Latest R&B News and Smooth Jazz Update July 2
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Top Jazz Tracks Week of July 2
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The Rippingtons Concert Schedule 2017
The Rippingtons are one of the baddest bands in the land. They are one of the few acts that will create several different types of music. They are known for some Latin tracks, R&B and funk grooves, Pop, and also EDM sounds. Listening to their catalog is better than any playlist that Spotify can recommend.
Just take their latest album, True Stories. You can look at our review here.
They will be on tour this summer, and you will definitely want to go see the show.
The Rippingtons Concert Schedule 2017
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Haley Reinhart Announces New Album What’s That Sound?
September 22 Debut for Concord Records
Updates Iconic ‘60s Anthems for a New Era
Jazz, soul, rock, pop, steampunk – when she steps up to the mic, anything is possible. Popdose
On September 22, 2017, singer/songwriter Haley Reinhart will release What’s That Sound?, her debut release for Concord Records, where she recently signed as a recording artist. The album finds Reinhart digging into her rich musical heritage and reimagining some of rock-and-roll’s most legendary songs.
Hailing from the Chicago area, Reinhart has previously shown her rare gift as a song interpreter with her certified-gold remake of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love (a 2015 release whose video has amassed over 20 million YouTube views). The L.A.-based 26-year-old has also emerged as the leading artist on Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, with her jazzed-up versions of tracks like Radiohead’s Creep earning more than 112 million views to date.
What’s That Sound? features 11 renditions of classic songs from the 1960s, as well as three original tracks from Reinhart. A captivating vocalist who started singing in her parents’ rock band when she was just seven, Reinhart purposely honed in on songs originally released between 1966 and 1969.
There is an undeniable connection between the late ’60s and now, says Reinhart. They’re both turbulent, yet hopeful times. As I thought of what songs I’d like to reinterpret, I wanted to bring these similarities to the forefront. I also feel the urge to spread the revolutionary idea of people coming together through love and music.
In co-producing What’s That Sound? with GRAMMY Award-winner John Burk, Reinhart stayed remarkably authentic to the sonic landscape of the ’60s. Made at the historic Sunset Sound, the album was recorded to tape in order to achieve a warm, vibrant feel true to the era. According to Reinhart, the thrill and challenge of analog recording brought a potent energy to the production of What’s That Sound?.
We recorded each song live as a band and there’s something special that happens when everyone’s all grooving together like that, says Reinhart. There’s no way to replicate the feeling-so even though I thought I’d go back and re-cut the vocals later on, I ended up keeping most of the raw takes. I think it really fits this record and reflects my roots.
Mixed by Bill Schnee (a GRAMMY winner known for his work with Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, and Steely Dan), What’s That Sound? was also recorded using solely vintage instruments. Much of that gear was personally supplied by Reinhart’s lineup of veteran musicians, a cadre that includes her father (Harry Reinhart) on guitar and her mother (Patti Miller-Reinhart) on backup vocals.
Also joining Reinhart on What’s That Sound? is her Postmodern Jukebox collaborator Scott Bradlee, who plays piano on her masterful covers of The Beatles’ Oh! Darling, The Kinks’ Sunny Afternoon, and The Mamas & The Papas’ Words of Love. In addition, Reinhart’s longtime musical cohort Casey Abrams appears as a vocalist and bassist on her glorious update of The Zombies’ Time of the Season, Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ and her anthemic original Bring the Love Back Home.
Right from its first featured cover, What’s That Sound? shows the full force of Reinhart’s formidable vocal work. A longtime staple of her live set, Baby It’s You proves her knack for powerful belting. Although the song was originally recorded by The Shirelles, Reinhart’s horn-backed and sweetly gritty version draws inspiration from a rendition by blues/psych-rock band Smith-a track that, in a serendipitous twist, was mixed by Bill Schnee back in 1969.
Another song spotlighting Reinhart’s stunning vocal range, her fiery cover of The Box Tops’ The Letter finds her brilliantly matching Alex Chilton’s moody growl. He has such a guttural, raspy tone to his voice, and I wanted to try to create the girl version of that, says Reinhart. It ended up coming way more naturally to me than I even thought it would.
The era-defining track that gave What’s That Sound? its title, For What It’s Worth opens with a quietly haunting intro before unfolding into a full-fledged anthem. With its stirring string accompaniment (courtesy of esteemed composer Tom Scott), the song reveals Reinhart’s supreme vocal command as she lends new weight to Buffalo Springfield’s ever-poignant lyrics.
In each of the original tracks featured on What’s That Sound?, Reinhart’s timeless sensibilities are found to closely inform her own songcraft. Those gracefully arranged pieces include the album-opening Let’s Start, which gives a breezy nod to Brazilian music with its bright harmonies and tropicalia-inspired rhythms.
