STEVE TYRELL - I'LL TAKE ROMANCE

Often cited as the world’s true “romance crooner” and proponent of all things love, legendary jazz balladeer Steve Tyrell will release his new collection, I’ll Take Romance on February 7, 2012. His Concord Records debut, I'll Take Romance, features 12 tracks with Tyrell, backed by his band along with a String Orchestra. The release of I’ll Take Romance will be accompanied by dates across the country, including his annual seven week run at New York City’s legendary Café Carlyle, where he replaced Manhattan icon Bobby Short seven years ago. I’ll Take Romance is his ninth album release, and according to Tyrell “most of my albums have been collections of love songs. But I haven’t done a studio album of just romantic standards since Songs of Sinatra in 2005. I realize that my music is now played at countless weddings, engagement dinners and anniversaries, and it occurred to me that nobody ever created an entire album for people getting engaged and married. Inspired by Chelsea Clinton’s choice of his version of “The Way You Look Tonight” for the first dance at her wedding (as told to Tyrell at last year’s Café Carlyle engagement by proud Papa Bill Clinton), Tyrell then decided that his next studio recording should be an album consisting purely of romantic standards – an homage to The Great American Songbook with tracks culled from several genres expressing the theme of romance.

Featuring such gems as “That’s All,” “Taking a Chance On Love,” “All of You,” and the title track, Tyrell also covers a host of R&B classics, including the Etta James hits “At Last” and “Trust In Me,” Sam Cooke’s “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons;” and Little Willie John’s “Talk to Me.” In addition, Tyrell included a couple of songs that much of his audience would be discovering for the first time. During the 1960s, when he was a player in pop’s celebrated “Brill Building Sound,” Tyrell became close friends, and subsequently partners, with the hit songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. From the vast Mann-Weill catalog, he has selected the relatively obscure gem “Your Turn Me Around.” Written in the early 1970s (and originally recorded by Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers), says Tyrell, “It’s a real find! It’s a song I’ve known for a long time, and always wanted to do.” Also included by Mann and Weil is “Don’t Know Much,” a Grammy-winning song that he produced with Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville. Of newer vintage is David Foster and Linda Thompson’s “A Love That Will Last.”

I’ll Take Romance features nearly 20 difference accompanists, including four pianists, four bassists, and four drummers in various combinations. The reason, he says, is that “I’m always recording. When I get an idea, I record it. It’s like a painter who has a studio with all sorts of canvases in various stages of development. Most of these tracks were newly recorded for the album, but others I’ve been working on for years. That’s why you’ll hear the late great drummer Johnny Guerin (who dies in 2004) playing on ‘That’s All’ and ‘You Turn Me Around.’” Additionally, I’ll Take Romance showcased several stellar soloists, including five-time Grammy-winning Randy Brecker, saxophonist David Mann (who also plays flute on “Talk to Me” and “All of You”). Legendary Sinatra and Nat King Cole saxophonist Plas Johnson and harmonicist Will Galison. Another special guest is vocalist Judith Hill, Tyrell’s duet partner on the album’s title track. Tyrell first encountered Hill when he was producing Rod Stewart’s Soulbook (released 2009). “She was singing backup on the Stewart album,” he says, “and I fell in love with her voice, so I asked her to sing on my records. At the time, she was about to go out on tour with Michael Jackson. She was going to sing all the duets with him – you can see her in the film This Is It. He was going to introduce her to the world, She’s an incredibly talented, beautiful girl, and is going to be a big star.”

As for his recently forged relationship with Concord, Tyrell says he is “thrilled” about joining the label. “I’ve been a big fan of John Burke (Concord’s Executive VP and head of A&R) for a long time. As I stated earlier, Ray Charles is my favorite artist of all time, and John produced Ray’s final studio album (2004’s Genius Loves Company) that won a Grammy for Album of the Year. John was the one who signed me, and he’s helped a tremendous amount with this album. He is somebody I really admire.

COOL VIBES FROM NORMAN BROWN

Grammy® Award winner Norman Brown is on close intimate terms with his audience. For almost two decades, it has been an engaging, mutually rewarding relationship, with the multitalented guitarist, composer and singer offering tasty sonic tidbits of classic R&B and contemporary jazz and his fans melting into satisfied aural bliss with every succulent, jazz inflected note. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Brown first picked up a guitar at the age of 8. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix‟s mind-bending rock sounds, Brown soon discovered his father's favorite artist, Wes Montgomery, and found his stylistic holy grail. After high school, Brown moved to Los Angeles to pursue his musical career, attending the Musicians Institute where he also taught for a time. While playing with his own group in local clubs, and drawing comparisons to George Benson, Brown was discovered and signed to the MoJazz label, a division of Motown.

