Verve press releases

[GA Russell]

 

JULIUS RODRIGUEZ, MULTI-TALENTED PIANIST/DRUMMER/PRODUCER, ANNOUNCES MAJOR LABEL DEBUT ALBUM LET SOUND TELL ALL SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 10 ON VERVE RECORDS   RODRIGUEZ BLAZES HIS OWN SONIC PATH ON DEBUT ALBUM AFTER DROPPING OUT OF JUILLIARD TO TOUR WITH A$AP ROCKY, CAUTIOUS CLAY AND MORE   Artist Title Time       Julius Rodriguez Gift Of The Moon 02:59     RODRIGUEZ WEAVES JAZZ AND PSYCHEDELIA ON NEW SINGLE  “GIFT OF THE MOON” WATCH OFFICIAL VISUALIZER PREMIERED TODAY WITH THE FADER     “a cosmic jazz saga that starts with a mesmeric two-chord cadence and expands into something colossal yet sleek and reserved” The Fader   March 18, 2022 – Julius Rodriguez, multi-talented pianist/drummer/producer, today announces the release of his debut album Let Sound Tell All set for release June 10 via Verve Records. Stunning jazz elders and pop and indie peers alike with his technical wizardry, Yoda-like understanding of complex melody, and George Martin-inspired production feats, Rodriguez commands attention for his reverence for sound - however anyone decides to classify it. An exclusive translucent LP as well as standard versions of the LP/CD will be available at the Verve Records Center Stage store.   Today, he releases his first single “Gift Of The Moon,” a psychedelic number layered with trumpet and high-level production that nods to Roy Hargrove and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.   Watch the Official Visualizer for the “Gift Of The Moon” here Pre-order Let Sound Tell All here Photo Credit: Avery J. Savage On his debut album Let Sound Tell All, 23 year old musician Julius Rodriguez stirs a cauldron of gospel, jazz, classical, R&B, hip-hop, experimentation, production and sheer technical wizardry to create a stunning debut that commands attention. As an 11 year old kid, Rodriguez honed his jazz chops at Smalls Jazz Club, wowing audiences with his rendition of his favorite Ellington tune “Take the A Train.” Fast forward to 2018 when he dropped out of Juilliard, shimmying off the rigid curriculum to tour with A$AP Rocky. Now, in 2022, Rodriguez is on the cusp of a stellar release that weaves his life and influences - from Monk, Coltrane, Solange, James Blake, Sampha and more. This music is as much at home in Smalls Jazz Club as it is at Gov Ball.   “Gift Of The Moon” was one of the album’s earliest recorded songs.  Rodriguez calls it “the first song I wrote that wasn’t a traditional jazz song, since there’s no solo section.” He struggled for years trying to figure out what to do with it, until in 2019 he asked trumpeter Giveton Gelin to solo over the existing recording. Rodriguez couldn’t pick any of Gelin’s three takes, “so I used all of them at the same time, and it turned into what it is now,” a trick he picked up from George Martin and his youthful idolization of The Beatles’ studio hacks - as well as from Roy Hargrove’s recordings where the late trumpeter would overdub tracks. The addition of Julius’ synth parts and a wordless vocal from Onyx compadre Nick Hakim created a stunning instrumental miniature.   Let Sound Tell All is a complex combination of live improvisation weaved with high-level production. A song may start out in a well-oiled, Coltrane classic quartet energy and fed through distortion pedals to culminate in an exhilarating trippy meltdown of sheer sonic genius.   Call him Gen-Z jazz, but when you hear Julius Rodriguez play “the music,” as he calls it, it’s a modern Sound, as fluent in history as it is aware of its contemporary context. His music dares to imagine a future of new standards and musical trailblazing.  This vanguard was raised in an atmosphere where pop and hip-hop and dance influenced their approaches to melody and harmony and rhythm, so of course it is part of their improvisational DNA. And that’s what Julius Rodriguez’s Sound tells to whoever will choose to listen.

