Like a siren’s call, Bette Smith’s beautifully rich, soulful singing voice has not only attracted the attention of music critics from such prestigious publications as Billboard, Rolling Stone and The New York Times as well as fans from all over the globe, but it has also attracted some extremely talented musicians. Earlier this year, celebrated blues guitarist Kirk Fletcher joined Smith on her version of “Dance Monkey,” and now Minneapolis music legend Jesse Johnson has partnered with Smith for a brand new recording of Maroon 5’s “Memories.” Johnson, whose tenure as lead guitarist with The Time had him collaborating with The Purple One (Prince) and later Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul and many others, lays down a superb retro, guitar-driven groove, weaving in tasteful, shimmering guitar licks in between Smith’s confident singing. Together, this pair create a version of Maroon 5’s smash hit song that is truly memorable!
 
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/3bIBpej-Oxw
​

For music fans everywhere, a new album by legendary Yes singer Jon Anderson is cause for celebration. But Anderson’s grand and glorious new solo album, 1000 Hands, is quite unlike any other record – it’s an event, one which the singer’s loyal legion of fans across the globe have been wildly anticipating for three decades. 
 
1000 Hands will be Anderson’s first release via his new partnership with Blue Élan Records. The album will be available digitally as well as on CD and a deluxe 180-gram double vinyl package on July 31 and can be previewed HERE
 
“I’ve spent long periods of time making some records, but I’ve never taken a journey quite like this one,” says the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. “To say that 1000 Hands has been a long time in coming would be quite an understatement, but I’m thrilled that it’s finally a reality and that my fans will now be able to hear it. And I think they’ll be delighted to hear music that’s timeless. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.” 
 
Of the label’s new signing, Blue Élan President Connor Pasich commented, “To have an artist of Jon Anderson’s caliber as part of our label family is exciting for all of us and to be able to be part of his musical legacy is priceless.” 
 
Anderson began the album (originally called Uzlot – “it means a lot of us”) nearly 30 years ago, working with a group of musicians that included Yes drummer Alan White and bassist Chris Squire. However, due to his heavy touring commitments with Yes, Anderson had to put the record on the back burner. “Before you knew it, I started getting involved in other projects and tours, and years went by,” he explains. “I would listen to the tapes from time to time and think, ‘This could have been a great album! One day I’ll finish it.’” 
 
Grammy-nominated producer Michael T. Franklin (Bruce Hornsby, Brian Wilson, Roger McGuinn) had at one point begun working on orchestrations for the album, but once again Anderson’s jammed schedule required the project to be put on hold. Finally, a year and a half ago, Anderson and Franklin got the album back on track and were determined to see it through. “Our ideas still matched,” Anderson says. “Michael knew everything I wanted to do and how I wanted the music to sound, so we agreed to go for it.” 
 
Setting up shop in Franklin’s Solar Studios in Orlando, Florida, Anderson laid down backing vocals to his original lead tracks, and Franklin called in an astonishing array of rock and jazz luminaries to fill out the songs: fellow Yes alum Steve Howe, Ian Anderson, Jean-Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Steve Morse, Rick Derringer, Jonathan Cain, and the Tower of Power Horns are just a few of the guests on 1000 Hands. 
 
“That’s where the title 1000 Hands comes from, all of the brilliant musicians who played a part in making the record,” Anderson says. “Michael acted like something of a casting director, bringing so many great players. It was really exciting to hear the record open up and become what I had always envisioned.”  
 
The sessions turned out so well, in fact, that Anderson decided to include four new songs on the album, with brand-new lead vocals. “Jon is such a remarkable writer and singer,” raves Franklin. “His newer songs were fabulous, and they fit seamlessly with the rest of the album. Everything came together beautifully.”
 
Anderson’s celestial voice – one of the most recognizable sounds in rock – is in stunning form throughout 1000 Hands, an album that features some of his most breathtaking compositions. Bookended by the starkly beautiful acoustic ballads “Now” and “Now and Again,” the record features electrifying new prog masterpieces (“Activate,” “Come Up”), glorious poly-rhythmic wonders (“WDMCF”) and delightful reggae pop (“First Born Leaders”). Listeners will be mesmerized by the cavalcade of sumptuous vocal harmonies on the frisky “Ramalama,” and they’ll be singing along merrily to the horn-driven funk of the aptly named “Makes Me Happy.” 
 
For more information, please visit:
https://www.jonanderson.com/
​

Americana singer-songwriter Julian Taylor brengt op 17 juli 2020 zijn  nieuwste album ‘The Ridge’ uit. Oorspronkelijk stond de release gepland voor de herfst, maar Taylor heeft besloten het album eerder uit te brengen in de hoop dat zijn liedjes luisteraars in moeilijke tijden vreugde brengen. “Ik hoop dat mensen troost kunnen vinden in deze muziek”, zegt Taylor. "De muziek is gemaakt om je diep van binnen te raken.”

Op 29 mei 2020 bracht Julian Taylor de derde nieuwe single van het album uit. ‘Ballad Of A Young Troubadour’ gaat over de ervaringen die opdeed terwijl hij rondreisde door Noord-Amerika, en later tijdens de tours met zijn band Staggered Crossing.

“Toen ik op de middelbare school zat, besteedde ik veel tijd aan het schrijven van liedjes en het verbeteren van mijn gitaarspel. Ik verdiepte mij in de ideologie van Bob Dylan, Ritchie Havens, Jack Kerouac en anderen die hun eigen pad volgden. Tijdens de zomervakantie pakte ik mijn koffers en ging op reis” vertelt Julian. Hij reisde van zijn thuisstad Toronto naar New York City en daarna dwars door Amerika naar het westen tot hij Seattle aankwam. Julian nam Greyhound-bussen, treinen en reed als lifter met mensen mee terwijl hij zijn geld verdiende als straatmuzikant. Hij vervolgt: “Ik koester de herinneringen aan deze roadtrips nog steeds en het kriebelt nog altijd om weer lekker op tour te gaan, zoals met mijn eerste band Staggered Crossing. We hadden een te gekke tijd waarin we hits scoorden en overal speelden. Helaas komt er aan alle mooie dingen een einde en is het niet voor alle bandleden even goed afgelopen.”

Beluister 'Ballad Of A Young Troubadour' via Spotify. 

Julian Taylor is een productieve artiest die sinds 2001 negen studioalbums heeft uitgebracht: drie met Staggered Crossing, vier met de Julian Taylor Band en twee solo albums. Hij tourde talloze keren in zijn thuisland  Canada en deelde podia met wereldberoemde acts als Nickelback, Jeff Healey, Midnight Oil, Collective Soul, Blue Rodeo en vele anderen. Ook trad hij op tijdens de Olympische Spelen in Salt Lake City (2002) en Vancouver (2010).

‘The Ridge’ komt in de Benelux uit op 17 juli 2020 via Howling Turtle Inc.

www.juliantaylormusic.ca
www.facebook.com/juliantaylormusic
   

​Dutch alternative rock band The King's Head have released their debut single and video The Far Beyond on all available streaming services. The single is a forerunner of their self-titled debut album which will come out later this year. The band is on full strength, ready and willing to take the battle to the front lines.

 
Grunge with a heavy edge
The music of The King's Head is as diverse as rock history itself. They take the listener on a journey that goes from classic hard rock to grunge and from sludge to the melodic side of metal, topped off with a progressive edge. Dark vocal harmonies that take the listener back to days when the great alternative rock movement ruled the world at the end of the last millennium. Combined with a heavy edge, that makes no mistake that some of the members had a good and healthy metal collection under their fingertips.

