De Leuvense concertzaal Het Depot heropent na een maandenlange sluiting wegens de coronapandemie op 12 september opnieuw de deuren met een try-outconcert van songwriter Jan Verstraeten die de afgelopen twee jaar hoog scoorde met de mooie indiepopsingles 'Moon Face' en 'Can it Be' en met de EP 'Cheap Dreams'. Dit najaar staan nog zes andere concerten geprogrammeerd. Het aantal aanwezigen wordt overeenkomstig beslissingen van de Nationale Veiligheidsraad beperkt tot 200.
​
Na Jan Verstraeten, staat op 16 september Mintzov geprogrammeerd. Op 19 september is het de beurt aan Wallace Vanborn, op 9 oktober COOL present Lander&Adriaan, op 19 oktober Danny Blue and the Old Socks, op 29 oktober Ansatz der Maschine en op 6 november Spreej x LeFto.

"We zijn druk in de weer een alternatief programma voor te bereiden voor komend najaar. Het volledige programma wordt de volgende weken verder bekend gemaakt", aldus Het Depot in een mededeling.

​Gerald McGhee (August 15, 1962 – August 25, 2020) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. McGhee died of cancer.
He was a British-Canadian singer who was best known for being the lead vocalist for the Canadian glam metal band Brighton Rock. Brighton Rock has so far released four albums throughout their career, their most successful album being Take a Deep Breath, released in 1988. It charted at number 22 in Canada and was certified Gold by the CRIA. The album also spawned the hit single "One More Try". Brighton Rock broke up in 1991 and reunited in 2002.

​Forthcoming Billie Holiday biopic, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, will be released on February 12, 2021 via Paramount Pictures.
The film’s release date means it will hit cinemas just before the Oscar-qualifying cut-off date on February 28. On its opening weekend, it will likely compete at the box office with Disney/Marvel’s Eternals and an as-yet-untitled rom-com from Universal.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday stars singer-songwriter Andra Day as the titular musician. The film will be just her third cinematic appearance, following on from smaller roles in Cars 3 and Marshall. Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne and Da’Vine Joy Randolph round out the biopic’s main cast.
The biopic was conceived by a number of highly acclaimed African-American creatives. Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks penned the film’s script. It is her first screenplay since 2019’s critically lukewarm Native Son. The biopic is directed by Lee Daniels, best known for his work on The Butler and Monster’s Ball.

​“My Blues Pathway” follows hot on the heels of Kirk’s 2018 Blues music award nominated album “Hold On.”
“My Blues Pathway” features a mix of originals, covers and two co-writes with Robert Cray’s longtime bass player Richard Cousins, with all music arrangements by Kirk Fletcher

“The album was a joy to make,” says Kirk – “especially making music with some of my longtime friends. I’ve known drummer David Kida for over 25 years. We have been in the trenches together on the L.A. Blues music scene.”. Kirk recorded this album over the Christmas holidays 2019 in six days over a two-week period.

“I had a brief run through with my friend, bassist Travis Carlton the day before we started tracking to help structure some forms and arrangements. It was very important for me to include some covers on this album. I wanted to shine a spotlight on some of my favorite blues artists including Sonny Boy Williamson, Chris Cain, AC Reed and Juke Boy Bonner.”

“I also wanted to pay tribute to the tradition of great blues by keeping these great songs alive. I searched for a little more obscure artists to cover and that was a lot of fun.” Says Kirk, “My Blues Pathway is an album about celebrating the music that got me excited about playing blues from the beginning of my career and the musicians that inspired me. My path led me straight back to the Blues.”

Continues Kirk: “With new experiences and wisdom, I tried to think of how I felt the first time I went to a blues festival at 12 years old seeing Albert Collins… or a little later seeing guys like Chris Cain and Denny Freeman in clubs as a young man.”
​
“This music that motivated me and gave me great inspiration to play blues music. The music closest to my heart. I owe everything to the blues. I traveled the world because of it. This album is a celebration of it. My personal pathway has led me back to my own interpretation of Blues music.”

Her second album, an intimate acoustic jazz meditation on love, dropped on Wednesday.
 
NEW YORK CITY (28 August 2020): Growing up stifled by the communist regime in Poland and an abusive, alcoholic father, Yola Nash found solace by escaping into music where she feels safe and protected. With her personal experiences in love serving as muse for her songs that paint the complete color palate of human emotions, Nash’s “Touched By Love” dropped on Wednesday. It’s the jazz singer-songwriter’s second album, an intimate six-song acoustic set that she produced with GRAMMY winning jazz pianist Edsel Gomez (Dee Dee Bridgewater) serving as musical director. The multimedia artist who hosts the celebrity driven “The Yola Nash Show” on New York City’s WABC Radio wrote lyrics for the album.
 
Nash began writing for “Touched By Love” five years ago. Having released her debut disc (“Another Girl”) over ten years ago, spawning the Billboard No. 1 most added adult contemporary single “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” she struggled to find her sound and direction for her sophomore outing. She turned to composers Dr. Graham Keir (guitar) and Dr. Octavio Vazquez (piano) to help create and develop her musical vision. Gomez tailored warm, elegant instrumental soundscapes around the award-winning jazz chanteuse’s sensual, breathy vocals that emit longing, fragility, heartache, hope and bliss, guiding Nash to cozy acoustic jazz settings. GRAMMY-winning percussionist Luisito Quintero (Chick Corea) and bassist Dave Baron (Herbie Hancock) anchor the rhythmic grooves while GRAMMY nominated accordionist Alex Meixner adds vital ambiance that fosters organic Polish-European accents, making “Touched By Love” a multicultural listening experience.     
 
At the heart of the album is Nash’s heart that somehow manages to beat with her strong optimistic spirit and the vibration of hope despite her often-pained subject matters and difficult past. She’s come a long way, facing and triumphing over adversity in the process, and living to sing about it.    
 
“The songs were inspired by my life, beautiful love and longing for it, or tremendous pain, betrayal, burning questions or just hunger for hope. All of those powerful emotions that needed to be shared and expressed. The world needs more love, hope and the spirit of never ever giving up. I’m here as living proof that bad times always pass and good things always prevail,” said Nash who arrived in New York City over 15 years ago, not knowing any English or anyone or having any place to go, with only the $1,000 that she borrowed from her late mother, Danusia, to whom the album is dedicated. 
 
The lone song on “Touched By Love” not penned by Nash is “Dance With Me,” a cabaret-like track that she describes as “musical exploration.” It sets a theatric poem by award-winning poet and film director Fella Cederbaum to music written by the author.
 
