​Johnny Mandel, an American composer, jazz musician and songs arranger, died on June 29, 2020, at the age of 94. Johnny's cause of death identified as suicide, his obituary is yet to be identified.
An Oscar winning jazz musician and singer of ”Emily”, ”The shadow of your smile”, ”Quietly There” and “MASH”, Johnny Mandel is dead at the age of 94 following an unidentified cause of death in New York, United States. He has worked with great artists like Anita O’Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra. He passed away leaving fans and loved ones in total sadness, Johnny Mandel's death has caused so much heartbreak to the beloved family. We are yet to observed the deceased cause of death and obituary.

​Legendary Chicago drummer Khari Parker passed away at 46. News of Khari’s passing surfaced this morning on social media. Drummers have reacted and expressed their sorrows and condolences. Parker’s cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Khari Parker was born and raised in Chicago. He was prevalent on the gospel and jazz music scenes. Khari was best known for playing arena tours with Destiny’s Child. He was also the most recent drummer for smooth jazz artist George Benson.

​Pianist Freddy Cole died on June 27th in Atlanta, he was 88. Born in 1931 in Chicago, he called Atlanta home for the last 48 years. His manager has confirmed his passing and said the cause was related to a cardiac ailment.
He was the youngest of five children, 12 years younger than his famous brother Nat King Cole. All of the children received musical instruction from their mother Paulina. Notables like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Lionel Hampton were frequent guests in their home. Not surprisingly several of the boys found careers in music. When an injury stalled a potential football career Freddy followed his brothers into the limelight. A musical odyssey spanning 70 years would follow.

​Bassist Jaap Roubos is op 75-jarige leeftijd overleden. Jaap maakte deel uit van de Nederlandse band Ferrari. Ferrari begon in 1965 als rock 'n roll band onder de naam Willie Ferrari & The Rollers, die in het Brabantse Heusden werd opgericht. Destijds bestond de band uit enkele vrienden die het leuk vonden om met elkaar muziek te maken. In 1967 wijzigde de naam in The Ferrari’s en bestond de band uit Ben van Wijk (gitaar, zang en saxofoon), Jaap Roubos (basgitaar en trompet), Jan van Loon (drums en zang) en Kit Verboven (toetsen). Op de bühne speelden The Ferrari’s stevige muziek, soms zelfs hardrock. In 1970 voegde Frank Faas zich als leadzanger bij de band en werd de naam opnieuw gewijzigd in Ferrari. Langzaam maar zeker ging de band steeds meer commerciële muziek maken. In 1970 werd de single 'A Sunny Day' de eerste hit voor Ferrari, een jaar later gevolgd door 'The Girl I Need'. Op de derde hitsingle 'You Are Mine' werd meegezongen door de leden van The Buffoons. In 1975 met een nieuwe producer en platenmaatschappij (CBS latere Sony – Negram) brak de gouden periode van Ferrari aan. De singles 'Sailor Boy' en Woogie Boogie (allebei geschreven door Chris Andrews) werden stevige hits. In 1976 bereikte de single 'Sweet Love' zelfs de eerste plaats van de Nederlandse Top 40. In datzelfde jaar werd de opvolger 'Monza' en Top 5 hit. De laatste hit scoorde Ferrari met de single 'Gypsy Girl' in 1977. Drie jaar later gingen de bandleden ieder hun eigen weg te gaan. In december 2000 kwamen de groepsleden van Ferrari nog eenmaal bij elkaar om in de Brabanthallen te 's-Hertogenbosch hun hits ten gehore te brengen. Jaap Roubos ruste in vrede!
 
Met dank aan Leo Weijers

new single
out 26.06.20
lyric video
youtu.be/ZsTKj17F1ps

available on all digital services
orcd.co/respiros
from the album
OPEN YOUR MOUTH
out 18.09.20
(Espuma Preta / Membran)

“Unforgettable operatic falsettos, whimsical lyricism, skewed African hi-life and ferocious free-scat”
THE GUARDIAN

Maria João has built a career as surprising as it is brilliant, highlighted by her performances at the world's most prestigious jazz festivals. Her career began at the Jazz school of the Hot Clube de Portugal in Lisbon, with her music soon receiving recognition as she became one of the few Portuguese singers to achieve success outside her home territory.

João’s remarkable vocal ability and the unequalled intensity of her performances have turned her into an internationally renowned artist who has earned her place among the greatest contemporary avant-garde singers, her unique style becoming a touchstone in the world of improvised music. She has worked with artists such as Joe Zawinul, Gilberto Gil, Egberto Gismonti, Trilok Gurtu and Manu Katché, while her portfolio also includes a duet with Bobby McFerrin and a longstanding duo partnership with pianist Mario Laginha.

The forthcoming ‘Open Your Mouth’ is João’s third incursion into the world of electronic music with her OGRE Electric project, its previous releases having seen reviewers consider her as “a singer who is continually evolving,” with "a voice that goes all the way to the limit.” The 63-year old youngster herself (64 for anybody reading this after 27th June) states that “to explore, never settle and be on the lookout for new things will always be our motto, so sometimes it might not be so easy to label us. But, who needs labels anyway?”

‘Open Your Mouth’ heads into a more urban, groove-oriented vibe than before,  which, when combined with João's own inner child, takes the listener for a spin around mysterious dreamworlds and trippy soundscapes, as African rhythms and all manner of programmed electronics are thrown into the mix to provide occasionally jarring yet thought-provoking accompaniment.