S.G. Goodman Returns with New Album Teeth Marks Release on June 3 via Verve Forecast

1.  S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks 03:37         2.  S.G. Goodman - All My Love Is Coming Back To Me 03:29         3.  S.G. Goodman - Heart Swell 04:09         4.  S.G. Goodman - When You Say It 04:16         5.  S.G. Goodman - If You Were Someone I Loved 04:13         6.  S.G. Goodman - You Were Someone I Loved 03:34         7.  S.G. Goodman - Work Until I Die 06:32         8.  S.G. Goodman - The Heart of It 03:15         9.  S.G. Goodman - Dead Soldiers 03:54         10.  S.G. Goodman - Patron Saint Of The Dollar Store 03:31         11.  S.G. Goodman - Keeper Of The Time 05:28

“Goodman tackles challenges directly, a head-on approach that's admirable and ultimately what makes her storytelling so compelling.” NPR Music    “Her voice as soulful as her themes can be challenging” SPIN    “Refreshingly out of step with these divisive times”  New Yorker    “An intriguing, original new voice” Associated Press   Kentucky Rock N’ Roll truth teller S.G. Goodman today announced the release of her forthcoming sophomore album Teeth Marks. Released June 3 via Verve Forecast, it is steeped in her caustic wit and social commentary, specifically exploring the various and often painful indelible marks that love can leave behind. Mining garage rock, Appalachian folk and post-punk influence, the album finds Goodman’s stirring vocals draped in a sonic patchwork of southern indie rock.   Goodman explained, “This is a song about the phantom limb of love: a condition in which a lover's mind is deluded and we make the mistake of taking a step forward, only to fall face first into the reality of another's heart. A reality we are unwilling to accept – a land of false promise we find ourselves not equipped to walk in.”

 

EMERGING ARTIST MELANIE CHARLES’ NEW ALBUM Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN OUT NOW ON VERVE PROJECT CONTAINS REIMAGINED WORKS BY BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD, SARAH VAUGHAN, DINAH WASHINGTON AND MORE

1.  Melanie Charles - God Bless The Child 04:34         2.  Melanie Charles, Dinah Washington - Perdido (Reimagined) 02:20         3.  Melanie Charles, Sarah Vaughan - Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 03:54         4.  Melanie Charles - All Africa (The Beat) 02:03         5.  Melanie Charles - The Music Is The Magic 01:14         6.  Melanie Charles - Pay Black Women Interlude 02:02         7.  Melanie Charles, Marlena Shaw - Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 04:57         8.  Melanie Charles, Betty Carter - Jazz (Ain't Nothing But Soul) (Reimagined) 03:06         9.  Melanie Charles - Go Away Little Boy 02:49         10.  Melanie Charles, Dinah Washington - What A Difference (Reimagined) 02:23         11.  Melanie Charles, Ella Fitzgerald - Beginning to See The Light (Reimagined) 02:44

November 12, 2021—Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, the new album from emerging artist Melanie Charles, is out now on Verve, marking her first major label release. The project is a love letter to the unheralded labor of Black women, containing reimagined works by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more.  The new music continues to receive critical praise:   Charles originally began developing the project in 2019 when she was approached by Verve to create a remix album using their back catalog. Her initial approach was to find songs that spoke to her with the intention of breathing new energy into them. She was immediately drawn to the voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn, enabling her to reminisce about the tunes and voices that made her fall in love with jazz. By the time she was ready to start recording, the pandemic hit and Americans were in the throes of a racial reckoning sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Taylor’s death had an impact on Charles’ creative process. On Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Charles leaves listeners with a powerful statement on what solidarity with Black women can look like. It includes not only care and attention to the everyday struggles that animate Black women’s lives, but also to the beauty and joy as well. At its core, the record is a call for a more intersectional vision of the world in which Black women can live more freely and express their full humanity. Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. “Make Jazz Trill Again,” a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.” MELANIE CHARLES Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN 1. God Bless The Child 2. Perdido (Reimagined) 3. Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 4. All Africa (The Beat) 5. The Music is the Magic 6. Pay Black Woman (Interlude) 7. Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 8. Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul) [Reimagined] 9. Go Away Little Boy 10. What A Difference (Reimagined) 11. Beginning to See the Light (Reimagined)   MELANIECHARLES.COM