The “Touched By Love” recording sessions began before the COVID-19 quarantine with the goal of a spring album release, but then came the New York-New Jersey lockdowns, which halted the project’s initial momentum.
 
“During the first editing-mixing session, we found out we were going to be in quarantine and that completely shut down our production process. It took months to finally get back to the studios to finish the album. It was such relief to go back, but it meant nonstop chasing the clock. I jumped into the studio and in one six-hour session, I recorded all my vocals for the album. We didn’t have the luxury of taking many takes and spending days in the studio on it,” said the resilient and determined Nash who performed at New York Fashion Week earlier this year.
 
Highlights of Nash’s performance career include singing for Pope John Paul II and becoming the first Polish American to perform and record with the GRAMMY-winning Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and its director, multiple GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. On the radio, Nash has been interviewing A-list celebrities, world changers, spiritual leaders and inspirational speakers in the Big Apple for nearly 15 years, inspiring her audiences around the globe to live a happier, more fulfilling life. An artist in other media who studied fine arts, she’s a Guinness Book world record holder for creating the original key art for the largest theater poster in the world for the renowned new play “Anne Frank,” which took eight professional mountain climbers to hang. Indeed, Nash is an unstoppable force who thinks and acts big.   
 
“I’m creating my purposeful path every day with my determination. I hope my story and my music will inspire people to be stronger and dream big, especially now during these challenging times, so they can find a creative way through the impossible waters and the impossible becomes possible,” said Nash.
 
“It’s a dream come true to finally put out my new album. I’m also excited because I found my signature sound that I’ve been looking for my entire life. Although it’s my second album, this one feels like I’m going in the right direction. I feel I’m being touched by love through this music, the people who came along to support it and the amazing musicians who brought their sensibilities to make it happen. ‘Touched By Love’ expresses what I felt and feel in my heart. After all the hardship, major challenges, obstacles and pain, I never lost hope. The album is not just a music project; it’s a miracle to me. It’s a voice of hope, a chance and a voice of strength that expresses my life’s motto: ‘Never ever give up on your dreams!’”
 
“Touched By Love” contains the following songs:
 
“Lies and Wishes”
“I Miss You Loving Me”
“Ready For Love”
“Dance With Me”
“Forbidden Love”
“Lololove Me”
 
For more information, please visit http://yolanash.com.

new single
out 28.08.20
audio
youtu.be/QLTK_meJaJo
available on all digital services
orcd.co/saysomething
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
The latest single to be lifted from the forthcoming third album by the unique Portuguese singer Maria João and her OGRE Electric project is another avant-garde electronic pop song concocted together with some of the best young talent in Portugal and Germany. It also features a beautiful text by Mozambican writer José Craveirinha that empowers women via their serene, unruffled yet unwavering will.

João herself explains that “‘Say Something’ is a love song about how we all need to hear something sweet from our lover to feel good and cared for. We all need to
hear something nice every now and then, wouldn't you agree?”
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 began achieving 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 64-year old youngster herself 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

​Als oude rockers zich kwaad maken, mogen we vuurwerk verwachten, zo ook met “Lay them shotguns down” van William Souffreau en  de zijnen, die hun gal spuwen over de gunmadness in de USA… tevens de kick off single van hun nieuwe album “Heaven”
 
50 jaar geleden startte Irish Coffee in Aalst en liet meteen van zich horen met de hit single “Masterpiece/The Show” . Kort daarna volgde een – nu legendarisch - album dat uitgroeide tot één der meest gezochte collector-items ter wereld. De band hield het reeds na enkele zeer succesvolle jaren voor bekeken.
Songwriter en zanger William Souffreau, 74 ondertussen, is zondermeer de éminence grise van de Belgische rock, met een indrukwekkende discografie, en nog steeds erg actief zowel solo (in 2017 verscheen bij Starman Records nog het uitstekende solo-album “Tobacco Fields”) als met Irish Coffee.
 
Irish Coffee werd terug opgestart in 2005 met een studio-album en een live-album opgenomen tijdens de passage van de groep in het legendarische Duitse muziek programma Rockpalast (WDR). In 2013 nam hij samen met zijn powerrocktrio het voortreffelijke  “IC-Revisited” op. Twee jaar later gevolgd door het door fans en pers uitstekend onthaalde album: “When The Owl Cries” (Starman Records)
Dit nieuwe, scherp rockende album is een mix van een halve eeuw classic rock & blues, met een flinke scheut sixties, waarbij Souffreau terugblikt én vooruit kijkt naar leven, liefde en carrière, en zich af en toe nog en flink boos maakt op de Wereld.
William Souffreau is één van de laatste Belgische rockers van zijn generatie, laten we hem koesteren en hopen dat er nog veel straffe muziek moge volgen.
 
Het album wordt live voorgesteld in CC De Werf, Aalst, op 29 Augustus (www.ccdewerf.be). Dat concert is helemaal uitverkocht.
www.williamsouffreau.be

UMC/Island Records are proud to announce the release of remastered and expanded versions of No Need to Argue by The Cranberries on September 18th. Originally released in 1994, No Need To Argue was the band’s biggest selling album with global sales in excess of 17 million and contained the band’s most commercially successful single Zombie. The video for Zombie has since been viewed over 1 billion times on YouTube, making The Cranberries the only Irish band to pass this milestone and putting them in a very small club of artists to do so. Dolores O’Riordan - the band’s powerful and captivating lead singer -tragically passed away in January 2018.
 
The expanded 2CD and digital versions of No Need To Argue include a remaster of the album and three B-sides: Away, I Don't Need and So Cold In Ireland from the original tapes. Also included are 19 previously unreleased tracks including two songs not officially released in any format: Yesterday’s Gone - recorded unplugged for MTV in New York in 1995-and a demo of Serious, which until now has only existed as a low quality live bootleg on YouTube.  The 2CD edition features previously unseen photographs taken from the album photo sessions.

The expanded 2LP features the remastered album plus three B-sides and extra tracks Yesterday’s Gone and a cover of the Carpenters (They Long To Be) Close to You.

Both the 2LP and the 2CD sets include a 5,000 word essay on the history of the album written by the band’s archivist Eoin Devereux, who previously wrote the sleeve notes for the reissue of their debut album Uncertain.
 

