience.  

Spalding combines the imaginative flights of a serious improviser with the musical accessibility of a pop star and within two years of her solo debut has beguiled success at nearly unimaginable heights. Esperanza, her 2008 release, was on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart for 70+ weeks and was the most successful internationally selling debut that year.  

Photo Courtesy The Recording Academy(R)/WireImage.com

(c) 2011photo credit Steve Granitz

New JEFF BECK CD/DVD Release and Tour Plans

MUSIC NEWS - In addtion to his previously announced Spring 2011 tour, Jeff Beck has revealed plans for the February 22, 2011 cd / dvd release of Jeff Beck’s “Rock And Roll Party To Honor Les Paul”.  The set was recorded at New York City’s Iridium Jazz Club where Paul played every Monday night for the last 14 years!

Backing Beck as he performed Les Paul & Mary Ford classics like “How High The Moon” and “Mockin’ Bird Hill” was The Imelda May Band which will also perform with the guitar legend on his upcoming tour (full itinerary below).

Medeski Martin & Wood Reveal Summer Camp Plans for 2011

MUSIC NEWS- While we're no where near ready for Thanksgiving, it seems some are making Summer 2011 plans.  Get ready to pack up your instrument, open your mind, and enter the boundary-breaking world of jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood their Camp MMW.   Seems like an incredible opportunity for musicians of varying levels and ages, to live and study with MMW in the Catskill Mountains. Campers will gather together for five days of intensive workshops and seminars, deep listening, musical exploration, and improvisation.

This, the fourth annual Camp MMW takes place July 31 thru August 5, 2011 at the Full Moon Resort in Big Indian, NY. All types of musicians (16+), are encouraged to apply.

NEWPORT FOLK & JAZZ Fest Dates for 2011 Announced !

MUSIC NEWS - We're pleased to report that music impresario George Wein has announced the dates of the 2011 folk and jazz festivals in Newport, RI. The Newport Folk Festival will be held July 29 thru 31, 2011 and the Newport Jazz Festival is confirmed for August 5 thru 7, 2011. 

"We will announce additional information in the coming months, but we wanted to make sure that music fans throughout the area and around the world have the 2011 dates on their calendars," said Wein, who has produced the jazz and folk festivals since their inceptions in 1954 and 1959, respectively.

More information on the festivals @ www.newportfolkfest.net and www.newportjazzfest.net. 

NORAH JONES Reveals "...Featuring" Plans

MUSIC NEWS - Norah Jones has just announced plans to release ...Featuring, an album of her musical collaborations from the past decade.  The 18 songs on the November 16, 2010 releasing set include duets with such legends as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, and with 21st century icons from OutKast to the Foo Fighters. 

"A lot of the people on this record are people I've worshiped since I was a kid, and some of them are younger and more my contemporaries," says Norah.  "Even though the musicians are so varied, the vibe of the songs makes sense when we put them all together."  These collaborations reveal Jones' astonishing musical versatility, from jazz to country, hip hop to rock.  Songs on the album range from classics recorded by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Joni Mitchell to new material by such wide-ranging innovators as Ryan Adams and Q-Tip, as well as recordings by some of Jones' own bands and side projects (The Little Willies and El Madmo).

GARY HUSBAND Readies "Dirty & Beautiful Volume One", Tours With John McLaughlin

MUSIC NEWS-  Gary Husband has been consistantly defining himself as the ultimate musician's musician: a fiery, perceptive presence who elevates every scenario; from the tightly arranged to pure, open-ended improvisation.   And his newest solo album Dirty & Beautiful Volume One, available on November 16 via Abstract Logix, is a showcase for the many gleaming facets of his musical imagination. 

No surprise, as his reputation among fellow performers is stellar, the album finds drummer and keyboardist Husband joined by an enviable cast of supporting musicians, among them John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower, Steve Hackett (Genesis), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Jimmy Herring (Widepread Panic, the Dead, Allman Brothers Band), Jan Hammer, Mark King (Level 42), among others.