The Legendary Headhunters’ Surprising New CD to Feature Snoop Dogg, George Clinton & Others

Owl Studios Readies ‘Platinum’ for June

In the March issue of DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE, writer Eric Fine previews ‘Platinum’, the upcoming Owl Studios release by Jazz/funk/fusion legends THE HEADHUNTERS, lead by founding members and co-leaders Mike Clark and Bill Summers. Fine describes the June CD as the band’s “most ambitious album since the 1970s” –

‘Platinum’ features special appearances by Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, Killah Priest, Del the Funky Homosapien and others — the inclusion of guest vocalists/rappers is deftly incorporated into the soulful grooves laid down by the pioneering Headhunters. The concept behind the new album is fitting – as noted in a recent article: “Jazz/fusion groundbreakers the Headhunters have been sampled by countless hip-hop and pop artists. These days, the band is incorporating rap and hip-hop into its own sound.”

Renowned drummer Mike Clark previewed the project as “some of the finest musicians playing some killer funk, which is always a lot of fun. This time we stir it up with spoken word from a multi generational mix of artists, telling it like it is and always has been.” Venerable percussionist Bill Summers added the amalgam of rhythm, melody and spoken word represents “true fusion of Hip Hop, Jazz, Rap, Salsa, Rock, New Orleans, African rhythm and its classical forms.”

DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
March, 2011 issue By Eric Fine

New Headhunting Funk Experience
Classic ’70s Jazz Fusion Band Returns To Studio With Surprising Guests

Drummer Mike Clark earned acclaim as a master of funk rhythms after joining Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters in 1973. But Clark is hardly nostalgic about his four-year tenure with the band. Ask Clark whether he thought the Headhunters would still exist more than 30 years after the band regularly backed Hancock, and Clark responds quickly: Absolutely not, he says. He would have been especially shocked with the group’s new incarnation and its planned spring release. A reunion album (Return Of The Headhunters!) in 1998 notwithstanding, the Headhunters’ new era began after a promoter asked Clark to assemble a jazz-funk band in the late 1990s for a national tour.

Appearing under the name Prescription Renewal, the lineup paired young players like guitarist Charlie Hunter and DJ Logic with original Headhunters bassist Paul Jackson, organ player Dr. Lonnie Smith and trombonist Fred Wesley. After percussionist Bill Summers, another original Headhunter, sat in with Clark, the two revived the Headhunters’ moniker in 2001 while adding saxophonist Donald Harrison to the lineup. Recent editions of the Headhunters continue to mix youth and experience, and have toured internationally. The band embarked on a series of dates in November at pop-oriented venues, where it performed on bills that also featured the Mumbles, a keyboard duo from London. The current group includes rapper Private Pile, and increasingly spotlights new material. It resurrects 1970s tunes like “Watermelon Man” and “Sly,” but only by request.

“I don’t mind playing these tunes,” Clark said, “but we put the focus on what we’re doing now. Nobody’s even thinking about the old days, [and] nobody’s reflecting back on what we did with Herbie. This is a different group of musicians, except for Bill and me.”

The Headhunters will release their most ambitious album since the 1970s in May. Platinum (Owl Studios) will include rapper Snoop Dogg, funk legend George Clinton and original Headhunter saxophonist Bennie Maupin.

Al Hall, the album’s executive producer, was reluctant to incorporate rap, but relented after establishing guidelines. “I said let’s go ahead and do it, but with three rules: no racial stuff; no heavy cursing; and no demonizing women.” And so [Clark and Summers] looked at each other and said, ‘We don’t have anything to do,’” Hall said, laughing. You should have heard the first track we had—immediately, it was all three [taboos] pulled into one or two sentences,” said Hall, who founded Owl Studios in 2005 in Indianapolis. “We’re working around that. It’s kind of a business part of it that you can’t have radio play if you’re going to be using the f-word, the n-word or all those other things.”

Profane or not, bassist Richie Goods said the band attracts a growing number of the young people largely absent from straight-ahead gigs. “Even if we didn’t have the rapper there’s a whole younger audience that’s into what we do,” said Goods, the Headhunters’ bassist since 2007. “But that’s the direction they want to move. Everyone’s writing a lot of music, and they recorded some new music, and they want almost like a new face for the Headhunters. I don’t think they ever want to take those vintage songs out of their repertoire, but they want to start building a new repertoire that’s just as strong as the old repertoire.” —Eric Fine – DOWNBEAT, 3/11

The ambitious project was also previewed via JAZZIZ.com (see below.) and The Headhunters offered fans a sneak peek of the album during a U.S. tour late last year – in advance of a local concert, The Philadelphia Inquirer hailed them as “one of the most innovative groups in history.”

Surprises abound on the new CD – ‘D-Funk’ is a bawdy romp featuring both Snoop Dogg and George Clinton (and is the track most likely to earn Owl Studios its first-ever ‘Explicit Content’ sticker!); ‘Salamander’ is a funky instrumental groove, a late-night hip grinder in which each member of The Headhunters gets his moment to shine; ‘Mission Statement’ is simply bad-ass, as guest rapper Jaecyn Bayne nails this one (as, of course, does the band,) asserting a memorable hook that will surely emerge as one of the highlights of the album. Advance copies will be available soon.

