jazz and jazzy

Jamiroquai - Live at Montreux (2007)

2008-04-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Jamiroquai - Live at Montreux (2007)

Product Description
Jamiroquai are one of the most successful British acts to come out of the nineties. In America, they have sold 2.5 million albums, bolstered on the strength of their breakout album "Traveling Without Moving". The band deliver a blistering two-hour plus set crammed with hit singles and much loved album tracks led from the front by Jay Kay's charisma, movement and compulsory headgear.

Tracklisting
1) Use The Force
2) Canned Heat
3) Cosmic Girl
4) Little L
5) Blow Your Mind
6) High Times
7) Traveling Without Moving
8) Butterfly
9) Shoot The Moon
10) Soul Education
11) Just Another Story
12) Mr Moon
13) Alright
14) Love Foolosophy
15) Deeper Underground

Bonus Track from 1995: 1) Space Cowboy

Got The SONGS

Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond : Time Out [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

2008-04-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

Time Out [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Boasting the first jazz instrumental to sell a million copies, the Paul Desmond-penned "Take Five," Time Out captures the celebrated jazz quartet at the height of both its popularity and its powers. Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with "Take Five," the album features another one of the group's signature compositions, "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Though influenced by the West Coast-cool school, Brubeck's greatest interest and contribution to jazz was the use of irregular meters in composition, which he did with great flair. Much of the band's appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band's already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era. --Fred Goodman

Got The SONGS

1. Blue Rondo A La Turk
2. Strange Meadow Lark
3. Take Five
4. Three To Get Ready
5. Kathy's Waltz
6. Everybody's Jumpin'
7. Pick Up Sticks

Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz Jazz Samba [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

2008-04-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz Jazz Samba [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Guitarist Charlie Byrd was invited to travel and play in Brazil during a cultural goodwill tour sponsored by the Kennedy administration in 1961. He was completely enamoured by the music, and when he returned, he headed straight for the recording studio to make the now classic Jazz Samba. Collaborating with Stan Getz on tenor sax and backed by a band that included Gene Byrd (bass, guitar), Keter Betts (bass), and Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach (drums), Byrd forged a new and brilliant sound. American record companies were to churn out hundreds of watered bossa-pop albums that have since given the style its lounge-addled image, but this album stands as a tribute to the vitality and adaptability of jazz. --Louis Gibson

Got The SONGS

This is the album that kicked off the bossa nova craze in the US over 40 years ago. In the hands of lesser musicians this style could degenerate into lightweight cocktail music, but not here. Stan Getz's feathery, soft saxophone playing weaves beautiful melodies over the swaying, dancing Brazilian rhythms. Charlie Byrd's is terrific on the acoustic guitar and the tunes will get stuck in your head after 3 spins or less. The only possible complaint is the short playing time -- a mere 35 minutes.

The Very Best of Diana Krall takes many of the old "standards" and gives them a new presentation with her jazzy vocals, superb keyboard work, and high quality back-up arrangements by either a small combo or a full orchestra. Krall says that Peggy Lee has been a strong influence on her performance style and you can hear it on "Peel Me A Grape." But there's also a Sarah Vaughan quality to "Frim Fram Sauce," that is really delightful. Highly recommended for decompressing from a tough day or as background for a sensuous seduction plan or the successrful morning after.

Playboy Jazz After Dark

2008-04-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

Playboy Jazz After Dark

Disc: 1 Amazon Music Sampler Windows Media
1. In The Wee Small Hours Of the Morning - Gene Harris
2. Prelude To A Kiss - Duke Ellington
3. Everything Happens To Me - Gene Harris
4. My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis
5. Why Was I Born - Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
6. The Peacocks - Howard Alden
7. Spring Is Here - Stan Getz
8. Blue In Green - Bill Evan
9. Angel Eyes - Scott Hamilton L
10. Corcovado (Quiet Nights) - Charlie Byrd & Ken Peplowski

Got The SONGS

Product Description
The ultimate 2-CD collection of late-nite, mood-setting jazz, featuring classic performances by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday! Playboy Jazz label. 2003.

Dianne Reeves : The Best of Dianne Reeves

2008-04-27T04:08:00.000-07:00

Dianne Reeves : The Best of Dianne Reeves

This collection summarizes vocalist Dianne Reeves's greatest hits from 1987 to 2001. A stunning contralto, Reeves was one of the best jazz-based singers to emerge from the late 20th century. This disc captures her wide musical palette. Of course, her biggest hit, "Better Days" (a.k.a. "The Grandma Song"), is included here. Reeves's love of Latin music shines through on her version of Mongo Santamaria's "Afro-Blue," and her ballad artistry illuminates Reeve's soul-wrenching composition "Endangered Species" shows off her spiritual side, and "Testify" showcases her uplifting aura. Also included are Reeves's passionate reading of Joni Mitchell's "River" and a heartfelt version of "You Taught My Heart to Sing.""Misty." Both are released here for the first time in the U.S. Add keyboardists Billy Childs, Mulgrew Miller, and George Duke, and you have a complete aural portrait of Dianne Reeves. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Got The SONGS

Product Description
During the same decade that saw the passing of so many great female jazz vocalists- Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter and others- a handful of new singers arrived in the '90s to carry the torch into the future. One of the most significant singers to come into her own in the last ten years is Dianne Reeves. Blue Note focuses attention on Reeves' brilliant career with The Best of Dianne Reeves.

Two of the tunes on The Best of Dianne Reeves have never been released in the U.S. before: Dianne's stunning take on Joni Mitchell's "River," an out-take from her Grammy-winning CD, In The Moment-Live In Concert from 2000, and a sublime rendition of the Johnny Burke/Erroll Garner classic, "Misty," available only on the Japanese release of The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan from 2001.

