Guitarist Brad Myers Prime Numbers CD Release Shows

BRAD MYERS Prime Numbers   CD RELEASE SHOWS

CD Release Shows We would like to invite all of you to come and celebrate this exciting CD Release with us at TWO special release parties. Wednesday June 3rd - Brad Myers Quintet Prime Numbers CD Release Party @ Natasha's Bistro Lexington, KY We play from 9:00 - 11:30pm $7 at the door  Great Food and Excellent beverages Thursday June 4th - Brad Myers Quintet Prime Numbers CD Release Party @ Urban Artifact in Cincinnati, OH We play from 8:00 - 11:30pm NO COVER CHARGE Unique beers in a great listening space If you miss those shows, I will also be playing with Chris Barrick, Mike Sharfe, and Tony Franklin on Friday June 5th at Washington Platform from 9:00-12:00. Saturday June 6th I will be at Japp's in Over the Rhine from 6:00-9:00pm with Cameron Cochran and the Pedal Steel Jazz Trio. I will have the new CD at all of my shows from June 3rd on so feel free to come up and say hi at any of my events. We have received one review so far for Prime Numbers and it was a good one. You can read that review here. Look for our ads in the June issue of Jazz Times and the July issue of Down Beat. We are also doing a national jazz radio campaign for this recording so you can feel free to request Prime Numbers on your favorite radio stations. Let us know if you hear our new CD in your area. In addition to being available at my live shows, Prime Numbers will be available locally in Cincinnati at Shake It, Everybody's Records, Mole's Records, and other great independant record stores. It will also be available through CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes and a long list of digital music hubs starting June 2nd. Other Gigs and News... You can always visit www.musicbybrad.com/gig/ for the lastest updates on shows. Below are some highlights from the next month or so in addition to the CD Release shows. Saturday May 16th Brad Myers Quintet w/ Cameron Cochran on Pedal Steel Plays Covington Maifest 6-7:30pm Wednesday May 20th David McDonnell Group plays Northside Tavern Cincinnati, OH 9:00-12:00 No Cover June 3rd-6th  Prime Numbers  CD Release Week (see above shows) Saturday June 20th Brad Myers Quartet (w/Brent Gallaher, Josh Jessen, and Ron Enyard) play the Ohio Valley Food and Wine Festival Georgetown OH (Brown Co. Courthouse steps) from 7-9pm We are always looking to take our music to new places so if you have a favorite music club for jazz that you would like to see us, please send the info our way.  On May 1st, I proudly walked the stage at University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and received my Master's Degree in Jazz Studies. It has been a challenging two years balancing the course work with my other professional and personal obligations but it has also been a very rewarding experience. Loads of thanks to my family, friends, teachers and especially my sweetheart Bentley for putting up with my long hours and stressed nerves. I look forward to the next phase of my career and of course getting some sleep from time to time. Peace and Love,  Brad www.MusicByBrad.com http://www.facebook.com/musicbybradmyers