EMERGING ARTIST MELANIE CHARLES’ RENDITION OF BETTY CARTER’S “JAZZ (AIN’T NOTHING BUT SOUL)” SINGLE OUT NOW NEW ALBUM Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN OUT NOVEMBER 12 VIA VERVE PROJECT CONTAINS REIMAGINED WORKS BY BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD, DINAH WASHINGTON AND MORE photo credit: Meredith Traux “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.” October 20, 2021—Today, emerging artist Melanie Charles unveils her rendition of Betty Carter’s “Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul),” a reminder of the lively spirit that lies at the heart of jazz music. As Charles puts it, “There’s a spectrum of what [jazz] sounds like, and what that looks like, which is really beautiful.” Watch the visualizer here.   “‘Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul)’ embodies my mission of ‘Making Jazz Trill Again.’ Written by Queens born Norman Mapp and sung by the iconic Betty Carter, it reminds us that despite the virtuosity Black American Music requires, it is quite simply for and by the PEOPLE,” notes Charles. “It’s speaking and walking in your truth. It is not the uptight museum music that has become popular amongst our jazz elite of today but a space to be free and unapologetically Black.”   The track appears on Charles’ first major label project, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, which is now set for release on November 12 via Verve. The forthcoming release is a love letter to the unheralded labor of Black women, containing reimagined works by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more.    Most recently, Charles debuted her renditions of Sarah Vaughan’s “Detour Ahead” and Marlena Shaw’s “Woman Of The Ghetto” to critical praise; FLOOD Magazine proclaims, “Charles’ reimagination of Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Detour Ahead’ is an ode to resilience,” while Billboard declares, “Breathing new life into a 1960’s anthem for empowerment, Melanie Charles delivers a charged performance of Marlena Shaw’s ‘Woman of The Ghetto.’”    Charles originally began developing the project in 2019 when she was approached by Verve to create a remix album using their back catalog. Her initial approach was to find songs that spoke to her with the intention of breathing new energy into them. She was immediately drawn to the voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn, enabling her to reminisce about the tunes and voices that made her fall in love with jazz. By the time she was ready to start recording, the pandemic hit and Americans were in the throes of a racial reckoning sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Taylor’s death had an impact on Charles’ creative process. “I was rudely reminded that Black women are and always have been undervalued, uncared for, unprotected and neglected. It was at that point that I decided to focus on songs written and or sung by the Black women who paved the way for me,” recounts Charles. The resulting work comes together in Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, featuring renditions of songs originally recorded by Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more.   On Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Charles leaves listeners with a powerful statement on what solidarity with Black women can look like. It includes not only care and attention to the everyday struggles that animate Black women’s lives, but also to the beauty and joy as well. At its core, the record is a call for a more intersectional vision of the world in which Black women can live more freely and express their full humanity.   Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.   Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. “Make Jazz Trill Again,” a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.”   MELANIE CHARLES Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN 1. God Bless The Child 2. Perdido (Reimagined) 3. Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 4. All Africa (The Beat) 5. The Music is the Magic 6. Pay Black Woman (Interlude) 7. Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 8. Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul) [Reimagined] 9. Go Away Little Boy 10. What A Difference (Reimagined) 11. Beginning to See the Light (Reimagined)   MELANIECHARLES.COM

EMERGING ARTIST MELANIE CHARLES’ RENDITION OF BETTY CARTER’S “JAZZ (AIN’T NOTHING BUT SOUL)” DEBUTS TODAY NEW ALBUM Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN OUT NOVEMBER 12 VIA VERVE PROJECT CONTAINS REIMAGINED WORKS BY BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD, DINAH WASHINGTON AND MORE

1.  Melanie Charles, Betty Carter - Jazz (Ain't Nothing But Soul) 03:06

“Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.”