Angels of Shanghai : Bob James

2008-04-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

Angels of Shanghai : Bob James

Product Description
Legendary jazz artist Bob James presents his newest project, featuring Nathan East, Harvey Mason, Jack Lee and Lewis Pragasam. A unique East meets West musical exploration - contemporary jazz artists interacting with young musicians from Shanghai performing on traditional Chinese instruments. Ancient sounds blend with modern technology and creativity to produce an experience with no boundaries. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Got The SONGS

This project pairs smooth jazz keyboardist/composer Bob James and his Fourplay bandmates bassist Nathan East (who sings on the ballad "Endless Time") and drummer Harvey Mason, with guitarist Jack Lee and the Angels of Shanghai, who are masters of the er-hu, a two-string violin, the lute-like pipa, a harp-zither called a guzheng, and the dizi bamboo flute. James' sympathetic pianisms best blend with the Sinocentric sonorities and syncopations on the hip-notic "Gulangyu Island" the Asian and French-inflected "Melodia: A Quiet Place for Two" and "Angela with Purple Bamboo," a Silk Road update of James' beloved theme from the TV show Taxi. "By combining the spirit of American jazz with the beauty of traditional Chinese instruments by absorbing and learning from this rich Eastern cultural heritage,"" James writes in the liner notes, "I have sought to explore ways that we would communicate openly and freely; improvising and sharing our discoveries."

Michael Franks : Rendezvous in Rio

2008-04-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

Michael Franks : Rendezvous in Rio

As one of the prime movers in that select sub-group of white folk-pop singers who have found a home in Brazilian style (Kenny Rankin is a "similar urban AOR rival," to quote a customer review), contemporary jazz artist Michael Franks has aged pretty well--if not all that gracefully. As a guy who resorts to couplets like "The clothes on my back/Are too Pasternak," he probably shouldn't be waxing philosophical about how "feeble" and "pedantic" critics are ("The Critics Are Never Kind," a musical-derived number on which Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Degas commiserate).

Got The SONGS

Franks also makes music his subject too often for his own good, celebrating "The Cool School" in self-congratulatory fashion and the first time he heard "Take Five"--he says Dave Brubeck's beloved version, though his use of bleating smooth jazz saxist Eric Marienthal to evoke the great Paul Desmond makes you wonder. But his vocals are breezy and intimate, and the instrumental settings provided by a cast including guitarist Chuck Loeb and keyboardist David Sancious are attractive without being too slick. Fans whose "inner harmony always turns blue in the end" won't be able to resist the wistful pull of the songs.

The Very Best of Diana Krall

2008-04-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

The Very Best of Diana Krall

Product Description
The first collection of her greatest recordings plus 3 tracks previously unavailable on any Diana Krall CD!

Featuring tracks such as: I've Got You Under My Skin, Peel Me a Grape, The Heart of Saturday Night, The Look of Love and more!
Got The SONGS

The Very Best of Diana Krall takes many of the old "standards" and gives them a new presentation with her jazzy vocals, superb keyboard work, and high quality back-up arrangements by either a small combo or a full orchestra. Krall says that Peggy Lee has been a strong influence on her performance style and you can hear it on "Peel Me A Grape." But there's also a Sarah Vaughan quality to "Frim Fram Sauce," that is really delightful. Highly recommended for decompressing from a tough day or as background for a sensuous seduction plan or the successrful morning after.

Call Me Irresponsible-Michael Buble

2008-02-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

Call Me Irresponsible-Michael Buble

It's no coincidence that Michael Bublé's new album starts with just his voice and some fingersnaps on "The Best Is Yet to Come," a song made famous by Frank Sinatra. The Canadian smoothie looks longingly towards early-'60s Vegas, an impression quickly reinforced when a boisterous horn section makes its grand entrance, about 20 seconds into the track. That Bublé means business is confirmed by the second cut, a fast-paced take on Henry Mancini's "It Had Better Be Tonight," and of course by the CD's very title, another song identified with Sinatra as his cockiest. There are just a few sidesteps from the retro formula that's served Bublé so well so far: a languid duet with Brazilian star Ivan Lins on the bossa "Wonderful Tonight," a gospel choir on "That's Life." Interestingly, Bublé co-wrote the best of those sidesteps, "Everything," a Norah Jones-esque number that alluringly harks back to sunny '70s pop. It's also the only song on the album produced by Bob Rock (best known for his work with Metallica), sending out a strong signal that Bublé should reach out to unlikely collaborators more often. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Melding the contemporary and the classic in ways only he can, Michael Buble has created his most complete studio effort yet. Ranging from "I've Got The World On a String" to "Me and Mrs. Jones," in addition to two new songs co-written by Michael, Call Me Irresponsible makes this album irresistible.
Got The SONGS

The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer

2008-02-24T03:46:00.000-08:00

The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer

This is an excellent collection of many of the high points of the Manhattan Transfer's first decade, demonstrating both their reach and their grasp as they draw material from swing, modern jazz, and doo-wop into their own distinctive style. There's a tongue-in-cheek cool that connects the swing of Erskine Hawkins's "Tuxedo Junction" to the elemental girl-group harmonies of "Boy from New York City" and the TV themes like "Route 66" and the variations on the "Twilight Zone." More traditional jazz skills, though, are apparent in their renditions of some Jon Hendricks vocal classics. Composer Jimmy Giuffre plays saxophone on their version of his "Four Brothers," a key theme for bandleader Woody Herman, while there are also stellar renditions of Weather Report's "Birdland" and the standard "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." It's an entertaining collection by a group that's never let itself be confined by the expected. --Adam Rains

Got The SONGS

1. Boy From New York City
2. Trickle Trickle
3. Gloria
4. Operator
5. Tuxedo Junction
6. Four Brothers
7. Ray's Rockhouse
8. Soul Food To Go (Sina)
9. Spice Of Life
10. Baby Come Back To Me (The Morse Code Of Love)
11. Candy Listen Listen
12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkely Square
13. Birdland
14. Java Jive
15. Route 66
16. Twilight Zone, Twilight Tone