He delivered his 1992 debut, Just Between Us, and followed with the gold- certified After The Storm and 1996's Better Days Ahead. With critical acclaim and sales behind him, the talented musician made the leap to Warner Bros. and released Celebration, which first teamed him with producer Paul Brown. The 2003 follow-up, Just Chillin', earned Brown much-deserved recognition with a Grammy® Award in the best pop instrumental category. That project was followed by his 2005 release West Coast Coolin', where Brown tested out his skills as a vocalist, a move that was welcomed by the urban AC radio market. In addition, his 2005 compilation The Very Best Of Norman Brown was one of the best- selling smooth jazz albums of that year.

Brown made the leap to the Peak Records label in 2007 for his smash CD Stay With Me, which yielded the R&B vocal hit “Stay With Me” and the smooth instrumental favorites “Let‟s Take A Ride” and “Pop‟s Cool Groove.” With his latest, Sending My Love, Brown is building on the musical foundation he laid with Stay With Me, which landed at Number One on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. In addition to success as a musician and producer, Brown has launched a successful career as a broadcaster. In January of 2007, he brought his engaging personality to Broadcast Architecture‟s Smooth Jazz Network as an on-air personality, hosting this own weekend radio show.

BENNIE MAUPIN - MOONSCAPES / SLOW TRAFFIC TO THE RIGHT

Bennie Maupin is best known for his atmospheric bass clarinet playing on Miles Davis’ classic Bitches Brew album, as well as other Miles Davis recordings such as, “Big Fun” “Jack Johnson,” and “On the Corner.” He was a founding member of Herbie Hancock’s seminal band The Headhunters, as well as a performer and composer in Hancock’s influential Mwandishi band. Born in 1940, Maupin started playing clarinet, later adding saxophone, flute and, most notably, the bass clarinet to his formidable arsenal of woodwind instruments. Upon moving to New York in 1962, he freelanced with groups led by Marion Brown, Pharoah Saunders, and Chick Corea, and played regularly with Roy Haynes and Horace Silver. He also recorded with McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Jack DeJohnette, Andrew Hill, Eddie Henderson, and Woody Shaw to name only a few.

Maupin’s own discography as a leader includes a well-received recording for ECM Records, The Jewel in The Lotus (1974), Slow Traffic to the Right (1976), Moonscapes (1978) both on Mercury Records, and Driving While Black (1998) on Intuition. The instrumentation of Maupin’s current group The Bennie Maupin Ensemble, harkens back to the tradition of great saxophone-bass-drum trios, such as the group led
by Sonny Rollins with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones. While echoes of the great John Coltrane can be heard in Maupin’s work, one can also discern the influences of Yusef Lateef, Sonny Rollins, and Eric Dolphy, as well as Maupin’s contemporaries like Wayne Shorter and the late Joe Henderson. Maupin’s approach to his music is intentional and profound, yet alive in the interpretation of the moment.

Released just this past year are pair of funky jazz sets from Bennie Maupin – Slow Traffic To The Right (1976) and Moonscapes (1978)– together in a single set. Slow Traffic To The Right features a great bit of spiritual funky jazz that recalls a lot of the sound of his work with The Headhunters. The first track, "It Remains to Be Seen", is an excellent groover, with some very dark keyboard work by Patrice Rushen, and the rest of the tracks are pretty great too. Pat Gleeson produced and plays synth on the LP, and the cuts include "Quasar", "You Know the Deal", "Water Torture", and "Lament". Next up is Moonscapes, and like a lot of the other Mercury jazz records from the late 70s, it's a great mix of funky jazz playing and smooth studio production. The production is again by Pat Gleeson, who was best known for his arp and synth playing in the mid 70s. Maupin's playing is great throughout, and his pinched hard reed sound feels good on both the fusiony tracks and the smoother funk ones! Tracks include "Nightwatch", "Sansho Shima", "Anua", "Crystals" and "Just Give It Some Time".

fDELUXE - GASLIGHT

A valuable piece of Minneapolis’ musical history re-emerged with the reformation of Prince-founded outfit, The Family, now redubbed fDeluxe, as the sophisto four-piece releases its second album, Gaslight, released on Ropeadope/Sony RED and Art Of Groove/MIG Music (Europe).The band’s origin is nothing short of a who’s who dancing around Paisley Park in concentric circles. Having been formed out of the remnants of Morris Day’s The Time back in 1984, Day was naturally, the group’s first vocalist, but when he stepped out for other pursuits, Prince asked keyboard player St. Paul Peterson to step up to the mic to front The Family along with a newly added vocalist, Susannah Melvoin, twin sister of Wendy Melvoin of the Revolution’s famous subset, Wendy and Lisa, saxophonist/flutist extraordinaire, Eric Leeds (Prince, George Clinton, Chaka Khan, among others) and legendary funk drummer, Jellybean Johnson (of The Time, but also played/produced with Janet Jackson, George Michael, Mint Condition). Prince produced and released The Family’s first self-titled LP in 1985 on the aforementioned label/hotbed, which featured the very first version of the Sinead O’Connor covered smash hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U” and a top ten hit in “Screams Of Passion.”