From her sorrowful howl on Oh! Darling to the steely intonation of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit, What’s That Sound? exudes a vocal confidence that Reinhart’s honed through a lifetime of singing. Thanks to her parents’ long-running band Midnight, she grew up on rock-and-roll, jazz, funk, and blues and began mastering each genre in early childhood. Along with joining Midnight onstage throughout her youth, Reinhart studied jazz in college and played in jazz festivals across Europe while still a teenager. After finishing in third place on season 10 of American Idol at age 20, she released her acclaimed 2012 debut Listen Up! via Interscope Records. Arriving in 2016, Reinhart sophomore album Better featured Can’t Help Falling in Love-a spirited remake that’s garnered over 56 million streams on Spotify.
In addition to collaborating and touring with Postmodern Jukebox since 2015, Reinhart recently ventured into voice-acting by starring alongside Bill Burr, Laura Dern and Justin Long in F Is for Family (a Netflix original animated series whose second season premieres May 30). Also known for her impassioned live performance, she had her first solo headlining tour of the U.S. last summer and recently completed her first solo headlining European tour.
For Reinhart, creating What’s That Sound? ultimately deepened her connection to the music that’s long colored her world. The beauty in the simplicity of these songs hit me more than ever while recording, she says. Most of the original versions aren’t even three minutes long, but there’s so much power in their words and melodies – they leave you wanting more.
In introducing each song to a new generation, Reinhart hopes that power will have a lasting impact on listeners. I’d love for people to hear this album and think about how it relates to our modern world, she says of What’s That Sound?. Even though we’re all faced with challenges, it’s also a chance for us to become more aware and more in tune with each other. Hopefully these songs will move people in a positive way and help them realize that good things will happen when we stick together.
What’s That Sound? tracklist
1. Let’s Start (Original)
2. Baby It’s You (Smith)
3. For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
4. The Letter (The Box Tops)
5. Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith)
6. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane)
7. Somewhere In Between (Original)
8. Oh! Darling ft. Scott Bradlee (The Beatles)
9. Sunny Afternoon ft. Scott Bradlee (The Kinks)
10. You Showed Me (The Turtles)
11. Words of Love ft. Scott Bradlee (The Mamas & The Papas)
12. Bring the Love Back Home ft. Casey Abrams (Original)
13. Time of the Season ft. Casey Abrams (The Zombies)
14. These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Nancy Sinatra)
Haley Reinhart on the web:
Website: http://www.haleyreinhart.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/haleyreinhart
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/haleyreinhart
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/haleyreinhart
YouTube: http://smarturl.it/HaleyReinhartYT
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Jackiem Joyner Main Street Beat Review
A trinity of influences shaped saxophonist Jackiem Joyner‘s (www.JackiemJoyner.com) creative process as he began writing and recording Main Street Beat, his sixth album due June 30. The award-winning hit-maker initially set out to make a funk record. He wanted the collection to pay tribute to his ardor and appreciation for the Motown sound. Thirdly, the self-produced set was inspired by the presence of his first-born child, Trinity, who was by her daddy’s side in the studio each and every day. Trinity, the energizing first single named for her bouncy and bubbly little self, arrives at radio ahead of the album and is bolstered by the fanciful fretwork of guitarist Steve Oliver.
A high-energy set showcasing Joyner’s impassioned horn play on tenor, soprano and alto sax, Main Street Beat evolved into much more than a funk record with R&B, contemporary jazz and pop nuances seeping into the mix. The grooves many of which are infused with the soul power of a muscular sax section laid down in layers by Joyner are undeniably danceable while his innate flair for crafting catchy hooks and buoyant melodies are prominent in the nine new songs that he penned for the project.
I am thinking that we should just take the Smooth Jazz genre and rename it R&B. This music is R&B right now. I mean, I would take Joyner, Boney James, Rick Braun, Norman Brown and Candy Dulfer over any of the R&B artists that are currently on the scene.
Just takeMain Street Beat as an example.
Jackiem Joyner Main Street Beat Review
The set opens with Main Street. It is an uptempo track that sets the tone for the entire album. It has an energy about itone of anticipation. I think that comes from the first verse, where Joyner’s horn plays over the funky drum patch. When you hear the hook, you know you have a winner.
Back To Motown is up next. With a title like that, you kind of expect an old school feel to the track. That is exactly what you get. Back To Motown has a mid-tempo grove, and it is one that you will initially play on repeat to take in all of that goodness.