Brad Myers "Prime Numbers" (Colloquy Records 1357) Street Date: June 5, 2015 Brad Myers-guitar, Chris Barrick-vibraphone, Ben Walkenhauer-tenor sax, Peter Gemus-bass,  Tom Buckley-drums & cymbals, Michael Mavridoglou-trumpet #5 & flugelhorn #8,  Dominic Marino-trombone #5 One of the most desired, but often elusive goals in jazz is to produce a distinctive group sound.  The outstanding guitarist/composer Brad Myers and his exceptional ensemble achieve that perfectly on Prime Numbers (Colloquy Records), his debut CD as a leader.  Part of that is due to the five plus years that Brad and these musicians – vibraphonist Chris Barrick, tenor saxophonist Ben Walkenhauer and the bass/drums tandem of Peter Gemus and Tom Buckley – have performed together in a variety of formats.  But the major portion is due to the obvious joy they get from playing together within the context provided by Brad’s remarkable compositions and the inspired arrangements.          The delightful blend of the tenor/guitar/vibes frontline offers a captivating sonic canvas to paint upon, and the beautiful soundscapes created here are most compelling.  Aurally reminiscent of the beguiling sound of Grant Green’s classic Idle Moments, the musicians perform here with that same combination of relaxed authority and adventurous lyricism, but fully in the current timeframe some fifty years later.          There is clearly a special connection between Myers and Barrick, as the guitar and vibes dance, feint, swirl, punch and counterpunch in a stunning pas de deux of harmonious interaction that produces a very effective atmosphere for creativity.  Gemus and Buckley produce their own sparkling interplay that buoys and drives the ensemble. Together they create a cohesion and substance that is both riveting in its impact and highly stimulating for the solos of Myers, Barrick, and Walkenhauer.  The tenorman’s virile tone and spirited playing on both the written lines and improvisations blends perfectly with the overall sound of the ensemble and always adds a cogent element of excitement and urgency.  As special guests, Michael Mavridoglou brings his trumpet and flugelhorn to two tracks and trombonist Dominic Marino joins in on one.          In the true spirit of the label name Colloquy, the music is definitely conversational, with dialogues, trialogues and collective communion weaving together fascinating tales that are palpably visual and often cinematic.          The repertoire – six Myers originals, a pair from two of jazz’ most noted composers and a terrific re-imagination of a classic standard – provides a sumptuous and scintillating context for imaginative exploration.  Brilliant juxtapositions and transitions abound, keeping an element of surprise and invention constantly at play.  Myers’ compositions are intricate, but never contrived; challenging, but totally accessible; and innovative, but consistently lyrical.  He and his colleagues embrace the music with the virtuosity it demands for its proper exposition, but also with the exuberance and jubilation that makes it soar from beginning to end.          That Idle Moments feel is most notable on the opening track, Bentley’s Blues, a bouncy jaunt built on nicely suspended vibes and guitar and a potent bass walk, with angular vibes, soulful tenor and sprightly guitar solos… a delightful appetizer for the upcoming feast.          There are a pair of Brazilian-tinged items.  Sunset in Curaҫao has a samba feel with its infectious melody offered in tenor/guitar unison dunked in shimmering vibes.  Boldly striking solos transform what initially seems to be a languorous pastoral piece into an atmospheric and mysterious tale.  There Is Space for Us flirts with a bossa color, adding Mavridoglou’s flugelhorn to the mix, featuring his articulate and deeply melodic solo.          Myers’ poignant balladry is on full display on his beautiful You Are Here with guitar and then guitar/tenor unison framed in the gossamer webbing of the vibes.  At the other end of the emotional spectrum, the strikingly original Spherical is an audacious piece of constantly shifting tempos – accelerating, decelerating, burning, cooling, exploding and soaring in a spectacular display of ingenuity and excitement spiced with blazing solos of smoking vibes, blistering tenor and smoothly surging guitar, stoked by the impeccable rhythm section.          Nowhere is the conversational context of the album more apparent than on Brad’s extended piece, the sensational Rule of Threes, a jubilant episodic sojourn with its opening richly textured theme played by trumpet, tenor and trombone bubbling over emphatic rhythms.  Shifting into a funky ostinato bass driven groove and featuring powerful solos, it moves to a roaring, grooving climax powered by vibrant horn lines.  Barrick’s dynamic use of his special custom vibrato effect – used tastefully throughout the album with hypnotically stimulating results – is particularly opulent on this piece.          Thelonious Monk’s Evidence and Wayne Shorter’s The Big Push are impressively interpreted here, fully complementary to the album’s conceptual thrust.  The Monk classic is even more dramatically syncopated than usual – staggering and lurching forward upon the brisk percussive sizzle provided by Buckley (who suggested this exciting arrangement).  Shorter’s gem is a driving, neatly punctuated ride that features an appropriately muscular and impassioned solo by Walkenhauer.  Barrick – whose longtime collaborative relationship with Myers is reflected throughout this album - provided the arrangement.          Barrick also provided the ingenious arrangement of Bronislau Kaper’s classic Invitation, taking a most original approach of shifting rhythmic emphasis and striking syncopation, the enchanting composition is transformed in a totally refreshing manner.  Highlighted by a vividly expressive guitar solo, the piece concludes with a splendid collective improv that closes out this extraordinary album on an exhilarating note of anticipation as to what may come next from the radiant ensemble and the formidable imagination of Brad Myers. jim@jazzpromoservices.com • www.jazzpromoservices.com jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Aimée Allen - New CD w/ Romero Lubambo and concerts!