Artists appearing on The Headhunters’ ‘Platinum’ album include: Bill Summers – percussion; Mike Clark – drums; Rob Dixon – tenor sax; Derrick Gardner – trumpet; Donald Harrison – alto sax; Richie Goods –bass; Kyle Roussel – keys; Patrice Rushen – keys; Bennie Maupin – tenor sax and bass clarinet. Guest Artists on the album (subject to change) include: Killah Priest; Del the Funky Homosapien; Jaecyn Bayne; Kentyah Fraser; Snoop Dogg; George Clinton.

Owl Studios is an award-winning, independent record label, with an artist roster that includes a Grammy-nominated artist, two Independent Music Award winners, an American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship recipient, and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Performer Award recipient. In the short time since its inception, Owl Studios has become a well-respected, artist-friendly record label in the genres of Jazz, R&B, Neo Soul, Jazz Fusion and Jam Band. Learn more about Owl Studios, here: http://www.owlstudios.com/

JAZZIZ.com – News column and photo for the Headhunters CD and tour
THE HEADHUNTERS HIT THE ROAD

http://www.jazziz.com/news/2010/10/22/the-headhunters-hit-the-road/

The storied jazz/funk/fusion band, the Headhunters, are currently finalizing tracks for Platinum, a CD set for release early next year on the Owl Studios label. The disc will feature guest appearances by several intriguing names, including Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, Killah Priest, and Del the Funky Homosapien. In the meantime, the legendary band will embark on a U.S. tour in November. (See dates, venues and cities below.)

Of the new album and the new year, not-overly modest Headhunters percussionist Bill Summers says: “2011 will mark the beginning of a new movement in music and jazz — the true fusion of hip hop, jazz, rap, salsa, rock, New Orleans, African rhythm and its classical forms. The Headhunters are steeped in the funk and jazz traditions. The groove is undeniable and the layers of rhythm, melody and spoken word in this release will raise the bar and set a benchmark for the world to follow. The truth of the matter is, we respect all forms of music and see a place in this unusual musical tapestry for every form of modern and ancient music forms. The project is entitled Platinum. For some this is an award presented to those who achieve a feat of reaching one million units sold and certified. For us, Platinum is a self-proclamation of achievement for creating a project deserving of recognition, and will be heard and appreciated by the millions of listeners worldwide.” The Headhunters were founded in 1973 and served as the supporting band for Herbie Hancock’s 12th studio album, Head Hunters, which became one of the best-selling jazz records ever. The Headhunters went on to record a handful of additional albums with Hancock, and they’ve also released a couple of winning platters on their own. Jazziz.com, 10/22/10

Click the links below to read recent tour preview articles:

The Roanoke Times
TOUR PREVIEW INTERVIEW FEATURE By Tad Dickens 11/10
Rap, hip-hop in the mix for Headhunters

http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideout/music/wb/267689

PHILLYBURBS/COURIER TIMES NEWS
Tour preview
Jazz-funk masters The Headhunters to perform at North Star Bar

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/2463/2010/november/01/jazz-funk-masters-the-headhunters-to-perform-at-north-star-bar.html

Other tour coverage includes PHILLY DAILY NEWS; 7Days, the key Alternative weekly in Burlington; VALLEY VOICE in Portland ME, which praised “the Headhunters have redefined modern funk, world music, and jazz”; The ITHACA TIMES http://www.ithacatimes.com/main.asp?SubSectionID=63&ArticleID=13076&SectionID=3
and much more.

More About THE HEADHUNTERS:
Founded in 1973, they recorded their eponymous debut Head Hunters with Herbie Hancock. The Headhunters, legendary jazz-funk fusion band, immortalized as a result of their long recording and touring stint with jazz giant Herbie Hancock. Hancock’s “Headhunters” album was the first to be recorded with the group and has been heralded as the first platinum Jazz/Fusion project in history. Thrust, Flood, Manchild and other historic recordings followed. The band went on to produce more seminal records on their own, including Survival of the Fittest, which featured the funk anthem “God Make Me Funky,” one of the most sampled jazz/fusion songs in modern music history. The Headhunters’ music is a complex but harmonious blend of many styles and genres, spanning the globe, from Africa to Broadway. The group is acclaimed for its musical pioneering and innovative concepts.

More about MIKE CLARK: Originally from Oakland, California, Mike is credited with pioneering a particular style of East Bay funk drumming along with Dave Garibaldi of Tower of Power fame. Called “the most sampled drummer in hip hop” Mike’s beats have been used on tracks by musicians as diverse as NWA, Grandmaster Flash, Britney Spears, Prince and many others. His diverse genre-defying talent continues to astound audiences and influence successive generations of drummers since his explosive arrival on the music scene with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters. It is widely accepted that Clark is one of the few, in the category of Elvin Jones and Tony Williams, to have changed the fundamental language of the drums. Clark’s Owl Studios debut, ‘Carnival of Soul’, has earned universally rave reviews.