They have been around for more than three decades now. This group has earned a reputation as one of the most hard working and versatile acts in show business. The Manhattan Transfer made a decision years ago not to concentrate on any one particular style of music. It was surely the right choice because Manhattan Transfer continues to perform to this day their unique blend of bebop, fusion jazz, pop and doowop to enthusiastic audiences all over the world.
"The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer" certainly does live up to its moniker. Rhino has done a splendid job in assembling 16 of the groups very finest recordings. It is simply amazing to me that a group of such abundant talent only managed to place a total of 7 singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Each and every one of those tunes appear here including as you would expect "Operator", "Trickle Trickle", "Baby Come Back To Me (The Morse Code of Love)" and the groups biggest single release "Boy From New York City" from 1981. At that point it looked as though Manhattan Transfer just might be a fixture on the pop charts for many years to come. But Manhattan Transfer never really fancied itself a Top 40 act. Rather the group appealed to a wide variety of audiences and as such found a great deal of success on the album charts in the ensuing years. Many great tunes from those albums appear on this disc including phenominal renditions of standards like "Candy", "Tuxedo Junction", "Route 66" and "Java Jive". I also loved the groups cover of the doo wop classic "Gloria". I found each and every track on this CD to be an absolute delight. The remastering job is amazing and the 8 page booklet was also very nicely done.
The Manhattan Transfer was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. They have also won 10 Grammys. This CD should be considered "essential" for serious collectors of American popular music. Very highly recommended.

Quincy Jones - Live in '60 (Jazz Icons) (2006)

2008-02-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

Quincy Jones - Live in '60 (Jazz Icons) (2006)

Jazz Icons: Quincy Jones features Q conducting what he called his Â"dream band.Â" With an 18-piece orchestra of world-renowned players such as Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Sahib Shihab, Budd Johnson and Benny Bailey, this 80-minute program featuring 17 songs, is one of the fi nest examples of big band jazz ever to be captured on fi lm. Shot in Switzerland and Belgium in 1960, these two concerts are the only known visual documents of this legendary tourÂ—an important lost chapter in an illustrious career which has spanned six decades.

Got The SONGS

Ken Burns's Jazz: The Story of American Music [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

2008-02-18T03:14:00.000-08:00

Ken Burns's Jazz: The Story of American Music [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Ken Burns Jazz - The Story of America's Music collects 94 tracks of music on five CDs along with 48 pages of annotation, explanation, and photographic documentation. It's all in the service of telling a tale of Americans working together, overcoming differences and conflicts, and moving toward a common goal. The general backdrop, of course, is the development of an indigenous music and its intertwinings with American life throughout the 20th century. But the central characters of this boxed-set story are really Burns, by now this country's pre-eminent documentary filmmaker; the producers at PBS, the original if no longer the dominant national television network; and the staffs of two major record labels, Verve and Columbia Legacy, who, in combination, possess a significant slice of jazz's history in their vaults.

Got The SONGS

Before it can be appreciated as a telling of jazz's tale, Ken Burns Jazz needs to be considered as the landmark in jazz promotion that it is. Burns is one of few Americans - maybe the only one - who could commandeer some 20 hours of television time dedicated to jazz, a music that, despite its rich history, now appeals to only a small minority of American ears. Burns has surrounded his 10-part PBS documentary with a book, a five-CD boxed set, a 20-track "best of" CD, and 22 single-artist discs that compile the work of artists profiled in the series. The musical output represents a rare and historic union of two companies that regularly compete for market share in jazz's reissue bins (and that's where much of the action is these days).

But this is about raising jazz's market share overall, and one need only read the evangelical zeal of Burns' liner notes to appreciate that. That's something we need not - in fact, should not - look at cynically. If the record executives are hopping on Burns' bandwagon, it's for a good reason: Besides the fact that jazz isn't heard all that much by general audiences, even when it is heard, it lacks context. For most people, jazz needs a storyline, a framework. Burns focused his lens in an effort to do just that, and it may prove to be the most powerful vehicle to drive jazz sales since the "young lions" movement of the early 1990s, when Wynton Marsalis and others were the focal points of resurgent interest in jazz.

As with that movement, discontent is likely to ripple throughout the jazz community in reference to the five-CD set. "What about Jackie McLean?" they'll cry. "Is Dizzy Gillespie's 'Manteca' all there is to Afro Cuban jazz?" they'll shout. "What about artists playing in clubs today, like Joe Lovano and Geri Allen and Greg Osby?" And let's not even talk about free improvisation. There are omissions to catch the eye of nearly any jazz lover.

But that's not the point. Ken Burns Jazz is the accompaniment to a film - the story as Burns tells it. In Burns' 10-part telling, the first nine episodes run through 1961, with the last summarizing the music since. This decision is a clear point of controversy, especially for those whose ears are more attuned to recordings of the '60s and beyond. Burns firmly contends that he is a historian, that he's telling a story of the inspiration behind the development of jazz.

Those taking Burns' project overall as a manifesto - that jazz stopped decades ago - are overreacting or misinterpreting. Taken on its own terms, a good deal of important detail is imparted as Discs One, Two, and Three move through the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. As one would expect, heaping helpings of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are laid out. There's also some music that helped give rise to jazz, like a 1919 recording of James Reese Europe's 369th U.S. Infantry "Hell Fighters" Band, two early Jelly Roll Morton tracks, and King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, recorded in 1923. The first four discs support Burns' story quite well - that is to say, he succeeds in setting the music in a meaningful context for general listeners. But Disc Five, which moves from Armstrong's 1963 version of "Hello, Dolly!" to the Miles Davis Quintet's "E.S.P." (1965) to Herbie Hancock's 1983 MTV hit "Rockit" before ending with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra's "Take the 'A' Train" seems a confused hodgepodge - an attempt to cover too much ground. That's not surprising: Burns' story doesn't really deal in-depth with free jazz, fusion jazz, hip-hop jazz or contemporary forms of any stripe. He's waving the flag of jazz as sewn by its founders. And if this box sends listeners off to fill in the gaps or extend the tale themselves, there are any number of satisfying sequels to assemble.