October 20, 2021—Today, emerging artist Melanie Charles unveils her rendition of Betty Carter’s “Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul),” a reminder of the lively spirit that lies at the heart of jazz music. As Charles puts it, “There’s a spectrum of what [jazz] sounds like, and what that looks like, which is really beautiful.”   “‘Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul)’ embodies my mission of ‘Making Jazz Trill Again.’ Written by Queens born Norman Mapp and sung by the iconic Betty Carter, it reminds us that despite the virtuosity Black American Music requires, it is quite simply for and by the PEOPLE,” notes Charles. “It’s speaking and walking in your truth. It is not the uptight museum music that has become popular amongst our jazz elite of today but a space to be free and unapologetically Black.”   The track appears on Charles’ first major label project, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, which is now set for release on November 12 via Verve. The forthcoming release is a love letter to the unheralded labor of Black women, containing reimagined works by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more.  Most recently, Charles debuted her renditions of Sarah Vaughan’s “Detour Ahead” and Marlena Shaw’s “Woman Of The Ghetto” to critical praise; FLOOD Magazine proclaims, “Charles’ reimagination of Sarah Vaughan’s ‘Detour Ahead’ is an ode to resilience,” while Billboard declares, “Breathing new life into a 1960’s anthem for empowerment, Melanie Charles delivers a charged performance of Marlena Shaw’s ‘Woman of The Ghetto.’”  Charles originally began developing the project in 2019 when she was approached by Verve to create a remix album using their back catalog. Her initial approach was to find songs that spoke to her with the intention of breathing new energy into them. She was immediately drawn to the voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn, enabling her to reminisce about the tunes and voices that made her fall in love with jazz. By the time she was ready to start recording, the pandemic hit and Americans were in the throes of a racial reckoning sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Taylor’s death had an impact on Charles’ creative process. “I was rudely reminded that Black women are and always have been undervalued, uncared for, unprotected and neglected. It was at that point that I decided to focus on songs written and or sung by the Black women who paved the way for me,” recounts Charles. The resulting work comes together in Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, featuring renditions of songs originally recorded by Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more. On Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Charles leaves listeners with a powerful statement on what solidarity with Black women can look like. It includes not only care and attention to the everyday struggles that animate Black women’s lives, but also to the beauty and joy as well. At its core, the record is a call for a more intersectional vision of the world in which Black women can live more freely and express their full humanity. Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. “Make Jazz Trill Again,” a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.” For additional information on Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, see Melanie Charles’ bio/artist notes HERE. MELANIE CHARLES Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN 1. God Bless The Child 2. Perdido (Reimagined) 3. Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 4. All Africa (The Beat) 5. The Music is the Magic 6. Pay Black Woman (Interlude) 7. Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 8. Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul) [Reimagined] 9. Go Away Little Boy 10. What A Difference (Reimagined) 11. Beginning to See the Light (Reimagined)   MELANIECHARLES.COM

The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars Set to Release A Gift to Pops: “Black and Blue” feat. Common Available Now   Famed Rapper Addresses Racial Consciousness and Prejudice Over R&B-Flavored Groove: “My school of thought is Black openness/ to define and redefine what the culture is.”     Co-Produced by Wycliffe Gordon, Nicholas Payton and Jackie Harris with Liner Notes from George Wein   Album Available October 15 via Verve Records   Check Out the Exclusive Premiere of “The Peanut Vendor” feat. Wynton Marsalis on WBGO While New Orleans native Louis Armstrong passed away in 1971 at the age of 69, today his legacy as the kingpin of jazz continues to grow. The most significant example of this is the ensemble The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars, comprised largely of top-of-the-line Crescent City musicians paying tribute to him with the brilliant album A Gift to Pops. The inventive re-envisioning of music associated with the trumpeter/vocalist during his five-decade career features new arrangements and new performances of stalwart tunes ranging from the “The Peanut Vendor” (recorded by him in 1930) to “What a Wonderful World” (recorded in 1968 and the most successful tune of his career). Special guests include Wynton Marsalis and Common.   Nicholas Payton—who arranged seven of the songs, plays emotive and thrilling trumpet with engaging solos throughout—takes the lead vocals on his modern arrangement of Fats Waller’s “Black and Blue” (available now), a tune about racial consciousness and prejudice that starts out wild and frantic before the bass and drums take it into an R&B-flavored groove. In the midst of the tune, Common delivers his rap poetry on the theme that includes lines such as, “Went through black and blue for the bright day,” and “My school of thought is black openness/To define and redefine what the culture is.”   Co-producer Wycliffe Gordon comments: “Common added a different spin to the tune. It seemed like things we had talked about as a country had changed, but they didn’t, which is why this is important.” Harris adds: “We’re hoping Common will draw young people into Louis Armstrong. We’re out to make changes.”   “We decided to make a recording that captures the essence of Pops,” says Gordon, who is well-versed in the music but is the only member of the band not born in New Orleans. “We wanted to perform the music the way he might have played it if he were still alive. We all had ideas for how to pull this off, by including songs influenced by gospel, the blues, the traditional brass band sounds, popular music and rap.”   In the liner notes, impresario George Wein wrote: “With this recording, this music of Louis Armstrong demonstrates how he created the language of jazz and influenced all the music that followed—from swing to bebop and even to rap, as demonstrated by Common. But there’s one thing for sure: This band and record demonstrate that there was nothing common about Louis Armstrong.”   The project emanated in 2018 by the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation through the recommendation of Jackie Harris, executive director of LAEF, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New York organization founded in 1969 by Louis and his wife Lucille “to give back to the world some of the goodness he received.” Harris says the recording was a team effort started by the Foundation and the wonderful musicians who appear on this recording.   “We wanted to make this recording of the major 20th century artist who instructs and intersects with artists of the 21st century,” says Harris. “All the musicians we asked to participate, even Wynton and Common, were honored to be a part of this. We allowed all the musicians to put their own signatures on the songs.”   Harris notes that the 50th anniversary is a tad late, but other factors interceded, including the difficulty of recording during the pandemic and some artists living in different cities around the country and contributing in different studios.   About the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation: Founded by Louis and Lucille Armstrong in 1969, the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation funds organizations that support jazz musicians, educators, and students. Mr. Armstrong, iconic trumpeter and singer, is the foundation of jazz and of American musical virtuosity in the 20th Century. His earliest recordings taught musicians how to improvise and sing jazz, blues, the American Popular Song and all styles of American vernacular music. His discoveries gave listeners around the world a new way to experience music, and his way of “being natural” in public created another understanding of what it meant to be human. Pops, his nickname which was also the name he called everyone, was a man of the people and all walks of life were given a seat of welcome at his and Lucille’s table. In addition to his legendary artistry, he established this foundation to ensure that future generations would be taught to play and appreciate the art of jazz.   From 1943 to the end of his life, Mr. Armstrong was a resident of Corona, Queens, where he enjoyed traveling across the New York boroughs performing and listening to music.     The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong All Stars · A Gift to Pops Verve Records · Release Date: October 15, 2021