More about BILL SUMMERS: To say that Bill is a percussionist is like saying a Steinway is a piano: the noun conveys none of the history and quality of the owner of the title. Born in Detroit Michigan, a veteran of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, knows literally hundreds of African, Cuban & Latin percussion rhythms from decades of study. Bill steers the helm of the Summers Multi-Ethnic Institute of the Arts, and is a musician of the highest order, playing anything from traditional African instruments to pop bottles.

VISIT http://www.owlstudios.com/

As part of a global grassroots campaign, Lomax and IODA will disseminate Lomax’s recordings digitally to an international network of retailers. The partnership comes on the heels of the recently released “Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World” — John Szwed’s comprehensive biography.

The recordings — many previously unreleased — are drawn from Lomax’s fieldwork from 1933 to 1991, during which time he sought out and recorded hundreds of hours of music from a huge diversity of cultures. They will be released on the Archive’s new label, Global Jukebox.

“No one has come close to Alan Lomax in illuminating the intersecting musical roots of an extraordinary range of cultures, including our own,” commented Nat Hentoff, renowned American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic.

“Without Lomax it’s possible that there would have been no blues explosion, no R&B movement, no Beatles and no Stones and no Velvet Underground,” said Brian Eno, English musician, composer, producer, singer and visual artist, best known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.

America’s Legendary Folklorist
Alan Lomax (1915-2002) is considered America’s foremost folklorist. He dedicated his life’s work to the documentation of music and cultural traditions across the world and is perhaps best known for making the debut recordings of American legends like Lead Belly, Muddy Waters, and Woody Guthrie on behalf of the Library of Congress. But his independent explorations into the world’s traditional music took him beyond his outstanding recordings in the American South to song hunting throughout the British Isles, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Romania, the Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union, and won him a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Foundation.

“It still remains for us to learn how we can put our magnificent mass communications technology at the service of each and every branch of the human family.” – Alan Lomax

A Global, Grassroots Campaign

Collaborations with folklore institutions like the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and Spain’s Muséu del Pueblu d’Asturies, indie record labels Mississippi Records and Dust-to-Digital, among others, and university presses including those of the University of Nebraska and the University of Wisconsin will enable the Archive to make its more than 17,000 recordings available to diverse audiences worldwide. Through IODA’s international distribution network, Global Jukebox releases will be available at hundreds of digital retailers including iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, MOG and Rdio, and through mobile providers such as AT&T, Nokia, T-Mobile, Sprint, Telefonica and Verizon.

Among the most highly anticipated, never-released recordings are:

* The Newport Folk Festival Preview Concert at New York City’s Central Park was held at the height of the Civil Rights era, in the summer of 1965. Alan Lomax produced and MC’d the concert. The concert featured seminal figures of the Folk Revival era including Reverend Gary Davis, Ed Young, Bessie Jones, Mable Hillery, and the Georgia Sea Island Singers.

* Alan Lomax in Morocco, 1967. Lomax recorded the traditional music of both urban and rural Morocco, setting up his tape machine in the historic metropolises of Fes and Marrakech as well as in remote rural villages in the Atlas Mountains.

* Irish folksongs sung by famed Irish playwright Brendan Behan for Lomax in London in 1951.

“By enabling digital access to these recordings by the cultures and people whose legacies they represent, we expect this global collaboration to promote greater understanding of the diversity of the world’s music,” commented Erik Gilbert, VP of Client Strategy at IODA. “Our enthusiasm for this project is aligned with the enormous potential we believe it has to make a significant cultural contribution to the world’s music library.”

The new recording will be the much-anticipated follow up to the hugely successful release, The Source (on World Culture Music), and will feature Mike Moreno, John Ellis, Taylor Eigsti and Joe Sanders!

In addition to leading “Oracle”, Scott has recently been on the road with Herbie Hancock, Gretchen Parlato, and Terence Blanchard.

“Kendrick is not just a timekeeper he is a musician with big ears and a great imagination” – Herbie Hancock

“Kendrick Scott is a jazz drummer conversant in an ultramodern sense of propulsion.- Nate Chinen, The New York Times

“one of the rhythmic ascendants in jazz” – Josh Jackson, NPR

“a true artist of the highest order.”- Terence Blanchard

More on drummer/composer/WCM Founder Kendrick Scott:
In the words of Terence Blanchard, “Kendrick is a true artist of the highest order. He is not bound by the conventional wisdom of the music world. I’ve noticed that he never says why, but rather why not. He is exactly what the music world needs: someone with the vision and courage to press forward and expand the world of music. I am blessed to have him around and look forward to seeing what he does every time we play.”

Drummer Kendrick Scott is one of jazz’s young masters of the instrument. He was born in Houston and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, winning Downbeat Magazine student awards, IAJE’s Clifford Brown / Stan Getz award and the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. Kendrick was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music where he majored in Music Education. As a performer, Kendrick joined The Crusaders and The Terence Blanchard Group; he has also shared the stage with Dianne Reeves, John Patitucci, Stefon Harris, Kenny Garrett, Pat Metheny, Nicholas Payton, Gary Burton, Mark Turner, Joe Lovano, Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, David Sanborn, Roy Hargrove and many more, including playing on numerous film soundtracks by Spike Lee. Kendrick recently released “The Source”, his debut record and first World Culture Music release, to rave reviews. With this debut, he secures his position as part of an elite group of young New York-based improvisers and composers impacting jazz around the world.