Besides her core ensemble, consisting of fellow countrymen João Farinha on keyboards/synthesizers (as well as writing and production) and electronics wizard André Nascimento, ‘Open Your Mouth’ also features German wonder drummer and producer Silvan Strauss, who never forgets to pack a punch and to whom the album owes much of its new sonic direction.

MARIA JOÃO / OGRE Electric
Maria João - vocals
João Farinha - keyboards, synthesizers
Silvan Strauss - drums
André Nascimento - laptop, electronics

mariajoao.org
facebook.com/mariajoaomgrancha

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section guitarist Jesse Willard “Pete” Carr, who played on hits including “Kodachrome,” “Tonight’s The Night” and “Down on Mainstreet,” died today at the age of 70. Praise and accolades immediately began rolling in for one of the musicians other musicians call “great.”

Carr, who was considered in the same league with Duane Allman, moved from Florida to Alabama in 1966 to play guitar for a band called The Five Minutes. He replaced Eddie Hinton, who left that band to pursue studio work, and Carr told interviewers later that “irony and fate” led him to replace Hinton again when Hinton left the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

As the lead guitarist for the Muscle Shoals session band and a close friend of the Allman brothers, Carr would meet and play with Bob Seger, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr., among others. Carr worked with Phil Walden in Macon, Georgia, on the then-new recording label Capricorn. And he had his own group LeBlanc and Carr that released the album “Midnight Light.”
​
He also loved to produce and engineer music. “I even loved doing the final mix downs of the projects,” he told an interviewer. “I loved all the different ways you could affect the sounds of the drums, guitars and vocals when mixing the final product. That really is the make or break phase of recording.”
Asked once to rank his biggest thrills in music, Carr cited meeting Paul Simon. He would play guitar at the Simon & Garfunkel concert in Central Park before almost a half-million people. (bron: AL.com)

Below Sea Level, the forthcoming release from Eric Johanson, is a striking collection of twelve indie rock and blues originals written by Johanson and produced in collaboration with Luther Dickinson. Sessions were held at the famed Zebra Ranch Studios in the North Mississippi Hill Country, where the raw musical energy of Johanson on guitar and vocals, Terrence Grayson (Victor Wainwright Band) on bass and Cody Dickinson on drums flowed from the formidable power trio. Mixing was completed at Easy Eye Sound in Nashville by M. Allen Parker.
 
According to Johanson, "With this album I was finally able to bring my blues and rock influences to a place of more imagination and creativity, while keeping it organic and honest. It's contemporary music naturally grown from the roots of southern blues and psychedelic inspiration. I can't think of anyone who understands that better than Luther Dickinson, who produced the album with me. We cut the record live over three days, with very few overdubs, and just captured this amazing raw energy. A lot of that had to do with Cody and Terrence really bringing the grooves to life with incredible chemistry."
 
"This strong sophomore release from Johanson will surely cast him as a rising star in the Blues and Southern Rock scene and help secure his place in the next pantheon of guitar gods," notes Rick J. Bowen, of NorthWest Music Scene.
 
"Eric's brilliant songwriting is evident throughout the project," says Nola Blue Records President, Sallie Bengtson. "From the hard rockers to the poignant ballads, Below Sea Level is a powerful commentary on life, love and his beloved home of New Orleans."
 

31.03.2021
Ancienne Belgique, Brussel
Verkoop vanaf vrijdag 3 juli om 10u
TICKETS

 
Op woensdag 31 maart komt Asaf Avidan met band naar de Ancienne Belgique waar hij zijn gloednieuwe 7de album 'Anagnorisis' voorstelt. Na tien jaar wereldwijd te touren met het ene uitverkochte concert na het andere, koos de zanger om minstens één jaar geen shows meer te geven. De Israëlische singer-songwriter trok naar het landelijke Italië waar hij een oude boerderij omtoverde tot een studio om anders te leven en schrijven. De natuur en stilte sijpelden binnen in zijn songs en het album 'Anagnorisis’ zag het daglicht. Het resultaat zijn uitgepuurde songs waar je naast zijn kenmerkende androgyne sound de veelzijdigheid van zijn stem ontdekt. 
Voor de nieuwe plaat liet Asaf zich inspireren door andere genres dan gewoonlijk zoals hip hop, moderne pop, gospelmuziek en luisterde hij naar "Thom Yorke, The Fugees, David Bowie, old school jazz en zelfs hedendaagse pop zoals Billie Eilish of Kanye West. Het resultaat is een schizofrene jungle van karakters die uiting geven aan wie ik echt ben.” Op deze plaat exploreert hij alle kleuren van zijn stemgeluid: van doordringende falset over theatrale bariton tot zijn androgyne sound. Bovendien zijn alle stemmen die je op de plaat hoort van hem: backing vocals, tegenstemmen, gospelkoor. In volle lockdown nam hij de plaat op en liet hij de titeltrack 'Earth Odyssey’ alsook de single 'Lost Horse’ los op de wereld.  
Met zijn eerste soloalbum 'Different Pulses’ (2013) wist hij wereldwijd de mensen stil te krijgen door zijn rauwe interpretatie van muziek met aangrijpende lyrics én een soulvolle stem die bijna bovennatuurlijk en tegelijk menselijk klinkt. Een voltreffer mede dankzij de single "Reckoning Song (One Day)”. Ook DJ Wankelmut was fan en hij mixte de single tot een hit die maar liefst 200 miljoen views op Youtube haalde. Zijn tweede soloalbum 'Gold Shadow’ (2014) ademt een mix van folk, indie, bluesrock geleid door pure emoties. Na het succes van beide soloalbums en uitverkochte concerten over de hele wereld, was ook 'The Study On Falling’ (2017) een schot in de roos. Met dit album bewijst Asaf Avidan dat hij bovenal zanger, schrijver en componist is.
​
Het gloednieuwe album 'Anagnorisis' is beschikbaar vanaf 11 september 2020.
De ticketverkoop voor Asaf Avidan & Band 'The Anagnorisis Tour’ start op vrijdag 3 juli om 10:00 via greenhousetalent.be.

