NEW RELEASES - OUTERATTIK, FRED LONBERG-HOLM, BIBI TANGA & THE SELENITES

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OUTERATTIK - THE ATTIC

Downtempo, acid jazz, and chillout fans will enjoy Outerattik’s The Attic EP, from UK-based jazz musician and producer Jamie Smith, The Attic consists of four tracks of funked up acid jazz that were inspired by Jamie’s memories of discovering music through his parents’eclectic vinyl collection that were stored in the attic. Outerattik has already been featured recently on radio shows and podcasts, such as Ipswich 105.7 FM’s Electric Soul Show, Dave’s Lounge podcast, Rootdown FM, and Lord Bubba’s Nu-Jazz Funk Radio podcast. The track "Nineties Man" is the opening track on the French chillout compilation Lounge Masters Vibes Vol. 2, released in May 2012. The EP also received positive feedback from the UK’s Chill radio station, which complimented the “lovely electric piano” and said the music was “very expressive and chilled”. Jamie has been interviewed and the EP featured in the popular blog Downtemposcape, where the release received praise from editor DJ EROK. Other tracks are "Electro Funk #50," "What For No?," and "Attic Faery." ~ outerattick.com

FRED LONBERG-HOLM - FAST
CITIZENS GATHER

Fred Lonberg-Holm at his collaborative best – working with a great group of Chicago citizens, each of whom shape the others' sound in the set! Parts of the record have Lonberg-Holm's older style of arch avant energy – an almost academic mode that comes across with thoughtfully expressive passages. Yet other sides of the music are much more freewheeling – and almost swinging, which is quite a change for Fred – but a welcome one too! Things never get too conventional, as the older modes grab back the newer ones from time to time – making for a rich set of sounds that come from Lonberg-Holm on cello and guitar, Aram Shelton on alto and clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor and bass clarinet, Josh Berman on cornet, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums – and, oddly, at some point nearly every band member plays some form of trumpet, too. Titles include "Infra Pass", "It's A Tough Grid", "Later News", "Lazy Day", "Roses", and "Simpler Days". ~ Dusty Groove
BIBI TANGA & THE SELENITES - 40° Of SUNSHINE

Parisian groove theorists Bibi Tanga and The Selenites return in 2012 with 40° of Sunshine, their second release for the Nat Geo Music label. 40° of Sunshine was recorded in the studio after a two month African tour, and it's the group's most warm, relaxed and deeply poetic recording yet. Bibi explains of the title track, "'40° of Sunshine' takes some poetic license. It's a story that imagines what would happen if alcohol were replaced by liquid sunshine; 40 ounces of bottled sunshine." A relaxed, collective approach paid off with funky synchronicities and poetic couplings on tracks like "Poet of the Soul" - built around a slippery funk groove married to lines from poet Walt Whitman's masterpiece "Leaves of Grass" - and "Laughing Song" - based around a poem by canonical English poet William Blake. "Banda a gui koua" introduces guest singer Emma Lamadji, who appears on seven of the album's tracks. One track, "My Heart Is Jumping," has a darker backstory than the rest, as Bibi recounts: "the track is built around Professeur Inlassable‘s loops of an obscure 1930s recording, which had a woman singing the words, 'my heart is jumping.' Two days after le Professeur made the loop he had a little heart attack of his own. 40° of Sunshine is such a surprising and satisfying listen - you never know where your head will roam, but your feet will always be firmly planted on the dancefloor. ~ giantstep.net

ART GARFUNKEL’S THE SINGER

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Includes 34 Songs Hand Picked By Garfunkel On 2-CD Collection From Simon & Garfunkel Years And Solo Work

Pulling together all the roots and branches of Art Garfunkel’s remarkable career in music, The Singer, is a 34-song collection of songs hand-picked by the artist himself. Spanning the years from the first Simon & Garfunkel album of 1964 (Wednesday Morning, 3AM) up through 2007’s Great American Songbook album (Some Enchanted Evening), this two-CD retrospective will be available at all physical and digital retail outlets starting August 28.