World Culture Music: World Culture Music is an artist collective record label and multi-faceted music company that was created by Kendrick Scott to form an alliance of like-minded musicians who are making a significant impact on both today’s jazz scene and on music in general.

WCM’s mission is to blur the labels in music, cross the cultural divides, bypass the corporate structure and provide the next generation of talent an outlet to fulfill their creative visions.

As an alternative approach to the traditional record label, World Culture Music’s objective is to bring the artist closer to the listener with no filters in creativity and honesty. WCM provides young creative musicians an opportunity to maintain all artistic control over their music and enables the musician to decide how it will be presented to the world. Unified under WCM, its artists can connect with their audience on a broad scale.

WCM presents artists of the highest caliber who are some of today’s most in-demand musicians. Drummer Kendrick Scott, vocalist/composer Julie Hardy, trombonist Nick Vayenas, and guitarist Mike Moreno have established themselves as some of the leading musical figures of their generation. They have played on over 35 recordings combined and performed with some of today’s top jazz artists, including Joshua Redman, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, Greg Osby, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Dianne Reeves, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Michael Buble, Kenny Garrett, and Ravi Coltrane.

World Culture Music Recordings:

Kendrick Scott “Oracle” – The Source

Mike Moreno – Between The Lines

Julie Hardy – The Wish

Nick Vayenas – Synesthesia

Press Enquiries:
Jason Paul Harman Byrne – Red Cat Publicity
Tel 347 578 7601, Email Redcatjazz@mac.com
Website www.Redcatpublicity.com

THE BERNIE MAC FOUNDATION

presents

A Special Valentines Day

JAZZ AND SOUL SESSIONS SERIES EVENT

Consider the songs in our hearts that inspire us toward uplifted continence; melodies that ring out in a manner that is soulful … even funky! Now think of an artist; an artist who George Benson describes as “joy filled in expressiveness” and “believable in any musical style,” topping the jazz and adult contemporary / R & B charts with his kickin’ trumpet and rich jazz melodies. That artist … is trumpeter Tom Browne.

One of Bernie Mac’s Favorite Old School Artists

Monday, Feb 14th 2011

Geo Soul

3462 Vollmer Road

Olympia Fields, IL 708-248-5502

Doors open: 5:30pm

Showtime: 8:00pm

Dinner is available before and after the show

Ticket Prices

$65.00 – Dinner & Show

$45.00 Show only

Dinner will include:

A 3 Course Elegant Meal

featuring

Delicious Starter Salad

5 Main Entree Selections:

Pork Tenderloin w/ Yellow Rice and Black Beans

Herb Grilled Tilapia w/ Corn Casserole

Creole Pasta

Steak Entree

1/2 Pan Roasted Chicken

Dessert

Sweet Potato Cheese cake

Crembulee

Lemon Pie

Pound Cake

All topped w/ Whipped Cream and Strawberries

PURCHASE TICKETS ON LINE NOW

http://www.berniemacfoundation.org/

At age 37, bassist-composer Matthew Rybicki may have waited longer than most to make his first recording as a leader. But from a cursory listen to Driven, his auspicious debut as a leader, it would seem that he picked just the right time.

“Sometimes people get pushed out there too fast, but I really just wanted to marinate a little bit,” says the Cleveland native and longtime New York City resident who has apprenticed with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Nnenna Freelon, Victor Goines and Terell Stafford.

“Obviously I wanted it to be something that I was going to be proud of but also I wanted to feel like there was some real weight behind it, that I believed in what I was doing enough to share it with people. I’m just at the beginning part of sharing that weight now with this record and I look forward to sharing more in the future.”

Joining Rybicki on his impressive first outing are such stellar players on the New York jazz scene as pianist Gerald Clayton, drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., saxophonist Ron Blake, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix and trombonist Michael Dease. Together they demonstrate an indelible chemistry and intuitive sense of risk-taking on Rybicki’s thoughtfully crafted compositions, along with two well chosen covers. The bassist reveals a strong sense of groove throughout while his swing factor is undeniable. “It’s definitely critical for me to be trying to swing all the time, and I think we did pretty good job of representing that on the album,” he says. “It’s a high priority for me to be thinking about the dance aspect first in playing our music.”