​In dit opiniestuk benadrukt Liveurope, het livemuziekplatform voor opkomend Europees talent, hoe 16 iconische concertzalen in heel Europa hun toevlucht zoeken tot creativiteit en hun banden met hun gemeenschappen versterken om uit de Covid-19-crisis te komen. In het artikel worden ook de toekomstige uitdagingen belicht voor de circulatie van Europees talent en wordt opgeroepen tot EU-financiering voor de culturele en creatieve sector. Anciennne Belgique is de coördinator van Liveurope en een van de leden van Liveurope die in dit artikel aan bod komen.

Ondanks de vele uitdagingen waarmee ze geconfronteerd worden als gevolg van de Covid-19-uitbraak, blijven 16 concertzalen die lid zijn van het Liveurope-platform innovatieve manieren zoeken om contact te houden met hun publiek en blijk te geven van solidariteit om de muzieksector te ondersteunen. Gaande van de ontwikkeling van nieuwe formats met artiesten tot de organisatie van universitaire examens en de inrichting van tijdelijke behandelingscentra in hun gebouwen: de Liveurope-locaties hebben blijk gegeven van veerkracht en een sterk verlangen om hun onmisbare taak te blijven spelen in onze maatschappij.

Hoewel sommige locaties stilaan hun activiteiten hervatten, lijken de vooruitzichten om opnieuw op volle capaciteit te draaien nog niet voor morgen. De regels inzake social distancing maken het voor sommige locaties niet alleen financieel onmogelijk om te heropenen, maar compromitteren ook de essentie van liveconcerten: het gevoel van samenhorigheid en intimiteit dat onze burgers zo hard nodig hebben na maanden van isolatie.

De programmering van de locaties zal de komende maanden ook enorm beïnvloed worden door de crisis, zeker wat de boeking van opkomende artiesten uit het buitenland betreft. Nu de financiële situatie van de concertzalen er enorm op verslechterd is, zal het moeilijker worden om risico’s te nemen door minder bekende artiesten te boeken. Bovendien zullen de muziekpromotors zich eerst focussen op de programmering van lokale acts, zelfs met de heropening van de grenzen. 

“Dit kan dan wel een opportuniteit zijn voor de groei van de lokale muziekscene, maar zullen deze artiesten het ook kunnen maken buiten het lokale spectrum? En kunnen ze hun carrières uitbouwen zonder buiten hun grenzen te toeren?”, aldus Elise Phamgia, coördinator van Liveurope.

Het ‘Creative Europe Programme’ van de EU heeft precies de ontwikkeling aangemoedigd van projecten die de diversiteit en competitiviteit van de culturele en creatieve sector promoten. Tijdens recente ontwikkelingen in het kader van de onderhandelingen over het volgende EU-budget (2021-2027) heeft de Europese Commissie echter een verlaging voorgesteld van het budget voor cultuur, onderwijs en jeugd in vergelijking met haar eigen voorstel van 2018, ondanks het feit dat cultuur een van de hardst getroffen ecosystemen is.

Liveurope heeft zich ook aangesloten bij een open call, samen met meer dan 90 Europese culturele organisaties, om op te roepen tot sterke en systematische ondersteuningsmaatregelen om de creatieve sectoren te helpen deze crisis te boven te komen.

“Als we willen bouwen aan een sterker cultureel Europa en de Europese creativiteit willen verdedigen, zoals de Franse president Emmanuel Macron begin mei stelde in zijn persconferentie rond de culturele sector, dan moet dit ook weerspiegeld worden in het kaderprogramma voor de culturele en de creatieve sector”, aldus het besluit van het opiniestuk. 

Lees het volledige artikel op: www.liveurope.eu/stronger-together-how-music-venues-emerge-crisis

Over Liveurope
Liveurope is een uniek initiatief dat concertzalen steunt in hun inspanningen om opkomend Europees talent te promoten. Het platform werd in 2014 opgericht en werkt als een kwaliteitslabel dat wordt toegekend aan concertzalen die zich engageren tot Europese diversiteit. De leden van het platform zijn: A38 (Boedapest, Hongarije), L’Aéronef (Rijsel, Frankrijk), Sala Apolo (Barcelona, Spanje), Blå (Oslo, Noorwegen), Debaser (Stockholm, Zweden), FZW (Dortmund, Duitsland), Kino Šiška (Ljubljana, Slovenië), Melkweg (Amsterdam, Nederland), Palác Akropolis (Praag, Tsjechische Republiek), Musicbox (Lissabon, Portugal), Rockhal (Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxemburg), Stodoła (Warschau, Polen), Santeria Toscana 31 (Milaan, Italië), Vega (Kopenhagen, Denemarken) en Village Underground (Londen, VK).

Eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist Al Basile announces an August 21 release date for his new album, Last Hand, on Sweetspot Records. Basile (vocals and cornet) is joined on the new disc by a sparse trio of Bruce Bears on keyboards, Brad Hallen on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums, that give the album a late-night, after-hours groove falling comfortably between blues and jazz. Last Hand was produced by Al Basile and recorded by Jack Gauthier at Lakewest Studios in West Greenwich, Rhode Island.
 