The voice and soul of a true American poet have illuminated the work of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Art Garfunkel for nearly five decades. It is there on record – the Simon & Garfunkel LPs of 1964 to 1970 on Columbia, and his deep catalog as a solo artist starting in 1973 (the first seven albums also on Columbia) – as well as in film, and on the printed page (his 1987 collection of prose poetry, Still Water). Five-time Grammy Award®-winner Art Garfunkel has always approached every new project with the poet’s perspective.

As Garfunkel explained the essence of his artistry to Esquire, “We didn't push for exaggerating one's contribution… There are many songs where I am a shadow. Many songs, I was a silvery edge around Paul Simon's coffee-brown lead front part. As the record emerged, you go, ‘That's what it is. Those are the two personalities. That's what's happening.’ And the sound is lovely as long as the composite works.”

In addition to curating The Singer, Garfunkel provides his own personal track-by-track annotations, which appear in the booklet in his handwritten form. The notes are as unique as Garfunkel himself. He writes of “Cecilia,” the S&G hit single from 1970: “‘Car!’ we called in Queens. Then we stopped the game and stepped aside. I grew up where the brick houses were semi-attached with driveways in between. Punchball was king. Somehow the yelling we did as street kids found its way to ‘Cecilia.’ We shouted the song over a track we made from a tape loop of rhythmic hand clapping onto our blue jeans.”

The weaving of songs from the Simon & Garfunkel repertoire with songs from Art Garfunkel’s repertoire as a solo artist is one of the hallmarks of The Singer, as the collection takes on a timeless air, moving back and forth through time in a seamless pattern.

Garfunkel’s work with Simon generated eight Grammy Awards®, starting with the two won by “Mrs. Robinson” (from the movie The Graduate) at the ceremony in 1969, namely Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Pop Performance/ Duo or Group. Two years later, Bridge Over Troubled Water was voted Album of the Year, and the title song swept Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Contemporary Song, Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, and Best Engineered Recording. (In 1977, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” received England’s prestigious Britannia Award as the Best International Pop LP and Single of the previous 25 years.) Garfunkel added another Grammy Award® to his shelf in 1998, when his album Songs From a Parent To a Child was named Best Children’s Album.

Garfunkel has also maintained a steady presence on the silver screen. After working with director Mike Nichols on The Graduate soundtrack, Garfunkel followed up with feature roles in Nichols’ Catch-22 (1969) and Carnal Knowledge (1971, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Supporting Actor), opposite Ann-Margret, Candice Bergen and Jack Nicholson. Garfunkel went on to garner acclaim for roles in Nicholas Roeg's award-winning Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession with Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel (1980); Good To Go (1986); the controversial Jennifer Lynch film, Boxing Helena (1993); and most recently in 2010, The Rebound with Justin Bartha.

The life and times of Art Garfunkel course throughout The Singer, especially felt in the reverence for songs that make up the American pop vernacular. Two of Garfunkel’s signature performances hit #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary (AC) chart: “I Only Have Eyes For You” (a 1930s tune that became a hit for the Flamingos in 1959, revisited by Garfunkel on 1975’s Breakaway LP, the song also hit #1 in the UK); and Sam Cooke’s “(What A) Wonderful World” (from 1978’s Watermark), in which Garfunkel was famously joined by Simon and James Taylor.

Garfunkel’s roster of #1 AC hits also includes “All I Know” (his debut single as a solo artist in 1973, a Jimmy Webb composition); the 1975 reunion duet with Simon on “My Little Town” (premiered on the second show of NBC’s Saturday Night Live); and “Breakaway” (written by England’s Gallagher & Lyle, one of the three consecutive #1 AC hits from the Breakaway LP, along with “I Only Have Eyes For You” and “My Little Town”).

In addition to all the aforementioned, The Singer contains many more examples of Garfunkel’s unerring way with pop tunes from our collective past: “Disney Girls” (from the Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up); “I Wonder Why” (via Dion & the Belmonts); “When A Man Loves A Woman” (Percy Sledge); “Cryin’ In The Rain” (a duet with James Taylor, via the Everly Brothers, an early Carole King-Howie Greenfield composition); and “Two Sleepy People,” the 1930s Hoagy Carmichael-Frank Loesser chestnut that captivated a new generation in 1955 when it was sung by James Dean and Natalie Wood in Rebel Without A Cause.

