TED RUSSELL KAMP TO RELEASE SOLITAIRE (May 7th,  2021)
Seeking Comfort In Soulful New Music During These Hard Times ​

Before the pandemic, Ted Russell Kamp traveled the world playing about 200 shows a year, playing his own blend of roots and Americana music as well as being the longtime bass player for Shooter Jennings. He also began working as producer in his home studio—The Den – where he has now produced numerous well-received albums for fellow artists such as Emily Zuzik, Funkyjenn, AJ Hobbs, Creekwood, Brian Spence, Travis Napier, Rayna Day, Richie Allbright, Grant Langston and more. When the pandemic hit, it was The Den where Kamp found his haven to craft and cultivate the songs that would become his latest record.
 
Solitaire is Kamp’s 13th full album release. It consists of 14 songs recorded mostly alone at home during the last 9 months of the lockdown. The songs and overall feel of the album have a more intimate and singer-songwriter quality. Kamp wanted them to sound more like solo performances, but with some extra spice added, reflecting the loneliness of being at home in quarantine: isolated from friends and the chance to play live. “I think it echoes what a lot of us have been going through this year; the loneliness and doubt as well as the day dreaming and not wanting to give up. I wanted to put these songs out there because we have all been going through similar things.”
 
The music on Solitaire is indeed 90% Kamp as he plays a majority of the instruments on the album but he has again collaborated with several artists and friends known in the Americana genre, but this time remotely. “Almost everything I did was in my studio with all of the guest overdubs recorded by them in their own home studios. This was a true quarantine record in that sense. Most played or sang harmony on just the songs I wrote with them.” But to create the sound of a full band at times, Kamp had “just a few socially distant recording sessions, with John Shreffler (harmony vocals, pedal steel), Jim Doyle (drums) and Brian Whelan (harmony vocals) to be a part of several tracks of the album. It was an incredible breath of fresh air to actually see friends again and to reconnect and play with them.”
 
The first track on the album, “My Girl Now” was actually a song co-written several years ago by Kamp and Micky Braun from Micky and the Motorcars (and was included on their 2014 album, Hearts From Above). Kamp’s version has a less twangy and more buoyant chorus, adding elegance to the song.
 
“Path of Least Resistance” uses only electric bass and acoustic guitar, giving it a vintage folk feel, and on “You Can Go To Hell, I’m Going To Texas” (written with the ladies of Granville Automatic) you hear a distinctive California country rock sound.
 
Kamp wrote the gospel-sounding “As Far As The Eye Can See” with pal, Matt Szachetka and is one of the few songs on the record featuring mainly bass and vocals, a minimalist approach that has become one of Kamp’s trademarks. The folky, “Western Wind” was written via a FaceTime session with co-writer Shane Alexander who then sang harmonies on the songs, as well.
 
“Exception To The Rule” was written with Ed Jurdi (Band of Heathens) on some downtime at a music festival in Mexico they played together last year. They revisited and reworked the song via email and then Ed added his harmony vocals and a delicate George Harrison style slide guitar solo. The bonus track, “Lightning Strikes Twice” is of note, as it’s the first bluegrass song Kamp has written and he played every instrument on the track. 
 
Some of the other artists Kamp collaborates with on Solitaire include; Josh Morningstar, Braid Raisin, Mark Mackay, Tony Scalzo, Pete Murcott and Don Gallardo, but on the title track, Kamp is the only writer and performer—just an acoustic guitar and his vocals with no guests and no overdubbing. “This is one of my favorite songs on the record and from a songwriting perspective, the one I’m most proud of,” he confesses. “I was actually playing a lot of the card game solitaire the first few months of quarantine and thought that it would be a great album title for being at home in a kind of solitary confinement. Then I got the idea to write this song.” At this point in modern life, anyone can relate to these lyrics: “I got something on my mind been trying to find the words--one leads to the next then they scatter like the birds--fighting with a feeling like I’m alone inside a maze--don’t know what’s in the cards but I been circling round for days”.
 
Kamp’s last album, Down in the Den was a very fully arranged full band record with lots of guests, horns, guest vocalists and instruments, while Solitaire reflects Kamp almost solely on his own.  “Knowing I was recording an acoustic, moody record like this also helped me choose the songs that I knew would work well arranged this way,” he explained. “I think it’s very different and speaks to what a lot of us have been going through this year. I wanted each song to feel different so I added mandolin, dobro and banjo to some - and Wurlitzer , accordion and Hammond to others. It’s also the first time I played my old dulcimer on a record. When I start touring again, most of these songs will be great additions to my solo show and some will also be great for my full band electric sets. It was really satisfying using the quarantine to write on my own, but also to co-write and reconnect with friends as we were all going through a hard year.”
 
Solitaire provides Kamp with yet another approach to his music, but ultimately it’s connecting with his audience that matters to him most. ​

​Gil Saunders was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Saunders died February 4, 2021, of lung cancer and multiple sclerosis. He sang in church from an early age. He developed his style after David Ruffin of The Temptations and Marvin Junior of The Dells and, encouraged by family and friends, pursued a career in music.
Saunders was an American soul singer who came to fame as lead singer with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Saunders formed his first group as a teenager, which eventually merged into a neighborhood act called New Day. During a live performance, Saunders was noticed by the Philadelphia singer, songwriter, and producer Harold Melvin. Following a tour of England, Melvin recruited Saunders, in 1982, to replace then lead singer David Ebo in his group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes.
Saunders recorded and toured with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes for ten years before pursuing a solo career. Saunders's performances with the group were documented in a 1986 P.B.S. television special. They toured extensively overseas with acts like Billy Paul and The Three Degrees. During a London concert performance, Saunders was introduced as the new lead singer of Harold Melvin & Blue Notes. In 1984, Saunders sang lead on the international dance music hit "Today's Your Lucky Day" from the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' album Talk It Up (Tell Everybody). The album produced three Billboard R&B chart hits, "Today's Your Lucky Day", "Don't Give Me Up" and "I Really Love You".
Saunders was also co-lead with Melvin on the track "What We Both Need (Is Love)" which was popular on the local Philadelphia radio station WDAS-FM. The Talk It Up (Tell Everybody) album was recorded at Alpha International Studios in Philadelphia. The vocal line-up included Saunders with Melvin, Bill Spratley, Dwight "Blackey" Johnson, and Rufus Thorne. The video for "Today's Your Lucky Day" which featured the female vocalist Nikko, was filmed at a transformed club in south Philadelphia designed to look like a Las Vegas-style casino.