Edited March 20, 2022 by GA Russell

[GA Russell]

 

José James My Favorite Things Impacting September 23rd, 2021 Format(s): Jazz “Sounds like the result of the black-pop continuum, jazz and soul and hip-hop and R&B, slow-cooked for more than 50 years.” —The New York Times “Catch up with Jose James now because he's a rarity - an artist evolving at warp speed.” —NPR Music “James skirts categories with ease, fitting in with current R&B innovators like Frank Ocean or Miguel.. he holistically heals the rift between radio-friendly songcraft and virtuoso flair.” —NPR Music “Is José James a jazz singer or a soul singer? Old school or new school? A guardian of tradition or a seeker of thrills? Yes, yes and yes.” —LA Times Like his idols John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Marvin Gaye, José James is a master of reinvention. Over the past 13 years as a singer, producer and label owner, he's proven himself capable of covering wide swaths of musical terrain. He’s done it all while keeping his voice in the center, a smoky baritone the likes of Gil Scott-Heron and Terry Callier that cuts through the lush instrumentals beneath it. The approach has led to a vast discography with various entry points across labels Blue Note, Verve/Impulse, Brownswood and now his own Rainbow Blonde Records.  Today he releases single "My Favorite Things" - both a nod to the Coltrane classic and an homage to his former boss the iconoclastic pianist McCoy Tyner - featuring Grammy nominated saxophonist Marcus Strickland.  Produced by José James and Brian Bender, the session was both recorded and mixed directly to 2" tape to capture the warmth and LCR (left-center-right) sound akin to classic albums such as "Kind of Blue," "Blues and the Abstract Truth" and "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman." Mastering duties were handled by veteran engineer Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios. Accompanied by Grammy Award-winner Ben Williams (bass), Grammy nominated artists Aaron Parks (piano) and Marcus Strickland (saxophone) and rising-star Jharis Yokely (drums) “My Favorite Things” is a world-class musical tribute from one of the greatest living voices in jazz.  Further Information Produced by José James & Brian Bender Recorded by Ariel Shafir at Dreamland Studios Mixed by Brian Bender at Motherbrain West Mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios Press Photos   José James...

 

