Blues & Jazz
Peanuts Greatest Hits is an album of all seasons for fans of the venerable Charlie Brown and the gang. The program includes the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” the springtime favorite ,“Baseball Theme” Halloween’s “Great Pumpkin Waltz” and the yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here.” Releasing in conjunction with Peanuts’ 70th anniversary, this limited edition picture disc features a smiling Snoopy on side A and his best friend, “Little Birdie,” Woodstock on side B.
Over the course of his astounding career, acclaimed singer-songwriter, Seal, has sold over 50 million albums globally. Now this iconic voice is tackling timeless songs with a collection of stunning versions of standards. Standards will release on November 10 and will include hit tracks “Luck Be A Lady” and “It Was A Very Good Year.”
Featuring the vivid musical cues that Guaraldi wrote for the cast of the Peanuts characters, this ‘Peanuts Portraits’ LP adds new dimensions to beloved regulars like Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder and Sally. In addition to nine songs performed by Guaraldi, the album also includes two classic Peanuts tunes recorded by pianist George Winston. Eight of the selections (including Winston renditions of “Linus And Lucy” and “Masked Marvel”), make their vinyl debut on Peanuts Portraits.
Blue Note Records will release a new Deluxe Edition of Norah Jones’ acclaimed album Day Breaks. A 2-CD set and limited edition 2-LP 180g silver foil-cover vinyl.
The expanded track listing includes the addition of nine songs recorded live in New York City during Norah’s memorable album release shows at the Sheen Center’s Loreto Theater in October 2016. The live cuts include versions of songs from Day Breaks like “Flipside” and the Horace Silver ballad “Peace,” as well as fan favorites like “Don’t Know Why” and “Sunrise,” performed by Norah (voice, piano), Chris Thomas (bass), Brian Blade (drums), Pete Remm (Hammond B-3 organ), and background vocalists Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball & Anjelika ‘Jelly’ Joseph of Tank and The Bangas (winners of NPR Music’s 2017 Tiny Desk Contest).
The Luckiest Man confirms Ronnie Earl’s status as one of the most soulful blues/soul/jazz guitarists working today. A three-time Blues Award winner as Guitarist Of The Year, Earl has worked with his band The Broadcasters for almost 30 years. This is his 25th release. This album is dedicated to the memory of long-time Broadcaster bass player Jim Mouradian. As Jim would say when he first met someone, “I’m the luckiest man you know — and I don’t even know who you know.” Playing with spellbinding intensity and soul, Earl has a legion of fans that await each new release.
2017 release from the blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. Fish recorded Belle of the West in the relaxed, rural creative atmosphere of the legendary Zebra Ranch Studios in the North Hills of Mississippi with producer Luther Dickinson (of North Mississippi Allstars fame), with whom she worked previously on her 2015 album Wild Heart. The studio team included some of the region's most iconoclastic musicians, including Dickinson, solo artist and Jack White associate Lillie Mae, much-traveled juke-joint blues artist Lightnin' Malcolm, Squirrel Nut Zippers founder Jimbo Mathus, upright bassist and beloved solo artist Amy LaVere, Tikyra Jackson, Trina Raimey and Shardé Thomas, granddaughter of the legendary Southern bluesman Otha Turner.
2017 release from the veteran blues outfit. Blues is not for the faint-hearted. Since the genre first drew breath, it's greatest practitioners have embraced the darkness, spinning tales of hardship and death, hellhounds and devilry. If the sleeve of Witchy Feelin' suggests that Kim Simmonds, too, has a tendency towards the macabre, then Savoy Brown's iconic leader is happy to confirm it. "Blues has always dealt with themes of the Devil, witchcraft and so forth, and I've always written along those lines. At least three of the songs on Witchy Feelin' have that hoodoo vibe..." Witchy Feelin' proves the Devil still has all the best tunes. From the thrillingly brittle guitar riff that opens Why Did You Hoodoo Me, we are in the hands of a master, with Simmonds reigniting the seismic vocals and searing fretwork that established Savoy Brown as linchpins of the '60s British blues boom. Recording alongside Pat Desalvo (bass), Garnet Grimm (drums) and engineer Ben Elliott, Simmonds leads us into a world of dark nights, wild weather, women and whiskey: all perennial themes given a modern twist by this ageless bluesman. "The songs on this album have been two years in the making," he reflects. "I tried to write songs that had a personal point of view yet can be relatable to everyone. On 'Vintage Man', I wrote about being the type of guy who doesn't change as he gets older. I wrote about the power of love on 'Why Did You Hoodoo Me'. And with 'Guitar Slinger', I wrote a song about seeing a great guitar player in an old country bar - as I did when I first saw Roy Buchanan in '69."