Fast forward to just a few years ago. The Family had been on an extended, but amicable break, while still staying in touch when long-time friend, Sheila E. convinced the group to participate in a huge benefit concert at the LA Forum. The following year, friend and fan, ?uestlove from The Roots, would do the same, prompting The Family out for a return jam at his hot ticket post-Grammy party. Finally, after the better part of two decades, it stuck. While the initial mach of The Family was more or less a testing ground for Prince’s material around that time, the currently reformed fDeluxe is now solely the creative palette for Peterson, Melvoin, Leeds and Johnson with contributions from Emmy Awards winners Wendy & Lisa, Doyle Bramall (Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks) Oliver Leiber (Ke$ha, Adam Lambert) and more. The band’s new album, Gaslight, combines the essence of the original Family album with the band’s subsequent influences and diverse musical journeys.

Dance, romance and plenty of funk, fDeluxe is that rare band that combines clever, modern material, studio savvy and the stage experience to tear the roof off. Anyone who thought the Minneapolis sound died in the early 1990’s may be in for a shock. Gaslight was released in September 2011 on Ropeadope/Sony RED in the USA and Art Of Groove in Europe with other territories soon to be announced. Formed in Brooklyn NY in 1999, Ropeadope has been recognized worldwide as an eclectic and innovative music company. With a purists’ dedication to music, their roster includes historically important releases from DJ Logic, Antibalas, The Word, and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra as well as critically acclaimed collaborations with the likes of Christian McBride, ?uestlove, King Britt, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robert Randolph, and many others.

CEO Louis Marks says, “Ropeadope keeps a steady eye on the past to inform our musical present and future. fDeluxe does exactly that, all the while delivering the nasty soul and funk that keeps you moving. Perfect!” Art Of Groove, a division of MIG -music, is a new label specialized in Funk and Jazz music. The label, based in Germany is home to funk icon Maceo Parker, bass legend Larry Graham/Graham Central Station and multi-time Grammy winner Vince Mendoza to name a few. Art Of Groove head honcho, Joachim Becker says, “We are more than excited to be releasing this fantastic new album!”

The band performed at the Minnesota Black Music Awards on July 15 and made their debut headline performance at the Loring Theater in Minneapolis on Friday, September 16th.

GRAMMY WINNING SAXOPHONIST KENNY TO HOST SPECIAL CELEBRITY CRUISES TO ALASKA IN 2013

Grammy Award-winning artist Kenny G has chartered modern luxury line Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Millennium to create a special vacation experience in Alaska, May 17-24, 2013. The world-renowned saxophonist will not only offer multiple performances during the sailing, but also will mix and mingle with guests onboard throughout the cruise. Other recognized artists yet to be announced will perform during the sailing, as well.

In a recording career spanning nearly three decades, Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumentalist of all time, with sales of more than 75-million records worldwide, and more than a dozen climbs to the top of Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. In the past year alone, Kenny performed in more than 100 concerts in the U.S., Asia and Russia. He continued his iconic status with recent appearances on Saturday Night Live, performing with Foster the People, played a prominent role in pop artist Katy Perry's video hit, "Last Friday Night," and appeared on several Audi TV commercials featured during the 2011 Super Bowl. Since the early 1980s, Kenny G's combination of unparalleled instrumental talent and enduring melodies have resulted in him being recognized as one of the most successful music icons of his generation.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to cruise with my closest fans aboard Celebrity Millennium," said Kenny G. "The experience of playing with my band and sharing the breathtaking sights of one of the most beautiful destinations in the world will be one I'll remember forever. This cruise will allow me to spend quality time and get to know the fans onboard, just as they've gotten to know me through my music. Sailing with them on a week-long Celebrity Cruises vacation will be a highlight of my career, and I can't wait to share the journey."

"We had the thrill of having Kenny perform on our newest Solstice Class ship, Celebrity Silhouette, during the ship's Stateside debut in November, and watching the crowd interact, hearing his exceptional musical talent, and observing his engaging personality was so exciting," said Celebrity Cruises Director of Corporate Sales and Charters Ron Gulaskey. "He's approachable, funny, smart and interesting. The opportunity to sail with him for a week, and experience all this up-close, will create incredible memories for the fans onboard."