​About The Far Beyond

"At last, the wheels are finally in motion. After recording our first, self-titled album in the last months of 2019, The King's Head made plans for festivities around releasing that bastard. But as we all know by now, the world took a different turn. We’ve decided to release the record later this year. But we still want to introduce ourselves to all of you right now. The first track we’re going to throw at you from an appropriate distance is called The Far Beyond, for which we made a video, too. That's one thing, and we believe that this song sums it all up very nicely. It has harmonies, it rocks in a slightly metallic way, it’s short and sweet and Tim sings his bloody heart out. Exactly the way we like doing things."

​THE KING'S HEAD is an alternative rock band from The Netherlands.The year is 2018, when The King’s Head is formed in Breda, a city in the deep south of the country.  Five guys, who have all been playing the local scene since the late nineties, join forces. Their mission is clear from the first time: a dark, melodic, progressive and fresh hybrid of everything they loved to listen to in their formative years. Most notably in that department is the deep and haunting growl that Pim van Zuilen unleashes in the music. Not only is he the bringer of the storm, but while doing that he pulls a double musical duty as a guitar and keyboard player. Singer / guitar player Tim van Bokhoven is confidently in charge of the mic and strings, delivering his raw and emotional vocals with sheer ferocity. Lead guitar player Koen Koniuszek brings thunder and flavor with his dark and haunting lead work and his heavy, punishing riff work. Behind the first line of fire resides the engine that drives it all forward. Jasper van der Hoeven on bass and vocals and Chris Stadhouders on drums provide the deep and driving foundation on which the wall of sound is built. After two years of working on their craft, the band is ready to start their first campaign. 

Na het succes van de vinyl releases van 'Tim' (Wim De Craene) en 'Eerste Sneeuw' (Jan De Wilde) en de heruitgave van de eerste drie LP's van Wim De Craene op vinyl is BLP Records niet stil blijven zitten.
 
Tegelijk met 'De zotte morgen' van Zjef Vanuytsel (voor het eerst op 7" , Ltd. zilverkleurig vinyl) brengt BLP Records op 20 juni een onuitgegeven live-sessie van Wim De Craene uit. De opname dateert van 1978 en komt uit het rijke archief van de VRT. Je hoort één van onze meest getalenteerde kleinkunstartiesten op het toppunt van zijn kunnen.
 
'Live '78' is het allereerste live-album van Wim De Craene. De sessie met 8 nummers is grotendeels opgebouwd rond liedjes uit het album 'Wim De Craene...is ook nooit weg' uit 1977. Dankzij de inbreng van De Craene z'n toenmalige begeleidingsgroep Headband zijn de songs op 'Live 78' gehuld in een licht jazzrockjasje. De klassiekers 'Tim' en 'Rozane' ontbreken niet op de setlist en blijven moeiteloos overeind in een licht herwerkte versie.
 
Deze unieke live-sessie werd opgenomen in Sterrebeek in 1978 voor het BRT-radioprogramma 'Dorp Bij De Stad'.  'Live '78' vormt het voorlopige sluitstuk van de Wim De Craene-reeks die BLP records vorig jaar opstartte.
 
'Live 78' verschijnt op 20 juni als een gelimiteerde release op 500 exemplaren oranje vinyl. Alleen verkrijgbaar in uw platenwinkel.

'Live 78' is ook verkrijgbaar op cd (digipack). De cd zal te koop zijn via de shops en de website van BLP Records.

De limited zilverkleurige vinyl 7" single van 'De Zotte Morgen' van Zjef Vanuysel verschijnt op 20 juni. Enkel te koop via uw platenwinkel!

Een week na 20 juni is de 7inch vinyl single 'De Zotte Morgen' van Zjef Vanuysel verkrijgbaar op gewoon zwart vinyl via de platenwinkels en de website van BLP Records.

VRT NWS sprak met Frederik van BLP Records

 "Ik heb de liveplaat van Wim De Craene gevonden in het rijke archief van de VRT. Ik voelde dat er interesse voor was. Ik heb de licentie gekocht bij de VRT en zo kon ik persen", aldus Frederik.

Lees hier het volledige artikel.

Meer info:

www.blprecords.be

​Wendy Moten may have launched her career as a pop/R&B artist and taken cool detours into jazz throughout her fascinating career, but her heart clearly belongs to Nashville. Living and immersing in Music City for the past 23 years, the multi-talented vocalist has toured with Faith Hill & Tim McGraw (2005-2018) and Martina McBride (2014-2016) – and since 2016, has been on the road with the legendary Vince Gill (the man she calls “Emperor of Nashville”) when he hasn’t been touring with the Eagles. Their dynamic working relationship, and the 21-time Grammy winner’s long-held appreciation for Wendy’s versatility, culminates now in I’ve Got You Covered, an extraordinary passion project she’s had in her sights for years.  
Produced by Gill and featuring the elite among Nashville’s most legendary hit making session musicians, the nine-track collection is the singer’s long-awaited moment in the country music spotlight. Effortlessly and intuitively inhabiting classic but lately little heard songs hand-picked by Gill, Wendy finds her groove – and her spiritual musical home – celebrating the gloried history of traditional country music by singing what she calls “real stories and real songs.” 
She brings fresh relevance to tunes from the 60’s and 70’s by Ernest Tubb (“Driving Nails in My Coffin”), Jeannie Seely (“Don’t Touch Me”), Bobby Gentry (“Ode to Billie Joe”), George Jones (“Walk Through This World With Me”), Jeff & Sheri Easter (“Going Away Party”), Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner (“Each Season Changes You”), Tammy Wynette (“Til I Get It Right”) and Webb Pierce and Mel Tills (“I Ain’t Never”). Wendy and Gill also share a beautiful duet re-imagining of the Linda Ronstadt heartbreaker “Faithless Love.” The two had previously paired for “True Love” on the 2018 all-star compilation Muscle Shoals: Small Town, Big Sound.
When Wendy joined Gill’s band, the first person she told about her dream to record a country album was Paul Franklin, one of the most recorded pedal steel guitarists in history. Franklin casually mentioned it to Gill, piquing his interest and prompting Gill to invite Wendy over to his home for discussions that led to a commitment to produce the sessions that evolved into I’ve Got You Covered. In addition to Franklin, the project features stalwarts Willie Weeks (bass), Richard Bennett (guitar), Fred Eltringham (drums), Charlie Judge (strings), Jeff Taylor (accordion) and the horn section of saxophonists Mark Douthitand, Doug Moffett, trombonist Barry Green and trumpeter Mike Hayes.  
“Vince set dates to record the project a few months after we first talked about it,” Wendy says. “Though we discussed some material during that first meeting, he surprised me by choosing completely different songs for me and the band to do on the actual days of the session. I knew the band guys, having played on countless hits over the years, were up for that, and I was determined to not be the weakest link and rise to the challenge. Vince was glad I didn’t know the songs because this ensured they would sound spontaneous and fresh. He wanted me to jump right in. 
“I read the lyrics, made notes, listened to each original version twice and then it was up to me to make each song my own,” On the plus side, doing them on the fly meant I wouldn’t over think them and try to be too perfect. It was my time to own this style, and Vince and this iconic band were relieved and happy with my delivery. I thought, this is what Ella Fitzgerald must have felt like when she was in a room with the greatest musicians of her era. Just as they knew she could bring the goods, this band respected me. Listening back, I realized that every song Vince chose that day was the right one for me. It’s like we opened to what the universe brought and let it flow.”
In addition to touring with major artists, Wendy set the stage for her emergence as a bona fide country artist with numerous live performances in Music City over the past few years. She made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry in April 2019 and played three more times there before a showcase at 3rd & Lindsley, one of Nashville’s premier live venues, for the release of I’ve Got You Covered in February 2020. During this time, she also headlined on the Opry stage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. In 2018 and 2019, Wendy was a featured artist in the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum’s Musician’s Spotlight series. Last year, Gill invited her to become a the 11th member of the Grammy award winning western swing band The Time Jumpers – a institution launched by the town’s top studio musicians in 1998 - at their weekly sold-out shows at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. In the fall, no less than James Taylor. Brian May and Steve Lukather (Toto) showed up on different nights because of the bands amazing reputation.  
Known affectionately in various industry circles as “The Voice,” the multi-talented Memphis born performer launched her career with a self-titled 1992 EMI album that included the ballad “Come In Out Of The Rain,” which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and later hit the Top Ten on the UK singles chart. The singer opened for Michael Bolton on his North American stadium tours and became popular in Japan when she performed sold-out concerts at the famed Budokan, hosted by David Foster. After several more well received albums (including one produced by Foster), Wendy diversified and launched a new phase of her career recording guest duets with Michael McDonald (“No Love To Be Found”), Kirk Whalum(“All I Do”), Peabo Bryson (“My Gift Is You”), Larry Carlton (“I Still Believe”) and Julio Iglesias (“Just Walk Away”), the latter whom she toured with for over 15 years. Moten’s most recent album prior to I’ve Got You Covered was a contemporary jazz set titled Timeless: Wendy Moten Sings Richard Whiting.