On September 25, 2020, Guns N’ Roses’ 2004, multi-platinum best of compilation Greatest Hits (Geffen/UMe) will be released on vinyl for the first time. Previously only available digitally and on CD, Greatest Hits will be pressed as a 2LP set on 180gram audiophile black vinyl, a 2LP set on gold colored vinyl with red and white splatter, plus a 2LP picture disc available exclusively through the band’s official store. The vinyl edition of Greatest Hits will also feature the band’s single “Shadow of Your Love,” which hit No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart. Originally recorded in December 1986, “Shadow of Your Love” made its debut on the 2018 box set Appetite For Destruction.
 
In 2004, Greatest Hits reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and in 2007 hit No. 1 on the Catalog Albums chart.  Featuring all eight of the band’s Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 tracks (six of them RIAA-certified “gold,” i.e., sales of more than 500,000 units), Greatest Hits spans the group’s five album releases, including their cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil” for the 1995 film Interview With The Vampire.
 
The first full-length album from Guns N’ Roses, 1987’s Appetite For Destruction, is one of the most popular hard rock albums in history and has been on the Billboard Top 200 albums or Top Pop Catalog chart for a total of 746 weeks.  Certified 18 times platinum in the U.S., Appetite For Destruction charted No. 1 for five weeks and includes three Top 10s: the anthem “Welcome To The Jungle” (No. 7), the frenzied rocker “Paradise City” (No. 5) plus their platinum selling No. 1 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The video for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” recently hit over 1 billion views on YouTube.
 
1988’s G N’R Lies, comprised of songs from the group’s independently-released 1986 EP Live?!*@Like A Suicide plus new studio recordings, followed Appetite For Destruction up the charts, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The Grammy®-nominated album (for Best Hard Rock Performance) was five times platinum (each platinum level connotes sales of more than one million units) and claimed the gold No. 4-charting ballad “Patience.”
 
Then, on September 17, 1991, with one of the most anticipated releases ever in music, both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II debuted.  Use Your Illusion I featured two gold singles with “November Rain” (No. 3) and “Don’t Cry” (No. 10) plus another Top 40 with “Live And Let Die” (No. 33).  Use Your Illusion II boasted another gold hit with the previously-released single “You Could Be Mine” (No. 29), heard in the film Terminator II: Judgement Day.  Each of the Use Your Illusion albums went seven times platinum with Use Your Illusion I going to No. 2 and Use Your Illusion II hitting No. 1.  Use Your Illusion I was Grammy® nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance as was the Wings cover “Live And Let Die.” Greatest Hits also culls from II “Yesterdays,” “Civil War” and GN’R’s take on Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II have sold over seven million copies to date.
 
A collection of Guns N’ Roses covers of classic, mainly punk, songs that had influenced the bandmembers since their early days, 1993’s The Spaghetti Incident? hit No. 4 and is certified platinum.  Included on Greatest Hits are its renditions of The Dead Boys’ 1978 track “Ain’t It Fun” and an unlikely cover of The Skyliners’ ‘50s doo-wop gem “Since I Don’t Have You.”

 
TRACKLIST:
LP1 – Side G
Welcome To The Jungle
Sweet Child O’ Mine
Shadow Of Your Love
Patience

 LP1 – Side N
Paradise City
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Civil War

LP2 – Side F’N
You Could Be Mine
Don’t Cry (Original Version)
November Rain
Live And Let Die
​
LP2 – Side R
Yesterdays
Ain’t It Fun
Since I Don’t Have You
Sympathy For The Devil

​All three versions can each be pre-ordered here.

Al 170 lange dagen hebben we op jullie gewacht.  Een lege AB die naar stof begint te ruiken in plaats van bier, zweet en plezier: we hebben er genoeg van. We hebben ons publiek en onze artiesten nodig. Daarom zwieren we de deuren weer open voor een selectie bubbel- en clubconcerten.

Enkele concerten die oorspronkelijk geprogrammeerd stonden in het AB Salon, verhuizen naar onze Club. Clubconcerten die niet geannuleerd werden, verhuizen naar AB Theater. Uiteraard is er de garantie dat we jullie in een veilige en warme omgeving kunnen ontvangen. Hoe dat precies zal verlopen, vernemen de ticketkopers persoonlijk via mail. Ook van eventuele nieuwe verplaatsingen/annulaties zal je persoonlijk op de hoogte gebracht worden. 

Starten doen we met Blanche op 11.9 in het AB Theater. Nadien nog meer gebubbel met o.a. An Pierlé ( x 2), High Hi, Mintzkov, Marble Sounds, School Is Cool, Liesa Van der Aa, Razen & Kaboom Karavan, Brihang, Brihang Op Kindermaat, Morgan + MEYY, Ozark Henry, Admiral Freebee en Coca-Cola Sessions met The Radar Station .

​In AB Club starten we vanaf 24.9 met David Edren & Miaux. Nadien volgen nog meer intieme concerten van SCHNTZL, David Edren & Miaux, Ben Bertrand & 64 Feet, Ignatz & Farida Amadou, Brecht Ameel & Karen Willems, Willem Ardui en Mathieu Serruys & Liew Niyomkarn .

Een overzicht met alle concertdata vind je HIER ! 
​
De weg naar dit nieuwe ABnormaal leek eindeloos te duren. We staan dan ook te popelen om jullie opnieuw te kunnen verwelkomen. AB is terug: Harder - Better - Faster & Stronger.

​Musicians’ musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Jobson, best known for his virtuosic violin and keyboard work with Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and supergroup UK, brings us a compilation of live performances from Poland, Russia, Japan and the U.S.A. with his all-star ‘U-Z Project.’
 
Jobson’s live concert recordings feature guest musicians Marc Bonilla, Alex Machacek, Marco Minnemann, Mike Mangini, Greg Howe, Simon Phillips, Trey Gunn, TJ Helmerich, Billy Sheehan, Ric Fierabracci, Tony Levin and special guest appearances by John Wetton.
 