Finally, The Singer continues to underscore Garfunkel’s near-lifelong association with the music of composer Jimmy Webb. After recording 1978’s Watermark with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which contained 10 Webb compositions, Garfunkel said in his understated manner, “I like the idea of inviting people to consider this man... Jimmy Webb.” The Singer contains some rarely anthologized Webb tunes recorded over the years by his friend: “Scissors Cut,” “In Cars,” and “All I Know.”

“Never mind the transience of show business and popularity,” Garfunkel told Esquire. “When we hear Ray Charles, we go, ‘That’s a great singer.’ You don’t need a reporter or a writer to tell us. Good is good and it should shine through the years.”

ART GARFUNKEL: THE SINGER tracklist
CD 1
1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel)
2. All I Know (with Jimmy Webb)
3. Perfect Moment (with Buddy Mondlock and Maia Sharp)
4. For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her (Simon and Garfunkel)
5. Cryin’ in the Rain (with James Taylor)
6. I Only Have Eyes For You (with Nicky Hopkins)
7. 99 Miles From LA
8. (What A) Wonderful World (with James Taylor and Paul Simon)
9. Bright Eyes
10. Two Sleepy People
11. Skywriter
12. Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon and Garfunkel)
13. Some Enchanted Evening
14. The Promise
15. The Thread (with Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock)
16. Lena (featuring Dean Parks)
17. Barbara Allen

CD 2
1. Kathy’s Song (Simon and Garfunkel)
2. Long Way Home (with Maia Sharp)
3. Scissors Cut
4. The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)
5. Breakaway (with Graham Nash and David Crosby)
6. So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (Simon and Garfunkel)
7. Waters of March (with Billy Payne)
8. The Decree (with Amy Grant)
9. I Wonder Why (with Kenny Rankin)
10. Disney Girls (with Bruce Johnston and Toni Tennille)
11. My Little Town
12. O Come All Ye Faithful (with Eric Weissberg)
13. A Heart in New York (with Michael Brecker)
14. I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face
15. April Come She Will (Simon and Garfunkel)
16. When a Man Loves a Woman (with Jeremy Steig and Michael Brecker)
17. In Cars

CONCORD MUSIC RELEASES BOOKER T & THE MGs' 'GREEN ONIONS'

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Concord Music Group will release Booker T. & the MGs' Green Onions as part of its Stax Remasters series. Enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, two live bonus tracks and newly written liner notes by Grammy Award-winning Stax historian Rob Bowman, the reissue not only spotlights one of the most entertaining and influential soul and R&B recordings of the 1960s, but also reaffirms the album's enduring nature a half-century after its original release.

Underscoring the historical significance of this 1962 recording is the recent decision by the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, to add the album's widely recognized title track to the National Recording Registry. The song was selected for preservation because it is "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant," according to a Library of Congress announcement at the end of May 2012.

"Green Onions," the leadoff track to the album of the same name, was a number one single on the Billboard R&B chart - a rare accomplishment for an instrumental track - and eventually climbed to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. But the title track is just one song on a watershed album by the instrumental R&B combo that served as the house band for the Stax label and the backup unit for some of the most iconic soul and R&B artists to record there in the 1960s, says Nick Phillips, Concord's Vice President of Catalog A&R and a producer of the Stax Remasters series.

"Beyond ‘Green Onions,' which was their biggest hit single," says Phillips, "there are so many other great songs on this album which Booker T. & the MGs transformed into timeless R&B instrumental classics, like ‘Comin' Home Baby,' ‘Twist and Shout,' and Ray Charles's ‘I Got a Woman.' No matter what song they started with, by the time they were done with it, it was uniquely and unmistakably their own."
The album's original 12 tracks are executed by the lean but formidable roster of organist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Lewis Steinberg, and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. The reissue also includes two bonus tracks - live renditions of "Green Onions" and "Can't Sit Down," both recorded at the 5/4 Ballroom in Los Angeles in August 1965. These extra tracks - which Bowman describes in his liner notes as "turbo-charged, extended, uber-muscular versions" - include Donald "Duck" Dunn replacing Steinberg on bass and joined by Packy Axton on saxophone on "Can't Sit Down."

