Lionel Loueke: Heritage (2012)

On August 28, the acclaimed West African jazz guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke released Heritage, his dynamic third Blue Note album, which was co-produced by label mate Robert Glasper. Heritage finds Loueke who was hailed by The New York Times as a gentle virtuoso exploring a more electric sound with a new trio featuring Derrick Hodge on electric bass and Mark Guiliana on drums. The album presents seven new compositions by Loueke, two by Glasper, and one co-written by the two. Glasper also contributes piano and keyboards to six tracks, while singer Gretchen Parlato provides background vocals on two tracks.
A veteran of bands led by Terence Blanchard and Herbie Hancock, Loueke is bringing jazz into vibrant contact with the sounds of West Africa, in particular his native Benin. The title Heritage is a direct reference to his personal odyssey. "I have two heritages," Loueke says. "One is from my ancestors from Africa, and that goes through my music, my body, my soul, every aspect of what I do. But also I have the heritage from the Occident, from the West, from Europe and the U.S. I speak English, I speak French, and I have that heritage too. I called this album Heritage because I've been blessed by all different parts of the world, and most of the songs reflect that."
"Robert is a true genius," says Loueke of his producer and friend, "and I knew that he'd be the right person. I like a musician who surprises me all the time. We're good friends and we're both open, and that's when the magic happens." Loueke has performed as a special guest with the Robert Glasper Trio, and was in fact an original member of the Robert Glasper Experiment when it first formed. -Amazon

Tracklist:

01.Ife
02.Ouidah
03.Tribal Dance
04.Hope
05.Freedom Dance
06.Chardon
07.Farafina
08.African Ship
09.Goree
10.Bayyinah

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[By Request] Gregoire Maret: ST (2012)

Before he even hit 30 years of age, Grégoire Maret became the most sought after harmonica player behind legends Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder. Influenced by both, Maret has managed to find his own voice on the instrument. His capability to play almost anything has created a steady flow of collaboration with musicians from the jazz, pop, rock, funk & R&B worlds, who call upon Maret's mastery to add his unique sound.

Born May 13, 1975 in Geneva, Switzerland to a Swiss father and American mother, Maret began his musical career as a harmonica player at age 17. He attended Geneva's prestigious Collège de Saussure and the Superior Conservatory of Music. In 1995, he made the critical decision to move to New York City and pursue his studies at the New School For Social Research, Jazz Program, where he graduated with a BA in Music in 1998, and has been on the move ever since.

Grégoire has recorded, performed and toured with many musical greats, including Reggie Workman, Charles Tolliver, Charles Fambrough, Patato Valdez, Max Roach, Tito Puente, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Pete la Roca, and Ray Brown, David Sanborn, Jimmy Scott, Jacky Terrasson, John Hicks, Idris Muhammad, Onaje Allan Gumbs, Mino Cinelu, Anita Baker, Bebel Gilberto, Leon Parker, Bruce Cockburn, George Benson, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Eric Revis and Andy Milne's Dapp Theory.

Currently residing in New York, Grégoire can either be seen on the road, or performing and recording with renowned jazz artists such as Cassandra Wilson, Charlie Hunter, Steve Coleman, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ravi Coltrane, and the Pat Metheny Group. Maret is currently touring around the world with journeyman bass guitarist and Grammy winner Marcus Miller.

Tracklist:

1. Lucilla's Dream
2. The Secret Life of Plants
3. The Man I Love (feat. Cassandra Wilson)
4. Travels

Crepuscule Suite
5. 5:37 PM (Intro)
6. Crepuscule (feat. Marcus Miller)
7. 4:28 AM (Outro)
8. Manha Du Sol (feat. Raul Midon, Tami Samantha Hayes)
9. Prayer (feat. Mark Kibble, Alvin Chea)
10. Lembra De Mim

Children's Suite
11. The Womb
12. Children's Song
13. Outro
14. O Amor E O Meu Pais (feat. Toots Thielemans)
15. Ponta De Areia

Personnel:

Gregoire Maret: harmonica, vocals
Federico G Pena: piano, taicho harp, percussion, vocals
James Genus: electric bass, vocals, acoustic bass
Clarence Penn: drums, vocals
Brandon Ross: soprano acoustic guitar, 6- and-12 string acoustic guitar
Jean-Christophe Maillard: acoustic guitar, taicho harp
Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums
Alfredo Mojica: percussion
Bashiri Johnson: percussion
Mino Cinelu: percussion
Cassandra Wilson: vocals
Stephanie Decailet: violin
Johannes Rose: viola
Fabrice Loyal: cello
Marcus Miller: fretless bass
Toots Thielemans: harmonica
Robert Kubiszyn: acoustic bass
Gretchen Parlato: voice
Janelle Gill, Adia Gill, Clyde Gill, Micai Gill: vocals
Soumas Heritage School of Music Ensemble
Sinfonia Viva Orchestra

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Marcus Miller: Renaissance (2012)

An album entitled Renaissance is long overdue for the widely acclaimed Renaissance Man Marcus Miller. In among the most enviable careers in music, Miller is a two-time Grammy-winner and the composer/producer of ten critically acclaimed and genre-defying albums (seven studio and three live). Even the most devoted follower may be astonished to realise that Renaissance is only his eighth studio project since his 1983 debut, Suddenly, considering the abundance of occasions Miller's name has appeared within album credits and that he has dazzled with performances, compositions and productions in the company of some of the world s most respected and accomplished players and superstars - from the mid-'70s to the present. As a multi-instrumentalist, Marcus is highly proficient as a keyboardist, clarinetist/bass clarinetist and, primarily, as a world-renowned electric bassist, topping critics' and readers' polls for three decades. His resume as an A-list player brims with over 500 recording credits as a sideman on albums across the spectrum of musical styles: rock (Donald Fagen and Eric Clapton), Jazz (George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Sample, Wayne Shorter and Grover Washington, Jr.), pop (Roberta Flack, Paul Simon and Mariah Carey), R&B (Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan), hip hop (Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg), blues (Z.Z. Hill), new wave (Billy Idol), smooth jazz (Al Jarreau and Dave Koz) and opera (collaborations with tenor Kenn Hicks and soprano Kathleen Battle). As a film music pro, Miller rose from writing the go-go party classic 'Da Butt' for Spike Lee's 'School Daze' to becoming the go-to composer for 20+ films (from the documentary 1 Love to the animated children's fable The Trumpet and The Swan to the Eddie Murphy/Halle Berry classic Boomerang ). As a producer, writer and player, he was the last primary collaborator of jazz legend Miles Davis, contributing the composition and album 'Tutu' to the canon of contemporary jazz music. The breadth of his collaborative talents were best showcased in his work with the late, great soul man Luther Vandross, contributing to well over half of his albums as a producer, composer and/or player on a string of hits capped by 'Power of Love/Love Power' for which Marcus won his first Grammy, 1991's R&B Song of the Year. And starting with David Sanborn's 1980 album Hideaway and its follow-up Voyeur (for which the alto sax giant won a Grammy performing Marcus' composition 'All I Need is You', Marcus not only left an indelible mark on Sanborn's distinctive sound, he laid the often-copied blueprint for the coolest of contemporary jazz sounds. Style, soul and intense professionalism have set Marcus Miller at the top of his game for three decades now. Marcus was born in 1959 and raised in a musical family that includes his father, William Miller (a church organist and choir director) and jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. By 13, Marcus was proficient on clarinet, piano and bass guitar, and already writing songs. Two years later he was working regularly in New York City, eventually playing bass and writing music for jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey and keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith. Miller soon became a top call session musician, gracing well over 500 albums, recording with musicians and in countries around the globe - from Frank Sinatra and Elton John to Bill Withers and LL Cool J. After two R&B-leaning solo albums for Warner Bros. in the '80s followed by co-leading The Jamaica Boys (with drummer Lenny White and singer Mark Stevens), Marcus took a hiatus then returned rejuvenated with the galvanizing The Sun Don't Lie (1993) and Tales (1995), both of which found him brilliantly connecting the dots of Black music's evolution. Following the fan-demanded Live and More in 1997, Miller released M2 ('M-Squared') on his own 3 Deuces Records label. -- Amazon.co.uk