Aimée Allen New CD "Matter of Time" w/ Special Guest Romero Lubambo CD Release Gig: June 16, 2015  The Cutting Room   Aimée Allen Upcoming Dates: Friday, May 15, 2015, 8:00pm Café du Soleil 2723 Broadway New York, NY 10025 Thursday, May 21, 2015, 6:00pm Aimée Allen / François Moutin Duo La Caye  35 LaFayette Ave Brooklyn, NY 11217      Friday, May 22, 2015, 6:00pm Aimée Allen / François Moutin Duo 55Bar 55 Christopher St New York, NY 10014 Tuesday, June 16, 2015, 7:30pm  *Matter of Time CD Release @ The Cutting Room* 44 East 32nd St New York, NY 10010 Friday, July 3, 2015, 8:00pm le Bien Aller 3 rue des Dames 18700 Aubigny-sur-Nère, FRANCE Saturday, July 18, 2015, 8:00pm Aimée Allen / François Moutin Duo Café Universel 267 rue Saint- Jacques 75005 Paris, FRANCE Saturday, July 25, 2015, 8:00pm Aimée Allen Trio Café Universel 267 rue Saint- Jacques 75005 Paris, FRANCE   Matter of Time - The Album Often time itself is the only catalyst that brings about profound transformation. That was true of Aimée Allen's latest release,Matter of Time. After Aimée's critically acclaimedWinters & Mays (Azuline Music) in 2011, this project formed, deformed, and reformed over a year and a half. It was neither effort nor circumstance that determined the contours of the album, but time. When the time was right, Aimée's new compositions came together seamlessly with those of masters like Jobim, Ivan Lins, and Rogers and Hart, and those of her contemporaries, master bassist François Moutin, and guitarist David Allen (Aimée's brother), to create a cohesive whole. Matter of Time ultimately emerged a collection of highly original music about love and other transformations. Aimée's talents as a composer and lyricist are matched by dynamic arrangements, and the album goes from new takes on the familiar, to fresh vistas in uncharted territory. With Aimée's warm voice and soulful phrasing as the guide, this is not just any jazz vocal album.    Special Guest Romero Lubambo This project began when Romero and Aimée met in New York, and like many a young singer, Aimée professed her admiration and desire to sing with Romero. After hearing Aimée's last release,Winters & Mays (Azuline), Romero agreed. From the first velvet whispers of his sumptuous harmonies, Romero's presence on the album shines like gold in sunlight. His tight, harmonically rich rhythmic melds with Aimée's hyper-expressive phrasing to flawless effect. It is a duo that leaves you wanting more. The Players  Romero Lubambo - guitar  Toru Dodo - piano, Rhodes François Moutin - bass Jacob Melchior - drums Scott Richie - bass (title track)     "Allen exists as a whole, self-sustaining entity. Her round, sensuous alto has only smooth edges with a caress of warm linen. Her songwriting is top-notch." - C. Michael Baily, All About Jazz "Truly an evolving and expansive vocal jazz artist ." - Geannine Reid, JazzTimes "A fully fledged composer, lyricist and vocalist, her ideas are filled with depth and meaning and her lyrics profoundly unique." - Constance Tucker, All About Vocals  * * *  www.aimeeallenmusic.com Press Contact: Scott Thompson PR www.scottthompsonpr.com scott@scottthompsonpr.com jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

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Federico Britos and The Hot Club Of The Americas on NPR + Live Appearance + New CD