To make a booking, or for further information about this special sailing, visit http://www.kennygcruise.com/ or call 1-800-952-2991. Reservations can be held with a deposit of only $100 per person until January 15, 2012, when the full deposit will be due. Special early booking benefits include guaranteed orchestra seating to his opening performance, if full deposits are made by or before that date. Montrose Travel is the exclusive booking agent for this charter cruise; however, agents from other firms also have the opportunity to book their clients on the sailing.

"Unlike many charters, travel agencies wishing to book their clients on the Kenny G Cruise can do so and still receive commission," said Celebrity Cruises North American Charter Sales Manager Andrea Sieger. "When calling Montrose Travel, travel professionals calling from a travel agency to book a client must register their agency with Montrose Travel to receive a 10 percent commission."

JAZZ IN THE GARDENS LINEUP ANNOUNCED!

The lucky 7th year of the two-day Jazz in the Gardens music festival returns to Miami Gardens with an incredible line-up sure to put the audience at Sun Life Stadium on their feet on March 17 and 18, 2012. Beginning Saturday, March 17, 2012, "Jazz in the Gardens" attendees will be treated to exhilarating performances by the queen of neo-soul Jill Scott, the soulful chart topping KEM, Ledisi who was recently named "the next Patti LaBelle by Patti LaBelle", old school human beat box Doug E. Fresh and the timeless jazz superstar Ramsey Lewis. The Sunday, March 18, 2012 line up will feature the incomparable voice of the multi-platinum, nine time Grammy winner Mary J. Blige, R & B legend Patti LaBelle, smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G, jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks, formerly of The Tonight Show, and locally grown internationally recognized chanteuse Nicole Henry.

"Jazz in the Gardens" owes its success to a simple formula: a star-studded line-up, great food, extraordinarily affordable ticket prices and amazing weather. For the past six years the festival has enjoyed unprecedented growth, consistently delivering stunning increases in attendance. The 2011 festival attracted over 48,000 music lovers, from the Caribbean, the United States and all over Florida, to the beautiful City of Miami Gardens

"Just like all Jazz in the Gardens fans, I anxiously wait to hear who is performing and every year turns out to be a better line-up than the last! The 2012 line-up is absolutely incredible and I look forward to all the fans from around the nation joining us again. This signature Miami Gardens event brings added value to the City and to South Florida in general. I am proud of this City; in the eight years since incorporation, Miami Gardens has seen a steady stream of positive changes, improvements and additions like Jazz in the Gardens, which is more than a concert; it is an opportunity and experience that people want to enjoy year after year," says Mayor Shirley Gibson.

The 2011 "Jazz in the Gardens" featured performances from legendary artists including Ms. Lauryn Hill, Charlie Wilson, Al Jarreau, Jazmine Sullivan, Gladys Knight, The Isley Brothers, EnVogue, Lalah Hathaway, Branford Marsalis and former New Edition members Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant. Previous years have included celebrated artists such as Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Robin Thicke, the late Teena Marie, Wyclef, Babyface, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Chaka Khan, Chrisette Michele, Common, Anthony Hamilton and Roy Ayers.

http://www.jazzinthegardens.com/

ESPERANZA SPALDING - RADIO MUSIC SOCIETY

Esperanza Spalding showcased the album covers of her forthcoming album Radio Music Society to her Facebook fans on Dec 16th. Radio Music Society will be released as two versions. The CD version comes with over 10 music videos that can be obtained via a download card obtained inside the CD package and accessible via her web site. A Deluxe edition of Radio Music Society will come with a bonus DVD and will include conceptual music videos and bonus material, which further express Esperanza’s inspiration and story behind each track. Shot in various locations including New York City; Barcelona, Spain; and her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Radio Music Society, is set to be released on March 20th. Radio Music Society is being described as a more upbeat and more sort of energetic set that was conceived at the same time as Chamber Music Society. According to Splading “Originally I planned to release a double record, but that didn't work. The two (approaches) really couldn't be reconciled," Spalding explains. "So it became two different records. I just decided I wanted to do 'Chamber Music' first and then focus on 'Radio Music.' " Spalding says Radio Music Society which will combine her original compositions with covers of songs by the Beach Boys and Wayne Shorter. Participating are some of the music worlds notable musicians including: jazz legends; Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart; Hip-hop giant Q-Tip, vocalists; Algebra Blessett, Lalah Hathaway, Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke among others. Esperanza also recruits her early childhood mentors pianist Janice Scroggins and Dr. Thara Memory, with the students of the American Music Program ensemble.