​From Northern California to Music City to the “City with Soul”, Jason Daniels’ music reflects his range of influences. A little funky, a little jammy, a little bluesy,  with country influence and flavors of Latin and Caribbean thrown in. Daniels moves with ease between genres, while retaining a flavor that is uniquely his own.
 
Growing up in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, he picked up the guitar at the age of 8 and wrote his first song by the age of 12. Daniels was inspired by his two uncles, George and Paul Richey who were well-known musicians, songwriters and publishers who started out at Sun Records in Memphis (George was married to Tammy Wynette). As an adult, Daniels spent many years traveling and creating adventures that inspired his first record. Eventually Daniels settled in Nashville, TN where he lived for 7 years and wrote and recorded his debut album, Dashboard Visions and Rearview Reflections.  Maverick Magazine claimed it was “full of soul and grit” and was an “…album well worth seeking out” and Daniels landed on the cover of the Jackson Free Press as an “artist to pay attention to”.
 
Downloads From The Universe is his follow up to his lauded debut. It was recorded to tape at the legendary Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS where he’s lived for the past 7 years.  The album is co-produced with Kent Bruce who engineered and mastered, and Murph Caicedo (who also plays drums on the album). “I think recording to tape and the analog recording process is an aspect of this album that makes it unique and special,” said Daniels. “Not just for the sound you get when the signal hits the tape, but also the commitment and command you must have of your performance, because with the limited available tracks there is not room for multiple takes.  You need to own your performance.” 
 
Daniels has written a positive, uplifting and optimistic album, in response to the dark times we find ourselves in.  “I’m trying to bring people together around music,” he said.  “Trying to build a community.  During a recent radio interview with Radio Free Jackson, DJ Rex McAllister called the album, ‘music for our time ‘and said it was specifically written for this challenging time, living in the first few weeks of a global pandemic.”  
 
Daniels optimism shines through in his song titles as well, “I’m Not Going Down”, “Music is a Prayer”, “Breathe”, “Get Down With Now” and “Prayer to the World”. “’I’m Not Going Down is my personal anthem,” he confesses.  “Never give up and keep fighting!”
 
The song “It Can All Slip Away” came about after a sobering event.  Daniels was visiting California for a high-school reunion and brought his son with him to visit his grandparents. While he was attending the reunion, the infamous big fires broke out in Napa Valley. “My father’s house was in the canyon where the first fires originated,” he said. “They barely escaped with their lives.  That whole experience really rocked me and got me to thinking how fragile life is, and how we shouldn’t take it for granted.”
 
The hill-country vibe of “I’ve Been Ramblin’” is influenced by his adopted hometown. “When people ask me why I moved to Jackson, I tell them it’s because I wanted to breathe the air and drink the water. Since moving here I’ve really fallen in love with this place. After my own ramblin’, Jackson sure is a place I love to come home to.”
 
The album ends on Daniels’ “Prayer to the World”. “Things have to change and we need to come together to make the world a better place,” he emphasizes. “When I wrote the song I heard a big gospel choir singing along. The gang vocals for this song were the last tracks we cut for the record. We had a bunch of fellow musicians and friends come to the studio to join in.  The whole recording experience had been so fantastic and cutting these vocals with all of our friends and our collective sense of accomplishment really made for a magical session.”
 
Daniels attributes some of the alchemy to the relationship between Kent Bruce and Murph Caicedo. “Having recorded dozens of albums together, they know each other and the way they interact really contributed to the vibe in the studio.”
 
With Jason Daniels on guitar and vocals and Caicedo on drums, the rest of the band is comprised of Rob Wicks on bass and Chris Nash on keys.  Several other musicians were brought in for background vocals, B3, sax, harmonica and percussion. “I’m really proud of my first album. Everybody did an amazing job, but there was a transactional element to using hired players. I released my first album under just my name and this album is the Jason Daniels Band. I’ve been playing with Chris for four years now and Rob for a few years and it was magic from the first time we got together with Murph. This is an album made by a band who’ve logged hours on the road, playing shows and in rehearsals, learning how to play together.  Collectively we worked so hard to prepare ourselves for these sessions, and I believe it really shows. I can’t say and I try not to worry about what anyone will think of the album, whether they love it, hate it, or are indifferent. Artistically this is the most satisfying thing I have ever created, and I know the rest of the guys will agree.”
 
 
For more information: https://www.jasondanielsmusic.com/

​Toen Froze enkele jaren geleden verhuisde van Gent naar Brussel begon hij spontaan brieven te schrijven. Deze korte stukjes over zijn avondturen in de nieuwe stad bracht hij uit in de audiovisuele reeks 'Brieven uit Brussel'. Daarna besloot hij om deze stijl van briefliteratuur ook door te trekken in zijn muziek. Want het schrijven van brieven is als het bedenken van liedjes, het is de perfecte manier om je gedachten te ordenen en je blik op de wereld te verduidelijken. Het album 'Brieven' is een introspectieve plaat waarbij de poppy sound compenseert voor de inhoud van de (soms) harde teksten, een rollercoaster aan emoties.
Een lange brief vol eerlijkheid en hartstocht. Zorgvuldig lezen, goed bewaren !
 


BRIEVEN
Gents hiphopper Fritz Tavernier verliet vijf jaar geleden zijn thuisstad voor een avontuur in Brussel. Het resultaat is Brieven, waarop de brag & boast-rapper van tien jaar geleden zich ontpopt tot een charismatisch woordkunstenaar met een bijzonder goed oor voor instrumentatie.

Brieven bevat een reeks intieme verhalen over onzekerheid, de wispelturigheid van het leven, dromen en verloren liefde. Bekende thema’s, anders verpakt.
Een voorbeeld is 'FML', een licht ironische track waarin Froze vegetarisch wordt voor zijn vriendin maar de relatie op de klippen ziet lopen. Of 'Vogels', een hartverscheurend verhaal over zelfdoding. Instrumentaal bouwt de plaat verder op Ongekroonde Koning, het nummer waarmee hij in 2016 hoge ogen gooide in De Nieuwe Lichting van Studio Brussel.