Federico Britos
and The Hot Club Of The Americas
on NPR

On a recent Friday night in downtown Miami, restaurant tables were full in an outdoor plaza. There were well-dressed couples, children running around and a complimentary rum tasting. And on stage, leading a sextet and playing his white electric violin, was 76-year-old Federico Britos. He's one of the premier violinists of Latin jazz, with a career spanning more than 60 years. But even among jazz aficionados, he's not well-known. That may be because, for much of his career, he made his living playing with orchestras in Cuba, Venezuela and Miami. But, from his earliest years as a young violinist in Uruguay, Britos has also played jazz. His latest project, Federico Britos Presents: Hot Club Of The Americas, takes him back to those days. Britos first began playing violin when he was 5 in Uruguay, studying classical technique. He says he'd been playing for several years before he'd heard North American jazz artists on the radio. Before long, he was jamming with them at the Hot Club de Montevideo. He found that the violin can bring a special sound and texture to the music. "It's a seasoning," he says. "It adds a different flavor to jazz." After 20 years living in Miami, Britos is most comfortable in Spanish. In an interview recently, he was translated by his friend and bass player, Renyel Rivero. The Hot Club of Montevideo, he said, was just that — a club. Some members played Dixieland, while others like him favored the hot swing style pioneered by musicians like Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. "Through the embassy, all the different groups throughout the '60s that came to visit Uruguay had contact with these Hot Club groups," Britos says. "They would come, hang out and meet, and they would be part of the jam sessions and they got to know everybodyAmong the greats with whom he recalls playing: Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman,Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Roy Eldridge. It was at the Hot Club de Montevideo that Britos also met and played with Oscar Aleman, a consummate guitarist and showman from Argentina. Britos already knew his music from records. Britos has always balanced his love of swing jazz with his orchestral playing. In 1960, he moved to Havana, where he played with the orchestras of the Cuban National Opera and Ballet companies. From his first day there, he says, he also plunged into Cuban popular music and jazz. Cuban saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera credits him with introducing bossa nova to the island. When he came to Miami in the '90s, Britos reunited with some of his Cuban musical friends. That's when producer Nat Chediak first heard him. "To hear Federico," Chediak says, "is to fall under his spell."As he talked, he tucked his violin under his chin and played a tune he'd learned from a recording and later played with Aleman, the jazz standard "Rose Room." Britos compares Aleman to the great Belgian jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and describes Aleman's style. "Improvisation ideas that were very pretty, phrases with a lot of feeling," he said. "When he would accompany me, he would push me; he would create a foundation that was very special. He would make me feel like I was in the air while I was being featured." Chediak produced an album Britos recorded with Cuban piano great Bebo Valdes, and says Britos can play anything. "You're doing Federico a great injustice to call him an Afro-Cuban violinist, a pop-music violinist, a jazz violinist," Chediak says. "Federico Britos is a violinist all in caps." In his newest recording, Britos goes back to his earliest influences: Django Reinhardt and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France, and especially the group's violinist, Stephane Grappelli. Although their paths sometimes crossed in Europe and America, Britos never met Grappelli. He was inspired to write an orchestral suite for the French violinist that includes Britos' arrangement of Charlie Chaplin's tune "Shine." Grappelli heard a recording, Britos says, and was intrigued at how he changed the harmonies and updated the chord changes. Later, in a phone conversation with Grappelli, Britos says he explained his thinking. He re-imagined the piece "so that the guitar player could improvise it the way Django would have if he would have been living in that moment." In his new recording, Britos' band takes classic Hot Club of France tunes and blends them with Afro-Cuban rhythms. "Djangology," a Grappelli-Reinhardt classic, is reset as a guaracha. Britos started with a list of more than 80 classic Hot Club tunes. Bass player Renyel Rivero describes an early meeting with their producer. "He asked Federico, 'How would you play "Dark Eyes,'" he says. As Rivero talks, Britos begins playing the tune, and then stops and taps out, on the top of his violin, a Latin rhythm In the recording, "Dark Eyes" is a traditional Russian melody played as a type of rumba, a guaguanco. "La Vie En Rose," another classic, is performed as a danzón; "I'm Confessin' That I Love You" becomes a bolero. After more than six decades of performing, Britos is full of energy and stories. He recalls a time in 1956 when he met the celebrated classical violinist Jascha Heifetz and played for him. Britos says he told Heifetz that he'd love to be able to play just a fourth of what the maestro did. Heifetz said forget it. "If you practice a lot," Heifetz said, "you won't be able to play a fourth. You'll be able to play a small fraction of what I play. Nobody plays like I play." Britos continues the story. "And then he smiled and said, 'But me, no matter how much I study, I'll never be able to play jazz the way you play.'" Federico Britos' stories are almost as entertaining as his  + Live Appearance Sunday, June 7th 6:00pm @ Tavolino's Rodeo Plaza 10181 W Sample Rd Coral Springs, FL 33065 (954) 509-0046 NEW CD Hot Club of the Americas "Federico Britos Presents Hot Club of the Americas” (3 Knocks Entertainment) Street Date April 7, 2015 Federico Britos (violin), Jorge Garcia (guitar), Felix Gomez (piano), Renyel Rivero (bass), Edwin Bonilla (percussion), Carlomagno Araya (drums) With Special Guests: Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Giovanni Hidalgo, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Hendrik Meurkens, Antonio Adolfo