Larry Blumenfeld, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Weather Channel Presents: Best of Smooth Jazz

2008-02-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

Weather Channel Presents: Best of Smooth Jazz

Midas Records is proud to announce the first ever CD from The Weather Channel ®, "The Best of Smooth Jazz." As 2007 marks the network's 25th anniversary, it also heralds the network's entry into retail music. Music has long been a source of interest for viewers who have been writing in for years asking where they can purchase the music they enjoy during the "Local on the 8s" segment, broadcast 288 minutes each day! The 12-song collection features the Channel's most requested music by such known artists as Dave Koz, Najee, Chick Corea, Pieces of a Dream, Joyce Cooling, Jeff Lorber, Four 80 East, 3rd Force and Paprika Soul. The CD also includes 3 most-requested songs heard only on The Weather Channel by Jeanne Ricks, Ryan Farish and Mark Krumowski.

Got The SONGS

History of Music on The Weather Channel

People who keep an eye on the weather also have an ear for music, judging from the huge number of inquiries from viewers of The Weather Channel, who have been asking "where can I get that music I just heard?" That's why a CD of "Local on the 8s" music from The Weather Channel is being presented. For the very first time, fans and admirers of the music have an opportunity to have their own compilation of many favorites.

Seven years ago, The Weather Channel stepped up its efforts to select music that viewers would enjoy. The responsibility was assigned to a network producer who had what some would call a "dream job" - spending hour after hour at music stores finding songs and artists that were right for The Weather Channel audience. Soon, viewers began to take notice of the fresh and contemporary sound of the new musical selections on The Weather Channel. The on-air music was well-received. Some people said that they kept the network on all day to stay in touch with the weather as well as to enjoy the music in the background.

Four years ago, the producer further refined the music "playlist" by scheduling different types of sounds during different parts of the day. For example, during the daytime, the music is light and upbeat. Moving into the evening, the selections have a slower tempo and are more sultry. And then they become even more mellow during the late night.

This blend of the many moods of jazz is captured on our first CD of "Local on the 8s." Out of over 3,000 songs that have been played over the years during local weather on The Weather Channel, we are proud to bring you a collection of favorites on our "Smooth Jazz" release.

Charlie Parker

2007-11-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Charlie Parker grew up listening to music.
Charlie Parker (1920-1955) spent his childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, one of the hottest jazz spots in the country. Seeking jobs as a song and dance man, his father moved the family there to find work. Unable to find a job, Charlie's dad left to go work on the railroad. He had to travel long distances and was gone a lot of the time. In the end, he left the family altogether and Charlie's mom had to provide for the two of them. Some times, she worked two or three jobs to give Charlie everything he needed and wanted. When his mom worked at night, Charlie would go out and listen to jazz around town.
He learned to play the sax but it wasn't easy.
Charlie started playing an alto saxophone when he was twelve years old. He taught himself by listening to jazz musicians. He was able to play music and joined his first band when he was 14. Because he never had lessons or formal training, he often struggled playing music. Eventually, with proper training and practice Charlie mastered the basics. He memorized the records made by the tenor saxophonist Lester Young, until he could play them all from memory. Charlie claimed that he practiced up to 14 hours a day until he could play anything he wanted.
Charlie was different from other high school students.
Unlike other high school kids, Charlie spent his days practicing his sax and preparing for his performances with swing bands. At night, he would often visit Kansas City's jazz clubs to see famous performers. He was passionate about music as a young man.
Charlie wanted to play new sounds and rhythms.
Charlie moved to New York City after a short stay in Chicago. He found work playing in swing bands but started experimenting with his own style of playing. Late at night, he would gather with other musicians who to wanted to play fast-paced, fiery music. This jazz style would later become known as bebop.
Bebop was challenging and energetic.
At first many of the older jazz artists and fans disliked bebop. The unpredictable beats and lengthy improvisations departed from the smoother rhythms of swing music. For swing fans, jazz was music for dancing. Unlike swing, bebop was powerful music for listening. Its melodies and harmonies were more complex than the great majority of the music that preceded it.
Charlie was a brilliant musician.
Charlie was the genius behind bebop. The exciting pace and expressive solos of bebop won over the musical community. Other jazz musicians desired to play like Charlie. Luckily, he made many great recordings, and even played with a large group of violins, violas and cellos. To this day, much of jazz's language comes from what Charlie Parker played. Unfortunately, Charlie started using drugs and alcohol as a teenager in Kansas City and became addicted as an adult. His long time use of alcohol and heroin took over his life. Sadly, Charlie died when he was just 34 years old, a time when many artists are in their peak years.

Best of Smooth Jazz

2007-11-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

Best of Smooth Jazz

1. Maputo - Bob James/David Sanborn
2. Hippies On A Corner - Joe Sample
3. We're In This Love Together - Al Jarreau
4. Breezin' - George Benson
5. Daddy's Gonna Miss You - Yellowjackets
6. Rio De Janeiro Blue - Randy Crawford
7. Angela (Theme From 'Taxi') - Bob James
8. Midnight In San Juan - Earl Klugh
9. The Dream - David Sanborn
10. No Rhyme, No Reason - George Duke
11. 101 Eastbound - Fourplay
12. The Lady Wants To Know - Michael Franks
13. Nothin' But Love - Boney James

Preview Products Details

Jazz - A Film By Ken Burns

2007-11-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

Jazz - A Film By Ken Burns

Accompanied by a menagerie of products, Ken Burns's expansive 10-episode paean, Jazz, completes his trilogy on American culture, following The Civil War and Baseball. Spanning more than 19 hours, Jazz is, of course, about a lot more than what many have called America's classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7. It's here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority. Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz, and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrong's celestial "West End Blues" is nearly sublime.