1.  Melanie Charles, Sarah Vaughan - Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 03:54

EMERGING ARTIST MELANIE CHARLES’ RENDITION OF SARAH VAUGHAN’S “DETOUR AHEAD” PREMIERES ON FLOOD MAGAZINE NEW ALBUM Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN OUT OCTOBER 22 VIA VERVE PROJECT CONTAINS REIMAGINED WORKS BY BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD, DINAH WASHINGTON AND MORE “Detour Ahead” appears on Charles’ first major label release, Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, out on October 22 via Verve. The forthcoming release is a love letter to the unheralded labor of Black women, containing reimagined works by Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more. jazz. By the time she was ready to start recording, the pandemic hit and Americans were in the throes of a racial reckoning sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Taylor’s death, in particular, had an impact on Charles’ creative process. “I was rudely reminded that Black women are and always have been undervalued, uncared for, unprotected and neglected. It was at that point that I decided to focus on songs written and or sung by the Black women who paved the way for me,” recounts Charles. The resulting work comes together in Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, featuring renditions of songs originally recorded by Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more. “Melanie Charles is a true renaissance artist, who is equally talented as a producer, singer, engineer, composer and performer,” says Jamie Krents, EVP of Verve/Impulse!. We’re always looking for new ways to expose the Verve catalog to a wider audience with respect and integrity, and we felt completely confident giving Melanie unprecedented access to bring her unique artistry to the table to reimagine some of the jewels from our vault.  She spent hours in our library, carefully choosing songs that resonated for her, and we’re thrilled with the result.”    On Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Charles leaves listeners with a powerful statement on what solidarity with Black women can look like. It includes not only care and attention to the everyday struggles that animate Black women’s lives, but also to the beauty and joy as well. At its core, the record is a call for a more intersectional vision of the world in which Black women can live more freely and express their full humanity.   Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. “Make Jazz Trill Again,” a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.” For additional information on Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, see Melanie Charles’ bio/artist notes HERE. MELANIE CHARLES Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN 1. God Bless The Child 2. Perdido (Reimagined) 3. Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 4. All Africa (The Beat) 5. The Music is the Magic 6. Pay Black Woman (Interlude) 7. Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 8. Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul) [Reimagined] 9. Go Away Little Boy 10. What A Difference (Reimagined) 11. Beginning to See the Light (Reimagined)   MELANIECHARLES.COM

[Chuck Nessa]

That's why god invented "drive bys".

[GA Russell]

EMERGING ARTIST MELANIE CHARLES RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN OCTOBER 22 PROJECT CONTAINS REIMAGINED WORKS BY BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD, SARAH VAUGHAN AND MORE LEAD TRACK “WOMAN OF THE GHETTO” DEBUTS WITH VIDEO SIGNS MAJOR LABEL DEAL WITH VERVE August 13, 2021—Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, the new album from emerging artist Melanie Charles, is set for release on October 22 via Verve. The forthcoming release—Charles’ first major label release—is a love letter to the unheralded labor of Black women, containing reimagined works by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more. Fans can pre-order Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women HERE. In celebration of the forthcoming record, Charles is debuting her rendition of Marlena Shaw’s “Woman Of The Ghetto” alongside an accompanying music video directed by AnAk and starring her mother, Maryse Jean-Baptiste, and an intergenerational cast of dynamic Black women from her community. Watch the video HERE.   “I chose ‘Woman Of The Ghetto’ because it’s lyrically relevant,” Charles notes. “And while we were in lockdown, a conversation that we were having was about how kids who were poor children who did not have access to computers or internet were struggling to sustain their education in the midst of lockdown. I also wanted to highlight how you can come from the ghetto or from the hood, but present more than just the stereotype of the ghetto. Marlena Shaw was such a classy, refined, educated, well-spoken Black woman, speaking about the hood. And I think when we discuss the hood it’s sort of like a caricature of us. But actually, we’re so dynamic—we’re multifaceted. Where we’re from doesn’t define how we move in the world.”   Charles originally began developing the project in 2019 when she was approached by Verve to create a remix album using their back catalog. Her initial approach was to find songs that spoke to her with the intention of breathing new energy into them. She was immediately drawn to the voices of Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn, enabling her to reminisce about the tunes and voices that made her fall in love with jazz. By the time she was ready to start recording, the pandemic hit and Americans were in the throes of a racial reckoning sparked by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Taylor’s death, in particular, had an impact on Charles’ creative process. “I was rudely reminded that Black women are and always have been undervalued, uncared for, unprotected and neglected. It was at that point that I decided to focus on songs written and or sung by the Black women who paved the way for me,” recounts Charles. The resulting work comes together in Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, featuring renditions of songs originally recorded by Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington and more.   “Melanie Charles is a true renaissance artist, who is equally talented as a producer, singer, engineer, composer and performer,” says Jamie Krents, EVP of Verve/Impulse!. We’re always looking for new ways to expose the Verve catalog to a wider audience with respect and integrity, and we felt completely confident giving Melanie unprecedented access to bring her unique artistry to the table to reimagine some of the jewels from our vault.  She spent hours in our library, carefully choosing songs that resonated for her, and we’re thrilled with the result.”    On Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women, Charles leaves listeners with a powerful statement on what solidarity with Black women can look like. It includes not only care and attention to the everyday struggles that animate Black women’s lives, but also to the beauty and joy as well. At its core, the record is a call for a more intersectional vision of the world in which Black women can live more freely and express their full humanity. ABOUT MELANIE CHARLES Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music. Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole. As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.   Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. “Make Jazz Trill Again,” a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.”   MELANIE CHARLES Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN 1. God Bless The Child 2. Perdido (Reimagined) 3. Detour Ahead (Reimagined) 4. All Africa (The Beat) 5. The Music is the Magic 6. Pay Black Woman (Interlude) 7. Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 8. Jazz (Ain’t Nothing But Soul) [Reimagined] 9. Go Away Little Boy 10. What A Difference (Reimagined) 11. Beginning to See the Light (Reimagined)   MELANIECHARLES.COM       Artist Title Time       Melanie Charles Woman Of The Ghetto (Reimagined) 04:58