Artist: HOT CLUB OF THE AMERICAS Title: FEDERICO BRITOS PRESENTS HOT CLUB OF THE AMERICAS Label: 3 Knocks Entertainment UPC Code: 792278008771  Release Date: April 7, 2015 Track listing, track times and composer:  1. The Sheik of Araby 4:16  2. J’attendrai - feat. Hendrik Meurkens 4:34  3. I’m Confessin’ That I Love You - feat. Gonzalo Rubalcaba 6:08  4. Djangology - 5:29  5. La Vie En Rose feat. Cecile McLorin Salvant (English Version) 6:24  6. Dark Eyes feat. Giovanni Hidalgo 5:12  7. Melodie Au Crepuscle feat. Antonio Adolfo 5:01  8. Exactly Like You 4:02  9. Nuages 5:03 10. Honeysuckle Rose 4:29 11. Tears 5:24 12. La Vie En Rose feat. Cecile McLorin Salvant (French Version) 6:24 Musicians:  Federico Britos (violin), Jorge Garcia (guitar), Felix Gomez (piano), Renyel Rivero(bass), Edwin Bonilla (percussion), Carlomagno Araya (drums) Hot Club of The Americas is a band that performs a unique blend of Latin and Gypsy Jazz, led by world renowned violinist, Federico Britos. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Federico Britos, a musician so versatile and charismatic that he’ll get called for a dance, an operetta, a cocktail party or simply to have a drink in his endearing company; to chat in some Miami café. It’s that the legendary Uruguayan violinist speaks like he plays, and plays with the same ease and freedom as when he’s fascinating us one of his many anecdotes from his long and varied musical career........ I met Federico in that problematic and feverish Habana of the 60’s, where apart from his work with the Opera and Ballet orchestras led by Felix Guerrero, he organized a trio with his compatriot bassist Federico Garcia Vigil, who in that particular group played the guitar and sang in Portuguese. On bass they had an American mulato, enigmatic and painteresque, named Mario Lagarde who had arrived in Cuba around the same time as Chicago saxophonist Eddie Torriente. People called the trio “Los Federicos”, and in an era of confusion and absolute disinformation, where our country did not have access to recordings of any kind, it was through this band that Cuban musicians, who only knew of the Bossa Nova through references, heard for the first time the marvelous composistions of Bonfá, Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, João Gilberto and Roberto Menescal. It can be said that in some way, “Los Federicos” played a significant role in the unconditional love that some of my contemporaries have felt for brazilian music since then. As Bebo Valdés would have had said: “De allá pa’cá mucho ha llovido” (heretofore there’s been much rain) and from those days to now, that popular Montevidean musician has been performing chamber music, commercial sessions and international tours with the great Cachao, even playing in Jazz clubs, symphonic concerts and recordings with Charlie Haden amongst other artists of the most diverce musical styles. But above all of these activities, Federico the Uruguayan (as we’ve always affectionately called him) felt a particular devotion to Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and The Hot Club of France. This CD is an original form of tribute to the music of that era and it’s most significant composers. I say “an original form of tribute,” due to the fact that the art of the sounds isn’t just notes, but how those notes are played, and obviously, in this project, this extremely well known music, frequently revisited throughout the world, is treated in a very particular and unique way. Duke Ellington, on many occasions, spoke of how a good arrangement is like a re-composition, and this is precisely the case concerning Hugo Sánchez and Jaui Schneider, as their arrangements, coupled with the exquisite interpretation of the participating musicians, gives the impression that Grappelli was Cuban, Reinhardt Brazilian, and that the Hot Club of France could very well have been based in Miami’s own Coconut Grove. Bravo Federico! —Paquito D’Rivera ¡¡Viva the Latin Jazz!!