One of the South's finest vocalists, international recording artist Susan Marshall began her career Off-Broadway as a leading soprano in the Rep-Company Light Opera of Manhattan. Shortly after moving back to Memphis in 1990 she began fronting rock-soul band The Mother Station and was signed to a record deal with EastWest / Atlantic Records. In 1994 they released their debut album "Brand New Bag" which peaked at #34 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts.
Since then, Susan has released three critically praised solo albums - "Susan Marshall Is Honey Mouth", "Firefly" and "Little Red".
Susan has toured all over the world as part of the Afghan Whigs as well as with Cat Power & The Memphis Rhythm Band, which included appearances on Austin City Limits, The Late Show w/ David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brian, and the BBC's Later...with Jools Holland.
Her new release on Madjack Records is titled "639 Madison". Recorded at world renowned Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis, TN, the album includes Susan's interpretation of several classic songs including one new song written by Sam Phillips' son Jerry.
The theme of friendship has carried Mitch Woods along through his career and has led him to this, his current duets and trios project…. Friends Along The Way. Featuring Guests: Van Morrison, Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, Maria Muldaur, Cyril Neville, Marcia Ball, John Hammond, Kenny Neal, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker and more… Mitch Woods has delivered a career spanning tour de force. What you hear on these songs is a simple duo or trio of musicians each expressing their innermost feelings and emotions through their instrument….the voice, piano, guitar, harmonica, tambourine…anything that can communicate the feelings, the rhythms of life to the audience. Friends Along The Way finds Mitch reaching into his historical sense of music. He reaches backwards to the roots rather than forward for his inspiration. This shines through on the first single “Take This Hammer” featuring a stunning vocal performance from Van Morrison and backed on guitar by Taj Mahal and of course Mitch Woods on piano. With Friends Along The Way, Mitch wanted to get a chance to play with some of his contemporaries in an intimate and mostly unplugged environment. The piano as an instrument lends itself to this format so perfectly. Mitch can play rhythm, lead, bass, and sing while accompanying some of his friends, who happen to be today’s blues and musical greats. It is a great instrument for bringing out the best of these awesome artists who are keeping the blues flame burning for generations to come. Some say music is a gift. It is a gift, not only to the person who performs it but to the world. The musicians you hear in these songs have spent a lifetime doing what they love to do….play music. Enjoy…this album is Mitch Wood’s gift to you
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra recorded multiple albums worth of material for this World Broadcasting Series between 1943 and 1945. The songs on this compilation include the best of two volumes which were originally released by Circle Records in 1985. All of the material was recorded on November 8 and 9 of 1943. The album was remastered and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.
Luther Allison
A Legend Never Dies: Essential Recordings 1976-1997 [Deluxe LP Box Set]
New Vinyl: $274.98 Buy
Deluxe box set contains 10 vinyl LPs, four DVDs and a book. Here you go. The box set celebrating the 20th anniversary of the passing of blues legend Luther Allison. This release is limited and numbered to 1500 CD sets; you should not wait to get your copy of this collection containing the essential albums Luther recorded after his Motown years. In addition to the albums, our friend Art Tipaldi has written an 88-page coffee table book featuring Luther's inspiring story, comments from his friends and associates, as well as many rare and private photos. Plenty of video footage is included on four DVDs. You'll get to see performances from 1997 (Live in Paradise and Zoo Bar), 1991 (a concert in Germany where Luther plays alongside his son Bernard), and 1987 (a show from East Berlin). It's all there; this compilation is a feast for the eyes, ears, and heart of any blues fan. Luther Allison is a genuine blues hero with an incomparable expanse of energy and love for his music and for the people who loved it. I hope you enjoy every bit of this celebratory Luther Allison collection.