De voet gaat vaker dan vroeger van het gaspedaal. Luchtig optimisme, meeslepende melodieën en een eerbetoon aan de Lage Landen bij 'Suzanne' kruisen de degens. Op 'Himalaya RMX' grijpt de rapper terug naar zijn roots en lanceren hij en zijn collega’s een headbobber van jewelste met duizelende rijmelarij. Casa De Papel is van hetzelfde laken een pak, met inventieve flows en donderende punchlines.

Froze vraagt zich af of er iemand met dezelfde concentratie als hijzelf naar deze plaat zal luisteren. Hij mag gerust zijn. Brieven kroont de beste Belgische rapper. Er rest nog maar een vraag: wie is Guy?  
​

In 2021 keert Milow, 15 jaar na de release van zijn debuutalbum 'The Bigger Picture’, terug naar zijn muzikale roots met een intieme akoestische 'Unplugged Tour'. Zijn laatste album 'Lean Into Me’ luidde de terugkeer in naar de singer-songwriter sound van zijn beginperiode.

In het voorjaar van 2021 houdt hij halt in maar liefst 28 zalen, waaronder Capitole Gent, Ancienne Belgique, De Roma, Concertgebouw Brugge, Reflektor Luik, Théâtre Royal de Mons, ... Met reeds zes platen op zijn palmares en songs die in het collectief geheugen gegrift staan, blijft Milow de harten veroveren met zijn warme stem en gouden gevoel voor melodie en harmonie.

Het is dat de eretitel the hardest working man in show business voor eeuwig toegekend is aan James Brown, want hij had net zo goed aan Milow uitgereikt kunnen worden. Sinds zijn doorbraak in 2007 is de singer-songwriter uitgegroeid tot een vaste waarde in Europa. Milow won maar liefst 12 MIA’s, waaronder die van 'Beste live-act’ en 'Beste soloartiest’. In 2019 was het exact tien jaar geleden dat Milow doorbrak in Europa. Om dat te vieren, trakteerde hij zijn fans begin 2020 in een uitverkochte Lotto Arena op een onvergetelijke liveshow.

Met zijn album 'Lean Into Me’ (2019) vertelt Milow een uitermate persoonlijk verhaal. Songs als 'Lay Your Worry Down’, 'Laura’s Song’ of 'Michael Jordan’ - over zijn jeugdheld en de complexe relatie met zijn vader - horen bij de allerbeste songs uit zijn carrière. De plaat brengt de luisteraars dichter bij Milow dan ooit tevoren.

De Leuvenaar voerde reeds een aantal prachtige shows op in 2020 en zet enthousiast zijn koers verder in 2021. Elke avond zullen naast bekende en minder bekende parels ook een aantal gloednieuwe songs - uit het nog te verschijnen 7de album - de revue passeren. Nummers worden tot hun essentie gestript. Wat overblijft, zijn uitgepuurde songs waar nog meer ruimte is voor tekst en emotie. Omringd door zijn trouwe muzikale luitenanten, zanger-gitarist Tom Vanstiphout - die sinds enkele jaren ook in de vaste liveband van Bryan Ferry speelt - en de fenomenale zangeres Nina Babet, neemt Milow het publiek op de golven van zijn vertrouwde sound mee in zijn wonderlijke universum.

Tijdens de lockdown verraste Milow zijn fans met een nieuw livealbum 'Dream So Big Eyes Are Wide' en releasede hij zijn gloednieuwe single 'Whatever It Takes'. ​

The legendary drummer and the last surviving member of the famed Kind of Blue ensemble led by Miles Davis, has died at the age of 91. Cobb reportedly died on Sunday, May 24th, and the cause of death is currently unknown.

Born Wilbur James Cobb in Washington DC, was best known throughout his career as the drummer who recorded the classic Kind of Blue album in 1959. The album featured Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, and Cobb. Cobb also played on Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince will Come, Live at Carnegie Hall, Live at the Blackhawk and Porgy and Bess with Miles Davis.

In 2008, Cobb received the NEA Jazz Masters Award, the highest award for jazz musicians in the United States.
Other artists with whom Cobb has worked include John Coltrane, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Benny Golson, Dinah Washington and Wes Montgomery.

In February, the daughter of Jimmy Cobb had launched an online fundraiser to help her father with medical issues that caused physical and financial challenges for the legendary jazz drummer.
​
“He’s dedicated the last 70 years of his life to the art of jazz, and although there’s nothing he’d rather do than continue to support himself and his family while doing what he loves, it has become far too difficult of a task,” Serena Cobb wrote at the time.
Cobb’s lasting legacy will be in remembrance of “Kind of Blue” that spawned a life as one of jazz’s greatest drummers.
​

Canadian ball-of-fire beacon of the blues scene Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne is set to add to his stack of multi-award-winning albums with the release of Go, Just Do It! -- available June 12, 2020 via Stony Plain Records.
 
Fans of his internationally sold-out shows know what they’re in for: smooth, robust piano and cool, soulful vocals injected into a cannon that blasts quite the sonic sensation. With Wayne, it’s about preparing for a multi-faceted ride, as the musical terrain can shift just as quickly as the lyrical inspiration. 
 
“I’m not looking for a different path,” the 75-year old man of the hour asserts. “I love that jump blues and boogie-woogie. That’s where my heart is at. 
 
“I’m just trying to keep that style alive,” he adds. “That’s classic stuff, and I’m at that classic age so it all works out.” 

Inducted into the Boogie Woogie Piano Hall of Fame in Cincinnati, Kenny Wayne also lines his shelf with seven Maple Blues Awards, a JUNO Award, three Living Blues Magazine Keyboard Awards, and more. 
 
And if that critically-acclaimed 11-album catalogue resembles a swirling, savory pot of musical gumbo, richly layered with flavors of Ray Charles and Duke Ellington, to ingredients of gospel, jazz, Latin, R&B, soul, and dashes of bebop and swing for good measure, Go, Just Do It! hits the table as his spiciest serving yet. 

There are guests on Go, Just Do It! and they garnish the already greatness with finesse. Wayne’s son SeQuel — Cory Spruell — infuses rap cadence and a fresh verse into Percy Mayfield cover of “Don’t Want To Be President,” and GRAMMY Award-winner Diane Schuur helps create a show-stopping duet in “You’re In For A Big Surprise.” 
 
There’s also former B.B. King bassist Russell Jackson, powerhouse horn players Jerry Cook and Vince Maie (both mainstays with Powder Blues, Colin James, and more), plus Boogie Patrol guitarist Yuji Ihara, JUNO Award-winning former Parachute Club-er Juli Masi, award-winning Montreal vocalist Dawn Tyler Watson, and Incognito band and harp ace Sherman “Tank” Doucette. 
 
On Go, Just Do It!, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne originals come in at 10 of the 13-song set, each artfully dovetailing soul-tinged sounds with the funkiest of sojourns. 

“I was playing the T-Bone Walker Blues Festival in Longview, Texas a few years ago and we drove down to Marshall, Texas to see the train museum,” Wayne recalls about one in particular — “T & P Train 400,” and how sounds of new steam trains in that region influenced rhythms that piano players would employ in the 1920s. “Those trains carried so much history, musical or otherwise.” 

An American expat by way of Spokane, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Orleans, Wayne long credits Canada for partly shaping him into the artist he is today. “I didn’t know what I was in store for except that the people were great,” he recalls of his move decades ago. “My blues career started in Canada, and I think this country really helps people create their art — whether it’s painting, theatre, or music. 
 