Preview Products Details

The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U.S. is at jazz's heart. But a few problems arise. First is Burns's reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator. Marsalis might be charming and musically expert, but he's no historian. For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s, one expects a bit more historical substance. Also, Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode, glossing over some of the music's giant steps. Burns has said repeatedly that he didn't know much about jazz when he began this project. So perhaps Jazz, for all its glory, would better be called Jazz: What I've Learned Since I Started Listening (And I Haven't Gotten Much Past 1961). For those who are already passionate about jazz, the film will stoke debate (and some derision, together with some reluctant praise). But for everyone else, it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed.-Andrew Bartlett

DVD features
The DVD version of Jazz offers a "music information" mode, in which the title of a song is displayed when it is played in the film. Pressing the Title button jumps the viewer out of the film to a screen that lists that song's composer, performers (including all band members, not just the headliner), year of recording, and album and record company information when applicable (and no, all the credits are not to the series' own CDs). Another click of the Title button returns the viewer to the film. When music information mode is turned off, song titles are not displayed but the Title button still accesses the song credits. Each DVD's scene-selection menu lists only the 10 subchapters, but in fact each song is individually tracked (50 to 80 tracks per DVD).

The DVD set also includes three full-length performances not seen in the film: Louis Armstrong's "I Cover the Waterfront" from 1933, Duke Ellington's "C Jam Blues" from 1942, and Miles Davis's "New Rhumba" from 1959. Finally, the 16-minute documentary "Making of Jazz" provides insight into the production of the film. Ken Burns and producer Lynn Novick (who both admit their lack of musical training) discuss their process of researching and collecting materials, Wynton Marsalis mentions how he suggested to Burns the topic of jazz after the trumpeter became a fan of The Civil War, and narrator Keith David is shown recording his lines.-David Horiuchi

Smooth Jazz at Midnight

2007-11-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

Smooth Jazz at Midnight

Features:

1. Everette Harp f/Brian Bromberg - Rock With You
2. Urban Knights - Dancing Angel
3. Chuck Loeb - Right Down Broadway
4. Jeff Lorber - Snakebite
5. Richard Elliot - Moomba
6. Peter White - Caravan of Dreams
7. Jeff Kashiwa - Power of Midnight
8. Spyro Gyra - Westwood Moon
9. Euge Groove - Sneak A Peek
10. Joyce Cooling - Callie
11. Shilts - There's No Wonder
12. Steve Reid - Pillow Talk

Got The SONGS

I Wayan Balawan..The Magic Finger from Bali

2007-11-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

If America have Lee Ritenour as “captain finger”. Indonesia have young talented “the magic finger” I Wayan Balawan.

Born in Bali - Indonesia 9 September 1973, I Wayan Balawan, Grew up amongst Balinese gamelan music. At age of 8 he began to play guitar and start his first band in the age of 14. He can plays rock guitar virtuoso style like Yngwie Malmsteen since he was 10 years old.

In 1993 he went to Sydney and got a scholarship to study jazz at the Australian Institute Of Music for two years. He went back to Bali in 1997 and form Batuan Ethnic Fusion (A mix of Balinese Gamelan and Jazz) and released one album in 1999.

He is versatile guitarist that play many styles of music, and a great solo performer. He has developed the ability to play a special and difficult form of tapping which involves chord and bass work with the left hand and tapped melody with the right hand, which resembles piano playing.

In his second solo album, now under label Sony-BMG Music Indonesia, titled, BALAWAN - MAGIC FINGERS, he proved his greatest skill in guitar playing.
Magic Fingers is also ruly a showcase of Balinese guitarist Iwayan Balawan ability in arranging , composing and his unique blend of musical styles which collaborating between great guitar playing mix with the traditional instruments of Bali.

Balawan is now considered as one of famous favourite jazz guitarist in Indonesia.

Incognito's Album

2007-11-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

In their "jazz journey, Incognito have launched many album. Most of them got succes in USA, Europe even Asia.

1981 Jazz Funk
1991 Inside Life
1992 Jazzfunk
1992 Tribes, Vibes and Scribes
1993 Positivity
1995 100° And Rising
1996 Remixed
1997 Beneath The Surface
1997 Blue Moods
1999 No Time Like The Future
2000 Future Remixed
2000 The Best
2001 Life, Stranger Than Fiction
2002 Who Needs Love
2004 Adventures in Black Sunshine
2005 Eleven
2005 Let The Music Play
2006 Bees + Things + Flowers

The sexy one..Michael Buble

2007-11-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

Born 9 September 1975, Michael Steven Bublé is a critically acclaimed Grammy-nominated, multiple Juno Award-winning Canadian crooner, big band singer and actor. While achieving modest chart success in the United States, his 2003 self-titled album has reached the top ten in Canada, the UK and Australia. In 2004, a live album and video called Come Fly with Me was listed on the Billboard music video charts and reached Australia's top 40 album charts. He reached commercial success in the U.S. with It's Time. He currently lives in Vancouver. His third album, Call Me Irresponsible, was released on May 1, 2007, with the first single from that album, Everything, reaching success on the adult contemporary charts. He has sold over 12 million albums.

One of his singles hits, is Sway an old swing jazz that can be perfomed by him perfectly…

"The Captain Finger"

2007-10-30T03:32:00.000-07:00

He is great jazz guitar player...smart and talented musician, founder smooh jazz. One of his lots great projects ia founding fussion and smooth jazz group.
Yes.. we talk about The Captain Finger Lee Rinenour...

Lee Ritenour has long been the perfect studio musician, one who can melt into the background without making any impact. While he possesses impressive technique, Ritenour has mostly played instrumental pop throughout his career, sometimes with a Brazilian flavor. His few jazz efforts have found him essentially imitating Wes Montgomery, but despite that he has been consistently popular since the mid-'70s. After touring with Sergio Mendes' Brasil '77 in 1973, Ritenour became a very busy studio guitarist in Los Angeles, taking time off for occasional tours with his groups and in the mid-'90s with Bob James in Fourplay. He also recorded many albums as a leader.

Over the course of Rit's milestone thirty recordings, (including 1997's Alive in L.A., the first time he chronicled his live performances), he has earned several gold albums, numerous #1 spots in guitar polls and the prestigious "Alumnus of the Year" award from USC. Since the 70s, Rit has been a huge presence in a cross-section of radio genres. In 1981, he scored the pop 15 hit "Is It You," featuring vocalist Eric Tagg, which has also become a smooth jazz radio classic. Most recently, "Get Up Stand Up," the first single from the A Twist of Marley recording, was the #1 Radio & Records NAC airplay single of 2001.