Edited March 20, 2022 by GA Russell

[Rabshakeh]

What the hell is this thread?!

[Ken Dryden]

Verve bears little red to a jazz label, that’s what conglomerates do. It is like replacing a gourmet restaurant with greasy fast food.

[JSngry]

11 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

What the hell is this thread?!

A clusterfuck of formatting issues, if nothing else!

[Rabshakeh]

It is unreadable in every way.

[GA Russell]

3 hours ago, JSngry said:

A clusterfuck of formatting issues, if nothing else!

It's all showing up fine for me, except that some album covers did not paste.  I don't know why.

Is there a problem with the fact that a second post is automatically united with the previous post?  That's out of my hands.

As always, the mods are welcome to delete if there is a problem.  I post these press releases as a contribution to the board.  If people cannot read the posts, it's hardly a contribution, is it?

[Rabshakeh]

I have read a couple. The formatting issues may be an improvement.

[Teasing the Korean]

Do you have the press release for The Velvet Underground and Nico?

[Bill Nelson]

The above texts from Verve are so thick with bullshit, larded heavily with name-dropping.

Why do any of us need to view these exercises in written excretion?  

[Larry Kart]

Forewarned is forearmed?

[JSngry]

1 hour ago, GA Russell said:

It's all showing up fine for me, except that some album covers did not paste.  I don't know why.

I don't know enough about HTML (or whatever code it is) but it's not showing up gone for at least some people. It's not "between the lines" of the borders, it goes out to like double the ordinary with of other posts. And the parts that are outside are unreadable, or almost unreadable.

I wish advise you about fixing it, but I really have no idea 

About posts merging, though, that I can help with. Just wait about 10 minutes between posts. If you piggyback one right after the other, the software will merge them, that's just what it's programmed to do 

 

 

 

[Teasing the Korean]

11 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

Forewarned is forearmed?

"Forewarned is forearmed, it hurts.  I'm leaving." - Mike Nesmith

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

Ok, the formatting looks fine on my PC, but is totally jacked up on my Android phone. So...some coding clash, about which, again, I know nothing.

[jcam_44]

On my phone I only see half of each post. I don’t even know what is being presented. I tried flipping and it didn’t help at all. 

[T.D.]

I use Chrome and have clearly seen the posts all along, but skimmed over them due to lack of interest. Don't see anything wrong with posting details of upcoming releases, however.

Edited March 21, 2022 by T.D.

[Rabshakeh]

I was intrigued at the multi-talented Julius Rodriguez's "Yoda-like understanding of complex melody". I don't recall Yoda having been presented as having a strong grasp of melodic principles in the first three films. Perhaps it is a prequels thing.

[riddlemay]

Why is it a good thing that he dropped out of Juilliard?

[JSngry]

Because he's now dropping on Verve?

[GA Russell]