That irrepressible swing factor is apparent from the opening track, “The Slow Stride,” to the bop-imbued title track (Rybicki’s homage to Oscar Pettiford with allusions to his “Tricotism”), the adventurous and interactive trio number “Seventh Son” and a blazing uptempo romp through the jazz standard”Secret Love.” A potent soloist, Rybicki testifies on the blues-soaked “Lowcountry Boil,” stretches out on the lazy, loping ” A Mean Lean” and the propulsive “Big Money and the Left Side” (an homage to his former bass teacher Rodney Whitaker). Elsewhere on Driven, Rybicki acquits himself with uncommon lyricism on the waltz-time number “Someday I May Be Far Away” and the introspective ballad “Lisa’s Song.” For a bit of variety, he hits a deep groove on the traditional calypso number “Yellow Bird” and summons up an African flavored vibe on the uplifting closer “Nouakchott,” featuring percussionist Matthew Baranello and African vocalist Selloane Nkehla, who plays Rafiki in the Broadway production of The Lion King. As he explains, “‘Yellow Bird’ was my late parents’ favorite song, so this is a tribute, in a sense. And while ‘Nouakchott’ may not fit stylistically with the rest of the record, it does represent some of my own past. For the first five years I was in New York, I played in a world music group. During that period I made a deep study of West African music and became obsessed with the African continent. So this music is a part of me, just as the music of Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington is a part of me.”

Growing up in a funeral home, one of nine children of a Cleveland mortician, a teenaged Rybicki (pictured above) played electric bass in various rock ‘n’ roll bands. His jazz epiphany came while attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “I’m sort of a late comer to the game, which is probably also why I wanted to wait a little bit as far as putting something out,” he says. “It wasn’t until I was 18 or 19 that I really got introduced to jazz. But then I got turned around and completely lost my mind on Duke Ellington at Berklee.”

After relocating to New York in 1995, he began working in pit bands on Broadway and at Radio City Music Hall. “Of course, it was not my preferred artistic choice but it helped pay the rent and also influenced me in terms of learning the importance of presentation in a performance. It also was a great experience to get some bow chops together. And from there, I slowly began trying to get involved with the jazz cats.”

One of his early hookups was with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. It was through Gordon that Rybicki eventually met trumpeter and JLCO artistic director Wynton Marsalis, who would become a significant mentor. “I would tag along with Wycliffe to JLCO rehearsals,” he recalls. “Rodney Whitaker was the bass player in the band then and I would actually take lessons with him during their lunch breaks. And from there they welcomed me in to be able to hang out. I started to ask Wynton some questions and he was always so giving and thoughtful with his answers. Finally he said, ‘Why don’t you come over to the house and we’ll talk and play.’ So we started playing tunes in his apartment and he started giving me little assignments. He’d say things like, ‘Just study the two feel of Arvell Shaw.’ Or he’d ask me to transcribe and analyze the Bach chorales. It was sort of a mentor-pupil relationship at first, and over time I had the opportunity to sit in with the band and play the occasional gig with the JLCO and just develop a friendship with Wynton. He always treats me like family when we’re together. I really feel like he’s a mentor, brother, friend and drill sergeant all in one.”

Regarding the remarkable chemistry heard on the Driven sessions, Rybicki says, “From the outset I told the guys, ‘I don’t at all want to tell you what to play. I’m hiring you because I like what you do. Please bring that.’ And they all did with flying colors. It’s really nice to have that combination of different personalities, and what was great about these guys is that not only do they bring their own thing but they’re able to let the music tell them what’s appropriate to play. And I think they did that completely. I really am so pleased with how everybody played on the album.”

Drummer Owens, Rybicki’s classmate in the Juilliard program, brings a masterful Ed Thigpen-like touch with brushes on ballads while generating kinetic, swinging energy on the kit with sticks. The underrated saxophonist Blake, a bandmate of Owens’ in Christian McBride’s group, possesses a robust tone on tenor (perhaps best exemplified here on the beautiful “Lisa’s Song” and on “Big Money and the Left Side”) and nonchalantly soars on soprano (as on “Yellow Bird”). Hendrix, another colleague of Rybicki’s on the New York scene, is prominently featured on the lovely flugelhorn showcase “Someday I May Be Far Away” (which the composer titled after a famous Romare Bearden painting). Trombonist Dease, another fellow Juilliard grad, is also featured on “Yellow Bird.” A key player throughout Driven is pianist Clayton, whose keen instincts and brilliant comping elevate the proceedings from track to track. “It’s like it’s intuitive – it’s not like he’s just reacting,” says Rybicki. “He’s putting ideas down but they don’t get in the way. And it’s always swinging and just so free. He just inspired us all.”

Matthew Rybicki · Driven
Release Date: February 8, 2011

For additional information on Matthew Rybicki,
please visit: www.matthewrybicki.com.

For more information, please contact:
DL MEDIA · 610-667-0501
Jordy Freed · jordy@dlmediamusic.com

Spend the weekend in a wonderful creative place network, shake hands, learn for the major music industry pros and amazing song writers
ask questions, be one of the 1st 30 to sign up and participate in a open mic. Songwriting contest for a chance to co-write with a mega hit song writer.

Participates 30 -100 can submit a record song also for a co- writer opportunity of a life time!