In the 90s, he was a founding member of Fourplay, the most successful band in contemporary jazz, with keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East and drummer Harvey Mason. The first Fourplay album in 1991 spent an unprecedented 33 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart, while their Grammy-nominated follow-up, Between the Sheets, captured the top slot on the Billboard, R&R, Gavin and NAC charts on its way to a gold sales certification. In addition to producing his own recordings, Ritenour has produced projects for such artists as Eric Marienthal, Phil Perry and Vesta, which were released on his i.e. music label, along with A Twist of Jobim. Additional production credits include Patti Austin, Will Downing and most recently, A Twist of Marley.

Incognito

2007-10-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

Incognito is a British band, widely regarded as one of the key members of the English acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with eleven more albumsBees + Things + Flowers, was released in 2006. following, the last of which,

Throughout the band's history, it has been led and driven by composer, record producer, guitarist and singer, Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick. Other notable band members have included the singers Tony Momrelle, Jocelyn Brown, Carleen Anderson, Imaani, Maysa Leak and Kelli Sae.

The band has had intermittent success in the UK Singles Chart, with their breakthrough hit a cover version of the Ronnie Laws' tune, "Always There", featuring Jocelyn Brown. They have also been a favourite of various re-mixers, including Masters At Work, David Morales, Roger Sanchez and Jazzanova, and have released three albums consisting almost entirely of remixes.

Their hits such as Colibri, Still A Friend Of Mine, Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing popular in whole world.

Legendary Duke Ellington Jazz Performance Reissued for Download and CD

2007-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Duke Ellington-produced album A Morning in Paris -- recorded in 1963 by South African jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin featuring Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Abdullah Ibrahim -- was reissued for download today, October 16, in celebration of Sathima's 71st birthday. CDs will be in stores January 22, 2008, but advance copies will be available at Sathima's birthday concert at New York's Sweet Rhythm Jazz Club on Wednesday, October 17.

The story of Sathima Bea Benjamin's A Morning in Paris -- one of the lost and found gems of jazz recording history -- begins in 1963 when a young South African singer named Beattie Benjamin, living in exile in Zurich, catches Duke Ellington's ear after his own performance and convinces him to come directly down to the Club Africana to listen to her boyfriend's trio. Beattie (who would later be given the name "Sathima" by bassist Johnny Dyani) exercised that night a persistence that would dramatically change her life and career, as well as that of her future husband, Dollar Brand (later Abdullah Ibrahim), and perhaps even the history of jazz. Duke not only agreed to hear the trio; he also insisted that Beattie sing for him. Enthralled by what he heard, Duke sent the musicians to Paris, whereupon both Dollar and Beattie would record albums for Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records, for which Duke was in charge of A&R. Dollar's album became in short time a classic that would establish him as one of the most uniquely personal pianists in jazz history.

Sathima's tapes, which feature the pianist work of Abdullah Ibrahim, Billy Strayhorn, and Duke himself, never reached the public, and were ultimately thought to be lost. However, the tapes resurfaced in 1996 when author David Hajdu, in the course of working on a Billy Strayhorn biography, was given a copy of the session that was secretly made by Gerhard Lehner, the recording engineer. For Sathima, the events of that Paris morning were dream-like in more ways than one -- the performances lived on the courage to take a chance, flourished under the unexpected support of a great artist; became dreams of the past when the possibility of ever hearing them again disappeared into thin air, only to resurface for her and the world to hear 33 years later.

Writing about the morning, Sathima Bea Benjamin notes "I know I shall never, ever again have such a positively wonderful and ecstatic musical experience. I have been blessed beyond words, to have Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Abdullah Ibrahim as my accompanists that 'Morning in Paris.' Their input in my musical career empowers me forever."

Since the recording debut, the Grammy-nominated jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin has established herself as a master interpreter of American jazz standards, having recorded and collaborated with some of the most legendary figures in jazz. In 2004, President Thabo Mbeki recognized Sathima's work in jazz and support of the exiled ANC during apartheid, and awarded her the Order of Ikhamanga, South Africa's highest honor.

Out-of-print for several years now, A Morning in Paris was made available for download today for the first time ever. Copies of the CD, distributed exclusively through City Hall Records, will be in stores January 22, 2008.

However, advance copies will be available at Sathima's 71st birthday concert, at New York's Sweet Rhythm Jazz Club, on October 17, 2007. The concert features Sathima in performance with pianists Stephen Scott and Onaje Allan Gumbs, bassist Marcus McLaurine, and drummer George Gray. To reserve seats, visit Sweet Rhythm on the web at www.sweetrhythmny.com

