Tag Archives: jazz

August 8, 2017 · 3:24 pm

Can’t Get Enough FØNX

British artist, songwriter and producer FØNX has today released his debut single ‘Can’t Get Enough’, which was produced by Grammy award-winner Tommaso Colliva (Muse).

FØNX explains, “’Can’t Get Enough’ came about whilst I was homeless and sofa surfing for a couple of months and after a very colorful twenty-four hours, I found myself writing initial ideas for the song”.

Drawing influence from the likes of Kanye West, Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, D’Angelo, John Mayer and Tame Impala, FØNX delivers R’n’B-infused pop with jazz, funk and soul influences, merging catchy grooves, memorable hooks and intricate guitar licks with inspired lyrical content.

Coming from a musical background FØNX started learning guitar at the age of seven and was soon introduced to rap and hip hop, sparking his enthusiasm to start writing lyrics and create backing tracks from samples.

FØNX continued experimenting with music and film during a number of years of home-schooling and soon enrolled at the Brit School where he studied music.

Since leaving, FØNX has continued writing and producing his music at home, on trains, buses, in coffee shops and backstage before shows, constantly coming up with ideas for melodies and lyrics wherever he went. Playing the live circuit around London and the South East he has also performed at various festivals including Barn on The Farm, Cornbury Festival, Isle Of Wight Festival and Leefest.

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July 14, 2014 · 1:34 pm

Album Stream: Jesus on the Mainline

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NYC-based jam band Jesus On The Mainline announces the release of their debut self-titled EP. Their sound is reminiscent of rock greats The Black Crowes and Janis Joplin, while simultaneously drawing influences from blues, jazz and funk classics like Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong and Quincy Jones.  This fifteen-piece band fuses jazz, soul, bluegrass and rock for an improvisational music experience that is unique from show to show.

Lead Vocalist Andrew Neesley is an award-winning musician, who flavors this unique musical collective with his contemporary jazz background. He performed with the Grammy-nominated Bobby Sanabria Big Band, while receiving his advanced degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Jesus On The Mainline formed in 2012 in New York City and currently features a rotating cast of fifteen active members. Singers Mel Flannery, Amanda Brecker and Tim Emmerick compliment frontman Andrew Neesley’s lead vocals, while a sprawling five-piece instrumental section lead on the horns, percussion, keyboards, and guitars.

Neesley has played renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, The Apollo Theater and The Jazz Standard. He has also been awarded the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award, the Student Award for Best Engineered Studio Album for DownBeat Magazine and won the National Trumpet Competition. Jesus On The Mainline has played sold out shows at famous New York venues, such as Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge.

You can listen to the full EP stream below that Crave described as “…A rising sound that swells like a wave as it blends the spirit of Aretha Franklin into a soulful dance-romp through territories inhabited by Fitz and The Tantrums, Portugal. The Man and beyond.”

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Stream: Jesus on the Mainline 

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April 16, 2014 · 11:08 am

Check ‘Em Out: Dwight & Nicole

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Dwight & Nicole, an American roots band formed by recording artists Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson, will be self-releasing their new album, Shine On, on April 22, 2014. Shine On puts some impressive talent on display:  gorgeous vocals, developed songwriting skills, and masterful playing were all captured live at Boston’s Rear Window Studio. The delivery is often exciting, always multi-dimensional, and never run-of-the-mill. Dwight & Nicole express deep emotion effortlessly on every track of Shine On.  This will be their first major release, heavily funded by their devoted fans via music-oriented crowd-sourcing site PledgeMusic.

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Their performances have inspired comparisons to some of the greats — Etta James and John Lee Hooker, the Rolling Stones and the Staple Singers — but it is their own fresh blend of spirited blues, rock, and gospel that will land them a spot among the celebrated music makers. Following their critically acclaimed independent release !Signs, the Boston Globe called them, “a tour de force,” and named them among the “25 Most Stylish of the Year.”  They have garnered four Boston Phoenix award nominations, six Boston Music Award nominations and Nelson just nabbed a BMA for “Female Vocalist of The Year.”

In September of 2012, Nicole appeared on NBC’s #1 hit show “The Voice,” knocking out all four coaches and winning the hearts of millions with her rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The song was a hit of its own, rising to #26 on the iTunes Pop chart, and propelling a wave of nationwide appreciation for Nelson’s home grown style. The bright lights of network TV also shed much deserved light on her band—New England’s best kept secret Dwight & Nicole—helping the group to shatter through the glass ceiling that most self-promoting indie artists are up against today.