Al Basile describes the even-dozen tracks on Last Hand as telling the story of a May/December romance - which ends too soon - from the man's point of view. It’s also his initial stab at producing himself.  All of his previous albums had been produced by his long-time friend and fellow Roomful of Blues alumnus Duke Robillard. 
 
“For my first producing effort, I wanted to keep it relatively simple on the engineering side,” Basile says. “So it’s piano and organ, bass, drums and vocals. I play only two short horn solos. The focus is on the songs and my vocals, because the songs tell a story. Not like one of my earlier albums, Me & the Originator, where there were spoken sections between the songs - this time the songs tell the story by themselves, and the listener can follow along and connect the dots. Like the Stations of the Cross (for you Catholics out there) - you get the highlights of the story and you follow where it's going. The story is about an older man who meets a younger woman but can't believe that she’s attracted to him. Eventually, he overcomes his mistrust, and they have an up and down relationship that ends in a surprising way. The songs are stylistically exactly like my other recent stuff - half blues, half other roots forms. The arrangements just don't have guitar parts or horns. It sounds like an Al Basile record in every other way. I think people will realize from it how much of an influence I had on the production side of my earlier projects, especially those of the last five years.”
Since the current pandemic has cut back drastically on many options for a live album release showcase in a music venue, Basile is exploring the idea of creating his own “virtual” album release show performance with an audio play, complete with actors complementing him as the main characters in the story, which he hopes to announce soon as a livestream.
Basile provides some background on audio plays (they used to be called radio plays). “I ran a radio theater at Brown University in the ‘70s where I wrote, directed, produced and acted in radio drama,” he states. “A few years ago, I wrote Flash Blind, a neo-noir thriller as an audio play, and recorded it with some actors last fall. I entered it into the national audio theater competition, HEARnow, which normally meets for three days in Kansas City in June. It was chosen to be featured at the silver level in this year's festival, but the virus forced the event to be shifted from a live one to a website which showcased podcasts of the featured plays. It's currently featured from Mid-June to mid-August.
 
“With the national competition happening each year, I started thinking about something for me to submit for next year. Since I already had the story of Last Hand in the songs on the CD, I decided to fill it out with dramatic scenes which set up the songs the way the book does in a musical play. That would make the CD of Last Hand like an original cast album from a show, where you don't get the scenes but do get the songs. By making an audio drama version of the scenes with the songs in place, I’d have an audio musical which I could submit to the HEARnow festival as a special drama with songs. With the release date in August, I have enough time to record the scenes and create Last Hand: the Musical, which can be released as a special version of the story told in the CD. I've already started working with the actors and will get in the studio later on, probably in July.
 
“So this project builds on what I did on Me & the Originator by combining music and poetry, and adds drama, like Flash Blind combined drama and poetry. I'm just going to keep on doing things that take all my diverse skills: singing, songwriting, horn playing, playwriting, verse writing, acting, editing and directing to bring it off.”
 
About Al Basile:
Al Basile’s previous album releases have consistently made the top 20 on the Living Blues charts. He’s been nominated eight times for a BMA as Best Horn Player, and his 2016 release, Mid-Century Modern, was nominated as Best Contemporary Blues Album. His songs have been covered by Ruth Brown, Johnny Rawls, and the Knickerbocker All Stars. Guests on his own releases have included the Blind Boys of Alabama, Sista Monica Parker, Sugar Ray Norcia, Jerry Portnoy, and jazz great Scott Hamilton.
Celebrated for his mastery of lyric writing as well as music, Al's skill with words extends to his other career as a poet: he is published regularly in leading journals, has won prizes, and has two books in print collecting his work from the Seventies until the present day. For the last three years he has taught lyric writing, led panels, and performed at poetry conferences.
Born in Haverhill, Mass., on the north shore of Boston, Al was the first to receive a Master's degree from Brown University's writing program. He was the first trumpet player for Roomful of Blues in the mid-Seventies, and he's enjoyed a long relationship as a co-writer and sideman during Robillard's solo career since the Eighties, garnering credits as songwriter and trumpet player on a dozen of Duke's CDs and DVDs. In 1998, he released his first solo CD on his own Sweetspot label. He also taught English, music, and physics in a private Rhode Island high school for 25 years before devoting himself to music and poetry full time in 2005.

www.albasile.com
​

​Aretha Franklin’s previously unreleased solo version of 'Never Gonna Break My Faith' has been put out by RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings.
The previously unreleased recording now features the Boys Choir of Harlem.
The song was originally released as a duet between Aretha and Mary J. Blige for the 2006 film Bobby, with the Grammy Award-winning song co-written by Bryan Adams.
The new music video features old footage of protests spliced in with modern day protests.
In a statement, about the song he'd co-written, Bryan said: "When I wrote this song, I was channeling Aretha, never thinking that she’d ever actually sing the song.
"The thought was to write a hymn, something that would try and articulate the feeling of faith, and that even though you might have lost something, there would always be an inner light to guide you.
"When the song was demo’d, I told the producers that Aretha would be the one to sing this — and sing it she did.
"This solo version has been sitting on my computer for years, and when I heard [Sony Music’s Creative Officer and longtime producer and friend of Franklin] Clive [Davis] was making a film on Aretha’s life, I sent this version to him.
"The world hasn’t heard her full performance and it really needed to be heard. I’m so glad it’s being released, the world needs this right now."
The song explores racism and police brutality while inspiring hope.