“Why would I leave?!” 

Go, just listen.

Pre-order the album and watch the title track video (featuring Dawn Tyler Watson) here: https://smarturl.it/gojustdoit ​

Like pop sensation Lady Gaga, Chantel McGregor has had to fight twice as hard as her male peers for the respect she deserves. A female blues guitar prodigy who has been performing since the age of 12, McGregor has been dismissed by major label reps as having a “great voice, but girls don’t play guitar like that.” Well, this one does, and she’s teamed with indie giant Cleopatra Records to release her new studio single, a superb reworking of Lady Gaga’s latest hit “Stupid Love.” McGregor’s version adds a wholly modern blues rock take on the keyboard driven pop song, finding the common heart between her style of music and Gaga’s all while offering up smoking hot riff after smoking hot riff between the choruses. 
 
McGregor shares her thoughts on the song saying, “I've loved Lady Gaga’s music for years. I think she’s a really interesting and innovative artist, so when I heard the first single from her new album, I really wanted to perform it. I could just envisage a rock version of it, and it was great fun to work on!'
 

Hot on the heels of the first single release, “Old Time Used To Be,” from Joe Louis Walker’s forthcoming new album, Blues Comin’ On, comes the second single release, the superb title track. And just like the debut single featured a collaboration with fellow modern blues icon Keb’ Mo’, “Blues Comin’ On” the single offers an even bigger and more brilliant partnership with not one but TWO featured guests, blues guitar hero Eric Gales and superstar singer, The Wanderer himself, Dion! While Joe & Dion cover vocal and rhythm guitar duties, Gales take the lead, offering up some stellar riffs that add both flavor and vibrancy to the verses as well as a smokin’ hot solo. Walker & Gales even participated in a special quarantine-style video shoot for the song, filming themselves separately while Dion joined in spirit.
 
Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/uBjXj5SXJQY
 
Walker had this to say about the track, “It’s great to have so many groundbreaking artists perform on this album. But it’s always special when Eric Gales contributes his guitar genius. It takes the song to another level!”

 
Track List:
1. Feed the Poor feat. Jorma Kaukonen
2. Blues Comin’ On feat. Eric Gales & Dion
3. Someday, Someway feat. Carla Cooke & Lee Oskar
4. The Thang feat. Jesse Johnson
5. Old Time Used To Be feat. Keb’ Mo’
6. Come Back Home feat. Mitch Ryder
7. Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man feat. Waddy Wachtel
8. Awake Me Shake Me feat. Carla Cooke
9. Lonely Weekends feat. David Bromberg
10. Seven More Steps feat. Albert Lee
11. Uptown To Harlem feat. Jellybean Johnson
12. 7 & 7 Is feat. Arlen Roth & Charlie Harper

​Produced by Billboard chart-topper Steve Oliver, she drops her debut album on May 29 and will celebrate that evening with an album release cocktail party via Zoom.
 
VANCOUVER (22 May 2020): One could easily make the case that singer-songwriter Cat Levan has much more than just a double life. The former professional fighter, restaurant owner, clothing designer, marketing director, illustrator and mother will finally realize her long-held musical dream when her debut album, “Double Life,” drops May 29 on the Wide Sky Records label. The Vancouver-based artist teamed with Billboard Top 10 hitmaker Steve Oliver to write seven original songs for the 11-song set produced by Oliver in the guitarist’s Southern California studio. Her Canadian countryman and brother-in-law, contemporary jazz saxophonist Walle Larsson, guests throughout the collection that finished tracking just prior to the closure of the border due to the coronavirus pandemic.      
 
“I’ve done a lot of different things throughout my life and experienced success in a variety of areas, but music has been a constant presence dating back to my family household while growing up. ‘Double Life’ speaks to the dreams we hold tight to our chest and never let anyone know about. The artist who has a rich inner musical world but lives a life of logic and order that never reveals the depth of her inner world. It's a double life, but in a good way,” said Levan whose sister is Juno Awards-nominated singer-songwriter Melanie Chartrand.
 
As a lyricist, Levan is a storyteller who writes about love, loneliness, connection and uncertainty, which suits the inherently vulnerable qualities of her ethereal voice. After opening the disc with the upbeat dance-pop title track that is bolstered by tribal percussion beats, “What’s Been Going Down” pours a smooth cosmopolitan cocktail of jazz and pop. The downtempo “Keep Moving” was the first song penned for the album.
 
“It's about a time in my life when I was stuck in an awful place. My mother had died, and I had just left a relationship and moved back to Vancouver. I was really down, feeling very alone, not seeing a future that I liked. Every day, I would get up and try to push myself to do something that would move me forward. I was sleepwalking through life with a constant ache in my chest,” admitted Levan who plans to film a couple of videos to accompany the album release.     
 
Levan found singing “December Road” helped her let go of the heartache. It is a stark and poignant piano ballad about accepting love and loss. She loves how the soulful and sensual “Something’s Gotta Give” exposes the seedy side of life.
 
“It makes me feel like I'm walking down the street late at night, peeking into steamy bars and witnessing shady deals. It’s fascinating seeing the colorful underside of the streets.”   
 
The haunting “The Way I Feel” was written and recorded by Gordon Lightfoot and Levan’s version exquisitely captures the pain and reality of love. A joyous slice of sunshine, “Baba Doo” is a wordless contemporary jazz dance set to the rhythm of life.   
 
“Waiting for the Right Time” moves at the deliberate, tension-filled pace of a prowl. “This is a song with two stories. One is a story of an assassin stalking her prey, waiting for the moment to strike. The other story talks about how we hide our darker side in a relationship. We’re always looking to see if it’s safe to reveal our weaknesses. If we show who we are, will it push them away? It’s all a test to see how much we are accepted exactly as we are.”
 
Layers of percussion drive the snappy groove of “Diving Deep,” Levan’s first track ever sung in vocalese, one of Oliver’s hallmarks. “When we wrote this song, I had no idea what vocalese was. Steve introduced me to it and asked me to be open to this new style of singing. We wrote and recorded the song the same day, so I was trying to adjust, but my voice was tired and a little unhappy with me. There were a few notes that I was struggling with and Steve recorded me grumbling about them. When we were playing back the rough track, he left my comments in and it made me laugh so we kept them as an inside joke.” 
 
Levan calls “Coming Home” a companion piece to “Double Life.” It is about the achingly deep connection between romantic soulmates. The album closes with a bonus track, the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves,” that leaves lovelorn listeners remembering the sweet and seductive memories of summer love. 
 
To help launch “Double Life,” Levan will host a CD release party via Zoom on May 29 at 7pm PT/10pm ET that will include a live performance. General admission tickets ($15.00) include a signed CD while the VIP ticket package ($35.00) consists of a signed CD, bottle of wine, special party favor and a live Q&A with the artists. Tickets can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3cOR36L. 
 
The “Double Life” album contains the following songs:
 
“Double Life”
“What’s Been Going Down”
“Keep Moving”
“December Road”
“Something’s Gotta Give”
“The Way I Feel”
“Baba Doo”
“Waiting for the Right Time”
“Diving Deep”
“Coming Home”
“Autumn Leaves” (bonus track)
 
For more information, please visit https://catlevan.com.

In een ziekenhuis in de Guinese hoofdstad Conakry is zanger en muzikant Mory Kanté overleden. In 1987 had hij een wereldhit met "Yéké yéké". Kanté, bijgenaamd "de elektrische griot", was erg belangrijk voor de popularisering van de muziek uit West-Afrika. Hij werd 70 en was al een tijd ziek.  