Their music has already been featured on TV shows such as “Nikita” on CW, “The Forgotten” on ABC, “Missing” on Lifetime, and “The Cleaner” on A&E.  Dwight & Nicole starred in the documentary film “Where’s The Music At?” They have performed live at countless world class venues and festivals around the world including Montreal Jazz Festival, Tanglewood, Life Is Good Festival, Symphony Hall, The Somerville Theatre, The Tennessee Theater, The Paradise, The Higher Ground, and The Blue Note in NYC.

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Dwight & Nicole have shared the stage with many other great artists including BB King, Buddy Guy, Dave Brubeck, Dr. Maya Angelou, Ray Lamontagne, Los Lobos, Alison Krauss, Martin Sexton, Levon Helm, Norah Jones, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Winton Marsalis, The Avett Brothers, Raphael Saadiq, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Carly Simon, The Funk Brothers, Maceo Parker, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Buffet, Biz Markie, Little Richard, Angelique Kidjo, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Irma Thomas, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

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April 3, 2013 · 12:52 pm

Check ‘Em Out: Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes

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Already breakout stars in their native Australia, Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes, who fuse a unique blend of soul, blues, doo-wop, jazz and R&B with Clairy’s powerful, soulful vocals at the forefront–have signed with the U.S. label Vanguard Records and will release their debut album Baby Caught The Bus on May 21. Their first single “Love Letter” is now #1 Most Added at Triple A Radio this week, while Baby Caught The Bus climbs to #15 Most Added. “Love Letter” also hit Amazon’s “Hot Singles: 20 Songs We’d Like to Date”.  The band will have their Tuesday, April 9th Los Angeles, CA show at The Troubadour taped for future airing on an episode of NBC TV’s “Last Call With Carson Daly.” On Thursday, April 11, they’ll perform live on Los Angeles’ KCSN “Afternoon Music Mix with Sky Daniels.” That can be heard in the greater Los Angeles area on 88.5fm or around the world online at www.kcsn.org.

Baby Caught The Bus is gaining strong praise from the media, in his album review for No Depression, Grant Britt declared, “Melbourne’s Clairy Brown & The Bangin’ Rackettes is the best stuff to come along in decades. This thing opens with a bang. ‘Love Letter’ leaps out at you like a Stax 45, blowing you back to the ‘60s through a funky time warp. Baby Caught The Bus is a treasure trove for r&b lovers, a ‘60s time capsule, a show and dance ensemble concept  that’s been away far too long. Import this one to your collection immediately for maximum satisfaction.”
The group just launched their U.S. tour at SXSW in Austin and are already blowing away U.S. audiences. In his live review for Bust Magazine at SXSW, writer Christian Detres described the group’s performance “With a peal of trumpet and a trill on a snare, Clairy Browne and her girls ginned up a stompy 60s revival that had the crowd dancing and spilling their vodka lemonades all over the floor.”
Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes first gained international attention when “Love Letter” was featured in Heineken’s award-winning campaign The Switch and has surpassed 1 million views online!

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July 20, 2012 · 11:29 am

Video: Black Strobe – “Boogie in Zero Gravity”

“a steamy, sweaty basement jam streaked with rivulets of disco-funk.”– SPIN Magazine

Jazzy electronica? Yes, please!

Black Strobe released EP Boogie in Zero Gravity, the third and strongest in a series of EP releases this year on Black Strobe Records. Black Strobe, a phrase which aptly calls to mind a darker envisioning of airy, superficial dance music, is spearheaded by prolific musician Arnaud Rebotini. The EP builds off Rebotini’s record as a pioneering artist in the genre of post-apocalyptic electronica, as well as his 2007 foray into blues-rock with the acclaimed LP Burn Your Own Church. Rebotini does not hesitate to blend elements of both genres on this new EP – creating an addictively groovy mix of jazzy riffs and ambient electronica beats where smoky vocals and blues guitar solos are just as prominent as the irresistible beat loops that put Black Strobe’s name on the map back in the 90’s. The EP also features four stellar remixes from nu-disco producers all over the world – listen to them now!

Listen: Black Strobe – “Boogie in Zero Gravity” (Extended Version + Remixes)

A prelude to a single release in November and a brand new full length in 2013, Boogie in Zero Gravity represents not just the next step in the journey of an electronic legend but the birth of a new, funky and uncontrived house sound that is bound to explode upon its release into the world of EDM.

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December 14, 2011 · 11:22 am

Awesome Sauce: Asher Roth’s Pabst & Jazz Sessions

Asher and company appropriately rap over a beat that features a gang of live instrumentation and a nice, long outro.