Learn, listen and hang out with some of Nashville’s most successful songwriters
Dave Gibson, Chris Wallin and Wynn Varble
Have had songs Recorded By

Steve Wariner, Alabama, Joe Diffie, , Kenny Chesney, , Keith Anderson, Sammy Kershaw, Michael Peterson, Jeffrey Steele, Confederate Railroad, Neal McCoy, Darryl Worley, Brian McComas, and Brad Paisley, , Lee Ann Womack, Brad Paisley, , Jason Sellers, Gary Allan, Trace Adkins, Clint Daniels, Kevin Denney, Tracy Byrd, The Kinleys, Chris LeDoux, Danni Leigh, Mark Chesnutt and Sammy Kershaw, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins,Kelli Pickler, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and many more.
This guys have had multiple number ones and award nominations

We got Relation ship building. Networking Clinic 101, Hear it from recording artist point of view and inside the record biz with with Nashville’s Music Business pros

Marla Sitten is the Director of RadioActive Promotions and President & Host of Nashville Music Space with Marla Sitten.
She is well known as a Nashville publicist, journalist and music industry insider. Her network of friends and colleagues is legendary. She is a one-of-a-kind dot connector and business-deal facilitator as well as a profile-builder in the entertainment community.

Daisy Dern graduated from the precious Berkley School of music in Boston, is a former Mercury records recording artist she is currently the Creative Director of Savannah Music Group, Inc., a grass roots independent record label and publishing company on Nashville’s Music Row, which she founded in 2008 with her husband, songwriter/artist, Dave Gibson.

We are very excited to add Bob Saporiti to the Music Industry panel. Bob worked for more than 20 years at Warner Bros. Records (retired) as Senior Vice- President and General manager. Bob has worked with 100′s of stars and he has worked more than 100 number 1 records. Bob now spends his time mentoring and developing young talent and writing songs. He is a full time consultant for Savannah Music Group and Voyage — Air Guitars.

Don’t you dare miss this great Songwriting/ and Music Business seminar retreat March 18th, 19th and 20th ant Jim Oliver’s Smoke House…Monteagle, Tennessee

Check it out and sign up online at: www.Smokin HitSnogWriters.com!

Yea only $150 does not include food or lodging…but they got special rates for that too.

www.SmokinHitSongWriters.com

Under Newport Festivals Foundation, each festival will continue the tradition of featuring established and emerging performers. The Jazz Festival will present musicians who follow the traditions of New Orleans, swing, bebop and modal as the heart of jazz music.

In addition, the Foundation will honor the evolving cultural expression and freedom of creativity necessary to the growth and continuing vitality of the music.

The Foundation will continue the Newport Folk Festival by maintaining the excellence of artists in the tradition of Pete Seeger,Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and others, in addition to presenting performers who respect and honor these folk music traditions while reflecting the changes in today’s music trends.

Through the establishment of partnerships with local schools and colleges/universities, the Foundation will develop programs to help educate young people, primarily from Rhode Island and New England, about jazz and folk music.

Newport Festivals Foundation Board of Directors includes: Richard M. Cashin, Managing Director, One Equity Partners;Jerome A. Chazen, Chairman, Chazen Capital; Joshua Feigenbaum, Media Entrepreneur; Bruce S. Gordon, former President and CEO, NAACP and retired Verizon Executive; Elliot L. Hoffman, Founding Senior Partner, Beldock, Levine & Hoffman, LLP;Vikas Kapoor, President and CEO of iQor; William M. Lewis, Jr., Managing Director and Co-chairman of Investment Banking, Lazard Ltd; Deborah Ross, Chief Administrative Officer and Acting Executive Director of the Foundation; Bruce Trauner, Partner, Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP; William M. Vareika, Owner, William Vareika Fine Arts; and George Wein.

The 2011 Newport Folk Festival is set for July 29 – 31; the Newport Jazz Festival is August 5 – 7. Artists and ticket on-sale dates will be announced in the spring.
For more information, log on to www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org. For festival sponsorship opportunities, contact sponsor@newfestivalproductions.com.

CD available now at select U.S. post offices throughout the country

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Concord Music Group is once again partnering with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to release a collection of holiday-related favorites. Love is in the air in the month of February, and what better way to express your affection on Valentine’s Day than with a collection of love songs by some of the most popular artists of the past several decades? USPS: Love Notes, a compilation of songs addressing all things romantic, is available until the end of February in select USPS outlets throughout the United States.

Love is and always has been a universal experience for people of every age and every musical taste. With that in mind, this exclusive 11-track CD includes timeless love songs by an eclectic mix of legendary artists representing a broad cross section of genres and styles: Alison Krauss, Madeleine Peyroux, Tony Bennett duet with Bill Evans, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinatra duet with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Diana Krall, Spencer Day, Carole King duet with James Taylor, Paul McCartney and Wings, Ray Charles, and Rosemary Clooney. The point-of-purchase CD offer provides the ultimate musical keepsake for those among the vast USPS customer base seeking an exclusive, pre-packaged gift for easy shipping.

Concord Music Group has been a consistent leader in bringing timeless music to non-traditional retail, as evidenced by three previous exclusive releases with USPS: Letters to Santa in December 2009, Ella Fitzgerald’s Love Letters From Ella in February 2010, and Let It Snow in December 2010.