www.hotcluboftheamericas.com

Media Contact jim@jazzpromoservices.com www.jazzpromoservices.com  NATIONAL RADIO CAMPAIGN: trackst@bellsouth.net jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Jeri Brown it gives us his beautiful version of "The Windmills of Your Mind" (Michel Legrand)

"The Windmills of Your Mind" is without doubt one of the most versioned compositions, composed by French Michel Legrand, has gone around the world many laps, has been installed in places and people.
Jeri Brown one of the best vocalists of all time with his version leaves no doubt of his ability, talent, feeling, passion, and is one of the best performances we've heard, but the best.
Make yourself comfortable and enjoy this masterful vocalization of Jeri Brown with the classic "The Windmills of Your Mind":

Jeri Brown - The windmills of your mind
Roberto De Brashov (accordion); 
Alain Jean-Marie (piano)
John Betsch (drums)
From the Album "April in Paris"
Composed by Michel Legrand
The Windmills of Your Mind" was the main theme to the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair" starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.



Notes Jeri Brown:

(Born 1952 in Missouri) is an American living in Quebec Canada as a jazz singer, songwriter, and professor.

Jeri Brown grew up in St. Louis, where she first appeared in public at age six. In Iowa, she studied classical singing, and later appeared in the Midwestern United States and Europe. After graduating, she lived in Cleveland, where she worked with the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She performed in Ohio with the band of drummer and bandleader Bob McKee. As a consequence, she had collaborations with artists such as Ellis Marsalis, Billy Taylor and Dizzy Gillespie.

Jeri Brown then worked mainly in the jazz scene of the Cleveland area, focused on jazz standard material, wrote lyrics and collaborated with composers such as Henry Butler, Kenny Wheeler, Greg Carter and Cyrus Chestnut. In 1991, Brown signed with the Canadian Justin Time label. She has been under contract with this label since her debut album Mirage, where she was accompanied by pianist Fred Hersch and bassist Daniel Lessard. In 1992 she recorded Unfolding The Peacocks with Kirk Lightsey and Peter Leitch. This album contained the bebop standard "If You Could See Me Now" and "Woody N' You". In 1998, she worked on the album Zaius with David Murray, Don Braden, John Hicks, Curtis Lundy and Avery Sharpe. She sang standards like "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" and "You Must Believe in Spring". At the end of the same year they produced with the same. 

jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com

Tony Adamo And The New York Crew Now Available on Strokeland Records!!

Tony Adamo And The New York Crew Now Available on Strokeland Records

Legendary Drummer Mike Clark Produces Tony Adamo’s New CD “MIKE CLARK gained worldwide recognition as one of America’s foremost jazz and funk drummers while playing with Herbie Hancock’s group in the early 1970’s. Mike became known as a major innovator through his incisive playing on Hancock’s THRUST album, which garnered him an international cult following.” (Drumworld) Clark has produced three CDs for Adamo. The first CD is the highly acclaimed "MILES OF BLU" (Random Act Records).  The second CD, TONY ADAMO & THE NEW YORK CREW (Urbanzone Records) now receiving five star music reviews. This music album is climbing the Jazz Week Charts.  Adamo’s third CD with Mike Clark has already been recorded with Mike LeDonne and Jack Wilkins with Clark at the helm again as producer. This new CD is scheduled for release in 2016. The personal on Tony Adamo & The New York Crew: Tony Adamo: vocals, hipspokenword; Mike Clark: drums; Donald Harrison: alto saxophone; Tim Ouimette: trumpet; Michael Wolff: piano; Richie Goods: bass; Lenny White: drums; Bill Summers: percussion; Jean C. Santalis: guitar. What The Press Is Saying 5 STARS/ALLABOUTJAZZ "Tony Adamo and the New York Crew is a romp—a fascinating and swinging vision seen through the hippest and most talented of Ray-Bans. Double dig? 5 STARS/ IMPROVIJAZZATION "Tony & th’ players definitely know how to convey that PHONK & keep it from ever draggin’ ya’ down (no matter how blues it gets); my personal favorite, to be sure! Tony’s GOT that soul & ain’t afraid to pass it on to ya’…. I give him a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with a (perfect) “EQ” (energy quotient) of 5.00… which means it also get the “PICK” of this YEAR for “best hip jazz 5 STARS/AMAZON "For this album Tony and his Crew deliver what is essentially eleven short films, each one painting a stunningly visual portrait of a fascinating world and some of its most captivating and compelling denizens. Driven on a soundtrack of explosively spirited and utterly delightful music, the spectacularly imaginative screenplay is depicted through a prism that Tony Adamo calls Vocal/HipSpokenWord http://urbanzonerecords.com/nycrew/index.shtml Tony Adamo On Stephen 'Doc" Kupka's Strokeland jazz Doc Kupka is a founding member of the band Tower of Power TONY ADAMO & THE NEW YORK CREW NEW RELEASE ON STROKELAND JAZZ Once again, Tony Adamo turned to legendary drummer MIKE CLARK (Headhunters) to produce his latest release, and assembled a truly heavyweight lineup of jazz musicians for the project. The new release, TONY ADAMO & THE NEW YORK CREW features Tony tastefully interweaving his trademark style, " Vocal HipSpokenWord", with some of the deepest jazz tracks you'll hear anywhere. The ensemble is Tony Adamo - nu jazz vocal/hipspoken word, Mike Clark - drums, Lenny White - drums, Michael Wolff - piano, Tim Ouimette -trumpet, Richie Goods, bass, Bill Summers - Percussion, and Donald Harrison - alto sax.