Tracklist:
01. Detroit [5:46]
02. Redemption [6:09]
03. February [4:15]
04. Slippin' Into Darkness [9:17]
05. Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song) [feat. Gretchen Parlato & Ruben Blades] [6:39]
06. Jekyll & Hyde [6:30]
07. Interlude - Nocturnal Mist [1:16]
08. Revelation [4:46]
09. Mr. Clean [5:01]
10. Goree (Go-ray) [5:38]
11. Cee-Tee-Eye [7:39]
12. Tightrope (feat. Dr. John) [5:46]
13. I'll Be There [3:48]
Personnel:
Marcus Miller - bass, fretless bass, bass clarinet, acoustic bass
Louis Cato - drums
Kris Bowers - piano, fender rhodes
Adam Agati - guitar
Alex Han - alto sax
Maurice Brown - trumpet
Federico Gonzales Pena - fender rhodes, piano
Adam Rogers - guitar, acoustic guitar
Sean Jones - trumpet
Gretchen Parlato - vocals
Ruben Blades - vocals
Ramon Yslas - percussion
Bobby Sparks - organ
Paul Jackson, Jr. - guitar
Dr. John - vocals
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Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society (2012)

It has not taken Esperanza Spalding long to emerge as one of the brightest lights in the musical world. Listeners familiar with her stunning 2008 Heads Up International debut, Esperanza, and her best-selling 2010 release Chamber Music Society, were well aware that the young bassist, vocalist and composer from Portland, Oregon was the real deal, with a unique and style-spanning presence, deeply rooted in jazz yet destined to make her mark far beyond the jazz realm. That judgment was confirmed on February 13, 2011, when Spalding became the first jazz musician to receive the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist. With the release of Radio Music Society, her most diverse, ambitious and masterful recital yet. Each of the 12 songs are accompanied by conceptual music videos, which further express Esperanza's inspiration and story behind each track. Shot in various locations including New York City; Barcelona, Spain; and Portland, Oregon; all videos will be available to purchasers of Radio Music Society as a digital download or a DVD on the deluxe version.

Radio Music Society is a companion, rather than a sequel, to Spalding's previous disc, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. "Originally I thought it would be fun to release a double album," she explains, "One disc with an intimate, subtle exploration of chamber works and a second one in which jazz musicians explore song forms and melodies that are formatted more along the lines of what we would categorize as "pop songs." Those are the two things that really interest me, and it intrigues me to think about different presentation approaches while writing each kind of song. On the pop song side, I think about listeners who aren't into jazz, but I also think about the people within my musical community who can interpret each idea best." "Art doesn't thrive with too much analyzing and explaining," Esperanza Spalding notes, "The idea of `radio music' is very broad." Radio Music Society is destined to expand the concept even further, not to mention the horizons of the music world's most exceptional young artist.

Among its many strengths, Radio Music Society is a celebration of the men and women who have helped cultivate Spalding's talent, as well as those who have nurtured her vision and inspired her along the way. "I've had the honor and blessing of working with so many phenomenal jazz musicians over the years," she says. "As I've gotten to know them and their music, I've grown to love them as family and colleagues. I wished for an opportunity for us all to interpret songs together, so that they can be heard and received by a larger audience. That music is realized by many of the brilliant musicians who are part of Spalding's ever-expanding universe. In addition to longtime partners Lovano, keyboard player Leo Genovese and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, the ranks contain jazz legends Jack DeJohnette and Billy Hart; guitar heroes Jef Lee Johnson and Lionel Loueke; an array of master vocalists including Algebra Blessett, Lalah Hathaway, Gretchen Parlato, Leni Stern and Becca Stevens; hip-hop giant Q-Tip (who performs on and co-produced two tracks); and two Portland-based musicians, Janice Scroggins and Dr. Thara Memory, who provided essential mentorship in Spalding's youth.

Tracklist:

1. Radio Song
2. Cinnamon Tree
3. Crowned & Kissed
4. Land Of The Free
5. Black Gold
6. I Can't Help It
7. Hold On Me
8. Vague Suspicions
9. Endangered Species
10. Let Her
11. City Of Roses
12. Smile Like That

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