SUPERSONIC BLUES MACHINE will release their exciting new studio album CALIFORNISOUL on October 20, 2017. "CALIFORNISOUL! That’s exactly what it is. It's the missing soundtrack to a summertime drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 1971!" Fabrizio Grossi explains. The album picks up right where the band left off on their well-received debut record, 'West of Flushing, South of Frisco'. Californisoul is all about great songs. "Cry" is a soul searching, simmering piece of poetry and Lance Lopez preaches it in the most righteous way. "I Am Done Missing You" is another number that reaches down deep with a message that will resonate with both spurned lovers and those who have left their bad habits and way in the past. "This Is Love" could be the lovechild of Bob Marley and War with some stinging guitar action spread on top. Blues, rock, reggae, soul, it's all here in a joyous abundance and a celebration of life. That's the nature of Californisoul. Guests on the album include Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather, Eric Gales and Walter Trout. Fabrizio adds, "Lots of people have been saying to me 'why does Supersonic Blues Machine always bring guests around? You guys can stand your own ground', and there are three answers to that: 1) we're all super friends and we're having a blast, 2) most of them don't give lessons and for us this is the only way to learn their secret "ways" and 3) because of the inspiration and the challenge they bring to the table!" Californisoul will be released on CD, double vinyl, digital and streaming services,.
Tommy Castro
Signs is not merely a return the Jonny's guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, fairly leaping out of the speakers. 'A lot of my earlier influences have been coming to the surface, like Robert Johnson, and Howlin' Wolf,' he reports. 'I have been appreciating how raw and unrefined that stuff is. I had an itch to emulate some of that and I think it shows in the songs. Still, I let the writing be what it was and that was sometimes not necessarily the blues.'
Rock Candy Funk Party are: Tal Bergman (producer/drums), Joe Bonamassa (guitar), Ron DeJesus (guitar), and Mike Merritt (bass). On The Groove Cubed, they have added two fabulous vocalists to the mix - Ty Taylor (Vintage Trouble) and Mahalia Barnes - which is a first for them. The new album delivers a lavish soundscape that incorporates a plethora of genres, from dance and electronica, to funk and jazz and everything in between. Their last album, Groove Is King, has sold 5K RTD. LP is 180g black vinyl, includes download card.
For over 30 years Matthew Shipp has built up an unparalleled body of work and a wholly original musical language that becomes more focused and distinctive with the passage of time. His abstract eloquence is on vivid display throughout The Piano Equation, new works for solo piano. Shipp builds his solo music in a cellular fashion, formed out of disparate elements that combine and evolve in novel and fascinating forms. Stride, swing and the avant-garde collide like elemental particles, the aftereffects radiating outward in increasingly complex and intricate formations. The scientific, the personal, the political and the fantastic co-exist throughout his work, melding in the pianists radical vocabulary which speaks with it's own alien yet familiar logic. Fragments of melody coalesce and transform, dissolve or shatter into kaleidoscopic reveries. The Piano Equation celebrates Matthew Shipp's 60th birtday, and while some may have used the arrival of such a landmark occasion as their 60th birthday to look backwards, Shipp continues to move resolutely forward, further evolving a voice that is as intimately personal as it is cosmically adventurous. This release is also the inaugural release from Tao Forms, a new label founded by drummer-improviser-composer - and longtime Shipp collaborator - Whit Dickey.
The follow-up to last years Jazz Loves Disney, volume two features a collection of jazz and world artists taking on classic Disney songs. Produced by Jay Newland, arranged and directed by Rob Mousey, Jazz loves Disney 2 A Kind of Magic features jazz icons George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum and more, performing songs like Be Our Guest, Under The Sea, Beauty & The Beast, and other Disney greats.
Ella Fitzgerald’s iconic vocals are given new life by marrying newly recorded string arrangements from the London Symphony Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, and conducted by James Morgan and Jorge Callandrelli, this new approach to Ella’s timeless music reinvigorates her catalog and is sure to excite and please long time Ella fanatics and classical music connoisseurs at the same time. Guest vocalist Gregory Porter also lends his incredible talent to "People Will Say We're in Love”.
"The Mugician" features collaborations with world-renowned artists including Gary Clark, Jr., Bilal, Big K.R.I.T., Pharoahe Monch, Guy Torry, Robert Glasper, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Darin Atwater, James Poyser. Don Cheadle wrote the liner notes for this album.