This brings us to one of the two remakes on the album. Can’t Stop The Feeling is the Justin Timberlake song. I really like the original, and this interpretation is just as good. The vocals are there on the chorus, so you can still sing along to this infectious groove. Listen to the bridge about two-thirds of the way through, and you will love the way Joyner plays that horn.
On Trinity, there are two stars on the track: the sax and the acoustic guitar. These two instruments play well together over another mid-tempo groove. Steve Oliver is the talent behind the guitar work. I have always loved the tone of his guitar. His sound is very unique.
You can listen for yourself:
Nick Colionne guests on the next track,When You Smile. Although there aren’t any lyrics on this song, I would not have been mad if there was a guest vocal on this one. By the way, this track will indeed make you smile.
If you are looking for some funk, then Southside Boulevard will be the one for you. This track envokes the style of some of Joyner’s earlier works.
Joyner breaks it down a little withThat Good Thing. There’s nothing much to say about this one, it is just a really solid track with a strong bassline.
Up next is the second remake on the album, the Bruno Mars hit, Treasure. Even though the two versions have the same BPM (beats per minute) the delivery is a little more laid back, but not a lot. Once again, the vocals are there for the hook, allowing you to sing along.
Addicted is a song that breaks it all the way down. For a minute there, I felt like I walked into a movie scene where there was some serious love making going on. Once again, you get a musical bridge about two-thirds into the song, and it is pure magic. I have to say, a good bridge can totally make a song.
Don’t Maker Her Wait is a nice slow jam, and you can consider this the official cool down as the album nears an end.
The set ends with Get Down Street, a funky uptempo track. Joyner wanted to leave you on a high note, and he definitely succeeds on that point.
We give Main Street Beatan A, as all of the elements are there: Groovy mid-tempo songs, funky uptempo tracks, and a couple of slow songs to round out the album. The two remakes were good choices, as these are current songs, and not the old school choices that most artists make.
You can pick up Main Street Beat on Amazon:
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Latest R&B News and Smooth Jazz Update June 25
Latest R&B News and Smooth Jazz Update June 25
The post Latest R&B News and Smooth Jazz Update June 25 appeared first on The World of Smooth Jazz.
Husky Shows 2017 Concert Series
There are a few things that come to mind when you mention Sacramento. Let’s start here: It is the Capital of California. It is home to the Sacramento Kings Whether that is good or bad, you need to decide for yourself. There are also several museums to enjoy, as Sacramento has an interesting history and you can learn all about it. It is between the Bay Area and Reno, so I guess that is something.
It has also been the home of some really great jazz lineups over the years. Husky Shows was formed in 2001 by Tom Huiskens, and their mission is to bring top flight entertainment to the Sacramento area. Tom was involved with theKSSJ Smooth Jazz Summer Concert Series for nine years, and he also produced shows in the area for Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Journey, and many others.
Husky Shows 2017 Concert Series will bring some of the top jazz artists to the state capital for your listening pleasure.
July 8th the Rippingtons & Michael Lington
The season will kick off on July 8th with the Rippingtons and Michael Lington. I have been a fan of the Rippingtons for many years. They consistently have the best fusion sound, and many of their hits are uptempo. The group also experiments with many different sounds and genres. You can get latin flavor withMulata de Mi Amor, French stylings with Riviera Jam, and even some EDM flashes, courtesy of Wild Tales, the title track from their 2016 release.
Michael Lington is also on the bill. His style is old-school southern funk. Not bad from a musician who hails from Denmark.
He has worked with everyoneBarry Manilow to Kenny Latimore, and from Taylor Dayne to Ray Parker Jr.
August 12th Jazz Funk Soul & The Sax Pack
On August 12th, two of the jazz supergroups will hit the stage. Jazz Funk Soul features Jeff Lorber, Everette Harp, and Paul Jackson. Jr. he name pretty much says it all. You will get jazz with some funk and some soul.
Individually, these are three of the best in the business, but collectively, it is just another level.
The other group will be The Sax Pack. This Supergroup includes Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole and Jackiem Joyner. There have three album releases, and if you like the sax, then you must add these to your collection.
September 7th Jonathan Butler & Gerald Albright
September will kick off with a duo that has been touring together for the better part of a year, Jonathan Butler and Gerald Albright. I have written about these two at length on this site, so just enjoy these performances:
September 23rd Boney James
Boney James will appear on September 23rd. There’s nothing to say abut this artist, as he is one of the best artists out there. Just pick up any of his albums, and you will understand that James is a once in a lifetime talent.
All four shows should be amazing, so if you are in the Sacramento area, or even if you have to drive a little, do not miss these talented artists.
Tickets
Husky Shows 2017 Concert Series
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