Grammy and Country Music Association award winning songwriter/guitarist/artist Steve Wariner has teamed up with a true living musical legend, rockabilly crooner Robert Gordon, for a unique collaboration that will have music fans up on their feet! The track, a cover of the rollicking 1956 single penned and performed by icon Jerry Reed, “I’ve Had Enough,” finds Wariner ripping it up on guitar as Gordon belts out the lyrics with a fiery passion and precision that can only come after decades of experience as a musical performer. Gordon is no stranger to heavy hitting guitar sidekicks with years of fruitful collaborations with six-string slingers Link Wray, Chris Spedding and Danny Gatton. “I’ve Had Enough” was produced by fellow rockabilly icon, and a celebrated guitarist in his own right, Danny B. Harvey, as part of a full-length Robert Gordon album, Rockabilly For Life, featuring a host of friends such as Spedding, The Stooges’ James Williamson, David Letterman’s Paul Shaffer, Blondie’s Clem Burke and a whole lot more! 
 
Harvey shares this about Wariner’s contribution, “When suggesting guests to appear on the new Robert Gordon album I was producing, I suggested Steve Wariner knowing it was more a wishful long shot than an actual possibility. But then his management got back to us right away that Steve was very interested and I couldn’t contain my excitement! Steve Wariner is to ‘80s/’90s country guitar picking what Jeff Beck was to ‘60s rock and Eddie Van Halen is to ‘70s rock. Plus, he had 10 #1 country singles as a solo artist! Damn, I’m a lucky man and so is anyone who hears this track - Steve’s the best!
 
Stream the single: https://orcd.co/robert_gordon_steve_wariner
​

​Het gelijknamige debuut van de band « Individual Friends » verzamelt 12 roemruchte Belgische muzikanten onder een losvaste paraplu. Deze herfst brengen ze na quasi twintig jaar samenspelen toch hun eerste album uit (tbc november). 

Sometimes, as if by magic (but really, it’s by instinct), our individual ways come together as one. Then, each of us can rest for a while in the company of friends.
At the same time, we keep moving, faster... (IF)

Vriendschap valt niet onder woorden te brengen. De leden van Individual Friends zijn daar de getuigen van. Wilde dromen die ontstonden op enkele middagen in het park en daaropvolgende lange nachten, werd dit collectief geboren uit twaalf persoonlijkheden uit het Brusselse muzikale landschap. Een echte supergroep. Individual Friends verenigt Manu Low, Kris Dane, Bai Kamara Jr., Matt Watts, Jef Mercelis maar evengoed telt deze posse leden van Ghinzu, , Sharko, Noodzakelijk Kwaad, Wappetonaa of Earthman Doublewood.
Al deze geweldige individuen kennen elkaar al lang. Twintig jaar. Maar pas in 2018 is de groep zijn eerste album beginnen opnemen. De titeltrack "Individual Friends" is tevens de eerste single 

 
Over de Single "IF" (*Individual Friends)

Alles ontstaat instinctief. Alle individuele virtuositeit komt samen tot één geheel. En zo ontstaat uit vriendschap een samenwerking die sneller vooruit schiet dan ooit. We kunnen dit samenvatten als volgt : Magie. Dat is de essentie van "Individual Friends".

Het nummer is evenzeer geschreven door Manu Low, zichzelf begeleidend met zijn ritme gitaar, als door de gehele groep. We horen Matt Watts op zang. Jan Ducheyne als de improviserende dichter, de extra stemmen zijn van Kris Dane & Isa Guccio. Op bass Mika Nagasaki. Drums & percussie Frank Pay, op Korg MS10 Jef Mercelis, Lead gitaar : Teuk Henri.
​

​JD Simo photo : John Loreaux Photography

brand new animated video for instant psychedelic soul classic
included on solo album JD SIMO 
out 21.08.20
(Crows Feet Records)
pre-order link
orcd.co/jdalbum

Chicago-born and current Nashville resident JD Simo merges psychedelic soul, funk and R&B with the blues for which he is best known on a recently released new single ‘One Of Those Days’, which is taken from his self-titled second solo album due out in late August. A well-respected guitarist and singer who fronted the blues rock band SIMO in the 2010’s, his recent recordings have seen him experiment with sound and texture, while on ‘One Of Those Days’ his searing electric guitar slices through a velvety, funky bassline and leisurely drumbeat, his captivating falsetto vocal cutting through the haze.

“It took me years to have the guts to even try singing falsetto. Now, it’s actually the most dependable part of my voice,” he laughs. “I started playing ‘One of Those Days’ live last year, and fans kept asking about it. It pulls from those Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield vibes and is based on a sentiment I hope we can all relate to.”

A song about acknowledging one’s shortcomings, ‘One Of Those Days’ comes at a time when quarantining and social distancing have brought about a hefty dose of self-reflection. “I’ve tried to stop from letting myself go / ‘Cause there’s nothing worse than being alone,” he sings, accepting that changes are needed in his life. “The song represents so much to me now,” says Simo. “It’s about letting go during adversity and allowing myself to feel my feelings instead of burying them.”

In stark contrast to its reflective lyric, an animated video for the song has been created by Anne Walker Farrell, the director/animator of the hit series ‘Duncanville’ and the acclaimed Netflix animated series ‘BoJack Horseman’. Featuring freeform, hand-drawn animation, its psychedelic artwork projects a narrative about the healing power of music and is the perfect complement to the sultry slowjam of the track.