19 maart 2021 verschijnt het langverwachte vijfde album van de Nederlandse band The Secret Combination: Finally (limited coloured double vinyl / 2 CD).
Het album markeert de 20e verjaardag van de band van singer/songwriter Jeff Mitchell, die in 2001 met hun debuut Introducing de harten van veel Americanafans veroverde.
Ruim 12 jaar na het studioalbum In the Heartland (2007) en Live at Paradiso (2008) verrast de band met een finale waarin alle in de afgelopen twee decennia gehanteerde stijlen aan bod komen.


Lead vocals: Jeff Mitchell / Drums: Toni Peroni / Bass & vocals: Chip Visser / Guitar:
René van Barneveld / Pedalsteel: Johan (JJ) Jansen / Keyboards & vocals: Robin van Vliet.


Deze muzikanten verdienden hun sporen mede bij acts als Urban Dance Squad, Het Goede Doel, Slagerij van Kampen, Ilse de Lange etc.


In 2003 (Code of Mercy) verzorgde de iconische undergroundtekenaar Peter Pontiac het ontwerp voor het album. Voor het nieuwe dubbelalbum Finally maakt de onmiskenbare en overweldigende stijl van bevriend kunstenaar Jeroen van Merwijk het album op vinyl en cd tot een waar kunstwerk en een streling voor oor en oog.

De Amerikaanse zangeres Mary Wilson is op 76-jarige leeftijd overleden. Dat laat haar publicist weten aan Variety. Wilson was vooral bekend als een van de oprichters van The Supremes. 

​Volgens publicist Jay Schwartz overleed Mary Wilson erg plots. De doodsoorzaak werd nog niet bekendgemaakt. Ook Berry Gordy, oprichter van platenlabel Motown Records, gaf al een officieel statement: “Ik was extreem geshockeerd en bedroefd toen ik hoorde dat Mary Wilson, een van de belangrijkste leden van de Motown-familie, was overleden. (...) Ik ben altijd erg trots geweest op Mary. Ze was een echte ster en heeft jarenlang hard gewerkt om het nalatenschap van The Supremes te versterken. Ze was erg bijzonder voor me. Ze was een pionier en een diva. Ze zal erg gemist worden.”

Twee dagen voor haar dood plaatste Wilson nog een video op YouTube, waarin ze aankondigde dat ze aan nieuwe solomuziek aan het werken was, waaronder het album ‘Red Hot’. Bovendien wilde ze dit jaar de zestigste verjaardag van The Supremes vieren. 

Meidengroep

Wilson richtte The Supremes op met Diana Ross en Florence Ballard. De meidengroep werd al snel razend populair. Tussen 1964 en 1969 scoorden ze maar liefst 12 nummer 1-hits. De groep wordt beschouwd als een van de belangrijkste muziekgroepen in de Verenigde Staten en Europa. Ook speelden de dames een belangrijke rol in de doorbraak van de Afro-Amerikaanse rhythm-and-bluesmuziek. Ze scoorden hits met nummers als ‘Baby Love’, ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’, ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ en ‘The Happening’.
​
Later werd de groep ook wel bekend als Diana Ross & The Supremes. Toen Mary Wilson in 1977 vertrok om een solocarrière te beginnen, viel de groep uit elkaar. Wilson bracht ook nog twee solo-albums uit en werd in 1988 opgenomen in de Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 
De vrouw laat twee kinderen en zeven kleinkinderen achter. (Bron HLN)

​Photo Credit: L+M Development Partners

​After a couple years of promoting the concept, construction is finally starting on a museum showcasing the history of hip hop in the borough where it was started. 
Crews are scheduled to arrive this week on exterior street and 149th street to start the Bronx point development -- a housing and entertainment complex. The museum will be inside of that development honoring the music and other parts of hip hop including DJing, break dancing and graffiti art. The executive director of the Universal Hip Hop museum says the construction was delayed last year because of the pandemic and budget issues. 
"We've been waiting for this moment I personally have been waiting for 10 years, but originally we were set for next summer but because of budget constraints we got pushed back finally here we are to start construction and everybody is so excited," said Rocky Bucano.
An official groundbreaking ceremony will happen later this year.
Hip Hop's birth is said have happened at a Bronx party inside a building on Sedgwick Avenue in 1973. The museum's organizers hope to open in 2023 for the 50th anniversary of the genre.