"In the annals of American music, there have been only a handful of rhythm sections that have all but single-handedly set the course for a whole genre of music," says Bowman. "In the case of Booker T. & the MGs, the genre in question is Southern soul music. Although Southern soul has its roots in select 1950s recordings by James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles, the genre coalesced in the early and mid-'60s at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, where Booker T. & the MGs served as the ‘house band.'"
He concludes: "Together, Green Onions and the live cuts from the 5/4 Ballroom provide a good sense of the very early days of the incomparable Booker T. & the MGs . . . Soul simply doesn't get much better."

~ Concord Music

CAETANO VELOSO CLASSIC ALBUMS REISSUED

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CAETANO VELOSO - JOIA

A warm, wonderful and spare record from the mid 70s, with Caetano's voice out front, and minimal accompaniment by percussion, guitar, and keyboards. It's anything but a snoozer, though – it's got a deep rich sound, and excellent songs throughout – with even more of an emotional focus thanks to the ample spaces to be filled by Caetanos vocals! Nothing but great tracks, including "Joia", "Lua, Lua, Lua, Lua", "Minha Mulher", and his excellent cover of "Help", sung in a breathy ballad with a twist that's totally different than the Beatles' version! Great stuff – and a real fave around the DGA offices! 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: "Let It Bleed" and "Encando (Nature Boy)". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

CAETANO VELOSA – MUITOS CARNAVAIS

A lively album that mixes Caetano's rich songwriting style with a hard percussive base, which gives the tracks a fast jumpy feel, and gives even more power to Caetano's strong voice. There's little psychedelic bits, with good guitars that get noisy in parts, but there's also a warm MPB feel to the LP. Kind of hard to describe, but another unique bit of brilliance from one of the true geniuses of pop music in the 20th century. Tracks include "Um Frevo Novo", "Chuva, Suor E Cerveja", "Cara a Cara", "Qual e, Baiana?", and "La Barca". This Japanese CD edition has 6 bonus tracks: ""Barao Beleza", "E Coisa Do Destino", "Frevo Do Trio Electrico", "O Bater Do Tambor" and "Samba Da Cabeca". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

CAETANO VELOSO - BICHO

Sweetly jazzy, funky, and soulful work from Caetano Veloso – a great departure from some of his headier work of the early 70s – and proof that he still sounds great, even when in sweetly melodic territory! The album's got some full backings from Perinho Albuquerque, but the sound is never commercial or slick – just more in the mode of some of Caetano's other 70s contemporaries, particularly some of the groovier artists over at Odeon/EMI! There's sweet keyboards, nice guitar riffs, and other somewhat soulful elements that really bring a warm glow to the best tracks here – and Caetano's vocals, although gentle at times, have a great way of fitting right in with the groove. Titles include "Gente", "Um Indio", "O Leaozinho", "Odara", and "Alguem Cantando". 2 bonus tracks on the Japanese CD edition: "A Ra" and "Diamante Verdadeiro". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

CAETANO VELOSO - MUITO

A late 70s gem from Caetano – masterfully understated, and handled in a mature "no tricks" mode, one that he began adopting strongly as he increased his abilities in songwriting and arranging. The tracks are less crazy than on earlier records, but they're also much more well-constructed, with freshly-selected instrumentation, great little hooks, and excellent vocals from Caetano. Titles include "Terra", "Quem Cochicha o Rabo Espicha", "Muito", "Sampa", and "Ca Ja". 2 bonus tracks on this Japanese CD edition: "Amante Amado" and "Pecado Original". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove


CAETANO VELOSO - TRANSA

Some of the most beautiful work ever recorded by Caetano Veloso – an album that carries on the style of English language lyrics used on his session in exile in 1971, but which also introduces him back to the world of Brazilian popular music! The album's a great transition for Veloso – a set that's served up with some of the newly personal qualities his music developed in London, but which still has a good ear for experimentation and keeping things interesting. Titles include the wonderful "Nine Out Of Ten" – a haunting tune about his time in exile – plus "Neolithic Man", "Nostalgia", "Triste Bahia", "It's A Long Way", and "You Don't Know Me". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - THE SOUL REVOLUTION, KONKOMA, LOS CHARLY'S ORCHESTRA