RISING JAZZ PHENOM JULIUS RODRIGUEZ TAKES ON STEVIE WONDER’S CLASSIC “ALL I DO” NEW SINGLE SHIMMERS WITH OSCAR PETERSON-ESQUE JAZZ LYRICISM AND MOTOWN FLAIR   Artist Title Time       Julius Rodriguez All I Do 04:41       RODRIGUEZ BLAZES HIS OWN SONIC PATH ON DEBUT ALBUM  LET SOUND TELL ALL SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 10 ON VERVE RECORDS, AFTER DROPPING OUT OF JUILLIARD TO TOUR WITH A$AP ROCKY, CAUTIOUS CLAY AND MORE   "Beginning with a woozy synth pattern and what sounds like the whir of field crickets, the song tumbles into gear about 20 seconds in, shifting from waltz time into a relaxed yet sharply syncopated groove…this is music that prioritizes a vibe, rather than the mechanics of a plot.” NPR Music   “a cosmic jazz saga that starts with a mesmeric two-chord cadence and expands into something colossal yet sleek and reserved” The Fader   Julius Rodriguez, “rising jazz phenom” (NPR) and multi-talented pianist/drummer/producer, today releases “All I Do”, the second single from his forthcoming major label debut album Let Sound Tell All set for release June 10 on Verve Records. Rodriguez takes on the beloved Stevie Wonder classic, referencing Tammi Terrell’s 1966 version of the song and infusing it with a shimmering lyrical jazz pianism. The single is accompanied by an official lyric video, watch here: https://juliusrodriguez.lnk.to/AllIDoLyricVideo. Pre-order Let Sound Tell All here: https://juliusrodriguez.lnk.to/LSTA. Plus, an exclusive translucent LP as well as standard versions of the LP/CD will be available at the Verve Records Center Stage store.   Julius Rodriguez tapped his childhood friend and singer Mariah Cameron to sing lead vocals on this track, which she handles with a  mid-century Motown take, belting with a purity of sound, backed up on vocals by South African jazz artist Vuyo Sotashe. Ben Wolfe, Rodriguez’s Juilliard professor and legendary bassist (Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr.) adds a swinging, walking backbeat, buoyed by Stay Human drummer Joe Saylor. Julius takes the lead on piano, deftly weaving from supporting comps to Oscar Peterson-level laid back excellence.   Whereas his first single “Gift Of The Moon,” was as The Fader described it, “a cosmic jazz saga,” this track calls to mind Rodriguez’s early days at Smalls Jazz Club, embracing a more traditional jazz sound but infusing it with the rich tapestry of soul and gospel sounds. Photo: Avery J. Savage   On his debut album Let Sound Tell All, 23 year old musician Julius Rodriguez stirs a cauldron of gospel, jazz, classical, R&B, hip-hop, experimentation, production and sheer technical wizardry to create a stunning debut that commands attention. As an 11 year old kid, Rodriguez honed his jazz chops at Smalls Jazz Club, wowing audiences with his rendition of his favorite Ellington tune “Take the A Train.” Fast forward to 2018 when he dropped out of Juilliard, shimmying off the rigid curriculum to tour with A$AP Rocky. Now, in 2022, Rodriguez is on the cusp of a stellar release that weaves his life and influences - from Monk, Coltrane, Solange, James Blake, Sampha and more. This music is as much at home in Smalls Jazz Club as it is at Gov Ball.   Let Sound Tell All is a complex combination of live improvisation weaved with high-level production. A song may start out in a well-oiled, Coltrane classic quartet energy and fed through distortion pedals to culminate in an exhilarating trippy meltdown of sheer sonic genius.   Call him Gen-Z jazz, but when you hear Julius Rodriguez play “the music,” as he calls it, it’s a modern Sound, as fluent in history as it is aware of its contemporary context. His music dares to imagine a future of new standards and musical trailblazing.  This vanguard was raised in an atmosphere where pop and hip-hop and dance influenced their approaches to melody and harmony and rhythm, so of course it is part of their improvisational DNA. And that’s what Julius Rodriguez’s Sound tells to whoever will choose to listen.    Follow Julius Rodriguez Facebook | Instagram | Website

[Rabshakeh]

On 3/22/2022 at 6:48 PM, riddlemay said:

Why is it a good thing that he dropped out of Juilliard?

Now we know:

"he dropped out of Juilliard, shimmying off the rigid curriculum to tour with A$AP Rocky. Now, in 2022, Rodriguez is on the cusp of a stellar release that weaves his life and influences - from Monk, Coltrane, Solange, James Blake, Sampha and more."

[Late]

On 3/21/2022 at 4:52 AM, Rabshakeh said:

I was intrigued at the multi-talented Julius Rodriguez's "Yoda-like understanding of complex melody". I don't recall Yoda having been presented as having a strong grasp of melodic principles in the first three films. Perhaps it's a prequels thing.

A person has to be in possession of the Executive Blu-Ray Director's Cut edition of the series. The Empire Strikes Back adds 42 minutes of Yoda spinning his favorite vinyl in Dagobah. The jedi master was partial to the Tristano school.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Late
Star Wars

[Rabshakeh]

7 minutes ago, Late said:

A person has to be in possession of the Executive Blu-Ray Director's Cut edition of the series. The Empire Strikes Back adds 42 minutes of Yoda spinning his favorite vinyl in Dagobah. The jedi master was partial to the Tristano school.

The most taxing part of Luke's training.