“Better Angels” is het derde album van Adam Douglas. Geboren en getogen in Oklahoma, USA woont deze singersongwriter/gitarist nu alweer meer dan 10 jaar in Noorwegen. Naast touren ter promotie van zijn albums “I May Never Learn” en “Beauty & The Brawn” deed hij er ook veel studio- en live-sessie werk met artiesten als Jon Bon Jovi, Larry Carlton, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Vidar Busk, Robben Ford, Kirk Fletcher, Ten Years After, Chris Medina en Michael Landau. Zijn inspiratie haalt hij uit de fraaie natuur van zijn nieuwe thuisland en de ‘rich melting pot of culture and music; through Howlin’ Wolf, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles onward to Tom Petty, Billy Joel and Joe Jackson’. Zijn nieuwe album neemt ons mee naar zijn ‘midlife analysis’; a window into his search to find his better self, his better angel’. Als componist en schrijver is Douglas voor het grootste deel van zijn 12 nieuwe ‘American roots music’ songs zelf verantwoordelijk, maar hij werkte ook samen met o.a. Jeff Wasserman, Lucie Silvas, Cory Chisel, Beady Belle en Bendik Braenne. Op “Better Angels” hoor je ‘high-quality poppy soul’ met invloeden van rock ’n roll, country, gospel, rhythm & blues, folk en (big band) jazz.
​

​The LA-born singer was known for such songs as 'If I Could Only Be Sure' and 'Keep On Keepin' On'
Nolan Porter, the acclaimed singer whose music rose to prominence as part of the UK’s northern soul movement in the 1970s, has died.
Porter’s death earlier this week has been confirmed by multiple sources on February 5th. He was 71.
The LA-born singer, who also released music under the monikers Nolan, N.F. Porter and Frederick II, was best known for his songs ‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ and ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’, both of which became popular northern soul hits in the 1970s.
He released two albums – ‘No Apologies’ (1970) and ‘Nolan’ (1972) – during his career, and continued working as a musician and comedian up until his death.
Porter’s ‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ provided the inspiration for the riff heard on Joy Division‘s ‘Interzone’, which featured on the band’s debut album ‘Unknown Pleasures’ in 1979, after the band (then known as Warsaw) recorded their own version of Nolan’s track the previous year.
Paul Weller covered Porter’s ‘If I Could Only Be Sure’ for his 2004 covers album ‘Studio 150’, and the two artists later performed on stage together in 2015.

​The American singer-songwriter who wrote the hit Midnight Train to Georgia has died at the age of 77.
Singer-songwriter James Dexter Weatherly died at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee, on Wednesday morning.
He is remembered for his prolific music career with classics including Midnight Train to Georgia, (You’re The) Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me and Someone Else’s Star.
Born on March 17, 1943, in Pontotoc, Mississippi, he began writing songs as a teenager.
He later attended  the University of Mississippi where he became a quarterback and in 1962 his team Ole Miss won the national championship.
However, the star player decided to pursue a career in music over American football after graduating.
He wrote some of Gladys Knight and the Pips’ greatest hits, including Neither One of Us Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye and You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.
In 2003 Midnight Train to Georgia was named one of the top 500 songs of all time by Rolling Stones magazine.
He was also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and ASCAP’s County Songwriter of the Year in 1974.
Many of his songs were used in popular television shows and movies over the years including Broadcast News, The Deer Hunter, Modern Family, Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal.
Musician Bryan White was among those to pay their respects to the singer-songwriter on social media.
His Facebook post stated: “Jim Weatherly was one of my dear friends of over 25 years. What a massive and long spanning career this man had. His work will be heard forever.
“I started writing songs with Jim just after Marty Gamblin signed me to Glen Campbell Music way back when. I’m so grateful to Marty for introducing me to such an extraordinarily talented human being.
“Most of all, a very kind and gracious human being. We wrote a lot of songs together and I sang a lot of demos for him. So many great memories rush back when we lose friends we love.”
Jim Weatherly is survived by his wife, Cynthia, daughter Brighton and son Zack.

Amsterdam, 5 februari 2021 – Vandaag brengt Anton Goudsmit de eerste single van zijn nieuwe album Ton Petit uit. De eerste single Graat/Paling is nu overal te beluisteren, het volledige album Ton Petit verschijnt op 19 maart.

Anton Goudsmit is een van Nederlands meest bekende en beruchte gitaristen. De veelzijdige artiest is vooral bekend als en oprichter en componist van The Ploctones, als artistiek leider van het Nationaal Jeugd Jazz Orkest en van zijn samenwerkingen met Eric Vloeimans, Benjamin Herman, New Cool Collective en het New Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra.

In de lente van 2020 geleden begint Goudsmit met het schrijven van nieuw materiaal, waarna hij even later met drummer Tim Hennekes en bassist Sean Fasciani het repetitiehok in duikt. In de 'Warningstudios' in Amsterdam gaan Anton Goudsmit en producer Björn Warning met veel oog voor detail aan de slag met Anton's composities. Het resultaat is het album Ton Petit.

De 'Kosmotroniks' van kunstenaar Harry Arling blijken uiteindelijk de perfecte manier om de muziek van Ton Petit te visualiseren. "Zijn precieze, tijdrovende maar speelse aanpak sprak mij enorm aan", aldus Anton Goudsmit. 

Met de twee nummers Graat/Paling laat Goudsmit vandaag een eerste geluid van Ton Petit horen. "Graat is als een soort van Lego bouwwerkje gebouwd op een zich steeds herhalende basmelodie en Paling is opdragen aan de muziek van Reinier Baas" beschrijft hij. 

Het volledige album Ton Petit verschijnt op 19 maart.

Op 27 februari speelt Anton Goudsmit met materiaal van Ton Petit een livestream in het Bimhuis, Amsterdam.

​Zanger Barry Hay laat er geen twijfel meer over bestaan: Golden Earring stopt ermee. “Dit is een doodsklap”, vertelt hij aan de Nederlandse krant AD. “We hebben altijd gezegd dat we zouden doorgaan tot een van ons zou omvallen. Dat George dan de eerste is, had ik niet verwacht. Kooymans was altijd de taaiste van ons vier. Je filosofeert daar wel eens over: wie gaat er als eerste? Dan stond hij altijd achteraan in het rijtje. Het is klote, we hadden liever een afscheidstournee gepland, maar dit is helaas wat het is. Ons laatste optreden blijkt in 2019 in Ahoy te zijn geweest. Dat was een mooie show met familie en vrienden erbij, maar we hadden het liever anders gezien.’’

