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Contemporary Jazz, Page 6

Terri Lyne Carrington | The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul

Mosaic_Project_LOVE_And_SOUL
 
Terri Lyne Carrington | The Mosaic Project: Love and Soul
Concord Records
by Peggy Oliver
 
Music was at Terri Lyne Carrington’s beckoned call throughout her childhood. Her father was president of the Boston Jazz Society and her grandfather Matt Carrington presented a drum set to his grandchild at age seven. The private lessons that followed have taken her through many thrilling experiences since playing alongside trumpeter Clark Terry at eleven years old.

All Star Jazz Series in Newport Beach Kicks Off In Kick Back Style with Michael Franks & Trio of Lorber, Harp & Loeb!

Michael Franks / Jazz Funk Soul (Everette Harp, Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb)
Hyatt Newporter – July 25, 2015
 
A Concert Reflection by A. Scott Galloway
 
One of Southern California’s most popular summer spots for jazz is the Hyatt Newporter hotel in big money Newport Beach. They have a Friday night jazz series every summer in a mini outdoor amphitheatre on the lawn that just gets stronger with each passing year. So far in 2015, I dipped down there once to see this all-star show which proved to be a sweet night of seasoned music.
 
JazzFunkSoul-LorberLoebHarp
 
Photo: Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb & Everette Harp

Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective | Breathless


 
Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective | Breathless
Blue Note
by Peggy Oliver
 
From a musician who did not take his musical chops seriously until high school, Terence Blanchard eventually fed off his surroundings of New Orleans, a city that breathes blues, Dixieland, funk and is home to The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. N.O.C.C.A. was the breeding ground for this thinking man’s musician whose film compositions for Spike Lee and flexible musical language (Latin jazz, swing, bop) has sparked his career since his early days with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the (Donald) Harrison/Blanchard Group.

Najee | You, Me and Forever

Najee - You, Me & Forever II - HighRes
 
Najee | You, Me and Forever
by Peggy Oliver
 
From the moment he earned a Grammy nomination for his debut album inspired by his namesake almost three decades ago, Najee has claimed the market for his distinct crossover ability in sustaining jazz and R&B fans. Any other superlatives that may apply to Najee’s career can be summed up with an Energizer Bunny work mentality and a knack for oozing the soul in smooth jazz, as proven with fifteen CD’s starting with Najee’s Theme, most having reached the top five on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart.

Reggae Legends Third World Rock Playboy Jazz Festival Day 2

Playboy Jazz Festival – Day 2 – Sunday June 14, 2015
 
A Concert Reflection by A. Scott Galloway
Photos: Mathew Imaging
 
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Brown Bunnies of Playboy
 
An afternoon of tradition and roots gave way to an evening of mash-ups and fusions for the second day of the 37th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

37th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival Proves An Avalanche of Diversity

Playboy Jazz Festival – Saturday June 13, 2015
 
Concert Reflection by A. Scott Galloway
Photos: Mathew Imaging
 
June gloom morphed into jazz-soul glory for Saturday June 13, 2015 – the first day of the 37th annual Playboy Jazz Festival – a day of great music that found the heat slowly and consistently escalating to the very end.
 
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Honeys at Playboy

Isha Love | Jars of Waters

Isha Love - Jars of Water
 
Isha Love | Jars of Waters
by Peggy Oliver
 
The main attraction for me when artists piece together impactful music is how they pour their genuine heart out for their craft, especially for the independent musician. Before diving into those independent waters, Isha Love began playing the piano at an early age before she realized her career in high school as a musician in the jazz market, along with an extensive discipline in classical music.

James Lloyd | Here We Go

James Lloyd - Here we go
 
James Lloyd | Here We Go
by Peggy Oliver
 
So what should a musician do when one is a year shy of celebrating 40 years with one of the most prolific contemporary jazz groups? How about diving in and record their first solo endeavor. That is the scenario and longtime dream realized for James Lloyd, one of the founding members of Pieces of a Dream. By the way, this just happens to be a very special 50 years-young birthday gift for this Philadelphia native.

Marcus Miller | Afrodeezia

Marcus Miller - Afrodeezia
 
Marcus Miller
Afrodeezia
(Blue Note)
Album Reflection by A. Scott Galloway
 
Africa has been a river running through the music of Marcus Miller since he began his sojourn into the art form – as literally as from “Maputo” (his composition made famous by Bob James and David Sanborn) and “Gorée” (his mediation on the portal through which Africans were shipped as property to other lands far away, from his previous CD Renaissance) to the figuratively emphatic manner in which he percussively speaks his soul through the electric bass.

The Stanley Clarke Band | Up

Stanley Clarke Band - Up
 
The Stanley Clarke Band | Up
Mack Avenue Records
By Peggy Oliver
 
(Advance Review | CD to be released on Sept. 30th, 2014)
 
The more a musician sustains a career with a level of shear excellence, the bigger the increase of impressive musical colleagues at one’s disposal. At this point in his illustrious career, Stanley Clarke can thoroughly enjoy the fruits of his labor. In his association with jazz fusion pioneers Return to Forever and the rock fusion trio Animal Logic (though only for two albums), film and television soundtrack contributions (Soul Food, Romeo Must Die, i.e.) and collaborations with rock, pop, jazz and R&B’s elite, including George Duke, Clarke remains firm to his high integral artistry who has managed to balance the mainstream market in his forty-plus year journey.

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