Download: Asher Roth feat. Hassani Kwess & Kenny Keys – “Pabst & Jazz”

He’ll be leaking a different song every day this week from his Tumblr, so check back for more.

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December 1, 2009 · 7:25 pm

Mad Caddies Show

I'm no photographer, but I tried!

As soon as I found out punk-ska group Mad Caddies were coming to town, I was pulling out the datebook and marking it down. I’ve been a fan for years, and had no idea that they were even touring.

The band formed in 1995 in California, and they’ve got 6 albums to date. (They’ve also got 6 band members…what if they added on a bandmate for every new album? Hmmm…)

Anyways, I told some friends about the show and convinced them to come. A couple of them didn’t know their music, and asked what kind they play. That’s actually a tougher question that you’d originally think. I mean, they are ska. They are punk. But, they’re also many others in between such as swing, reggae, and jazz. Put it all together in a blender and you’ve got a MAD freakin’ time!

I prepared for the show for about a week by digging out my old Caddies albums and dancing around my apartment. I was really pumped. The night of the show I had sushi and cocktails beforehand and got to the venue right in time. The band had just started their first song of the set.

The crowd was perfect. What made it even more awesome was that a lot of them knew the words to the songs! Hooray! The band did a great job of being lively on stage, especially Ed Hernandez on his trombone. He stood out on the edge poking that thing out into the crowd, lovingly. There were at total of 3 songs that I was praying to hear: “Wet Dog”, “Backyard”, and “Drinking for 11”. They DID play the latter (which I figured there was a good  chance of hearing that one because it may very well be their most popular song), and I DID love dancing and singing the words. I tried to yell out to them “WET DOG! WET DOG!” but they couldn’t hear me.

Regardless of not hearing the other 2 songs, they did play a brand new song and they still put on a great show. They made a couple new fans in my friends out of it, too. AND if I heard correctly, they’re planning to come out with a new album next year!

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April 2, 2009 · 1:47 pm

Have You Heard…?

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If you were at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, hopefully you got a chance to catch Melissa McClelland. Her third album Victoria Day is being released this month.

From her website:

Melissa and husband/producer Luke Doucet masterfully deliver us rebel-rouser guitars in 1950s Hollywood- style infused with a southern-country twang.

The songs capture all of the beauty and charm of the girl next door while lacing the punch at the sock hop with home-made moonshine.

We know you’ll be fall down drunk in love with it and can’t wait for you to see Melissa perform these songs live — check out her shows in Ontario with Justin Rutledge and shows out west with Jason Plumb.

She’s worked with Randy Newman, Bruce Springsteen, and she used to be backup for Sarah MacLaughlin.

I was really entertained and liked what Uptown Magazine had to say:

This is what Jewel might have become if she hadn’t gone to pop-radio hell. Melissa McClelland is a singer-songwriter at heart – she’s been doing it since she was four years old – but she also isn’t afraid to kick in a little distortion, play with drum loops or experiment with her sound. The result is a mixture of slow, woman-with-guitar tunes and uptempo plugged-in tracks that push the folk/guitar-pop envelope.

 Have a listen to one of the song’s from her new album, “Glen Rio” here.

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March 12, 2009 · 9:04 am

Your Soul Wants to Dance

After waiting a few years, Tortured Soul is set for their sophomore album release on the 24th. Their debut Introducing had lots of people talking, amazed with the new aspect of LIVE house music.  

Now, Did You Miss Me is a 13 track continuation of Introducing. It’s being released on their own new label, TSTC Records.

Here’s a couple things that have been said about Tortured Soul:

“The future of house music…you have to see them live.” – Gilles Peterson, Radio 1

“Tortured Soul create blissed-out tracks that curl around your head like cigarette smoke.” – XLR8R

 

Incorporating soul with pop and dance, Tortured Soul has dance-able tracks with jazz elements. They’re hitting up some awesome cities this spring, including Pittsburgh, so I’m definitely going to try to make this show.

Here’s their touring schedule:

03/07: Atlanta, GA @ Apache Cafe
03/27: New York, NY @ Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza
04/04: West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
05/19: New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
05/21: Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
05/22: Chicago, IL @ Double Door
05/23: Detroit, MI @ Cliff Bells
05/24: Pittsburgh, PA @ Shadow Lounge
05/28: Allston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry
05/30: Baltimore, MD @ The 8 x 10
06/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Los Angeles Memorial
You can also check out their website and MySpace

Free download of title track, “Did You Miss Me”

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