De ziekte waaraan Kooymans lijdt, is ALS. “Het is een heel naar bericht en ik ben niet echt in de stemming om daar verder veel over te zeggen”, reageert de man kort bij AD. “Ik sta onder behandeling in het universitair ziekenhuis in Leuven. That’s it.”
​
Kooymans richtte in 1961 samen met zijn buurjongen Rinus Gerritsen de band The Tornados op. De jongens, dertien en vijftien jaar oud, kwamen er al snel achter dat er al een band bestond met die naam, en kozen een nieuwe naam: The Golden Earrings. In de jaren erna versterkten Barry Hay en Cesar Zuiderwijk de rockband, die succes kreeg in binnen- en buitenland. Kooymans vormt samen met Boudewijn de Groot en Henny Vrienten ook het trio Vreemde Kostgangers.

Het voortbestaan van de iconische Nederlandse rockband Golden Earring hangt aan een zijden draadje. Oprichter George Kooymans is ernstig ziek, zo bevestigt zijn management. De in België woonachtige gitarist heeft zélf te kennen gegeven dat hij gaat stoppen. Het is nog onduidelijk of de band stopt. Daarover hebben de andere leden nog geen besluit genomen.

​Welke ziekte de gitarist onder de leden heeft, wil manager Rob Gerritsen niet kwijt. "Ik kan alleen vertellen dat het ernstig is en George niet meer verder kan", zegt hij tegen de krant. De muzikant heeft zijn manager donderdagochtend op de hoogte gebracht.

Kooymans richtte in 1961 samen met zijn buurjongen Rinus Gerritsen de band The Tornados op. De jongens, dertien en vijftien jaar oud, kwamen er al snel achter dat er al een band bestond met die naam, en kozen een nieuwe: The Golden Earrings. In de jaren erna versterkten Barry Hay en Cesar Zuiderwijk de rockband, die succes kreeg in binnen- en buitenland. Kooymans vormt samen met Boudewijn de Groot en Henny Vrienten ook het trio Vreemde Kostgangers.

Gerritsen wil nog geen uitspraken doen over de toekomst van Golden Earring, zoals de naam uiteindelijk werd. "George is te ziek om nog te spelen en dat zou kunnen betekenen dat de band ophoudt te bestaan. Maar daarover is nog geen definitief besluit genomen." Woensdagavond zijn de bandleden bij elkaar gekomen.
Golden Earring bestaat nu precies zestig jaar. De band scoorde wereldwijd hits met nummers als Radar Love, Another 45 Miles en Twilight Zone. De groep trad tot het uitbreken van de coronapandemie nog regelmatig op.

Zanger Kris De Bruyne is overleden. Hij is 70 jaar geworden. Hij stierf gisteren in het bijzijn van zijn vrouw en kinderen na een langdurige ziekte. Dat heeft zijn manager vandaag bekendgemaakt. Zijn bekendste nummers zijn onder meer "Amsterdam", "De peulschil" en "De onverbiddelijke zoener". 

​Kris De Bruyne wordt beschouwd als een talent binnen de Belgische kleinkunst. In het begin van zijn carrière sluit hij met zijn Nederlandstalige nummers aan bij de kleinkunstbeweging, maar al snel gooit hij met zijn elektrische gitaar alle regels van het genre overboord.
​
Samen met het duo Lamp & Lazerus scoort hij een aantal hits. Met 'De peulschil' en 'De onverbiddellijke zoener' is hij, net als Johan Verminnen en Raymond van het Groenewoud, één van de grondleggers van de Nederlandstalige rock. Na een samenwerking van een viertal jaar brengt hij solo muziek uit. In 1973 verschijnt zijn debuutplaat, de eerste in een reeks platen die we nu al tot ons collectief geheugen rekenen en hem voor altijd tot één van de beste songwriters van ons land zal kronen. 
​

​For more than 17 years, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music has been a favorite destination for school groups and children of all ages from around the world. With almost all travel and field trips on hold during the COVID pandemic and much of the new virtual learning excluding exposure to the arts, the Stax Museum will now help fill that gap by offering an educational and entertaining virtual field trip/museum tour that are student-friendly but of interest to the entire family.
The Stax Museum Virtual Tour will be available at www.staxmuseum.com beginning February 10, 2021. Once you register, we will get back to you with a link and password to access the tour.
On the heels of recently being named among the top three music museums in North America by USA Today and being featured in Justin Timberlake's "Celebrating America" video "Better Days" during the January 20 Presidential Inauguration, the Stax Museum blends elements of a traditional museum tour with live musical performances for this unique virtual museum experience. Sharing the history of Stax Records and Memphis music through those who lived it and continue to be impacted by its legacy, featured tour guides include former Stax Records employees, Stax Music Academy staff and alumni, and Memphis-area musicians.
This all-ages tour will help the Stax Museum continue introducing new generations to the authentic music created at Stax and offer keen insight into the culture that existed there, from stories of opportunity and empowerment to racial equality, social justice, and the pure magic of making timeless music.
As an added bonus, after you and/or your students enjoy the Stax Museum virtual tour, our affiliated Stax Music Academy is presenting a worldwide virtual Black History Month concert with two companion study guides the Stax Museum helped create. The concert, which will be live at https://staxmusicacademy.org/ starting February 17, 2021, will feature valuable lessons in African American history along with upbeat, fun-filled music made famous by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Al Green, the Staple Singers, Jackson 5, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and many others. Register HERE for this event.
The Stax and Snapping Fingers design are ® trademarks of Stax Records, a division of Concord. Stax Records is not in any way responsible for the content of this program.