“There are many borders in our lives. Some are built by others, some we create for ourselves. Whenever I have ventured beyond the borders in my life, I have been the better for it. Beauty, humanity, artistry, joy, wisdom, and of course love…these things don’t stop at some line on a page. If music is the universal language, maybe there is something it can teach us?”…Jesse Cook Following on the heels of One World’s critical and commercial success, Jesse Cook is ready to launch his new album Beyond Borders. This is the most sonically diverse and distinctive disc in Jesse Cook’s vast and varied catalogue. This catalogue has earned Jesse 11 Juno nominations and one Juno win for 2000’s Free Fall. Beyond Borders is an in depth musical journey exploring the exotic boundaries of World Music.
Dee Dee Bridgewater has gone back to her beginning...Memphis, TN.
Born in the city known for its pivotal part in American culture, music and civil rights struggle, Bridgewater was part of an American legacy. After moving to Flint, Michigan, Bridgewater s childhood nights were spent tuning into Memphis WDIA, the first radio station in the nation featuring all-black programming. It was also the station where her father spun vinyl as the on-air disc jockey, Matt the Platter Cat.
This album is not only a return to Bridgewater s roots, but it offers ground-breaking re-imagining of American Blues and R&B classics with backing by the Stax Academy Choir, Kirk Whalum and recorded at Willie Mitchell s world-renowned Royal Studios. Co-Produced by Bridgewater and close friend Kirk Whalum (a Memphis native) the Memphis...Yes, I m Ready album features such crowd pleasers as Why? (Am I Treated So Bad) by the Staple Singers, I m Going Down Slow (Bobby Blue Bland) and Don t Be Cruel, among others.
In a career spanning four decades, 2017 NEA Jazz Master, three-time Grammy and Tony award winner, and UN Goodwill Ambassador Dee Dee Bridgewater is a pillar of the upper echelon of jazz artists.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and special guests take you through 100 hundred years of jazz piano on Handful of Keys. Star pianists Joey Alexander, Dick Hyman, Myra Melford, Helen Sung, Isaiah J. Thompson, and the JLCO's own Dan Nimmer grab hold of all 88 keys and reveal the full extent of the piano's evolution over the 20th century.
Recorded on opening night of the 2016-17 Jazz at Lincoln Center season, Handful of Keys showcases a band in full stride, burning through electric arrangements of beloved compositions from James P. Johnson, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, and more. With guests ranging in age from 13-year-old prodigy Alexander (recently featured on '60 Minutes') to 89-year-old American treasure Hyman, Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO survey jazz piano's past and give the stage to several prodigies who are taking the instrument in bold new directions.
Smooth Urban Jazz superstar Kim Waters has sold over one million albums in his more than 20 years of touring and recording. Loved by R&B and Jazz fans alike, his crossover appeal, Smooth Jazz #1 radio hits and dynamic performances have placed him among the elite in his field. Highlights include Kim's passionate remake of Ella Mai's smash hit "Boo'd Up" and brilliant Waters original compositions like the romantic "With Open Arms," the exotic "Nina In Tortola," the driving "In The Fast Lane" and much more! Surefire radio hits include the funky original "Shakedown," the joyful "Feels Like Friday Night" and the uplifting "The Moment I See You!"
Ambrose Akinmusire follows his acclaimed, genre-busting 2018 manifesto, Origami Harvest, with another visionary statement on his new album `on the tender spot of every calloused moment'. The trumpeter examines blackness on an uncompromising set of modern jazz laced with a heavy blues feeling. The album presents 11 new compositions by Akinmusire, featuring his quartet - pianist Sam Harris, bassist Harish Raghavan, drummer Justin Brown - with guest vocals from Genevieve Artadi and Jesus Diaz.
Coming off my last album I was productive, and I ended up with a great batch of songs. I ran one by Joe Bonamassa, who said right away he wanted to play on it. And that’s how this album came about. Joe inspired me to invite others. I had songs that were strong and told good stories. I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them. We have amazing songs and great guitars. - Dion
Recorded in 1982, not long after she moved to Paris, Fodder On My Wings was one of Nina Simone's favorite albums. In addition to having written the music and lyrics for all but one of the album's 13 songs, the back cover proudly states that she 'arranged, conducted and conceived' all of them. Originally recorded for a small French label and only sporadically available since its initial release, Fodder On My Wings is a lesserknown but important part of Nina's musical history. The album contains deeply personal songs, including 'I Sing Just To Know That I'm Alive' and 'I Was Just A Stupid Dog To Them', as well a searing lyrical improvisation about the death of her father on 'Alone Again, Naturally'. Recorded at a time when Nina was feeling rejuvenated by her surroundings and the African musicians she met in Paris, Fodder On My Wings is an essential Nina Simone album that is making a longoverdue reappearance.
