In This Issue

HIROMI

She is a huge fan of Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane, but she also loves pop music. And from the moment Jessy J hit the stage in Fresno, California for the first time as a member of super producer/guitarist Paul Brown’s live band on Valentine’s Day 2006, the love fest between the saxophonist/vocalist has been flowing nonstop.

Now, she has taken things to the next level, stepping out under the Tequila Moon on her Paul Brown produced Peak Records debut that brings to the genre a fresh and inspired energy. Jessy offers tastes of pop, jazz, Latin and even Brazilian music on this disc. In addition to label mate and producer, Paul Brown on acoustic guitar, Tequila Moon features performances by some of L.A.’s most renowned musicians: keyboardists Gregg Karukas, Ricky Peterson and KiKi Ebsen; bassist Roberto Vally; and drummers Oscar Seaton, Dave Beyer and Sergio Gonzales.

Jessy J., whose real name is Jessica Spinella, was born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Hemet, California. A true prodigy, she began playing piano at age four, picking up the saxophone a bit later. “There was always music playing in our house because, like food and dancing, it’s such a part of the Latin culture.” Jessy graduated from USC with a degree in jazz studies and without haste, began recording sessions with artists like Michael Buble and Jessica Simpson. She also toured with The Temptations (2005-2006) and currently tours as saxophonist and backing vocalist for Michael Bolton, in addition to her work with two of Mexico’s most popular artists, Gloria Trevi and Amando Manzenero.

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The event was simply billed as “Willie Nelson Sings the Blues,” but the historic two-night stand on January 12 and 13, 2007 at Jazz at Lincoln Center was far more than that. Call it a summit meeting between two American icons, Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, two of the most significant figures in modern-day country and jazz, who discovered common ground in their love for jazz standards and the blues. Their performance stirred the sounds of New Orleans, Nashville, Austin and New York City into a brilliantly programmed mix that was equal parts down-home and cosmopolitan, with plenty of swing and just a touch of melancholy. To say that these shows were a hot ticket would be an understatement. Luckily, the tapes were rolling and the results of this unique collaboration now constitute the Blue Note album Two Men With The Blues for everyone who couldn’t cram into The Allen Room.

Nelson’s appearance was the highlight of the aptly named 2006-07 Singers Over Manhattan series, which Jazz at Lincoln Center produced and set against the breathtaking backdrop of The Allen Room. The venue, at Columbus Circle in New York City, features a two-story glass wall behind the stage, so that artists perform in front of a classic New York City nighttime tableau: taxis streaming around Columbus Circle, the lights of Upper East Side apartments beyond Central Park, and the moon rising over it all. Assembled before this ever-changing backdrop were Nelson in his elegant southwest regalia; his longtime sideman, harmonica player Mickey Raphael, dressed for the occasion in a suit and tie; and the always suave Marsalis, with his quartet pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Ali Jackson and saxophonist Walter Blanding.

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MARILYN SCOTT

he alto sax man was from the small combo era of the 1950’s and helped popularize the soul-jazz style of the 60’s. He came to define all that was vibrant and hip in jazz in the 70’s, inspiring subsequent generations of saxophonists who sought to bring light and truth to their own playing. He was an articulate speaker with an easy manner; Cannonball not only entertained us, he educated, amused, and informed his audiences in clubs and on television about the art and moods of jazz.

Originally from Tampa, Florida and an alumnus of Florida A&M University, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, a legend in his home state, moved to New York City in 1955, joined the Miles Davis sextet in 1957, and played on the seminal recordings Milestones and Kind of Blue. And the rest is, as they say, history!

Cannon Re-loaded: An All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley is straight up feel good music. It’s timeless and seamless, a true collaboration – a blending of musical skills and kindred spirits. This brilliantly realized homage to Adderly’s still thriving legacy is now known as the ultimate jazz dream team of Tom Scott, Terence Blanchard, George Duke, Marcus Miller, Steve Gadd, Dave Carpenter and Larry Goldings. Produced by famed drummer/producer Gregg Field and leader saxophonist Tom Scott, the collection features fresh, in the moment interpretations of eight instrumentals popularized by Cannonball, plus a very special guest appearance by the incomparable songstress Nancy Wilson, who magnificently reprises two songs from her classic 1961 recording Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley.

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INCOGNITO

As I listened with my heart and not my head, allowing my senses to inform my consciousness, I found myself struggling, without success, to separate Lalah from Lyndah in the sense that what I heard was as much my story as it was hers. From conceptualization to implementation and in her signature laidback style, Lalah Hathaway presents a body of work that speaks to the soul, that formless aspect of the human, our being, which is our core self.

In a recent conversation with Ms. Hathaway, she spoke candidly about her new project, Self Portrait. I’m wondering, as we speak about this and that, if this album was created by design as a resource for self-exploration. So, I asked. “You know, I don’t think so,” was Lalah’s response. “I’m just talking about what my life has been like for the last few years. One of my good friends who was hanging out with me while I was making the record said, ‘you know, I was listening to it (the record) in my car and I realized that it is sooo relate-able.’ I remembered thinking that I’m just talking about regular stuff; Things we can all relate to because we’re all going through something. We’re all experiencing life; we’re all changing and growing. And, we all feel stunted at times and need to let go of things and breathe. That’s why I believe it is really relate-able.”

Self Portrait, Lalah’s fourth solo project, will be released on June 3rd 2008 and calls upon the talents of co-writer/vocalist Rahsaan Patterson, vocalist Sandra St. Victor, and producers Terrace Martin, Kenneth Crouch, and Paula Gallitano. This project also brought Lalah together again with noted producer Rex Rideout, who spearheaded the Forever, For Always, For Luther tribute albums. “My intent with this project,” Hathaway notes, “is the same all the time; to tell the truth and create something that will last. Some of those songs were written over ten years ago, like the track Learning To Swim. I wrote that in ’95. I keep everything [I write] because it usually ends up on a record.”

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