​He was part of one of the greatest stage routines in show business, helping James Brown overcome his passions and leading him slowly away from the pain of the stage. Only to watch as Mr. Brown repeatedly threw off the garment and raced back to the microphone.
Danny Ray was the name of the cape handler. His death was announced Wednesday by the James Brown estate, where he was termed “The second hardest-working man in show business.” He was 85 and died of natural causes, according to the Augusta Chronicle in Georgia.
Ray was part of Brown’s cape routine for 45 years, assisting him on the song “Please, Please, Please.” The Godfather of Soul would collapse in a paroxysm of feigned grief during the song, being led away by a solicitous Ray, who draped the singer in a cape. Brown would take a few steps, then return to the microphone. Sometimes, they eschewed the cape, and Brown was merely led away.
The cape routine received its greatest exposure in 1964 during the filming of the fabled The T.A.M.I. Show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The bill featured Brown with the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Leslie Gore and others and was filmed.
Ray’s last major appearance was at the 49th Grammy Awards, where he hung the fabled cape on a spotlighted microphone stand in tribute to Brown, who died in 2006.

​“Crescent City Strut” earns Billboard’s Most Added and Most Increased Plays single status.
 
NASHVILLE (3 February 2021): Like a trusted friend, contemporary jazz guitarist Les Sabler finds that playing guitar brings him tranquility, especially when the noise of the world becomes too much. He can disappear by slipping into an electric guitar groove and find calmness while exploring a nylon string guitar riff. While sheltering in place in his Nashville home during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and as civil unrest erupted, Sabler quieted his mind while getting to know the vintage Gibson Johnny Smith guitar model recommended by his producer, two-time GRAMMY winner Paul Brown. The resulting album, “Tranquility,” a soothing cocktail of cosmopolitan jazz, soul-powered R&B grooves and mellifluous pop instrumentals, dropped last Friday on the New Vista label.
 
After tracking two songs last February in Brown’s Los Angeles recording studio, work on the 10-track set, Sabler’s eighth album and first since 2014, had to be put on hold. When the project resumed in July, they were joined by the socially distant bassist Roberto Vally, drummer Gorden Campbell, percussionist Lenny Castro, Lee Thornburg (trumpet and trombone) and saxophonist Greg Vail. Sabler and Brown teamed to write eight songs for the set, collaborating on compositions with Shane Theriot (“Crescent City Strut,” “City Rhythm,” “Three Dee,” “Esselle’s Dance” and “Tranquility”), Lew Laing (“Keep Pushin’” and “Where Has She Gone”) and Jeff Carruthers (“Easy Moves”).
 
The seeds of “Tranquility,” which hit No. 7 on Amazon’s New Releases in Jazz chart, were planted nearly two years ago when Sabler wrote, recorded and released “In The Light.” He re-recorded his guitar parts for the slick cool jazz single that spent three weeks at No. 1 at WAVE.FM in Sabler’s native Canada.
 
While in lockdown last May, Sabler issued “Keep Pushin’” as a single. It was the first track recorded using the guitar suggested by Brown. Sabler’s 1967 instrument has an expressive tone that gives him a new sound on an electric guitar reputed for bringing high-quality amplification and high-quality acoustic sound together for the first time. The guitarist describes the chill groove with a sweet melody as a song that is “a subtle call for resiliency and the unwillingness to let up on the drive to press on during challenging times.”
 
Theriot’s New Orleans heritage informs Sabler’s new single, “Crescent City Strut,” which has earned Billboard’s Most Added and Most Increased Plays honors in recent weeks. Like the Crescent City itself, the tune offers mystery, intrigue and seductive allure marked by crafty guitar play amplified by lush horn section work. 
 
Another “Tranquility” highlight is “Esselle’s Dance,” an exquisite dalliance on nylon-string guitar that has already received over 800 plays on YouTube. “Tranquility” concludes by revisiting George Benson’s “Sunrise,” an apropos selection that ends the disc with the striking rays of hope and promise of a new day. 
 
Below are excerpts from a couple album reviews:
 
“A memorable musical experience from start to finish, Tranquility is a modern day, instrumental jazz classic.” – Roots Music Report
 
“Les Sabler's album Tranquility offers a select collection of exquisite guitar pieces that are rarely found.” – Smooth Jazz Daily 
 
For more information, please visit http://www.lessabler.net.

Double K, People Under The Stairs Rapper And Producer, Dead At 43.

Michael Turner better known as Double K, rapper and producer in the Los Angeles duo People Under The Stairs — died January 30, 2021, of unspecified causes. A friend, DJ Mark Luv, shared the news via Instagram, writing that Turner "passed away peacefully." An examination by the LA County Medical Examiner-Coroner has yet to be performed.

People Under the Stairs was an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2019. The group's name does not originate from the 1991 Wes Craven film The People Under the Stairs, as they were not aware of it when conceiving the group. Turner and Christopher Portugal (Thes One) formed People Under The Stairs with The Next Step dropping just one year later. Right away the album established the duo as torchbearers of a now-classic hip-hop sound: jazz and funk samples looped as the emcees traded verses, putting them in good company with like-minded groups The Pharcyde, The Beatnuts, and Jurassic 5.

While attending high school in Mid-City Los Angeles, group members Thes One and Double K were independently sampling music, creating beat tapes, and DJing local events. Thes One attended Loyola High, and Double K attended Hamilton High and was a part of the Log Cabin Crew, a hip-hop collective that also included fellow Hamilton High students Murs, Eligh, and Scarub (of Living Legends). They met while looking for sample material in a record store and were impressed by each other's work, forming a friendship.

