Kansas City is one of the few metropolitan areas of its size in the country without a full-time classical music broadcaster.
That may be about to change. KCUR 89.3 has signed an agreement to purchase KWJC 91.9 FM from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, with the intention of bringing 24-hour classical music programming to Kansas City. On Thursday, KCUR - Kansas City's public radio station - filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to approve the purchase. "Given the strength of the performing arts community and the classical music community in town, we think it's a huge hole, both for audiences and performing arts organizations," KCUR general manager Nico Leone said. "We see in market after market that classical music stations can be a rising tide for performing arts organizations." READ THE FULL ARTICLE

These are definitively the most melancholy pieces of violin music you've ever heard. All the rosin in the world will not be able to dry your tears. Feeling a bit blue? These sad violin pieces are for you, or 12 sad violin pieces that will make you weep uncontrollably. John Williams – ‘Theme' from Schindler's List Considered by many to be the finest film score of recent decades, Schindler's List earned John Williams his fifth Oscar. Williams followed director Steven Spielberg's suggestion for the soundtrack's soloist and hired the great violinist Itzhak Perlman. The film's main theme is heartbreakingly simple and touching, and is played with such passion and emotional intensity by Perlman (watch below). Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto (second movement) Tchaikovsky was a notoriously tortured soul and suffered from depression throughout his life. He finished his Violin Concerto in 1878, just as he was recovering from a broken marriage and another bout of depression. The ‘Andante', although significantly less showy than the first movement, is filled with light and shade, darkness and hope. Massenet – 'Meditation' from Thaïs In the first scene of Act II in Jules Massenet's opera Thaïs, Athanaël, a Cenobite monk, asks Thaïs, a beautiful courtesan, to leave her life of luxury and find salvation through God. She ponders it, and in her moment of reflection, the orchestra plays a symphonic interlude – the melody rising and falling as she contemplates her fate. ‘Meditation' is so exquisite because it shows the incredible emotional range of the violin. And, somehow, it manages to retain all its melancholy in the cheery key of D major. Albinoni – Adagio The author of Albinoni's Adagio in G minor remains the point of some debate. In the mid-1900s, the Italian academic Remo Giazotto claimed to have discovered and completed a previously unheard fragment of Albinoni's music, which he found while trying to salvage manuscripts from a library that was bombed in the Second World War. Giazotto built on the fragment and produced what is known as the ‘Albinoni Adagio', but should surely, at the very least, be called the ‘Albinoni-Giazotto Adagio'. Composed for string ensemble and organ, it sounds all the more heart-breaking in this arrangement for solo violin. Ungar – Ashokan Farewell You might not know the name, but you'll definitely recognise that achingly beautiful melody. American folk musician Jay Ungar wrote the ‘Ashokan Farewell' in 1982, and for years it was played as a farewell waltz at dance camps run by Ungar and his wife. Eight years later, it was famously used as the title theme of the 1990 PBS miniseries, The Civil War. It's a melody that cries of home, and you can't help but be moved by it. Barber – Adagio for Strings For many, it was its poignant use in the film Platoon that makes Barber's Adagio what it is. For others, it may have been William Orbit's Pieces in a Modern Style project. The solemn, heart-wrenching sadness of Barber's music has lent itself to a range of powerful uses beyond the concert hall. Adagio for Strings was played at the funeral of Albert Einstein and can be heard on all sorts of commercials and movie soundtracks. Tomaso Vitali – Chaconne in G minor The earliest violins were thought to have been made to mimic the sound of the human voice – and listening to the beauty of this opening theme, it's easy to see why. A concert staple of Sarah Chang, the Chaconne sounds even more exquisite in this Romantic interpretation by the violin virtuoso. Bloch – Nigun In Jewish prayer, a nigun is an improvisatory chant sung without words. Ernest Bloch, considered one of the greatest Swiss-born composers in history, wrote this beautifully pensive piece in 1924, dedicating it ‘to the memory of my mother'. The way the opening melody hovers around that G above middle C is simple yet haunting. Bach – Partita No. 2 in D minor One of Bach's best-known works for solo violin, the Partita No. 2 has great architectural beauty. As with many unaccompanied works, it is very much the challenge of the performer to create that sustained, virtuosic sound. Here it is, played exquisitely by the awesome Hilary Hahn. Gluck – ‘Melodie' from Orfeo Gluck's ‘Melodie' is surely one of the most beautiful melodies in opera. Taken from the opera Orfeo ed Euridice, based on the myth of Orpheus, the interlude wasn't intended for solo violin – but this rendition, transcribed and played by Jascha Heifetz, is just stunning (and heartbreaking). Joseph Achron – Hebrew Melody Jewish composer and violinist Joseph Achron composed his 'Hebrew Melody' in just half an hour, following a meaningful encounter with Salmon Rosovsky, a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and President of the New Society for Jewish Folk Music. The theme intensifies over pulsating chords, leading up to a gorgeous, full-bodied cadenza – have a listen below. Spiegel im Spiegel – Arvo Pärt Spiegel im Spiegel is one of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's most famous pieces, literally meaning ‘mirror in the mirror'. Originally written for piano and violin, it has a simple, meditative feel. In the piano part, tonic triads are repeated over and over, creating a feeling of the melody being reflected back and forth – like mirrors in a mirror. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE 12 VIDEOS ON THE CLASSIC fM PAGE