USPS: Love Notes
Track Listing
1. Baby, Now That I’ve Found You – Alison Krauss
2. Dance Me to the End of Love – Madeleine Peyroux
3. My Foolish Heart – Tony Bennett and Bill Evans
4. Come Rain or Come Shine – Natalie Cole
5. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) – Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim
6. Body and Soul – Diana Krall
7. Till You Come to Me – Spencer Day
8. It’s Too Late – Carole King and James Taylor
9. Silly Love Songs – Paul McCartney and Wings
10. I Can’t Stop Loving You – Ray Charles
11. P.S. I Love You – Rosemary Clooney

# # #

For more information on USPS: Love Notes, please contact Conqueroo:
Cary Baker • (323) 656-1600 • cary@conqueroo.com

Jazz bassist/composer

Sean Smith makes a welcome return to recording with Trust — his third album as a leader, his first since 2001, and the debut release for his own imprint, Smithereen Records. Smith’s swinging, finely attuned quartet, which consists of guitarist John Hart, saxophonist John Ellis, and drummer Russell Meissner, is dedicated to exploring Smith’s original compositions.

“Trust is such a big part of what we do,” Smith says. “I trust that these guys are going to interpret my pieces without me telling them very much. Oftentimes they make them sound better than I had envisioned. They’ll suggest something, or go with an idea and trust that it will be the right thing at the moment.”

Among the 12 highly melodic, evocative originals on the new CD are the bracing opener “Betting Blind,” an homage to Wayne Shorter titled “Wayne’s World,” the deceptively simple “Homemade Japanese Folk Song” (performed in a round), and the samba “Margin of Error.” “Melody is incredibly important to me,” Smith says. “The other foundations are crucial, but melody is usually what the tunes are based on, not a set of chord changes that sound good to play on.”

Over the past two decades, the Connecticut native has earned the respect and confidence of his musical peers with his commanding technique, rich tone, prolific output as a composer, and chameleon-like ability to match his shading to a multitude of rarefied musical settings. He’s performed and recorded with many of jazz’s most influential and revered artists, including Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Johnny Griffin, Art Farmer, Gerry Mulligan, Tom Harrell, Peggy Lee, Andy Bey, and Jimmy Scott. A productive four-year stint with pianist Jacky Terrasson greatly heightened his international profile.

Smith’s compositions have been recorded by jazz luminaries such as Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Leon Parker, Gene Bertoncini, Bill Mays, and vocalist Mark Murphy, who added lyrics to Sean’s “Song for the Geese” and used it as a title track for his 1998 Grammy-nominated album.

The bassist’s debut as a leader was the 1999 Chiaroscuro album Sean Smith Quartet Live!, with alto saxophonist Allen Mezquida, pianist Bill Charlap, and drummer Ron Vincent. Smith followed with Poise (Ambient, 2001), which once again featured Mezquida and Charlap as well as guitarist Keith Ganz and drummer Russell Meissner. Critic Ira Gitler has called Smith’s work “thought-provoking music for both head and heart.”

Smith’s career was threatened by a March 2007 incident related to his volunteering for a local animal shelter, when a dog he had never walked before turned out to be a dangerous animal. The dog bit off the end of his left middle finger, and Smith was plunged into an intense post-surgery rehabilitation that required him to, as he puts it, “relearn how to play several times.” He kept working throughout the ordeal, and though he’s fully recovered now, the experience changed his life — and the way he plays his instrument. “It forced me to prioritize my own music,” says Smith. “For that, I’m grateful.”

The Sean Smith Quartet (l. to r.: Ellis, Hart, Smith, Meissner) has been together for a dozen years in one form or another. Now that Smith has established his own label, might jazz fans anticipate more frequent recordings from them? “I can’t tell you how empowering it is for an artist to have complete control over every aspect of a project — not only the music but the entire presentation. It’s exciting,” says Smith. “I’m already looking forward to the next CD with the quartet as I have many compositions I’d like to record.”

The Sean Smith Quartet will perform at Birdland, New York City, on Monday, 4/4, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. ▪

Sean Smith Quartet: Trust

(Smithereen Records)

Live 2006 BBC Recording  at  New York’s Merkin Hall

Revisits Band’s Groundbreaking  Concepts From

Their Grammy Nominated Blue Note Albums

Unconventional. Unheard of. Some might add unreal. Upon first listen, you’ll be struck by the startling freshness and flat-out nerve that have become hallmark sounds of Animation, the best rock & jazz mélange you’ve never heard of.

With two Grammy nominated Blue Note CDs, animation * imagination (1999) and re*animation LIVE! (2000), the group has raised the bar for experimental music, carrying with it infectious tinges of hip-hop, trip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass, fusion and whatever your own imagination might add with each new listen.

The journey continues with Asiento, the group’s long-overdue album to be released on the UK-based RareNoiseRecords. Spearheaded by music visionaries Bob Belden (producer/saxophone), Tim Hagans (trumpet) and Scott Kinsey (keyboard/synthesizer), as well as Matt Garrison (bass), Guy Licata (drums) and DJ Logic (turntables), Animation re-imagines the landmark 1969 Miles Davis release Bitches Brew.

A bit of history: In December 2006, as part of a series called “Reissue: Classic Recordings Live,” Belden led Animation into New York City’s famed and more classically oriented Merkin Hall for a rare show performed by his extremely happenstance, inconspicuous aggregate. That’s where they “re-imagined” Bitches Brew, and where the BBC, in tow, recorded the music for posterity.