True hipness is a most elusive substance, consistently pursued, often pretended and rarely captured.  But make no mistake, Tony Adamo is HIP (capital letters demanded) in full evidence on his new Urbanzone Records album Tony Adamo & The New York Crew.  Now we’re not talking about some snap-brim fedora, hipster chic, cool attitude take on hipness – but the real deal.  We’re talking about Miles, Monk and Sonny trading fours after hours at the Five Spot, with Frank and Dino knocking back Jack on the rocks while Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, Lord Buckley and Lenny Bruce riff on the world’s absurdity – thatkind of hip.             On this knockout album, Tony and his Crew deliver what is essentially eleven short films, each one painting a stunningly visual portrait of a fascinating world and some of its most captivating and compelling denizens.  Driven on a soundtrack of explosively spirited and utterly delightful music, the spectacularly imaginative screenplay is depicted through a prism that Tony calls Vocal/HipSpokenWord.             Rooted in a style that goes back to Fats Waller through the beat poets, Jean Shepard’s work with Mingus on The Clown, then maturing with the seminal hip-hop roots of Gil-Scott Heron and The Last Poets, and ripened by Chuck D with Public Enemy, Tony has mastered that entire vernacular to portray his vividly expressive landscapes.             In most cases the musicians on vocal albums are relegated to creating the contexts for the vocalist to shine, but Tony Adamo & The New York Crew is an ensemble in the truest sense of the jazz tradition.  While their participation is fully dedicated to Tony’s vision, the only way that vision could be realized would be for each of them to own the music and make it theirs – which they do at every moment throughout this extraordinary recording.             Much of the group from Tony’s previous album – the heavily acclaimed Miles of Blu– are present for this one:  Michael Wolff on piano, Richie Goods on bass, Tim Ouimette on trumpet, Mike Clark on drums and Bill Summers on percussion – augmented by the alto sax giant Donald Harrison.  Renowned Return to Forever alumni Lenny White (who also engineered the mixing) brings his drum mastery to one track and Jean C. Santalis adds his guitar wizardry to another.             Ouimette, who spent many years with the immortal Ray Charles, provided the marvelous arrangements; and Clark, whose eminent career has blossomed from his original membership in Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, produced the album – the second time he has done so for Tony. All of the lyrics are by Adamo and he and Clark co-composed all ten originals, joined by Ouimette on seven, Wolff on two and Harrison on one. While Adamo’s vocals do not dominate the time frame – allowing plenty of room for the ensemble to explore and express – they are the heart and soul of this album.  Occasionally singing, but mostly verbalizing in his mellifluously potent and impeccably rhythmic baritone, Tony jabs and feints like Muhammad Ali, masters time like Elvin Jones, phrases with the emphatic gospel fervor of Gene Ammons and preaches Truth like John Lee Hooker amplified by the vehement fire of Chuck D – all blended into the singular form of expression that is uniquely Tony Adamo.             The musicianship throughout is outstanding on every level – fiery, energetic, impassioned, enthusiastic, inventive and absolutely flawless in execution.  The rhythm section is rooted by the deeply resonant and deliciously funky bass of Goods, buoyed by the splendid rhythmic vitality of Clark and driven by the boldly inspired virtuosity of Wolff, who also turns in some sensational solos.  