Mory Kanté scoorde zijn grootste en enige echte wereldhit "Yéké yéké" toen de hype van de Afrikaanse muziek al voorbij was. Zijn aanstekelijk liedje veroorzaakte een nieuwe golf van belangstelling voor muziek uit West-Afrika. Van zijn plaatje gingen miljoenen exemplaren de deur uit, hij stond op nummer 1 in verscheidene landen.   

Mory Kanté was al een tijd ziek, en reisde af en toe naar Frankrijk voor medische zorg. Door de coronacrisis kon dat niet meer. De voorbije dagen ging zijn gezondheid snel achteruit. Alpha Condé, de president van Guinée, tweette: "De Afrikaanse cultuur is in rouw. Kanté was een voorbeeld."
​
Mory Kanté kende de cultuur van Guinée en buurland Mali erg goed. Hij verzette zich tegen te veel westerse invloed in de Afrikaanse muziek. Zijn bijnaam was "de elektrische griot". Een griot is een lokale dichter, verhalenverteller of zanger die mondelinge tradities doorgeeft. 
Hij was verschillende keren te gast in ons land, onder meer op het Sfinksfestival in Boechout.

Mory Kanté zong en bespeelde de kora, de West-Afrikaanse harp met snaren bevestigd op een kalebas. 
Kanté, die uit een familie van geestelijke leiders stamde en een van de 38 kinderen van dezelfde vader was, leefde een tijd als illegaal in Parijs. "Yéké yéke" nam hij al op in 1984, het brak in 1987 door en kende nog een aantal succesvolle heruitgaven. 
​
In 2014 zong Kanté, samen met andere Afrikaanse musici als Salif Keita en Amadou en Mariam een lied tegen ebola. De opbrengst van "Africa stop ebola" ging naar Artsen zonder Grenzen.  
​

THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL 2, the newest project by Santana keyboard player DAVID K. MATHEWS, is a tribute to the San Francisco Bay Area where he grew up and still resides, and to the iconic FANTASY STUDIOS where he recorded most of the project. Mathews has had a long and eclectic career performing with some of the biggest names in music. He toured with Tower Of Power for two years, and then spent 20 years accompanying Etta James, right up to her last performances. Since 2010 he has been touring the world as a member of Santana. Over the years, he has also performed and/or recorded with a Who’s Who of diverse artists, such as Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Toots Thielemans, Ruben Blades, Gloria Estefan, and many more. THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL.2  is the second release of a projected five album series. The name Fantasy Sessions is a double-entendre, referring to both Mathews’ fantasy to put out a series of recordings with some of his favorite singers and musicians, and to the famous studio where a host of artists, from Sonny Rollins and Charlie Mingus to Aerosmith and Green Day, recorded their music. The Fantasy Vocal Sessions Vol. 1 featured straight-ahead jazz standards in an acoustic setting. Vol. 2  features jazz arrangements of soul, pop, and R&B tunes in a more expansive setting as befits the style of the music. Mathews is planning subsequent volumes in the series. Vol.3 will focus on the blues and Vol. 4 on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. Unfortunately, the studio closed in 2018, and future recordings will have to be made elsewhere. With its top-notch musicianship, first-class improvisatory chops by both the instrumentalists and vocalists, and Mathews’ hip arrangements, THE FANTASY VOCAL SESSIONS VOL. 2 is a love letter to one of the most diverse, creative, and inclusive musical milieus anywhere on the planet.
 
Personnel
All Keyboards  David K. Mathews
Guitar Jim Nichols, Ray Obiedo, Bruce Conte 
Electric Bass Dewayne Pate, Marc van Wageningen
Acoustic Bass Peter Barshay, John Wiitala
Drums Billy Johnson, Akira Tana, Brian Collier, Deszon Claiborne, Vince Lateano, Kevin Hayes
Featuring Carl Lockett, Chris Cain, Wayne de Silva, Marc Russo
Vocals Tony Lindsay, Lady Bianca, Steve Miller, Amikaeyla, Funky Fred Ross, Glenn Walters, Kenny Washington, Alex Ligertwood
 
Tracks
1. For the Love of You 7:04
2. You Had to Know  5:58
3. One Mint Julep (Space Cowboy Mash-up)  5:03
4. Superwoman  10:04
5. So Sweetly  5:21
6. I Got You (I Feel Good)  4:28
7. Giving Up  7:03
8. Going Out of My Head  5:01
9. Wichita Lineman  5:32
10. I Love You More Thank You’ll Ever Know  6:14
11. Yesterday (extended mix)  11:30
​

​Rosetta Reitz, jazz historian, author and record producer has been honored with a street dedicated to her in Leiden, Netherlands.
 
We heard the news from her daughter, Rebecca. A group of community activists in Leiden, Netherlands live in or near a street called ReitzStraat (Reitz Street) that was named for a leader in the Boer War, Francis W. Reitz.
 
They decided to change the dedication of the street for two reasons: 
1) To rethink the role the Boers played as colonists and their link to rise of apartheid.
2) There are not enough streets named after women.
 
In their research to find a woman named Reitz, the Dutch activists quickly discovered Rosetta and were impressed with her all accomplishments.  They especially loved Rosetta Records, the label she established in 1980 where she retrieved lost women’s blues and jazz. The double fold albums were lavishly illustrated with photos of the women.  Rosetta wrote about the historical context of the music in liner notes that presented a new view from a woman's perspective.
 
This thoughtful group found the tribute website that her daughter Rebecca created and also discovered her book on Menopause and other meaningful achievements. They went ahead and created a new street sign that they placed over the old one.  They will also go through the official Council channels.
 
“To replace an imperialist warrior with a feminist historian is EXACTLY the kind of grassroots effort that my mother, Rosetta, would have loved,” said Rebecca. “Rosetta spent her life and creative energy correcting wrongs and giving women the chance to be heard. And now, this group has acknowledged her efforts in a most delightful and important manner.”

Hello Sjock people
 
We hope you are all doing ok!
It took a while for us to give you an update on the plans we have for next Sjock fest, but we are living in very uncertain times and the situation is new to all of us.
Finally here’s what we can share with you at this point:

• New dates for the 45th edition of Sjock fest are set for July 9-10-11 2021.
• If you have bought tickets for 2020, these will remain valid for next year.
• If you are not able to join us in 2021, you can request a refund.

 

• I want to keep my tickets for 2021: NO ACTION NEEDED!
• I want a refund for my tickets: refunds can be requested starting JUNE 15th 2020 through our ticket website and
• I have bought a ticket through TICKETSWAP and want a refund: contact the original ticket holder and deal with her/him directly. Sjock can only refund those who bought tickets through the official ticket site.
• I haven’t made up my mind yet: you can request a refund until OCTOBER 15th 2020

 

• Tickets for 2021 will be on sale again starting JUNE 15th!

 

• What will Sjock 2021 look like? We plan to stick to the original line-up and day schedules as much as possible. Most bands already confirmed to be back in 2021 on the originally planned day, some bands principally agreed to come back, but still need to formally confirm in the coming days or weeks, on some bands we don’t have news yet, so here as it stands now:
  • 100% confirmed: Social Distortion / Agnostic Front / Black Lips / Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders / The Dwarves / The Sadies / The Jason Ringenberg Band / Equal Idiots / Vandoliers / Arsen Roulette / Hétten Dés / Speedözer / Decent Criminal / Death by Unga Bunga / Neighborhood Brats / Voodoo Swing / Uncle bard and the Dirty Bastards / This Means War / LA Machina / Dry Riverbed Trio /Slacktone / The Ragtime Rumours / Hola Ghost / Mitraille
  • To be confirmed: Dropkick Murphys / Madness / New Bomb Turks
  • No news yet: all other bands 😉
  • AND we still have some surprises up our sleeves as well!
  • Regular updates on the line-up will be shared through our social media and website

Remember to keep your distance, stay in when you’re not feeling well and take care of your fellow earthlings!
We’ll all be back stronger than ever!