After struggling to find recognition at home, they toured Europe by train; eventually, they hit the road in America with dogged perseverance, and little by little, demand grew for PUTS' don't-call-it-a-throwback boom-bap. People Under The Stairs released 12 albums over its remarkable 22-year run. "Most of my favorite rap groups only made it to three [albums], and the third one sucked," Double K once told the LA Times.
​
In 2011, Mac Miller not only paid tribute with "People Under the Stairs" on the mixtape titled I Love Life, Thank You, but also took the group on tour that year. Consistent in sound and theme, the duo mostly stuck to parties, barbeque, and weed, which can still be found on the 2019 swansong Sincerely, The P, but also contains life lessons for the next generation and to those still here: "Tell your people's that you love them while they all still here / Show your people that you love them while they all still here / Man, tell your people that love them while they still can hear."

The show must go on! Liever hadden we de Handelsbeurs gevuld met een groot publiek, een resem topconcerten en een warm folkfeest, maar een wereldwijde pandemie beslist daar anders over. Maar niet getreurd, het Flanders Folk Network gaat online met de uitreiking van de Flanders Folk Awards.

Tijdens de Week van de Belgische Muziek op donderdag 11 februari 2021 om 21u gaat de award show door op de Facebook en Youtube pagina van het Flanders Folk Network.
Flanders Folk Awards 2021? Vlaanderen bulkt van het folk talent en dat wil het Flanders Folk Network aan het grote publiek en aan het nationale en internationale muzieklandschap bekendmaken. Met de Flanders Folk Awards zetten we de artiesten centraal die potentieel hebbenbinnen de internationale trad & folk scene.

Wat mag je verwachten? Een wervelende show aan elkaar gepraat door VRT-gezicht Sien Wynants, interviews met en mini-concerten door enkele genomineerde bands en natuurlijk de prijsuitreikingen zelf. Allemaal corona veilig gecapteerd in Handelsbeurs Gent. Een onafhankelijke jury selecteerde 4 bands per categorie. Een staalkaart van de diversiteit en vooral kwaliteit van de Vlaamse folk scene. We zetten de categorieën en de genomineerde bands nog eens op een rijtje:

Beste album (release 1 augustus 2019 - 31 augustus 2020)
• Airboxes – One for the Road (eigen beheer)
• Duo De Schepper - Sanczuk – Port de Taipana (Appel Records, APR1390)
• Spilar – Stormweere (Trad Records, TRAD010)
• Trio Dhoore – August (Trad Records, TRAD004)

Beloftevolle band
• Airboxes
• Antanjula
• Bipolar Bows
• Cardboard Cabin

Beste live band
• Aurélie Dorzée & Tom Theuns
• Flairck
• Spilar
• Wör

Links naar de genomineerde bands kan je vinden op www.flandersfolknetwork.be/awards
De genomineerden maken kans op een van de mooie prijzen met de steun van Playright+, Sabam For Culture, VI.BE, de Vlaamse Overheid en het Flanders Folk Network.

​

​Paaspop heeft een eenmalige, nieuwe datum: 3, 4 & 5 september 2021, en daar kun JIJ bij zijn! De EB ticketverkoop van deze unieke najaarseditie start op zaterdag 27 februari om 11:00 uur. Je kunt dan enkel weekendtickets kopen, zolang de voorrraad strekt! Wil jij verzekerd zijn van een ticket? Dan markeer je deze datum met een viltstift in je agenda. Dagtickets gaan in het oorspronkelijke Paaspop weekend (op zaterdag 03 april 2021) in de verkoop. Let op: meer dan 90% van de tickets zijn in 2020 door bezoekers behouden (waarvoor super veel dank). Het belooft dan ook mega snel te gaan!

Sinds eind jaren 70 vindt jouw favo festival 'Paaspop' plaats tijdens Pasen in Schijndel. Na 1,5 jaar afwezigheid vieren we in 2021 eenmalig het einde van de zomer, in plaats van de start van de lente. Dit doen we met behulp van een unieke editie, en wel op: 3, 4 en 5 september 2021.
​
De Early Bird ticketverkoop start op zaterdag 27 februari om 11:00 uur.

Stony Plain Records announces a March 26 release date for New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2, the second edition of music from roots “super group,” New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers: Charlie Musselwhite, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Jimbo Mathus, the late Jim Dickinson, and North Mississippi Allstars members Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson (just nominated for a GRAMMY in the Contemporary Blues category for their Up and Rolling album). Recorded at the Zebra Ranch Recording Studio in Coldwater, Mississippi, the 11 blues-drenched tracks on New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2  give fans even more bang for their buck than the first volume’s 10 tracks of sublime roots music. New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume 1, released in September of 2020, was greeted with universal acclaim and became a Top 20 Billboard and Top 10 Living Blues chart album.

 
“NMJRFR, Volume 1 lays out a musical feast at which we relish every course. By the end, we want more, of course.” - Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Living Blues
“In true rock-and-roll tradition, NMJRFRs were born in the back of a tour bus, and they’re everything their name implies: Raucous, rattly, raw, and magnificently loose… a group of road-tested wanderers turned loose for a rip on what they dubbed a potluck session.” - Grant Britt, No Depression
As on the first volume, New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2 crosses the generations of new blues-rockers and classic blues statesmen. It is a testament to the great experience and talent of these esteemed performers that they could casually conjure a recording of this quality out of the ether in a casual jam session -- sounding as if you are right there in the room with them with between-song banter and commentary, the classic structures of the blues, being pulled together and teased apart by some of the most award-decorated members of the blues elite.

How the New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Came to Be:
The New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers originated back in November, 2007, when musician brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson sat down for a guitar jam with ex-Squirrel Nut Zippers leader Jimbo Mathus, along with blues greats Charlie Musselwhite, Alvin Youngblood Hart and the late Memphis pianist, producer and all-around musical stylist Jim Dickinson gathered for a roots music extravaganza recording under the group name of the New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers.