Latin Jazz

2007-10-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz and classical harmonies from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and United States.
The two main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian and Afro-Cuban.
· Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova
· Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz includes salsa, merengue, songo, son, mambo, Timba, bolero, charanga and cha cha cha.
One of the contribution of Latins (Latinos in Spanish) to America, Latin jazz was further popularized in the late 1940s. Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton began to combine the rhythm section and structure of Afro-Cuban music, exemplified by Machito and His Afro-Cubans, whose musical director Mario Bauza created the first Latin jazz composition "Tanga" on May 31, 1943, with jazz instruments and solo improvisational ideas. On March 31, 1946, Stan Kenton recorded "Machito," written by his collaborator / arranger Pete Rugalo, which is considered by many to be the first Latin jazz recording by American jazz musicians.
The Kenton band was augmented by Ivan Lopez on bongos and Eugenio Reyes on maracas. Later, on December 6th of the same year, Stan Kenton recorded an arrangement of the Afro-Cuban tune The Peanut Vendor with members of Machito's rhythm section. In September of 1947, Dizzy Gillespie collaborated with Machito conga player Chano Pozo to perform the "Afro-Cuban Drums Suite" at Carnegie Hall. This was the first concert to feature an American band playing Afro-Cuban jazz and Pozo remained in Gillespie's Orchestra to produce "Cubana Be, Cubana Bop" among others.
In comparison with traditional jazz, Latin jazz employs straight rhythm, rather than swung rhythm. Latin jazz rarely employs a backbeat, using a form of the clave instead. The conga, timbale, güiro, and claves are percussion instruments which often contribute to a Latin sound.
Samba originated from nineteenth century Afro-Brazilian music such as the Lundu. It employs a modified form of the clave. Bossa Nova is a hybrid music based on the samba rhythm, but influenced by European and American music from Debussy to US jazz. Bossa Nova originated in the 1960s, largely from the efforts of Brazilians Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto, and American Stan Getz. Its most famous song is arguably The Girl from Ipanema sung by Gilberto and his wife, Astrud Gilberto.
Latin jazz music, like most types of jazz music, can be played in small or large groups. Small groups, or combos, often use the Be-bop format made popular in the 1950s in America, where the musicians play a standard melody, many of the musicians play an improvised solo, and then everyone plays the melody again. In Latin jazz bands, percussion often takes a center stage during a solo, and a conga or timbale can add a melodic line to any performance.

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER

2007-10-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly 35 years since Tim Hauser paid his bills by working both as a marketing executive and a New York cabbie with dreams of creating a vocal group. One night in 1972, Hauser's taxi fare was an aspiring singer named Laurel Massé, who was familiar with JUKIN', an album Hauser had made with an earlier Manhattan Transfer combo. A few weeks later Hauser met Janis Siegel at a party. Although Siegel was then performing with another folk group, Hauser convinced her and Massé to be part of his nascent group.

At the same time, Alan Paul was stirring hearts on Broadway, appearing in the original production of "Grease". When he met with Hauser, Siegel and Massé, the groundwork was laid for The Manhattan Transfer, which was official "born" on October 1, 1972.

In its formative years, the group developed a strong cult following while playing such New York clubs as Trude Heller's, Reno Sweeney, and Max's Kansas City. In 1975 they cut their Atlantic debut album, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER and landed their own highly experimental television show on CBS. They were particularly successful in Europe, where their next two albums, COMING OUT and PASTICHE, brought them a string of top 10 hits. A live album, THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER LIVE, soon followed.

Massé left the group in 1978 after a serious auto accident in December of that year. (She eventually went on to a successful solo career.) Auditions were held to replace her, and a young singer/actress from Mt. Vernon, Washington responded to the call. The group was completely knocked out by her dazzling performance, and Cheryl Bentyne was immediately invited to join the group.

Their next album, EXTENSIONS, earned them their first domestic pop hit: "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone," penned by Alan Paul and Jay Graydon. The album also featured "Birdland," the piece that has since become The Manhattan Transfer's signature tune. Jon Hendricks wrote the lyrics to Joe Zawinul's stirring jazz fusion instrumental, and Siegel arranged the vocals. The most played jazz record of 1980, "Birdland" brought The Transfer their first Grammy award (Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental), and the award for Best Arrangement For Voices, which Janis took home.

In 1981, The Manhattan Transfer made music history by becoming the first group to win Grammy Awards in both pop and jazz categories in the same year. "Boy From New York City," which broke into the top 10 on the pop charts, garnered them the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" earned them a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group. Both of these appeared on the combo's fifth outing, MECCA FOR MODERNS.

THE BEST OF THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER was released for the holiday season in 1981 and contained the best of their hits from their early Atlantic Records years, 1975-1981. Naturally, the album went Gold.

In 1982, they accepted another Grammy, for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, for their rendition of the classic ode-to-the-road, "Route 66." The song appeared on the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds film Sharky's Machine, and surfaced three years later on their BOP DOO-WOPP album. In 1983, prior to "BOP's" release, they repeated their 1982 Grammy win in the same category for the "Why Not!" cut from BODIES AND SOULS.

However, it was the 1985 release of VOCALESE, produced by Tim Hauser, that became known as the group's tour de force effort. Vocalese is the style of music that sets lyrics to previously recorded jazz instrumental pieces. Jon Hendricks, the recognized master of this art, composed all the lyrics for the album. "VOCALESE" included some highly complex material that ably tested the quartet's capabilities -- a challange which they met magnificently. The album became a critically acclaimed artistic triumph.

"VOCALESE" received 12 Grammy nominations -- at the time making it second only to Michael Jackson's "THRILLER" as the most nominated single album ever. The Transfer's opus won in two categories: Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Arrangement for Voices for Cheryl Bentyne and Bobby McFerrin for "Another Night In Tunisia".

"VOCALESE" also saw the group venturing out into the world of music video. The group made five videos to the album, which were available commercially and also shown on Cinemax. Also, when The Manhattan Transfer toured Japan for the Vocalese tour, a recording was made of the shows and the group's second live album, LIVE, was released in 1987. An accompanying video of the live show was available commercially as well.

Then came BRASIL, their 1987 recording, a ground-breaking re-contextualization of Brazilian music that pre-dated efforts by American artists such as David Byrne and Paul Simon. The group worked with some of today's most gifted songwriters, including Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Djavan and Atlantic recording artist Gilberto Gil. The pieces were re-arranged, and then re-fitted with English lyrics which made them strikingly relevant, distinctly American, and "Transfer-esque" -- while still preserving their Brazilian flavor.

"BRASIL" became one of the group's greatest achievements to date, and one which they remain particularly proud of. It also became their first entire album to win the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

In 1991, The Manhattan Transfer moved to Columbia Records for a two-album stint. The first, THE OFFBEAT OF AVENUES, was produced by Tim Hauser and marked the first time the majority of songs where either written or co-written by Transfer members. They walked away with a Best Contemporary Jazz Performance Grammy for "Sassy," a piece boasting lyrics by Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne and music by Siegel and Bill Bodine.