Ouimette’s fluidly articulate and dynamic trumpet blends perfectly with Harrison’s virile and soulful alto, blowing mightily on Tim’s arrangements and both delivering consistently brilliant solos.             The anthology of stories told on this album includes portraits of characters from the legendary to the obscure, and delves into broader concepts ranging from soulful food to Buddhism to Tony’s native New York City – which is actually a featured player throughout this entire movie.             The album opens with a portrait of the under-recognized trumpeter Eddie Gale, whose sixties cult classic Ghetto Music took Donald Byrd’s A New Perspective into the roots of the hip-hop movement.  An audacious blend of rollicking horns, rip-roaring vocal, scorching alto and percussive piano culminate in an incandescent Lenny White solo over ostinato piano.             Other portraits include General T, a soulfully poignant rumination on the legendary Village Vanguard and a unique gentleman who hung heavy there; a playful sketch of the immortal Pablo Picasso as an avant-garde trumpeter on Picasso At Midnite colored by Ouimette’s coloration and Clark’s sizzle; and a blistering drawing of a mysterious figure embellished by articulately simmering harmon-muted trumpet on Wisdom of Oz.             Giants of jazz get their turn as well.  Eddie Harris is remembered on Listen Here Listen Up, a deliciously funky and sanctified extension of Eddie’s classic original, with a deeply grooved Harrison solo and with Tony and Wolff distinctively giving Les McCann his props as well. Art Blakey and his notorious Jazz Messengers get their due on Messengers Burnin, a nicely syncopated sizzler in pure Blakey mode cooking in Bu’s signature uncomplicated 4/4 drive that swings like a mutha.  A short nod to Bird and Diz on To Bop or Not to Be is a succinct and delectable instrumental trio of alto, muted trumpet and drums.             More abstract themes are explored on You Gotta B Fly, a straightforward mid-tempo jaunt with Tony singing from the Eddie Jefferson angle before launching into his rap, Santalis plucking some gutty twang in his short solo, and all stoked by Summers’ sparkling percussion.  Summers’ congas also put the burn under Mama’s Meat Pies, a straight-up swinger with rollicking piano, a vibrantly woody bass solo, burning alto and an alto/muted trumpet duet that touches on some of that Ornette/Don Cherry special brand of swing.             Harrison’s deeply soulful alto speaks in Hank Crawford’s dialect as he introduces Tony’s talking blues over an emphatically deliberate funky bass walk on Buddhist Blues,preaching high philosophy in lowdown fashion.  And the leading player in this cinematic feast is vividly portrayed in incandescent style on City Swings, a paean to the incomparable New York City with sinuous unison lines, scalding trumpet, blazing alto and shimmering piano bridging Tony’s portrayal, depicted with the inherent passion only a knowledgeable lover could bring.             Tony Adamo & The New York Crew is not only a breath of fresh or in today’s musical world, it’s an entirely new atmosphere that will refresh and uplift the head, the heart and the soul.                         “I would hope that my Vocal/HipSpokenWord story telling reaches across a wide music   spectrum to hip old and new generations alike to my new genre of music.  My music producer, Mike Clark gathered some of the greatest musicians in New York to bring my music and lyrics alive.  Tony Adamo & The New York Crew CD is a labor of love.” For more information, visit Urbanzonerecords.com National Press Campaign Jim Eigo Jazz Promo Services  jim@jazzpromoservices.com    www.jazzpromoservices.com NATIONAL RADIO CAMPAIGN: Radio Tracking Scholz Productions andkinfo@benjaminscholz.com jazzglobalbeat@gmail.com