The twenty-one tracks include:
 
Alaska (UK) - Perm, Russia
The Only Thing She Needs (UK) - Los Angeles, USA
Awakening (Mahavishnu Orchestra) - Boston, USA
Nevermore (UK) - Tokyo, Japan
Rendezvous 6:02 (UK) - Tokyo, Japan
Theme of Secrets (Jobson) - Bydgoszcz, Poland
In The Dead of Night (UK) - Tokyo, Japan
Presto Vivace (UK)- Tokyo, Japan
Bitches Crystal (ELP) - Los Angeles, USA
Red (King Crimson) - Perm, Russia
Starless (King Crimson) - Tokyo, Japan
Caesar’s Palace Blues (UK) - Tokyo, Japan
Forever Until Sunday (Bruford) - Tokyo, Japan
Carrying No Cross (UK) - Krakow, Poland
 
Released August 28, 2020

Hot on the heels of the superb joint effort from William Shatner and Canned Heat comes a brand-new alliance that is sure to have music fans cheering. Former Rainbow and Deep Purple axeman and one of the most revered guitarists of the classic rock era, Ritchie Blackmore, joins Mr. Shatner for a deeply felt, heart-rending take on the blues classic “The Thrill Is Gone.” The song, perhaps best known by the smash hit version that B.B. King recorded in 1970, was actually written the same year that the young Mr. Shatner made his film debut in 1951. Since then it has been interpreted numerous times, but King’s version was the first to unite the soul-piercing lyrics with absolutely awe-inspiring guitar licks to create the definitive version of the song, and no doubt inspired the Shatner/Blackmore version. As a special treat, Blackmore’s wife and longtime collaborator in Blackmore’s Night, Candice Night, contributes background vocals to add even more pathos to this inspired track.
 
Mr. Shatner had this to say about the song, “'The Thrill is Gone' is the title of the song, but the thrill is there with Ritchie Blackmore and his great guitar!”
 
Blackmore and Night return the praise saying, “We would like to express our gratitude for being able to appear on the recording with William Shatner. It is always an honor to work with him. He is a man of many legendary performances.”
 

​
​“Thrill” is a highlight of Mr. Shatner’s fantastic new album, The Blues, which is now available for pre-order on CD, vinyl, and digital. The album will feature a constellation of blues, rock and country performers who work together with Mr. Shatner to bring the blues to life including Sonny Landreth, Brad Paisley, Pat Travers, Tyler Bryant and more! Look for the album to be released October 2 courtesy of Cleopatra Records.

 Watch the animated lyric video for "Mack the Knife" from 'The Lost Berlin Tapes'A never-before-heard live recording
from the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, has surfaced.
​The Lost Berlin Tapes will be released on Verve Records on October 2, 2020.
​

​The Lost Berlin Tapes were recorded in stereo at Berlin’s Sportpalast on March 25, 1962 and finds Ella at the top of her game with a trio led by pianist Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Fitzgerald played Berlin two years prior, where she famously turned forgotten lyrics into absolutely sensational improvisation — ad-libbing lyrics while channeling her best Louis Armstrong. The first single from the album is a buoyant new take on “Mack the Knife,” the title track from Ella in Berlin.
​

​The Lost Berlin Tapes tracklist:
1. Cheek To Cheek
2. He’s My Kind Of Boy
3. Cry Me A River
4. I Won’t Dance
5. Someone To Watch Over Me
6. Jersey Bounce
7. Angel Eyes
8. Clap Hands, Here Come Charlie
9. Taking A Chance On Love
10. C’est Magnifique
11. Good Morning Heartache
12. Hallelujah, I Love Him So
13. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (Reprise)
14. Summertime
15. Mr. Paganini
16. Mack The Knife
17. Wee Baby Blues

Goed nieuws voor jazzliefhebbers, want Jazz Middelheim kan dit jaar toch nog doorgaan. Van vrijdag 18 tot zondag 27 september treedt in Park Den Brandt in Wilrijk het kruim van de Belgische jazzscene op. Alle coronaregels zullen volgens de organisatie strikt worden nageleefd om ervoor te zorgen dat deze editie, die de naam Jazz Middelheim 1.5 meekreeg, op een veilige en verantwoorde manier kan verlopen.
Concreet betekent dit dat er per dag maximaal 400 bezoekers worden toegelaten. Tickets kunnen enkel per bubbel van twee, vier, zes, acht, twaalf en vijftien mensen gereserveerd worden en iedere bubbel wordt aan een tafeltje gezet en daar bediend. Bij verplaatsingen op het terrein zijn mondmaskers verplicht. Alles speelt zich in de openlucht af en op minstens anderhalve meter afstand van elkaar.

Strikte regels dus, maar op het podium zal er volgens de organisatie nog altijd flink buiten de lijnen worden gekleurd. "We tekenen ook dit jaar voor een dwars, avontuurlijk en toonaangevend jazzprogramma met niet alleen toppers als Philippe Catherine, Dez Mona, Aka Moon en Jef Neve & Teus Nobel, maar ook met een dag die volledig is opgebouwd rond solo's van onder meer Simon Segers en NABOU", klinkt het.

"Daarnaast slaan we de ellebogen in elkaar met Bibliotheek Permeke en de lezerscommunity Antwerpen Leest, die in het park een uitmuntende selectie muziekboeken en romans zullen neerplanten. Jazz Middelheim-bezoekers kunnen die ontlenen en er tussen de optredens door in verdwalen. Of ze brengen zelf een interessant exemplaar mee uit hun kast om die op het festival in te ruilen voor een ander."

Tijdens deze editie wordt ook vier keer een jazzbrunch geserveerd in Park Den Brandt, in samenwerking met het literaire productiehuis VONK & Zonen. Naast een waaier aan culinaire geneugten krijgen de deelnemers dus ook een mix aan muzikanten, dj's en literaire performers voorgeschoteld.

De Antwerpse modeontwerper Jan-Jan Van Essche ontwierp voor het festival een exclusieve reeks mondmaskers die in beperkte oplage zal worden verkocht - zowel online als op het festivalterrein.

Het volledige programma van het jazzfestival staat op www.jazzmiddelheim.be. Via deze website kunnen ook de tickets gekocht worden.