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THE SOUL REVOLUTION 2 – VARIOUS ARTISTS

The Soul Revolution 2 is a lovely compilation of uplifting soul music. The selected tracks comes from SouLab's catalogue and other innovative labels as Broadcite and Further Out. It's absolutly essential future soul business! Incl. tracks & remixes by Kaidi Tatham, T.Roy, Richard E, Slow Motion Replay, Allen Hoist & more. Includes tracks from Dan Electro, Allen Hoist, Isaac Aesili featuring Aaradhna & Buff1, Uptown Funk Empire, Slow Motion Replay, T. Roy, Richard E featuring Jennifer Moore, and Weeland & the Urban Soul Collective.


KONKOMA

A contemporary Afro combo, but one with a really unique twist – a focus on older Ghanaian styles of grooves, which makes them sound different than a lot of other groups of this nature! Unlike some of the more Nigerian-grooving groups out there these days, Konkoma take their inspiration from Ghana – and do a really good job of echoing the older funky styles we've been digging on compilations and reissues from the Soundway label – working here with a tight lineup of London musicians, and getting some sharp help in the studio from Nostalgia 77 and Prince Fatty! The sound is right in line with vintage work on Soundway – and honestly, the album could easily pass itself off as some under-discovered 70s rarity – just on the strength of its grooves. Titles include "Lie Lie", "Another Day", "Yoo Eh", "Jojo's Song", "Senture", "Me Kyin Kyin", "Sibashaya Woza", "Handkerchief", and "Accra Jump". ~ Dusty Groove

LOS CHARLY’S ORCHESTRA REMIXED BY CAPITAN FUTURO


Following the success of Los Charly’s Orchestra – The Latin Edition, the mighty Capitan Futuro has comes up with two monster remixes of the well acclaimed songs: “My Barrio & Jumping with Symphony Sid”.In contrast from the original sound of Los Charly’s Orchestra Mr Capitan Futuro has gone for cleaner sounding style, also adding some scratching and MCing to complete the NEO Latin-Funk formula. Capitan Futuro is Bruises n’ Cuts (Cast-A-Blast fame) and DJ Butcher (Chopshop fame). BnC is also the MC on Symphony Sid. Keyboards on My Barrio by Yannis Dimitriadis. He plays for Omar Faruk tekbilek amongst others and has a daily radio show on Cosmos radio Athens. ~ loscharlysmusic.com

Rapper DRAKE Announces Plans for 2012 Tour Named Club Paradise

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Singer Drake has invited you to his Club Paradise. That is, the 2012 Drake Club Paradise Tour. The Drake Tour kicks off on Valentines day (Feb 14) in Miami and officially goes until March 11 in San Diego CA. Even though only 17 concert dates have been announced so far, there are probably more Drake Concerts to come. The tour name itself pays respect to a track that Drizzy Drake released in September of last year.

2012 Drake Tour Dates
February 14 - Miami, FL @ Bank United Center
February 15 - Gainesville, FL @ Stephen C. O'Connell Center
February 17 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
February 18 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
February 21 - Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
February 22 - Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
February 24 - Tallahassee, FL @ Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
February 25 - New Orleans, LA @ UNO Lakefront Arena
February 27 - Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
February 28 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
March 1 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
March 2 - Arlington, TX @ College Park Center
March 4 - Tuscon, AZ @ Tucson Arena
March 5 - Los Angeles, CA @ Galen Center
March 8 - Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
March 10 - San Jose, CA @ Event Center
March 11 - San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena

Old Grateful Dead Members FURTHUR plan 2012 Tour

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Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and their band Furthur have announced a small tour for the US in 2012. Although only a dozen or so tour dates have been announced so far, I believe there are more concerts to come. The 2012 Furthur Tour consists of the following shows:



2012 Furthur Tour Dates
April 5 - Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theater - Boston, MA
April 6 - Citi Performing Arts Center - Wang Theater - Boston, MA
April 7 - Toyota Presents The Oakdale Theatre - Wallingford, CT
April 9 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 10 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 12 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 13 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 14 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 15 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 17 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 18 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
April 21 - Wanee Festival - Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park - Live Oak, FL
April 22 - Wanee Festival - Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park - Live Oak, FL
Enjoy!