Opening with an image of a bigwig at a lectern speaking to a grey, rain-soaked city crowd and soundtracked by a discordant guitar intro, it soon transforms into a sun-drenched explosion of colour as the music moves up to the major scales. “I’m a huge fan of Anne Walker Farrell and I love the BoJack Horseman show on Netflix!” exclaims JD. "I’m beyond honoured that she agreed to animate this. I’m so freakin’ proud of this song and I couldn’t believe it when I saw the video. It embodies everything. Love, colour…and HOPE!”
Singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer JD Simo connects the missing link between Motown and Woodstock as he fuses fluid and fiery fretwork with vital and vulnerable vocals, perfecting this balance on his self-titled second solo album, which is set for release on 21st August via the New York based Crows Feet Records.    

His 2019 solo debut, ‘Off At 11’, ignited fan fervour and earned tastemaker praise on both sides of the pond, with the UK’s Classic Rock praising its “psychedelic Hendrix-channelling jams and hooky, distorted blues rock” and Guitarist stating that “the whole retro vibe of this album is so ably executed.” In the US, Guitar World hailed it as “another step towards establishing himself as a contemporary blues rock giant.”

JD maximised rare time off from extensive touring during 2019 to write what would become ‘JD Simo’, then enlisting Eddie Spear to co-produce the album, which was recorded direct to tape in just three days in early 2020. Its introductory single, ‘One Of Those Days, dips out of bluesy psychedelia and into a simmering groove as JD’s captivating falsetto resounds, while frenetic funk strumming gives way to gritty delivery as a raucous riff roars on ‘Love’, JD tempering buzzing feedback with a hypnotic hook. Elsewhere on the record, he delivers a heavy homage to James Brown’s ‘Out Of Sight’, wailing on a solo with an unapologetic and unrestrained physicality. He and his band also rip Earl Hooker’s ‘Anna Lee’ through an old Casio Boombox before “fucking with the tape” to add another level of unfiltered passion. ‘Help’ reverberates with a plea for salvation above raw distortion and emotional string bends, while album opener ‘The Movement’ trucks along on a hummable groove as the high-register hook soars.
 
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Bospop heeft zeven nieuwe namen aangekondigd voor de editie van volgend jaar. Onder anderen Lionel Richie, Beth Hart, Passenger en Sinéad O'Connor komen begin juli 2021 naar Weert.

De komst van Kensington, Sting, Melissa Etheridge, Jett Rebel en White Lies werd eerder al bevestigd.

Het festival viert volgend jaar zijn veertigjarig jubileum. Eigenlijk had de jubileumeditie dit jaar moeten plaatsvinden, maar deze ging weens de COVID-19 maatregelen niet door.

De verjaardagseditie vindt plaats van 9 tot en met 11 juli 2021.

Mensen met tickets voor Bospop 2020 kunnen deze gewoon gebruiken voor de komende editie van Bospop in 2021. Voor mensen die nog geen tickets hebben, zijn er de volgende opties:

Bospop 2021 - Dagkaart Zondag - 78 euro
Bospop 2021 - Dagkaart Vrijdag - 78 euro
Bospop 2021 - Dagkaart Zaterdag - 78 euro
Bospop 2021 - weekend - 133 euro
Bospop 2021 - Weekendticket 10 & 11 Juli - 133 euro
Bospop 2021 - passe-partout - 175 euro

Sun Ra Arkestra, the pioneering jazz collective founded by the late Sun Ra, have announced their first studio album in over 20 years — since 1999’s Song for the Sun.

The LP, whose title has yet to be announced, was recorded at Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Soundworks and will be released later this year on Strut Records.

On Tuesday, Sun Ra Arkestra shared the first taste of the new album, “Seductive Fantasy,” a fresh take on a composition originally recorded for 1979’s On Jupiter. The single comes with an abstract animated music video directed by Canadian recording artist Chad Van Gaalen.
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Founded in the mid-Fifties — and led by 96-year-old alto saxophonist Marshall Allen since Sun Ra’s death in 1993 — the Arkestra has kept up a busy touring schedule over the past two decades, performing festival shows, opening for Solange on her 2017 tour (which the singer praised as “THE most divine joy!”) and collaborating with Philadelphia’s Institute of Contemporary Art for a 2009 exhibition on the group’s history and artistry. The Arkestra’s last major performance was a three-night residency at the Hollywood Theater in Portland, Oregon, in 2019.

Funk royalty Maceo Parker has released his unique version of “Other Side Of The Pillow” by Prince, with whom he collaborated for a decade. Originally recorded at Paisley Park for Prince’s 21st LP, ‘The Truth,’ the song is featured on Soul Food – Cooking with Maceo, Parker’s first studio album in eight years, out this Friday, June 26th. ​

“I am really pleased to be including a Prince song on this album,” Parker said. “I recorded this song back in 2002 with Prince but we never got to finish it. We recorded it again freshly in New Orleans for the new album and it pays tribute to two geniuses, Prince and Ray Charles. Also two very important people to me. I hope you enjoy it.” 
Parker continues, “More than anything I miss Prince. He was a genius, so it was special to re-record a song he and I had once toyed with the idea of releasing and give it that special New Orleans feel while also referencing the person I most admired growing up, the Genius Mr Ray Charles.” 
Soul Food – Cooking with Maceo, the 16th solo album was recorded at New Orleans’ House of 1000hz with Andrew “Goat” Gilchrist and producer Eli Wolf (Norah Jones, Madlib, Al Green), and is the first release on Mascot Label Group’s new imprint, The Funk Garage.