In 1992, Rhino Records released a 2-CD set of the group's work over their 20 year career. THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER ANTHOLOGY: DOWN IN BIRDLAND is an excellent compilation of the group's work up to that time.

In the winter of 1992, the gift that millions of Manhattan Transfer fans had eagerly awaited for finally arrived -- THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM. Destined to be a holiday classic, this album was co-produced by Tim Hauser and Johnny Mandel, who also did all the orchestrations. The group's soulful harmonies on such traditional favorites as "The Christmas Song" (with Tony Bennett) and "Silent Night," as well as the sweetly touching Lennon & McCartney classic "Goodnight," resound with sonic purity.

In 1994, Rhino Records released THE VERY BEST OF THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER. Why another "Best Of"? Well, the "ANTHOLOGY" package was a bit expensive for some, and the first "BEST OF" album came out 13 years earlier and thus missed many hits such as "Ray's Rockhouse," "Soul Food To Go," "Spice Of Life," and "Route 66." Plus, the newer CD format allowed for a much longer album than Atlantic Records' 1981 collection.

Also in 1994 the group released an album that was an enticing departure from anything they had done previously. THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER MEETS TUBBY THE TUBA, the group's first children's recording, was hailed by USA Today as a "charming rendition" of the 1945 Paul Tripp/George Kleinsinger classic. Accompanied by the Naples Philharmonic, the group humanized instruments (such as Peepo the Piccolo and Captain Bugle) to deliver the story's important message: "Be yourself, you can't be anybody else." Commented the Los Angeles Times of the project, "One of the world's great jazz quartets turns a children's classic into a rediscovered treasure."

Their 1995 studio album, TONIN', marked the triumphant return of The Manhattan Transfer -- contemporary music's premiere vocal ensemble -- to the Atlantic Records' fold. "TONIN'" finds Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel embarking on a project as ambitious as any of their past work, while retaining a distinct sense of fun. "Tonin' is a term associated with the vocal groups of the '50s and early '60s," notes Paul. "It conjures up images of a few guys standing in a tiled bathroom or on a street corner, just belting it out in harmony -- they're tonin'. This album consists of songs we grew up on, music that really sparked us as teenagers."

The list of guest performance sitting in on the "TONIN'" sessions would spark any music fan, as it includes: Phil Collins, Bette Midler, Ben E. King, Ruth Brown, Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals, Frankie Valli, Smokey Robinson, Laura Nyro, Chaka Khan, B.B. King and James Taylor.

The Manhattan Transfer's third live album is called MAN-TORA! LIVE IN TOKYO. "On the 1983 Bodies And Souls tour, the singers peformed 22 dates in 11 major Japanese cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Sapporo, and Hiroshima... The set contained here (released on Rhino Records in April 1996) was recorded by FM Tokyo radio on November 22 and 23 at Tokyo's Nakano Sun Plaza theater and later broadcast stateside on the Westwood One Startrack radio program. The MT's enthusiasm in their performance is inescapable, and the set list as diverse as their repertoire." --from the liner notes by Curt Gathje.

The Manhattan Transfer's next studio album was released in 1997. SWING has its emphasis in 1930s era swing music. The thirteen tracks contain some of the most classic songs of the Twentieth Century. "Sing Moten's Swing," "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," and "Java Jive" were recorded with Asleep At The Wheel. "Sing A Study In Brown," "Topsy," and "Clouds" were recorded with The Rosenberg Trio. "Clouds" (adapted from "Nuages") also features Stephane Grappelli. Ricky Scaggs is featured on "Skyliner" and "It's Good Enough To Keep (Air Mail Special)". Mark O'Connor is featured on "I Know Why (And So Do You)," "It's Good Enough To Keep," and "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie." About half of the tracks feature lyrics by Jon Hendricks. SWING was produced by Tim Hauser. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart and stayed in the top spot for nine weeks, and on the chart for over a year.

In October 2000, The Manhattan Transfer's released, THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS. This album is a spirited interpretation of the music of one of the greatest musical figures of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong. Produced by Craig Street, THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS captures the vocal group at its best, with strong individual and group performances wrapped around evocative arrangements that are both a nostalgic pastiche from the 1920s to the 1950s, and a completely modern take on Louis. This is a loving homage to a unique voice in musical history.

In 2003, COULDN'T BE HOTTER became The Manhattan Transfer's first album on the Telarc label, and their fourth live album. 1930s and '40s swing music with a jazz twist is what The Manhattan Transfer do best, and COULDN'T BE HOTTER features some of their best hits. The sixteen songs chosen for this special live recording convey the depth of the group's talent and variety of their music. Classic favorites such as "Sing Moten's Swing," "Clouds" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," recorded while on tour in Japan, capture the essence of The Manhattan Transfer, and their enthusiasm is evident in these performances. From boogie-woogie to bop to vocalese, COULDN'T BE HOTTER spotlights The Manhattan Transfer's dynamic, big band harmonies in a live setting.

VIBRATE is The Manhattan Transfer's second album on the Telarc label. Since the early 1970s, The Manhattan Transfer have been pushing and redefining the boundaries of vocal music in the context of jazz, pop and numerous other styles. Along the way, the collective efforts of vocalists Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel have earned The Transfer a healthy collection of Grammy Awards and a loyal fan base that spans the entire globe. The latest chapter in the quartet's exploratory trajectory is VIBRATE, released on September 28, 2004. Throughout the album's eleven tracks, The Transfer explore both the traditional and progressive sides of jazz, plus various shades of Latin, world and pop music... and showcase their unparalleled vocal tradition. Three decades into their illustrious career, The Manhattan Transfer sound better than ever!

What's next for The Manhattan Transfer? Even though they have been together for more than 30 years, they aren't slowing down! They are often asked to appear at many special functions such as The Essence Awards, the Goodwill Games, the Society of Singers Ella Awards honoring Tony Bennett, and a special Christmas performance for the Pope. They continue to tour, delighting audiences worldwide with their music. The singers also have many other solo and collaborative interests, but their focus invariably comes back to making beautiful music together.