- Artists join radio personality and SJ.com founder Sandy Shore for a track by track tour of their new recordings the weekend before release
- Ease back with contemporary jazz greats Al Jarreau, Lisa McClowry, Gerald Albright and Norman Brown
- Listen anywhere live on the SJ.com iPhone and iPad app
Monterey, CA - May, 30 2012 - Summer’s sultry temps are sure to chill with never before heard smooth tunes debuting on SmoothJazz.com this season. Always on the cutting edge, the SJ.com crew brings the music before fans can even purchase it. Global audiences will hear every track two days before the album is available with commentary from Sandy Shore and the artist.
“It’s truly an honor to be invited to play the full album of major recording artists on our station first,” said Sandy Shore, founder of SmoothJazz.com. “The SJ.com crew is also very excited that the summer premieres will reach a new audience with our new iPhone and iPad apps.”
Lisa McClowry : Sings Acoustic Alchemy
Release date : June 12, 2012
Musical synergy is a delicate thing- but when it’s right the results are breathtaking. Such is the collaboration of International Vocalist Of The Year nominee Lisa McClowry on her brand new cd- Lisa McClowry Sings Acoustic Alchemy. By teaming up with the award winning British instrumental group, the two entities have created magic.
The strong melodies of the Acoustic Alchemy’s most well- loved songs have now met with the lyrical skills of Lisa and Grammy- winning producer/ songwriter (“Eye Of The Tiger”), Jim Peterik and Lisa’s four octave range to evoke many shivers up the spine moments.
Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale- Acoustic Alchemy add their guitar prowess to every song making the tracks sparkle with their unmistakeable syle.
“It was a thrill for me to stretch my boundaries as a vocalist on this project,” states Lisa. “Because Acoustic Alchemy’s songs are so broad- based I can legitimately hop between genres- smooth jazz,(“Teach You Tonight”) new age,(“Celebration Day”) gospel, (“Brand New Halleluja’) r & b/ Hot AC (Come Inside) – pop (“Beautiful Mess) and even to country,(“Love Me Back Home’) without losing the coherency of the musical thread.”
Gerald Albright & Norman Brown : 24/7
Release date : June 19, 2012
Contemporary jazz greats Gerald Albright and Norman Brown have been working overtime to produce “24/7,” their first album together. This June 19, 2012 release on Concord Jazz offers ten killer soul-jazz tracks of music that never sleeps.
Ever since the debut of Norman Brown’s critically acclaimed 2002 album, “Just Chillin’” – which won a GRAMMY® in the Best Pop Instrumental Category – this innovative and original guitarist has been front and center in the fast evolving fusion of pop, R&B and jazz that has captured the imagination of true music aficionados across the country and around the world.
On “24/7,” Brown teams up with saxophone master Gerald Albright, whose high-profile recordings have established the Los Angeles-based musician as one of the most prominent artists and a true “musicians' musician.” Whether he is playing contemporary or straight-ahead jazz, Albright stands in a class all by himself. His 2010 release, “Pushing The Envelope,” received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
Al Jarreau : Al Jarreau and the MetropoleOrkest
Release date : June 19, 2012
Al Jarreau has little interest in boundaries or preconceived limitations. Since the mid-1970s, this versatile singer hasapplied his distinctive and instantly recognizable vocal style – a unique combination of lyrical swing and captivating vocalese – to a broad spectrum of musical genres. With this eclectic approach, he has earned much success along the way – enough to position him as the only vocalist in history to claim Grammy Awards in the three distinct genres of jazz, pop and R&B.
After nearly five decades of recording and performing, at an age when many artists are coasting if not retiring altogether, Jarreau continues to take his music to new and different places, literally and figuratively. The most recent chapter in this journey is Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest - Live, a collection of the best performances from a two-night engagement at the Theater aan de Parade, located in Den Bosch, Netherlands. The recording finds Jarreau onstage with a 53-pieceorchestra from northern Europe whose collective expertise encompasses the best elements of classical music, American jazz and all the nuanced places in between. Al Jarreau and the Metropole Orkest – Live is set for release on Concord Records on June 19, 2012.
Led by conductor and arranger Vince Mendoza (winner of numerous Grammys in his own right), the album makes its way through 11 songs from Jarreau’s vast body of work – but this time with full orchestral arrangements that force even the most die-hard Jarreau fan to hear them in a new way.
“A lot of people will have heard these songs before, but never in quite this way,” says Jarreau. “This orchestra places them in an entirely new setting. There are new phrases andinterpretations here. There are solos that they didn’t hear on the original recordings. What comes through loud and clear is that you can reinvent and reinvigorate and restore existing music and make it into a completely contemporary experience.”
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Contact Info:
Ryan Whaley
970-485-0670
Keep updated on mobile and wifi options at www.smoothjazz.com/mobile/
Keep updated on mobile and wifi options at www.smoothjazz.com/mobile/