Kursaal-Oostende  01/04/2021
Tickets hier te koop
​

​Op 1 april 2021 spelen The Analogues opnieuw in Kursaal Oostende en brengen er voor het eerst in België hun Let it Be:ABBEY ROAD theatershow die alle zalen in Nederland deed vollopen. Volle focus dus op de twee laatste albums die de Beatles opnamen en uitbrachten, aangevuld met klassiekers uit de andere albums.
 
The Analogues gelden wereldwijd als de ultieme vertolkers van ‘The Beatles van na 1966’. The Beatles die niet meer live optraden en vanuit de beslotenheid van de opnamestudio een serie meesterwerken de wereld in stuurden. 
 
Die meesterwerken werden door The Beatles nooit live uitgevoerd maar The Analogues hebben die missie alsnog met grootste onderscheiding volbracht. Zonder verkleedpartijen, maar mét het originele instrumentarium en bijgestaan door strijkers, blazers en alles wat er verder nodig is voor de ultieme authentieke reproductie.
 
The Analogues tourden de afgelopen jaren langs uitverkochte zalen in binnen- en buitenland met integrale vertolkingen van de Beatles-albums Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road en Let it Be; albums die  worden gekenmerkt door een enorme diversiteit, complexe arrangementen, innovatieve studio-experimenten en boven alles: songs die na meer dan 50 jaar nog niets van hun zeggingskracht verloren hebben. 
 
Wie The Analogues vorig  jaar aan het werk zag in Kursaal Oostende ("The White Album") en de Antwerpse Lotto Arena ("Abbey Road 50th Anniversary Edition") weet dat dit een niet te missen, onvergetelijke én emotionele ervaring is. 'Bijna beter dan The Fab Four zelf'  zoals een gereputeerd journalist het uitdrukte.
  
Let It Be: ABBEY ROAD ? Hebben de Beatles-archeologen van The Analogues in hun ondoorgrondelijke wijsheid besloten om de laatste twee albums te verenigen in één concert?

Bart van Poppel (bassist en musical director): “We hebben de laatste jaren chronologisch het latere werk van The Beatles aangepakt. Na The White Album was de vraag: wat nu? Let It Be kwam weliswaar als laatste uit, maar Abbey Road werd als laatste opgenomen”. 

Fred Gehring (drummer en initiator): “The White Album was een vijf maanden durende ‘zware bevalling’, met de nodige spanningen en onrust. Maar wel met resultaat: een fenomenaal dubbelalbum. Je zou zeggen – voorlopig even genoeg. Toch gingen The Beatles zes weken later, in januari 1969, alweer de studio in voor het volgende project. Het werd een moeizame maand; de opnames verdwenen in de la en het einde van The Beatles leek nabij. Maar een paar maanden later vonden ze, bijna miraculeus, de kracht en inspiratie om samen met de teruggekeerde George Martin nog één maal als collectief te excelleren – en hoe! Het absolute meesterwerk Abbey Road was het gevolg. Bijna een jaar later kwamen die eerdere opnames alsnog van de plank onder de titel Let It Be maar toen was de band dus al uit elkaar gevallen. Dus zeg jij het maar: wat is het laatste album?”

Van Poppel: “Abbey Road natuurlijk. Dat was hun laatste productie. En Abbey Road is natuurlijk een echt coherent album dat integraal moet worden gebracht. The Beatles op hun best. Een geweldig hoogtepunt.”

Gehring: “Maar op Let It Be staan toch ook wel een aantal fantastische nummers. Die verdienen het zonder meer om meegenomen te worden in deze show. En waarschijnlijk heeft het zo moeten zijn – moesten ze door die chaotische Let It Be sessies om de voedingsbodem te creëren voor het maken van Abbey Road.”
​
Van Poppel: “Precies. Let It Be: ABBEY ROAD dus.”
Er zullen tijdens Let It Be: ABBEY ROAD weer genoeg nummers te horen zijn waarbij de hulptroepen (blazers, strijkers) en het volledige vintage instrumentarium kunnen schitteren. Denk onder meer aan Here Comes The Sun, Come Together, Octopus’s Garden, Something, Let It Be en Across The Universe. En The Analogues kennende zullen ze in deze nieuwe show zeker ook nog verschillende andere albums ‘bezoeken’. 

Volg The Analogues via Facebook en website
 

​2020 Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Winner Carla Bley
 
May 18, 2020 -- Carla Bley, composer-arranger-bandleader and pianist, is celebrated for her Lifetime Achievement in Jazz by the Jazz Journalists Association, in the 2020 JJA Jazz Awards, the 25th annual honors for excellence in music and music journalism, announced today by the non-profit organization of writers, photographers, broadcasters and new media professionals covering jazz. Stanley Crouch, author, essayist, novelist, advisor to Jazz at Lincoln Center and president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, has been named recipient of the JJA's Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism Award. See winners of all 39 categories of awards at JJAJazzAwards.org.
 
This year's Awards for instrumentalists continue a multi-year trend by the JJA's voting members to recognize accomplished women among the multiple nominated finalists, with women winning half the categories for the first time. Drummer and educator Terri Lyne Carrington (Musician of the Year), pianist-composer Kris Davis (Composer and Pianist of the Year), saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin (Up & Coming Musician of the Year), drummer-composer Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom (for Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year), baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian and harpist Brandee Younger (Player of Instruments Rare in Jazz), and several other women were voted Best of the Year for their achievements in 2019. 

Not that men are ignored in this year's Jazz Awards. Miguel Zenón won Arranger of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the year, Branford Marsalis' quartet won Record of the Year for The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, Christian Scott aTundé Adjuah was named Trumpeter of the Year and Joel Ross was Mallet Player of the Year, both for the first time. Mark Stryker's Jazz From Detroit (University of Michigan Press) was voted Best Book About Jazz, San Francisco Bay Area radio show host Richard Hadlock and New York-based photographer Richard Conde won, respectively, the Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting, and the Lona Foote-Bob Parent Award for Lifetime Achievement in Photography.

"The JJA is pleased to congratulate these winners, and indeed all the musicians nominated in our two-stage voting process," said Howard Mandel, veteran journalist, author, NPR arts reporter and president of the JJA. "Especially with listeners largely confined to home, it's important to let artists know they're being heard, and to advise music fans about the best current jazz creativity, as jazz journalists do."

The Jazz Awards were initiated in 1996, and follows on the JJA's Jazz Heroes Awards for "activists, advocates altruists, aiders and abettors of jazz (which are being promoted via interactive broadcasts featuring Boston hero Ran Blake on May 23, and Los Angeles Hero Billy Mitchell on May 28 – see JJANews.org for details). Since mid-March, the JJA has also published international reports, JazzOnLockdown, about responses to the coronavirus.

Winners of JJA Jazz Awards have previously been presented with engraved statuettes before audiences at summer performances. This year's winners will receive hand-printed scrolls certifying their Awards. 

For more information on the JJA Jazz Awards, or the Jazz Journalists Association, visit www.JJAJazzAwards.org or contact President@JazzJournalists.org.