​Charli Persip, whose career as a leading jazz drummer included close associations with Dizzy Gillespie, Randy Weston and many others — along with nearly 40 years at the helm of his own big band, SuperSound — died at Mt. Sinai Morningside in New York City on Sunday.
He was 91. His daughter, Jean Elliott, confirmed his death.
With his crisp technical command, his granite sense of time, and his keen attunement to dynamics and tonal color, Persip had all the attributes of a pacesetting modern jazz drummer. He distinguished himself in both small-group and large-ensemble settings, and later had a long track record in jazz education, with Jazzmobile and at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
Persip is well represented on record, with an especially prolific run in the 1950s and ‘60s, when he was working with everyone from singer Ernestine Anderson to trumpeters Harry “Sweets” Edison, Art Farmer, Joe Newman, and Lee Morgan. Among the albums to feature his rhythmic stamp are Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller (1957), Randy Weston’s Uhuru Afrika (1961), Gil Evans’ Out of the Cool (1961) and Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s We Free Kings (1962).
With Gillespie, bebop’s trumpet exemplar and most successful bandleader, Persip appears on more than a dozen albums, including the late-‘50s landmarks Dizzy Gillespie at Newport (1957), Birk’s Works (1958) and Sonny Side Up, featuring saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt (1959). In this satirical 1958 short by animator John Hubley, we see Persip in Gillespie’s band, gamely attempting to create the right musical backdrop for an inane television commercial.
As a measure of how esteemed Persip was by the early 1960s, consider the personnel of his first band, The Jazz Statesmen, which released an album on Bethlehem Records in ‘61: Ron Carter on bass, Freddie Hubbard and Marcus Belgrave on trumpets, Roland Alexander on saxophone and Ronald Mathews on piano. The band’s uptempo version of “The Song Is You,” a bebop staple, provides an excellent illustration of Persip’s steady hand on the tiller. And the drum solo, which begins just after the four-minute mark (trading fours at first, and gradually expanding) is a master class in bop fundamentals.
Charles Lawrence Persip was born in Morristown, N.J., on July 26, 1929. His father was a cook who established a catering business, and his mother worked in hospitals. He spent a portion of his childhood in Springfield, Mass., where he had a formative experience seeing Cab Calloway perform at the Paramount Theater. At age 8, he began appearing regularly on a local radio program, after winning a talent contest by singing and playing a parade drum.
The Persip family moved to Newark, N.J. in the early ‘40s, and young Charles enrolled at West Side High School. In short order he was playing in the stage band, and studying with the esteemed drum teacher Al Germansky. By his early teens, Persip was working around town; he joined Newark’s AFM Local 16 in 1945.
Persip’s first consequential gig was with the bebop pianist and composer Tadd Dameron, in ’53. In a 2010 interview with Allegro, the Local 802 AFM newsletter, Persip recalls getting the job one night at the Paradise Club in Atlantic City, because Dameron’s regular drummer, “Philly” Joe Jones, had skipped town to avoid an arrest warrant. Called to sit in, Persip sight-read the band’s book, and was promptly hired.
Later that year, Persip was working in a house band at the Piccadilly in Newark. “And one night, Benny Green, the trombonist, was the featured performer,” Persip said in the Allegro interview. “And we had a really good night, and the band was groovin’. And after the gig, Green told me he liked my playing and would I like to have a gig?” This was Persip’s entrée to the Gillespie band, where he stayed for several of the busiest years of his career.
During this stretch, Persip was routinely included in an elite fraternity of modern drummers — a fact perhaps most clearly expressed by the series of “Gretsch Drum Night at Birdland” recordings made in the 1960s. An album by that title, recorded on April 25, 1960, features Persip billed alongside Art Blakey, “Philly” Joe Jones and Elvin Jones. He more than holds his own, as you can hear in his solo on “Tune Up.”
Persip stayed busy in the 1970s, working with saxophonist Frank Foster among others. He teamed up with trumpeter Gerry La Furn to form the Superband, which released its self-titled debut — featuring players like Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone, Jack Walrath on trumpet and Bob Stewart on tuba — in 1981.
By the time Persip released a follow-up, In Case You Missed It, on the Italian label Soul Note in ’84, he had broken with La Furn and also started going by “Charli,” without the “e.” Another Superband album, No Dummies Allowed, followed in ’87, before Persip rebranded the group as SuperSound.
As an intermittent fixture in New York, SuperSound has harbored plenty of talent over the years, as trumpeter Kenny Rampton, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, recounted in a Facebook post this morning.
In addition to his work in the classroom and the practice room, Persip published an instructional book titled How Not to Play Drums: Not for Drummers Only, which combines technical exercises with stories from his life and career.
He had suffered poor health in recent years, and Elliott — who survives him along with a grandson, Xavier, a granddaughter, NelChelle, and a great-grandson, Nehemiah — helped organize a GoFundMe for his medical expenses.
Last year, Persip was able to attend a surprise 90th birthday celebration last year, whose admiring guest list included some of the leading drummers of successive generations, including Andrew Cyrille, Jack DeJohnette, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Kenny Washington, Carl Allen, Eric McPherson and Nasheet Waits.

​photography by Erick Anderson / eafoto 

new single
impact date 11.09.20

audio
youtu.be/MZ2QEtifu2s

live Q&A via Facebook 11.09.20 at @ 2.30pm UK
at facebook.com/ndvofficial
free live performance stream 24.09.20 @ 2.30pm UK
at facebook.com/ndvofficial  or
https://yt.vu/c/UCUzcxr3Th7rVNSN3sn96poQ

the album INVISIBLE
out now (English Electric)

“Bold statements that also contain a high degree of subtlety in their intricate instrumental and vocal arrangements. Compelling”
PROG
“D’Virgilio can sing, he can write and he sure can drum. Plus he’s been able to round up a top-notch cast of musicians and persuade them to serve the album rather than themselves 8/10”
CLASSIC ROCK
“A really interesting and attention-grabbing collection. ‘Invisible’ is a doozy” FIREWORKS
“An intriguing album, full of melody and interesting musical diversions ****”
GET READY TO ROCK!
“A beautifully produced record with a thoughtfully laid out and precise mix”
RED GUITAR MUSIC
 
Vocalist, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Nick D’Virgilio has announced the release of a new single entitled ‘I Know The Way’, the fourth to be lifted from his recently released solo album, ‘Invisible’. Lyrically, the record charts the quest of a central protagonist to find a true meaning to his life, with ‘I Know The Way’ concluding proceedings on a spiritually charged, upbeat note that radiates positivity.

’I Know The Way’ has an impact date of 11th September, with a live Q&A hosted by D’Virgilio via his Facebook page taking place on the same day at 2.30pm UK time.
In addition, a free live performance will be streamed at 2.30pm UK time on 24th September with D’Virgilio and his band performing the first half of ‘Invisible’ from a new facility at the studios of Indiana based Sweetwater Sound that boasts a 30 metre wide 4K video wall. The musicians will include guitarist Don Carr and pianist/ keyboard player Jacob Dupree, both of whom played on the album.

‘Invisible' is the second solo album by the California born but Indiana based D'Virgilio and comes almost two decades after his debut solo record. A concept work about a man seeking the meaning of his life, he is keen to establish that “this is not your typical drummer record,” adding that "‘Invisible’ is a rock album with various musical flavours thrown in because the songs were formed with the story in mind.”
With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, ‘Invisible' boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).