For more than 12 years, those recordings’ existence was mentioned only obscurely in interviews, and referenced as a great old-school recording by those few witnesses. It was recorded live off-the-floor over several days, where the musicians all sat in one big circle in the studio and played quietly amongst the microphones, taking turns singing out in the room and improvising on the spot. Since Jim Dickinson’s passing in the summer of 2009, the recordings just hung out in the archives - waiting. When Stony Plain founder Holger Petersen heard about the sessions in 2019 and expressed his enthusiasm to release it, Luther Dickinson and his partner/engineer Kevin Houston finished the production of the albums.
“I was backstage at the Edmonton Blues Festival visiting with my old friends Charlie and Henri Musselwhite,” recalls Holger Petersen about the project’s genesis. “We were catching up and I told Charlie I was proud to have worked with Colin Linden and Luther Dickinson on a recent Stony Plain release, Amour. Charlie brought up the New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers sessions and that got the ball got rolling. He sent me the song list the next day and Luther sent me rough mixes shortly after that. I've been a longtime fan of everyone involved and have appreciated Jim Dickinson's work and importance.”

The New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2 repertoire is a mix of righteous takes on such musical chestnuts as Doug Sahm’s “She’s About a Mover,” Junior Wells’ “Messin’ with the Kid” and Jimmy Reed’s “Can’t Stand to See You Go,” sidled comfortably alongside original songs that make for a beautifully soulful listening experience. 
​
New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Vol. 2 – Track Listing
1. Blues for Yesterday (featuring Charlie Musselwhite)
2. She’s About a Mover (featuring Alvin Youngblood Hart)
3. Searchlight (featuring Jimbo Mathus)
4. Oh Lord, Don’t Let Them Drop That Atom Bomb on Me (featuring Jim Dickinson)
5. Greens and Ham (featuring Jimbo Mathus)
6. Messin’ with the Kid (featuring Jim Dickinson)
7. Black Water (featuring Charlie Musselwhite)
8. Millionaire Blues (featuring Alvin Youngblood Hart)
9. Can’t Stand to See You Go (featuring Jim Dickinson)
10. Blue Guitar (featuring Luther Dickinson)
11. Blues Is a Mighty Bad Feeling (featuring Jim Dickinson)

​Singer Tony Bennett has revealed he has Alzheimer's disease.
The 94-year-old's diagnosis was publicized by AARP, a US campaign group on age-related issues.
He was diagnosed with the disease, which affects the memory and cognitive functions, in 2016, AARP said.
The American singer wrote on Twitter: "Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer’s."
Alongside a link to the article announcing his diagnosis, he added: "Thank you to [my wife] Susan and my family for their support, and AARP The Magazine for telling my story."
Neurologist Gayatri Devi, who diagnosed Bennett, told AARP the singer has "an amazingly versatile brain".
She said he has some "cognitive issues, but multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well".

Sophie Xeon (September 17, 1986 – January 30, 2021), better known mononymously as Sophie was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Sophie died at age 34, at home in Athens, Greece. According to their UK label, Transgressive, Sophie's death was caused by slipping and falling while climbing to watch the full moon.

Sophie, who initially remained anonymous and later came out as a trans woman, came to prominence with singles such as "Bipp" (2013) and "Lemonade" (2014), which were collected on the 2015 compilation Product. Sophie's debut album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides followed in 2018, earning a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. After Sophie's accidental death in 2021, Pitchfork called Sophie "the influential British producer who molded electronic music into bracingly original avant-garde pop".
​
She was a Scottish musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, and DJ. Known for a brash and "hyperkinetic" take on pop music, Sophie worked closely with artists from the PC Music label, including A.G. Cook and GFOTY, and produced for acts such as Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Kim Petras, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, and Namie Amuro.

new album
out 16.04.21 - CD
out 19.02.21 - digital
[Blue Canoe Records]

includes
NOBLE SAVAGE
video
youtu.be/bftMboY6Feg
+
NORTH STAR
video (Unlisted)
youtu.be/cKuSBehx92o
 
Lyle Workman hasn’t just had a successful career - he’s had three. As a versatile sideman and session guitarist, he has toured and recorded with Beck, Sting, Frank Black, Todd Rundgren, Norah Jones, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jellyfish, Ziggy Marley and Tony Williams; as a film composer, his credits include the blockbusters Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Forgetting Sarah Marshall; and, as a songwriter and solo artist, he has penned hits and earned praise from rock heroes like Steve Vai and Steve Lukather. Workman now unites his various endeavors with ‘Uncommon Measures’, a stunning and stylistically diverse instrumental album featuring a 63-piece orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road.

Bursting at the seams with soaring arrangements and virtuosic performances, ‘Uncommon Measures’ plays like the score to an epic film from another dimension, mixing elements of progressive rock, jazz fusion, classical and choral music with gleeful abandon. Its nine tracks are living, breathing entities, constantly growing and evolving in ways both subtle and drastic. Their production is similarly unpredictable, veering from larger-than-life bombast to whispered intimacy and back, sometimes within the same piece. The result is extraordinary - a captivating, transportive song cycle that manages to scale the heights of joy and sadness, love and friendship, self-discovery and celebration, all without a single word.

“This record ties together all the different threads of who I am as an artist,” explains Workman. “It was four years in the making, but it’s really the culmination of a lifetime in music.”

Grand as the album is, Workman’s eye for detail and gift for melody remains front and center throughout. Painting vivid, emotional portraits with his evocative guitar and keyboard work, he creates an immersive, cinematic universe drawn entirely from the depths of his subconscious in spontaneous, improvised writing sessions. “I’ve always felt like the muse is much more intuitive and in touch with my emotions than I am,” he continues. “Writing these songs, I tried to just go into this tabula rasa state of mind, a meditative place where I could let the music tell me where to go.”