No, you won’t find Bitches Brew played verbatim with this group. To  the contrary, Animation proves that a group of musicians can distill the essence of a classic album while creating a unique musical fingerprint to make it a “new original.” Asiento showcases musicians taking liberties, reinventing a work of art from 40 years ago and reinterpreting and applying the original work to the parameters and context of the 21^st century. Such now-classic material like “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down,” “Spanish Key” and the title track, as well as other tracks from the original album, are heard in a new setting with new and oftentimes radical perspectives.

And there could be no better person for the task of reinventing and “re-imagining” Miles Davis and Bitches Brew than Bob Belden. In 1998 he produced a four-CD box entitled The Complete Bitches Brew Sessions, which included not only the six tracks from the original 1969 double-LP, but an additional 15 different songs by more or less the same edition of the Davis ensemble that existed at that time. While working on this reissue, Belden profited from having a strong accord with Davis’ legendary producer Teo Macero. As producer for the original Bitches Brew sessions, Macero provided Belden with invaluable guidance on the work he did with Davis over the years.

Room does not permit going into too much detail about Belden’s personal catalogue. Suffice to say, he traces the evolution of the Animation group back to the late 1980s and his innovative Treasure Island big band, continuing on with material that’s had the main members of Animation on board to this day. His acclaimed releases – such as Black Dahlia, Strawberry Fields, Tapestry, Straight To My Heart: The Music Of Sting, When Doves Cry: The Music Of Prince, and Puccini’s Turandot - canvassed the 1990s musical terra firma and helped cement the foundation of his ever-changing musical aesthetic

And, along with Belden who were those musicians who added so much to the musical proceedings? Scott Kinsey, Matt Garrison, Guy Licata and DJ Logic all played major roles in the musical creation process.

Kinsey has been like an alter ego to Belden and Hagans, now making a name for himself with his innovative group Human Element and also having worked with such artists as the late Joe Zawinul (Kinsey was the only keyboardist Zawinul would share the bandstand with or let sub on gigs!), Tribal Tech with Scott Henderson, Bill Evans. Kinsey has also had soundtrack gigs with David Holmes for films such as Ocean’s Eleven through Ocean’s Thirteen.

Garrison, the son of the legendary bassist Jimmy Garrison, has worked with, among others, Jack DeJohnette, Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock and currently plays with Kinsey in Human Element. Additionally, Garrison recorded and toured in guitarist John McLaughlin’s project, The Heart of Things (Verve – 1997).

Licata’s credits include work with Bill Laswell’s Method of Defiance as well as Bernie Worrell and The Collective.

As for DJ Logic, the man’s credits run long and wide and include sizeable streaks with such names as Vernon Reid, John Mayer, Bob Weir’s Ratdog, and Medeski Martin & Wood. His background is loaded with work in and around hip-hop, funk, soul jazz and jazz.

It makes complete sense that RareNoise should be in on the production side. Co-founded by Giacomo Bruzzo and Italian musician Eraldo Bernocchi, RareNoise credits also include working with example fellow experimentalist Bill Laswell of M.O.D. Technologies. Yes, that same Bill Laswell, responsible for those radical late-’90s reconstructions and remixes of electric Miles Davis from the 1960s and ’70s.

Says Belden of RareNoise: “RareNoise is way into the music. For the first time I have a company that ‘gets it,’ and is into the music, the band and the musicians individually.” Speaking of Bruzzo, Belden adds, “He’s into progress and not nostalgia!!!”

As for the name of the album, Asiento, label-head Bruzzo says it “refers to a particular level of initiation within Santeria.” “And what is Santeria?” Bruzzo asks proverbially. “Santeria is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin. And a disciple who has passed the Asiento is considered, for the first time, a fully-fledged ‘Santero,’ a priest within the order. This point is both one of arrival and one of departure.”

Referring to the Merkin show and forthcoming album, Bruzzo concludes, “This title wants to honor the very personal importance of that evening’s performance, to declare that performance to be a point of arrival, but also a point of departure for Animation. Finally, it is to provide a reference to the music and their authors without being overly explicit or subservient.”

Listen to a complete preview of the album on

your computer or iPhone/iPad (two different links respectively)

Animation will be released in different markets around the world at different times. The album will be available via dual release as a CD Digipak and conventional digital release, as well as a uniquely mixed version of the album by 3D60 technology (www.3d60.co.uk). The CD Digipak and .flac/.mp3 formats will be available on the RareNoiseRecords website on February 22 (UK). The album will be released to all digital retailers on February 22 via IODA. The album will be officially released on April 26 as 3D60 version (CD and digital) and 5.1 surround digital. In addition, there will be a digital-only software 5.1 version and remixes of all six tracks from a variety of DJs.

Animation · Asiento

RareNoiseRecords · Release Date: April 26 (U.S. Release Date)

For more information on RareNoiseRecords, please visit http://www.rarenoiserecords.com/.

For more information, please contact:

DL Media · 610-667-0501

Jordy Freed · jordy@dlmediamusic.com