D’Virgilio’s only previous solo offering, ‘Karma' (2001), had appeared midway through his tenure with US progressive rock titans Spock’s Beard, with whom he started out as drummer upon their inception in the early 1990’s before taking on additional lead singer and live frontman duties in 2002 for four studio albums prior to his departure in 2011. At the time, this was partly in order to continue touring as drummer, singer and assistant bandleader with Cirque du Soleil, with whom he played over 1400 shows over a five year period until 2014. He has been the drummer with the award winning UK band Big Big Train since 2007 and performed with world renowned acts such as Genesis (appearing on the ‘Calling All Stations’ album) and Tears For Fears (with whom he toured for over a decade). He has also spent the last few years as the face of the drum division of world leading music technology and instrument retailer Sweetwater Sound.

nickdvirgilio.com

 'Omdat we naar de zee stromen'

 Op 18.09.2020 komt het vierde studioalbum van Stoomboot uit.
Een conceptalbum waarop kapitein Niels Boutsen de tijd onderzoekt. 
Aansluitend volgt een theatertour en een podcast.

​'Omdat we naar de zee stromen’ is een conceptalbum waarin Niels Boutsen op zoek gaat naar verhalen van mensen die anders in de tijd staan dan hij. 'Omdat we naar de zee stromen' bezingt drie generaties: Boutsens grootouders, die zich krom werkten voor de toekomst van hun kinderen, Boutsens eigen generatie, die gebukt gaat onder burn-outs en Boutsens ex-leerlingen, die gapend wachtten tot de tijd in de geschiedenisles wegtikte. 'Omdat we naar de zee stromen' is naast een album ook een theatervoorstelling en een podcast waarin de muziek en de verhalen versmelten.
​
Voor het eerst maakte Stoomboot een album dat niet over zichzelf gaat. Voor het eerst maakte Stoomboot een album zonder band, maar met producer Ruben Lefever, dat fundamenteel anders klinkt. Voor het eerst maakte Stoomboot een album rond één centrale vraag: 'Waar zijn we mee bezig?'. Het is een vraag die elke generatie zich stelt en levenslang bezighoudt zonder ze ooit waterdicht te beantwoorden. Stoomboot observeert, analyseert en zingt: een combinatie waarin hij uitblinkt.

'Omdat we naar de zee stromen' werd geproducet door Ruben ‘Float Fall' Lefever, die op een magistrale wijze een nieuw klankuniversum rond Stoomboot bouwde. Ruben en Niels zaten samen op de middelbare school, studeerden op dezelfde universiteit richtingen die niets met muziek te maken hadden en vonden nu een eigen golflengte op 'Omdat we naar de zee stromen'. 
Wide Vercnocke illustreerde tien jaar geleden één van de eerste shows van Stoomboot. Toen al wist Stoomboot dat Wide ooit veel meer zou illustreren. Vercnocke nam dan ook de artwork van 'Omdat we naar de zee stromen' voor zijn rekening en is het grafische been waarop de theatervoorstelling steunt. 
​
In het najaar touren Niels en Wide door Vlaanderen met de theatervoorstelling verbonden aan ‘Omdat we naar de zee stromen’. De première werd bevestigd en vindt plaats in 30CC/Leuven op 03.10.2020. Hoewel in deze tijden niets zeker is, hopen beide heren dat de tour kan doorgaan zoals initieel gepland. 

Texas Hill Country blues and roots music MVP Johnny Nicholas announces the release of his new album, Mistaken Identity, via the Louisiana-based Valcour Records label. The digital version is set for release on August 28, with CD and vinyl formats following on October 2. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Valcour Records co-founder Joel Savoy.
 
A listen to Mistaken Identity reveals a plethora of roots music sounds showcasing Johnny Nicholas’ varied influences, ranging from blues (“She Stole My Mojo”) and Tex-Mex (“Guadalupe’s Prayer”), to  Honky-Tonk Country (“Spark to a Flame”) and Rockabilly (“Tight Pants”). The album’s title track is a paean to New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, awash in second-line rhythms and Crescent City images.
 
“Full Circle” could have been the title for this record, but Mistaken Identity is appropriate enough considering that Johnny and his music have defied being pigeonholed in one specific genre throughout his amazing life and musical journey. All but one of  the songs on this album are originals that draw upon his many influences and experiences that have molded and defined him as a true Blues and Roots music artist.
 
Most of the tracks on the new album, including the vocals, were recorded “live” with very few overdubs. It’s jam-packed with great musicianship, story-telling and melodies that were recorded in Joel Savoy’s studio for Valcour Records.  American music traditions filtered down through the experiences of a true troubadour and skillfully blended into a melting pot - or gumbo pot if you will - that will leave your musical taste buds wanting more.
 
“It all started out with the blues for me,’ Johnny says. “Once that bug bit me, I was infected with a love of what is now called Americana or roots music. No matter what you call it, it all began with the blues and all of its musical manifestations.
 
“This album is a homecoming, bringing me back to the place where I cut my teeth and grew up musically on the prairies and bayou country of Southwest Louisiana in the ‘70s. Link Davis Jr (son of the legendary “Pappa” Link Davis) brought me to Basile and introduced me to Nathan Abshire, who lived behind the Bear Cat Lounge on Highway 190 (chronicled in the aptly titled track, “Highway 190”).
 
“Back then, the Basile routine went something like this: play music every night with Link, Nathan and oftentimes Dewey Balfa (who worked at a furniture store nearby), pull some mattresses down off the wall in a room behind the bar and sleep, get up and walk back to Mr. Nathan and his wife Ola’s tiny house behind the club to drink coffee and visit, return to the Bearcat where Jeanette Comeaux would be fixing rice and ‘something', post up with Nathan out front and start drinking and playing music informally with anyone who stopped by and then get ready for the evening’s show to start. Next day, same as the last and on and on—Honky-Tonk Heaven!”
 
Although Johnny Nicholas’ career as an artist is well documented, his connection with South Louisiana music and culture and the influence it had on his storied musical career is not as well- known. 
 
After finishing school, Johnny hit the road hitch-hiking and hopping freight trains in search of the artists and music he loved. His pilgrimages led him to experiences and relationships with many legends of the blues, western swing, honky-tonk music and the melting pot for it all: South Louisiana and Southeast Texas. For many years, he led the vanguard in the burgeoning blues scene that developed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and over the years was a mainstay at the legendary Ann Arbor Blues Festival.
 