Legendary American Bluesman Lucky Peterson, master of the blues guitar and the Hammond B3, has died at the age of 55, according to his Facebook page. One of the most riveting performers of the modern blues era, Lucky Peterson was a lead guitarist, organist and vocalist. Lucky translated gospel, soul, R&B, rock and jazz into 21st century blues. He celebrated his 50th anniversary of performing professionally in 2019.
From Lucky Peterson’s Facebook page: “It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of Lucky Peterson on Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 2:25 PM CST in Dallas, Texas. He was at home when he became ill and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but unfortunately did not recover. At this time please respect the family’s privacy, but do keep them in your prayers.”
No cause of death was disclosed.
Born Judge Kenneth Peterson in Buffalo, NY in 1963, Lucky was the son of James Peterson, a blues singer and owner of “The Governor’s Inn”, a nightclub in Buffalo, New York. Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Muddy Waters and Koko Taylor performed there regularly. Willie Dixon saw the five year old Lucky Peterson performing at the club and took him under his wing. He produced Little Lucky Peterson’s first album when he was only 5 years old, a single entitled “1,2,3,4” and follow up album for Chicago’s Today Records.
Before Lucky turned six, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and What’s My Line?


As a teenager, Lucky Peterson studied at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts. Soon after he was playing backup guitar and keyboards for Etta James, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Little Milton.  He also toured and recorded with artists including,  Etta James, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Little Milton, Otis Rush, Kenny Neil and others, performing on many of their albums.
In 1989, Lucky Peterson recorded his solo album, Lucky Strikes! on Alligator Records, followed by Triple Play in 1991 also on Alligator Records. He went on to record many albums on labels such as Verve, Universal, Dreyfus, JSP Records, and others. He toured worldwide extensively with his band, The Organization, performing his original style of contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll.
In 2013, the Blackbird Music/55 Arts Club DVD of Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin he was nominated for a Blues Music Award.
In March 2018 Lucky Peterson was nominated by JAZZ FM in the UK for this year’s “Best Blues Act” award.

​Musician Jorge Santana, the younger brother of guitar great and former Bay Area resident Carlos Santana, died on Friday at 68 years old from natural causes.
Much like his brother, he was into music and started played the guitar at the age of 14.
Jorge began playing in San Francisco with a band formed by some high school friends called The Malibus.
They later changed the name to Malo, which translates to "bad" in Spanish. It came from one of the band member's mother who would tell them "todos ustedes son malo!"
One of the group's biggest hits came in 1972 with the song "Suavecitio," which made the top 20 and the group got to perform on the television show "American Bandstand."
Jorge also played with another band called "The Fania All-Stars" before releasing two solo albums.
Later, he would work with his famous brother, going on tour with him during the 1990s and teaming up for the 1994 album "Santana Brothers."
Jorge was extremely active in the Bay Area and spent a lot of time helping out local charities.
"This is such a sad loss of a very talented, community minded, and kind man who I was proud to call a friend over many years," Ashley said. "We both had a passion to send underserved children to summer camp and a few years ago he joined me on the board of Friends of Camp Concord to help make that happen. Jorge was a gentleman and a very decent human being. It's quite a loss for our community. We always had such terrific conversations, whether in person or on the phone. He was a man of great perspective and great depth and compassion. We also had a wonderful time sharing the stage many, many times when he would join my band. He was a talented and generous musician who had a mastery of the guitar that was a joy to watch."

The Pretty Things-frontman Phil May is overleden. Volgens het management van de invloedrijke Britse rockband stierf de zanger aan complicaties bij een heupoperatie na een fietsongeluk.

Hoewel het in 1963 opgerichte The Pretty Things weinig grote hits scoorde, werden de heren bewonderd door vele artiesten met meer commercieel succes. Zo coverde David Bowie maar liefst twee nummers van de band voor zijn album Pinups (1973) en werkte Pink Floyds David Gilmour mee aan een live-uitvoering van albumklassieker S.F. Sorrow. Ook de Nederlandse bluesformatie Cuby + Blizzards liet zich beïnvloeden door de Britten en drummer Hans Waterman werd eind jaren tachtig zelfs lid van The Pretty Things.
May en gitarist Dick Taylor waren de enige constante leden in de vaak van bezetting wisselende band, die zijn grootste successen in de jaren zestig boekte en met S.F. Sorrow (1968) een van de eerste rockopera’s uitbracht. In 2014 vertelde Phil May aan Lust For Life: “Het was een heel ambitieus album. We hadden er met hart en ziel aan gewerkt. De recensies waren euforisch. Alleen had onze platenmaatschappij er totaal geen vertrouwen in. We werden nog steeds gezien als een stel holbewoners; niet bij machte om betekenisvolle muziek te maken. S.F. Sorrow had de geschiedenis in kunnen gaan als de eerste rockopera ooit, maar ons label in Amerika bleef de release uitstellen. Uiteindelijk verscheen Tommy van The Who, dat later was opgenomen, maanden eerder dan onze plaat. Toen ons label medio 1969 eindelijk wakker schrok en S.F. Sorrow dan toch uitbracht, werden we weggehoond als copycats. De schade was onherstelbaar.” (bron: LFL)

Phil May is 75 jaar geworden.

Approved by Neil !
​
Het franse duo The Inspector Cluzo ziet zijn concerten in Eu & US geannuleerd, maar blijft niet bij de pakken zitten. Ze brengen een cover uit van Neil Young's emblematische nummer Hey Hey My My, live opgenomen (analoog op tape) afgelopen oktober in Nashville door Vance Powell (rechterhand van Jack White), met wie ze eerder verleden jaar het akoestisch album 'Brothers in Ideals' opnamen. Vance stuurde de versie door naar het management van Neil waarop deze liet weten (sic) 'dat Neil de cover erg goed vond'. Which is nice !

​Cluzo hierover:  We hebben veel onuitgebrachte nummers en aangezien het ons eigen label is, laten we ze dan ook uitbrengen! Dus ondertussen hebben we na de albums #Rockfarmers en #WeThePeopleOfTheSoil besloten om 4 onuitgebrachte nummers onder THE ORGANIC FARMERS SEASON thema uit te brengen: één per seizoen. Deze nummers zijn al sinds oktober opgenomen aan het einde van onze US tournee door onze vriend & producer Vance Powell in Nashville.
Dit is dus geen nieuw album, maar gewoon een manier om ons dagelijks werk op de boerderij te volgen, seizoen na seizoen, het is gewoon onze job als zelfvoorzienende biologische boeren.
Deze 1e single voor 'SUMMER SEASON' is de Neil Young cover "Hey Hey, My My". De keuze van het eerste nummer van de serie lag voor de hand door wat Neil Young is en wat hij deed met Willie Nelson en John Mellencamp die @FarmAid creëerden. We zijn nederige fans en we hopen* dat hij het leuk zal vinden... " (*wat ondertussen bevestigd is !)
 
PRESS: 
The American Songwriter, het prestigieuze Nashville magazine, zal het nummer bovendien in première brengen. : "Inspector Cluzo Will Make You Cheer “Hey Hey My My” With Neil Young Cover"

En het niet minder prestigieuze Engelse tijdschrift Classic Rock Magazine (link) heeft net The Inspector Cluzo verkozen bij de  "10 meest invloedrijke internationale bands uit de nieuwe blues scene", naast Jack White, Black Keys, Fantastic Negrito, Gary Clark Jr., enz. Ongetwijfeld een primeur voor een Franse band.