Parker’s latest work mingles old school funk with New Orleans piquancy, featuring collaborations with Ivan Neville, Nikki Glaspie, Tony Hall, and a host of local musicians. Featured are Maceo and the band’s take on Dr. John (“Right Place, Wrong Time”), The Meters (“Just Kissed My Baby”), and Allen Toussaint (“Yes, We Can Can), as well as Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady” and David “Fathead” Newman’s “Hard Times.” 
Like the proverbial chicken and egg, it is almost impossible to distinguish which came first – Maceo or the Funk. He has played with everyone from James Brown in the ’60s to Mothership Connection with Parliament-Funkadelic, and later spending a decade working with Prince.
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1. Cross The Track
2. Just Kissed My Baby
3. Yes We Can Can
4. M A C E O
5. Hard Times
6. Rock Steady
7. Compared To What
8. Right Place Wrong Time
9. Other Side Of The Pillow
10. Grazing In The Grass
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THE RADAR STATION werd uit vele honderden jonge artiesten door het publiek gekozen als één van de drie winnaars van  De Nieuwe Lichting (Stu Bru), editie 2020 . Deze veelbelovende band scoorde al erg goed met hun single "Subtle Science". De nieuwe single "The Giant" is de voorbode van het eerste full album dat op 06/09/20 verschijnt. 
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Met hun rijke, vervlochte synth- en gitaarpartijen en gelaagde drums creëert The Radar Station een eigen, uniek geluid: verhalende, eigentijdse indierock à la The War On Drugs en The National, met echo’s uit de eighties van Peter Gabriel en Daniel Lanois.
Kenmerkend voor de band is de opvallende, warme en bezwerende stem van zanger Brent Buckler, die ook live uitstekend tot haar recht komt en doet denken aan Eddie Vedder, Tom Smith van Editors of Liam O’Maonlai van Hothouse Flowers.
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The Radar Station overtuigde in korte tijd tal van concertorganisatoren en speelde fel gesmaakte sets op o.m. Linkerwoofer, De Effenaar (NL), Ik Zie U Graag Festival in Breda (NL), Kneistival, de Fonnefeesten en het OLT Rivierenhof in Antwerpen. Dit najaar volgt een uitgebreide club tour. 



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Legendary singer, songwriter, and actor David Essex is releasing a new album of songs rarely played live or played on the radio titled “Unplayed Hits.” The album is available exclusively from his web shop. There are 100 signed copies available as well.
 
Since the 1970s, David Essex has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most success with his 1973 single “Rock On.” It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974. It was nominated for a Grammy and reached No. 1 in Cashbox and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. He has also had an extensive career as an actor.
 
Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade.
 
“As the 2020 tour had to be postponed till September 2021, I have put together a new CD in the meantime, 'Unplayed Hits' featuring songs rarely played live or played on the radio. Also, there is a brand new web shop that I hope you like, where you can download or buy the CD plus many other things.” - David Essex
 
“Unplayed Hits” - Tracklist:
 

1. Let It Flow
2. Time Is Catching Up
3. Walk Of Life
4. Carrying The Water Home
5. Cool Out Tonight
6. Alice Stay Young & Free
7. You Crazy Fool
8. Coming Home
9. Heart Turns To Stone
10. What Did I Do
11. Forever And A Day
12. Oh Suburbia
13. Africa You Shine
14. Fallen Angels Riding
15. Never Meant To Hurt You
16. She's Emotional
17. A Shoulder To Cry On
18. Stage Struck

 
For more information: www.davidessex.com

This 10-track LP, written by Thomas and produced by Tres Sasser, was a project that Thomas has been carefully crafting for quite some time. “I’ve carried most of these songs with me for years,” Thomas says. “It’s been a pleasure to finally bring them to life with the help of some very fine musicians on this record.” In addition to being a musician, Thomas is also a father of three and a small business owner, so he admits the creation and recording process of making a full-length record looks a little different for him than most. “My recording process is quite different, in addition to writing songs and playing in a band, I own and operate a small business so it’s challenging for me to take extended periods of time off. So rather than blocking off a week or two to write and record, I simply try to squeeze it in when I can.” Due to Thomas’ multiple roles in life and busy schedule, Three Reasons was a project that was actually recorded and put together over the span of an entire year.



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​Growing up in the musical crossroads of East Tennessee, Mike Thomas began pursuing his love of music by performing, and quickly became a staple in the flourishing Knoxville music scene in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. In 2004, Thomas relocated to Nashville with the intent of pursuing a songwriting career, but after quickly realizing that his songwriting style and process were not a fit on Music Row, Thomas took a decade-long hiatus from writing and performing. During this time, he settled down, started a family and pursued a career in another industry, but never truly lost the itch to write and perform. In 2017 Thomas jumped back into music by forming his band, and they quickly began to build a following, making regular appearances at legendary venues such as Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor, Douglas Corner Café, B.B. Kings and the Mercy Lounge among others. Drawing from a wide array of influences, Thomas’ music has been best described as “eclectic country with a vintage vibe,” and his raw but tender vocals paired with his careful lyricism are always brutally honest and utterly sincere. Thomas released his first single Lighter Shade of True in March of 2020 and second single Sure Feels Right in April and both songs have already amassed a combined 30K streams on Spotify. While Thomas is thankful for his hiatus from the industry where he was able to grow his family, he’s had plenty of time to craft his sound and is now excited to release his first full-length studio album, Three Reasons.


Following the release of three successful singles over the past three months, Mike Thomas is taking advantage of the momentum he’s gained with the release of his first full length studio record Three Reasons. Three Reasons is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other digital retailers now. To order a physical copy of the full-length studio album click here.