Fast forward past his tenure as a front man with Western Swing icons Asleep At The Wheel, eight solo albums, raising a family, touring all over the world as a solo act and with the likes of Big Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes, Robert Junior Lockwood, Snooky Pryor and  Johnny Shines, while helping his wife Brenda run the celebrated Hill Top Cafe, an old gas station and roadhouse  in the Texas Hill Country, and Johnny winds up full-circle back in Eunice, Louisiana,  bringing his Texas band to Joel Savoy’s tiny but magical little studio outside of Eunice-just a few miles down the road from where it all began in Basile.
 
Mistaken Identity Track Listing and Credits
 
1. She Stole My Mojo 
2. Mule and The Devil
3. Spark To A Flame
4. Mistaken Identity 
5. Guadalupe’s Prayer
6. Wanna Be Your Baby
7. Tight Pants
8. She Didn’t Think Of Me That Way 
9. Highway 190 
10. River Runs Deep
All songs written by John Nicholas, Dynaflow Music BMI, Administered by BMG, except River Runs Deep, written by Stephen Bruton, Brutunes Music BMI, Administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp) 
 
Personnel:
Johnny Nicholas - Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Resonator Guitar, Piano, Harmonica, Mandocello
Scrappy Jud Newcomb - Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mandolin and Vocals
Chris Maresh - Electric and Upright Bass, Vocals
John Chipman - Drums and Percussion, Kurdish Frame Drum and Vocals
With:
Max Baca-Bajo Sexto
Josh Baca- Accordion
Chris Stafford- Organ
Eric Adcock- Clavinet
Kelli Jones- Vocals and Tambourine
Sabra Guzman- Vocals
Kelley Mickwee- Vocals
Alice Spencer- Vocals
Walt Wilkins- Vocals
Bill Small- Vocals

Jack Sherman, a guitarist who played on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' debut album, has died at 64, the band announced on Instagram.

"He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform," the post reads.
The cause of death was not disclosed.

​Sherman was the second of at least eight guitarists with the chart-topping band over the years. He played on "Red Hot Chili Peppers" in 1984, toured, and co-wrote some songs for the follow-up, "Freaky Styley."

The band's later albums included smashes like "Californication" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," with hits including "Give It Away."

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Sherman, though, was not included."It's really painful to see all this celebrating going on and be excluded," Sherman told Billboard at the time. "I'm not claiming that I've brought anything other to the band... but to have soldiered on under arduous conditions to try to make the thing work, and I think that's what you do in a job, looking back. And that's been dishonored."
​
Singer Anthony Kiedis wrote in his autobiography: "God bless Jack, he did keep the band afloat for a year, and if he hadn't, the years to follow probably wouldn't have."

HORIZONS JAZZ ORCHESTRA is a swinging big band comprising some of the finest musicians in South Florida. They are now releasing their debut CD, THE BRITE SIDE. On THE BRITE SIDE, the Orchestra plays the music of Lee Harris, a baritone sax player, composer, arranger, and bandleader who worked along the East Coast. Harris and trumpeter Dennis Noday, an alumnus of the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson bands, co-founded and co-led SUPERBAND, a big band that mainly performed Harris’ original compositions and arrangements. Harris passed away before the album was completed, and since some of the original musicians had moved onto other projects, executive producer Jeannette C. Piña and musical director Michael Balogh decided to rebrand and changed the name to HORIZONS JAZZ ORCHESTRA. The band’s music is lush, melodic, and very approachable. It doesn’t try be avant-garde; rather, it has a dance-able, crowd pleasing appeal. With sterling musicianship, exciting arrangements, and some rarely heard compositions that could have been taken right out of the Great American Songbook, THE BRITE SIDE is a loving tribute to Lee Harris, an unheralded but much appreciated composer and arranger in the jazz world.
 
1. Red Apple Sweet  8:08
2. Pure Imagination  5:24
3. After You've Gone, Finally  5:46
4. The Runner  6:54
5. Fourth Dimension  6:13
6. The Brite Side  9:53
7. The Sound  5:14
8. Summertime  5:14
9. Maria  3:33
10. A Train Bossa  6:04
 
Executive Producer: Jeannette C. Piña,
Musical Director & Producer: Michael Balogh
Featuring Carl Saunders, Jonathan Joseph, and Billy Ross
 
Reeds
Scott Klarman,  Mike Brignola,  Billy Ross,  Joe Mileti, 
Randy Emerick
Trombones
Michael Balogh, Jason Pyle, Tom Lacy, Steven Mayer
Trumpets
Dennis Noday, Ryan Chapman, Jack Wengrosky,
Fernando Ferrarone, Chaim Rubinov
Rhythm Section
Gary Mayone, Ranses Colon, Luke Williams,  George Mazzeo
​

​Jazz vocalist Park Sung-yeon died Sunday at the age of 77.

Park, who had kidney failure for more than two decades, had been in a nursing home in western Seoul for the past few years.

The singer is often called the “godmother of jazz music” in South Korea. She opened Janus, the country’s first jazz-only club, in the college district of Sinchon, western Seoul, in 1978.

“Korea, which had been a dead land of jazz music, has now become a thick forest, being home to numerous jazz stars and large international festivals,” JNH Music, which represented the artist, said Sunday. “Janus is the first tree of today’s forest.”

Since its opening, the club has functioned as a hotbed for the local jazz music scene. With her health deteriorating, Park handed the club over to fellow jazz singer Malo in 2015. Malo, who changed the club’s name to Diva Janus, continues to run the club from its new location in Seocho, southern Seoul.

Like many musicians of her time, Park got her start performing for the US military in Korea. She learned jazz music during part-time piano gigs and was drawn to it.

Despite her illness, Park continued to perform. She appeared onstage in a wheelchair last year at the Seoul Forest Jazz Festival. She also collaborated with singer Park Hyo-shin on a new version of her song “The Wind Is Blowing.” Previously, Park returned to the stage at Janus in 2018 to celebrate the club’s 40th anniversary.

Justin Townes Earle, an acclaimed US songwriter and son of Steve Earle, has died, in news confirmed on the artist’s Facebook page on Sunday night.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” the post read. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys. You will be missed dearly.”

Named for his father’s friend and idol Townes Van Zandt, Earle, 38, battled addiction throughout his life. He released eight albums across the course of his career, which saw him honored twice at the Americana Music awards including for his best-known song, Harlem River Blues.

Many have paid tribute to the artist on Twitter, with the musician Samantha Crain reflecting on their friendship: “Such a tremendous songwriter. He took me on two tours and always treated me so kindly. He understood struggle, he understood joy I saw him at the peaks and valleys of both through the 13 years I knew him.”