Born and raised in California, Workman taught himself guitar as a youngster by playing along to songs by The Beatles. His taste would expand over the years (Genesis and Yes brought him to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis, which led him to Ravel and Debussy), but his love of a perfectly crafted pop song saw him co-write the Todd Rundgren produced hit single ‘I Don’t Mind At All’ for the band Bourgeois Tagg, who he had joined after leaving music college, before he began picking up work with an array of star names.
   
“The great thing about being a sideman is that every gig is an education,” he reflects. “Whoever I’m working with, they’re all worlds unto themselves, but it is a chance to step inside their heads and understand how they create.” In many instances, the influence has flowed in both directions, with Workman co-writing songs for the album ‘57th & 9th’ by Sting, as well as composing a track for the final release by late jazz icon Tony Williams. “I was a huge fan of Tony’s playing with Miles Davis and beyond, so it totally blew my mind when he invited me to come to his place and start collaborating,” he enthuses. “When we recorded my track ‘Machu Picchu,’ we had Stanley Clarke and Herbie Hancock playing it with us. It was an incredible experience.”

Having learned what it takes to help bring the vision of other artists to life was a skill set that also made him ideally suited to the world of film and TV, with gigs writing music for commercials and indie films soon opening the door to major studio releases. However, as his sideman and film careers exploded, his own artistic endeavors were placed on the backburner. “I absolutely love all the work I get to do with other artists and filmmakers, but sometimes you need to articulate your own thoughts and feelings as a writer. There’s a singular satisfaction that comes from creating something that’s a pure expression of yourself.”

Embarking on the journey that would become ‘Uncommon Measures,’ Workman shut off his mind and simply let the music flow in his LA studio. He then began shaping his songs, some short but others clocking in at ten minutes and consisting of multiple suites and movements. Assembling a band to help flesh out the core material, he tapped up drummers Vinnie Colaiuta (Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa) and Matt Chamberlain (Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen), bassist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Wayne Krantz) and pedal steel wizard Greg Leisz (Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne). Finally, with the intoxicating grooves of his rhythm section in place, he began collaborating on arrangements with John Ashton Thomas, the orchestrator extraordinaire behind films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel. “John and I grew up with the same influences, so there’s a personal and professional kinship between us, along with a deep mutual respect for each other’s musicianship, that made the record such a joy to create."

When it came time to record the orchestra, 63 of London’s finest players gathered at Abbey Road for what turned out to be a day of pure magic. The session was a ‘pinch me’ moment for Workman, both as a kid who grew up obsessed with The Beatles and as a composer finally seeing his vision come to life. “Being in that studio with the orchestra playing my songs, it was like hearing everything go from black and white to Technicolor. They added a soul and a humanity to everything that was just so beautiful and three dimensional.”
​
‘Uncommon Measures’ showcases not only Workman’s skilled musicianship, but also his profound empathy and expansive emotional vocabulary. Tracks like the dizzying opener ‘North Star’ and pulse-pounding ‘All The Colors Of The World’ balance breakneck guitar runs and instrumental fireworks with moments of deep calm and poignant reflection, while playful tunes such as the ecstatic ‘Noble Savage’ and funky, horn-fueled ‘Unsung Hero’ revel in the joys of creative freedom. As the album progresses, Workman finds himself looking further inwards, seeing the beauty in melancholy with the meditative ‘Labyrinth Of Love’ and finding hope for the future on the expansive ‘Rise And Shine’. The final track, ‘Our Friendship’, is a Thomas composition inspired by the pair’s working relationship.

As varied as the music is, there is a cohesiveness that binds it, a unified approach rooted in a radical exploration and embrace of the self. “If it’s any one thing, it’s the power of expressing yourself at all costs, of free falling into the music with complete abandon. When I’m working on a film or someone else’s record, there are always parameters to follow and opinions to consider, but here, there were no boundaries at all. I could do anything I wanted.” For an artist like Lyle Workman, when the possibilities are infinite, the infinite becomes possible. ‘Uncommon Measures’ is proof of that.

facebook.com/lyleworkman.musician
instagram.com/lyle.workman
youtube.com/c/lyleworkmanofficial
twitter.com/lyle_workman

CONRAD  -  The Marollian Man

uit op 3 februari '21 - Conrad Music 
op het kruispunt van country, blues en jazz

Journalist Bart ‘Conrad’ Cornand (Gent, 1973) maakte de voorbije decennia naam door de menselijke verhalen achter mythische muzikanten op te tekenen. Van Toots Thielemans en Keith Jarrett tot Mark Knopfler en Ry Cooder: Cornand volgt het spoor van de rondtrekkende, zoekende mens. Het is hét grote thema achter de ep Songs of Hope and Grit, die tegen de zomer volgt.

Conrad is al jaren actief als muzikant, maar debuteert nu pas onder eigen naam. De ontlading kwam er in 2019, toen regisseur Cathérine Ongenae hem vroeg om muziek te schrijven bij de kortfilm Rewilding. Samen met multi-instrumentalist Gianni Marzo (Marble Sounds, Isbells) maakte hij een spookachtige soundtrack in de geest van Daniel Lanois.
De lijfspreuk van Toots Thielemans, met wie Conrad verschillende keren naar de VS trok, was daarbij zijn kompas: ‘Be yourself. No more, no less.’ 

 
Daarom ligt The Marollian Man op het kruispunt van country, blues en jazz – de plek waar de Zenne in de Mississippi vloeit. Conrad verzamelde daarvoor een droomband rond zich, met als kern de ritmesectie van Toots: Nicolas Thys op contrabas en Dré Pallemaerts op drums. Thielemans’ protegé Steven De bruyn speelt harmonica, pedalsteelgitarist Bart Vervaeck zorgt voor de twang, An Pierlé voor de backing vocals. En dat allemaal in een productie van Koen Gisen, de Lanois van de Lage Landen.