​L.A.-based indie label Cleopatra Records and Hungarian-born songwriter/producer/musician Leslie Mandoki, the mastermind behind the living, breathing art rock project Mandoki Soulmates, are proud to announce the release of the first full-length album since the two entities joined forces earlier this year. Coming out on Cleopatra’s venerated progressive rock imprint, Purple Pyramid, home to such artists as Nektar, Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind-alumni project Hawkestrel, and Rick Wakeman, the album entitled Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is actually a double album adding the 45-minute Prog Rock suite Hungarian Pictures, based on a musical concept by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord & ELP’s Greg Lake, to the original Living In The Gap album. Having already topped the Amazon Classic Rock Charts in Germany, Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is poised to bring a whole new audience in North America, South America, the UK and beyond into the Soulmates’ family of fanatics. 
 
As with his other projects under the Mandoki Soulmates banner, Leslie Mandoki has brought together a Murderer’s Row of rock icons and musicians from some of the biggest names in prog and classic rock including Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson plus current and former members of Toto, Cream, Supertramp, ELP, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and this list goes on and on! The coming together of such a diverse cast perfectly expresses the album’s lyrical theme of unity, which couldn’t be a more timely message for today’s world. Mandoki explains in the album’s video trailer, “We know that music is the greatest unifier…[These are] songs against division, from the old rebels to the young rebels. This is our time to take a breath for a better world.”
 
Watch the entire album trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAxYn-icudM&feature=share
 

De dood van de Afro-Amerikaan George Floyd blijft ons beroeren.
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De Afro-Amerikaanse zanger George Powell bewerkte Sam Cooke’s klassieker ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’. Ik schreef over deze track ooit het artikel “Werd de droom waar’ op http://www.keysandchords.com/lsquoa-chance-is-gonna-comersquo-werd-de-droom-waar.html

The title track began collecting playlist adds on Monday
 
CHICAGO (17 June 2020): H Allan is a guitar player who likes to shred yet his career has always been closely tied to the saxophone thus it’s natural that the title track to his EP that drops Friday, “BAM!” was written by and for a sax player. Allan’s rocking rendition of the pumped up, horn-powered original penned by Horace-Alexander Young, who appears on Allan’s version, began collecting playlist adds on Monday. Allan produced the EP and four of the five tracks were mixed and mastered by Robert Martin (Frank Zappa).  
 
Allan’s first job after college was as the artist rep for LA Sax Company and he often traveled with saxophonists to various music education conferences. He brought his guitar with him and after being on the floor all day, he and the artists would head to a local nightclub to sit in with local musicians. During one impromptu jam session in San Antonio with Allan, Young wrote “BAM!” and it was recorded and released on an LA Sax Company compilation CD in 1995 that was distributed to music stores as an instrument demo and was sent to radio stations.
 
“We had a great time at these spontaneous jam sessions. One night at a river walk bar, we played with a group and Horace wrote this song. I've loved the song and since it was originally done on sax, I thought it should be done on guitar with an all-star cast of the best players,” said Allan, who was joined on the track by Young, drummer Eric Valentine, keyboardist Ron Reinhardt, Keith Vivens (bass and vocal line) and trumpeter-trombonist Steve Jankowski (Nile Rodgers and Chic).  
 
Another saxophonist, Derrick Edmondson (Jody Watley, Chaka Khan), helmed the second tune on the EP, “Rise,” the Herb Alpert gem. Atop a rocksteady groove anchored by Valentine and bassist Darryl Williams, Allan shines on funky rhythm guitar and cool electric lead guitar.
 
“I wanted to do a song by a trumpet player and there's no more iconic song on trumpet. I thought it would sound cool on guitar in a lower octave: kind of new and hip. I thought it would be a great opportunity to work with Derrick Edmondson, who I met at LA Sax. I tried to be authentic to the melody and harmony, but still push it out of bounds a bit for fun. Derrick's arrangement totally fit the bill,” said the Chicago-based Allan who was named H by his parents at birth.
 
Allan revels in his rock roots on a mashup of “All Along The Watch Tower” and “Stairway To Heaven,” presented on the “BAM!” EP as a chill contemporary jazz medley.
                                             
Allan said, “I heard the similarities between these two rock ‘n’ roll classics while playing ‘Watchtower’ at a show and at the end of it, I transposed and went into the guitar solo from ‘Stairway To Heaven’ because it sounded similar. This medley is more rock than jazz so it's straddling the line musically - sort of like me.”
 
The EP contains two bonus tracks. The first is a rocked-out version of Allan’s debut single, “Stiletto Heels,” a reboot of the original written and recorded by saxophone heavyweight Richard Elliot with whom Allan worked at LA Sax Company. Allan’s version tied as the most added new single on the Billboard BDS chart when it was released in August 2017.
 
“This is the rock guitar version that I recorded before the smoother, more R&B version that I released. Its drum beat is the same as the original and I played the keyboard solo on the guitar as well. The lead guitar on this version is more of a heavier rock sound,” said Allan.
 
Sweetly, Allan gathers his family - kids Zoey, Henry and Ellie, and sister Stacey - to sing on the second bonus cut, “Love Is A Rose,” a Neil Young song that Allan originally recorded for his mother. The guitar slinger surprises by singing and playing banjo on the track.
 
The “BAM!” EP contains the following songs:
 
“BAM!”
“Rise”
“All Along The Watchtower/Stairway To Heaven Medley”
 
Bonus Tracks:
 
“Stiletto Heels”
“Love Is A Rose”
 
For more information, please visit https://www.hallan.info.