His friend and collaborator Jason Isbell said: “Had a lot of good times and made a lot of good music with JTE. So sad for his family tonight.”

The writer and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib praised Earle as “an incredible writer of narrative – stories that flourished beyond the music they were laid over”. the NPR music critic Ann Powers described his last album, The Saint of Lost Causes, as “a powerful road map of America … we’ve lost someone with real vision.”
​
Earle left behind his wife and young daughter. No cause of death was confirmed.

​DeWayne Julius Rogers better known as DJ Rogers (May 9, 1948 - August 22, 2020) was born in Los Angeles, California. He was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He was best known for the tender acoustic piano-based ballad "Say You Love Me," a charting single from his 1975 RCA album It's Good to Be Alive. Natalie Cole's cover of the song was the first single from her album Snowfall in the Sahara, released by WEA and Elektra Entertainment in June 1999. Rogers had a string of popular R&B albums in the 70s and several songs that are revered more than four decades after their release, including the dramatic midtempo top 20 hit, “Love Brought Me Back.”
During that decade he recorded on the RCA, Total Experience, and Columbia labels, each time delivering solid performances and memorable songs. He also worked with Deniece Williams, Maurice White, and Patrice Rushen. By the 90s and into the new millennium, Rogers was principally performing Gospel music. We last heard from him in 2012, when he contributed his recognizable vocals to the hit “Whoa to Wow” with Renee Spearman. Rogers was part of a community of talented artists who brought both gospel and jazz sensibilities to 70s R&B, in many ways predating the adult soul movement that would dominate much of the mid-80s urban radio. His contribution was far more significant than his fame, and he is to be thanked for helping usher in a particularly rich era for soul music. He will be missed.

Bryan Lee, the Braille Blues Daddy, Blind Giant of the Blues, New Orleans Institution, husband, father, and friend, passed from this life into legend. A sigh of thousands mark his passing. Bryan dedicated his life to sharing his gift of music. In the liner notes from his recent blues gospel album Sanctuary, “A gift is not a gift unless you share it. God gave me the gift of the blues and I want to share my gift with you.”
He dedicated each of his 18 albums first to Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior and his passion shone through with every note….”

Bron: https://www.facebook.com/BryanLeeBrailleBluesDaddy




Bryan Lee is an American blues guitarist and singer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also known by the nickname braille blues daddy and has been a fixture on Bourbon Street since the 1980s.

Lee completely lost his eyesight by the age of eight. His avid interest in early rock and blues was fostered through the 1950s by late night listening sessions via the Nashville-based radio station WLAC-AM, where he first encountered the sounds of Elmore James, Albert King and Albert Collins.
By his late teens, Lee was playing rhythm guitar in a regional band called The Glaciers that covered Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry material. Through the 1960s, Lee's interest turned to Chicago blues and he soon found himself immersed in that scene, opening for some of his boyhood heroes. In 1979 he released his first album named Beauty Isn't Always Visual.
In January 1982, Lee moved to New Orleans, eventually landing a steady gig at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street becoming a favorite of tourists in the city's French Quarter. For the next 14 years, Lee and his Jump Street Five played five nights a week at that popular bar, developing a huge following and a solid reputation.

DarWin's new single, “Nightmare Of My Dreams” from forthcoming Album “DarWin 2: A Frozen War”features a video directed by the legendary Nigel Dick (Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard).

Watch the video HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXGzg7lT9iE&feature=youtu.be)

“I started working on this (Nightmare Of My Dreams) shortly after we finished the first ‘Origin of Species’ album. Our drummer Simon Phillips, his home burnt down in a tragic wildfire, and we had been thinking a lot about all the themes of the first album dealing with climate change. Those events actually affected our own lives very directly. I’d been working on some ideas for this song and one night it all seemed to come together. The video was shot in Australia, where we wanted to shoot in an area that had been affected by wildfires and climate change. We really want this song to be a tribute to those dealing with the challenges of wildfires around the world. We hope that people can think about the dangers facing many parts of the world and the challenges of the families who have to get their lives back together after these events.” - DarWin

Following the release of debut album “Origin Of Species” in early 2019, DarWin has now released a new single, “Nightmare Of My Dreams”.

The epic 7 plus minute “Nightmare Of My Dreams” builds on the themes set out by DarWin on “Origin Of Species”. The video directed by Nigel Dick (Guns N Roses/Band Aid/Def Leppard/Britney Spears) showcases the talents playing on the track - Guthrie Govan (guitar, Aristocrats/Asia/Hans Zimmer/Steven Wilson), Simon Phillips (drums, Toto/The Who/Jeff Beck), Matt Bissonette (Elton John, David Lee Roth, Ringo Starr) and Billy Sheehan (bass, Mr Big/ Steve Vai/Winery Dogs).

Of the 400 plus videos Nigel Dick has directed this is the first video he has directed remotely. The shoots took place in LA, Nashville, Iceland and Australia - with Nigel himself being in Colorado. Nigel provided the Australian crew with a 27 page storyboard to follow for the shoot in the Blue Mountains, Australia, an area that had been ravaged by fire at the end of 2019. Ironically the fire blistered landscape had begun to grow back green shoots when they filmed, so they had to hide those. Nigel also had to use a real family as actors so that they could work around social distancing. And for the final shot the teddy bear had to be flown across the world to be filmed beforehand had to be quarantined before coming out of its box. A curious tale for these curious times…

Once more DarWin has assembled a stunning ensemble of musicians. “DarWin II: A Frozen War” continues the core collaboration with Simon Phillips, Matt Bissonette and DarWin. Joining them are powerhouse players Billy Sheehan, Guthrie Govan, Greg Howe (guitar, Michael Jackson/Justin Timberlake), Derek Sherinian (keyboards, Dream Theater/Alice Cooper/Black Country Communion) and more…

“Darwin 2: A Frozen War” was produced by DarWin and Simon Phillips and recorded primarily in Iceland and the USA. The “DarWin 2: A Frozen War” album will be released later in 2020.

DarWin’s critically acclaimed debut “Origin Of Species ” was the first installment in an epic saga that addresses the challenges of mankind in our coming era.  It depicts the role of a changing planet, and the potential, as well as limitations, of technology to help solve mankind’s greatest challenges. A complex project that’s eschews the hollow immediacy of much contemporary art. A story that demands attention and imagination. With music sweeping in scope, at times evoking hard rock virtuoso shredding, alongside grand orchestral compositions, warm harmonies and soaring choruses. A project that is even more relevant in the strange times we live in.


http://www.darwin.is/