Three, the 21st album from legendary Australian instrumental trio The Necks, is a winding, textural, and visceral musical exploration through three individual, contrasting tracks that each delve into separate tenets of their sound. Three's variety of tones and structures offer a glimpse into the boundless, immersive sonic universe The Necks have been constructing, through recorded and live performance, for over 30 years. From its very first moments, 'Bloom' rattles and propels listeners through a dense, mesmerizing soundscape of unceasing intensity. Directly juxtaposing the consuming rattle of the opener, 'Lovelock,' dedicated to the memory of Damien Lovelock, former frontman of The Celibate Rifles, is a weightless and atmospheric threnody that ruminates in the quiet and overwhelming moments of grief. The final setting of Three is one of warmth and familiarity. 'Further,' is a confident, seductive groove in a quintuple meter, reminiscent of the groups' work on records like Sex (1989) and Aquatic (1994). Contrasting the style of their celebrated improvisational live act, the group's studio work is meticulously sculpted from beginning to end. On Three, Chris Abrahams (piano), Lloyd Swanton (bass), Tony Buck (drums/percussion), and their long-time backend collaborators Tim Whitten (engineer) and Doung Henderson (master) have again scrupulously built music that focuses on the most intricate edges of staggeringly immense, diverse worlds. From strained to still to smoky, each piece of Three marks itself as distinct and its own, but all feel representative of Australia's greatest cult band, The Necks.
Vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release from the singer/songwriter. Supernova, the follow-up to her 2018 debut Starfire, is a "reflection of on the highs and lows that make life so beautiful," according to a press release. It was written after an extensive time on the road and the birth of her second child.
One of the greatest jazz innovators of all time, alto saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker (b. August 29, 1920) is one of the few musicians who can be said to have permanently changed jazz. A leading figure in the development of bebop, Parker (also known as “Bird”) left an enormous musical legacy in his short 34 years of life, and his vast influence extends to other forms of art, such as dance, literature, visual arts and film. As part of Bird’s centennial celebration in 2020, Craft Recordings presents The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection, a deluxe box set including four 10-inch LPs cut from newly restored and remastered audio. The collection highlights Bird’s pioneering bebop recordings for Savoy Records from 1944–1948, featuring jazz legends Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Bud Powell, Max Roach and more. The package includes faithfully restored original album artwork, plus a booklet containing vintage photos, rare ephemera and new liner notes by GRAMMY®-winning author Neil Tesser. The complete set will also be released digitally.
Sonny Landreth’s new album "Blacktop Run" mixes genres and styles across a landscape of lyricism and rootsy grooves. His 3rd album for blues connaisseur label Provogue, and his 14th overall, will be released on February 21, 2020. A percussive burst of acoustic resonator guitar pushes the narrator on a journey “between the life I left and the edge of next” in the title cut of guitarist, songwriter and bandleader Sonny Landreth’s 14th album. As the singer feels the wind at his back, a rising bass line intersects Landreth's vocalizing to stretch the fingerpicked tune into Far Eastern melodicism. The south Louisiana artist's groundbreaking work has long mixed familiarity with experimentation, and his latest ten-song collection stretches from hard-edged electric instrumentals to wistful acoustic ballads. The project's range is the fruit of a renewed collaboration. Producer RS Field – who helmed Landreth's trio of breakout albums – joined the six-stringer and co-producer Tony Daigle to finish the record.
Makaya McCraven
We're New Again - A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven [LP]
New Vinyl: $26.98 Buy
To mark the tenth anniversary of the release of I'm New Here , the thirteenth - and last - studio album from the legendary US musician, poet and author Gil Scott-Heron, XL Recordings will release a unique reinterpretation of the album by acclaimed US jazz musician Makaya McCraven. Titled We're New Again, the album will be released on 7th February 2020; exactly a decade after the release of Scott-Heron's original Richard Russell-produced recording. It's set to follow in the footsteps of Jamie xx's highly acclaimed 2011 remix album We're New Here and will be McCraven's first release of 2020, following the huge global acclaim heaped upon his 2018 album Universal Beings. One of the most vital new voices in modern jazz, McCraven is described by the New York Times as a Chicago-based drummer, producer and beat maker, [who] has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz's vitality.