For the first time in its 52-year history, Austin's classical music radio station KMFA 89.5 will have its own permanent home. The non-profit radio station has purchased land adjacent to the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center (RBJ Center) as part of a 17.8-acre yet-to-be-named, mixed-use development just east of IH-35 on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake, at 21 Waller Street. The planned 18,000-square-foot building will triple the size of the current KMFA studios in an office building on Lamar Blvd. Most importantly, the building will have new purpose-built amenities including performance and recording spaces and areas for special events. "KMFA is evolving as Austin evolves. We are committed to meeting the demand for more live and local programming, robust onsite production and community events," said Ann Hum Wilson, KMFA's president and general manager. "These new headquarters will allow KMFA to share the joy of classical media in new ways for generations to come." READ THE FULL SIGHT LINES ARTICLE

In a time when many arts organizations are struggling to stay afloat, two companies dedicated to classical music have found a way not only to survive, but to thrive. Beginning in early 2020, Seattle Opera and KING FM 98.1 will be housed under one roof: the opera's civic home on the Seattle Center campus. While the Opera Center was completed in December 2018, the second-floor office has remained intentionally vacant. Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang said the company was looking for an organization to rent the space who shared a similar vision and mission. With a long history of working together, (such as broadcasts of McCaw Hall performances), KING FM was the ideal match, Lang said. This fall, a new radio broadcast facility will be constructed on the opera's second floor. "We have worked closely with Seattle Opera for years, and look forward to finding more opportunities to collaborate once we are only a floor apart," said KING FM CEO Brenda Barnes. "We are thrilled to be moving into this beautiful space, and to be in such close proximity to one of our most important partners." READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Beethoven has taken out the top spot in this year's ABC Classic 100, which asked listeners across the country to name the composer they just couldn't live without. Having clearly struck a chord, the broadcaster received a staggering 127,971 votes overall, setting a new record in the annual poll's 18-year history. "This year's Classic 100 has been an amazing journey," said Toby Chadd, Content Manager of ABC Classic. "We've heard about the music that you love – from iconic film composers to home-grown talent to the acknowledged classical greats. Beethoven narrowly beat Bach and Mozart to the crown, and we're celebrating in style with a performance of his ‘Ode to Joy' featuring an 800-strong choir at the Sydney Opera House, followed by a reading of his heart-wrenching ‘Testament' from John Bell." "Beethoven was music's biggest revolutionary," said Classic Breakfast's Russell Torrance. "He took the niceties of the existing musical world and blew them apart. There are moments of exquisite quiet and contemplation in his music, like the Moonlight Sonata. But his trademark is those barnstormers we know and love, full of power, melancholy, and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL LIMELIGHT ARTICLE

Scientific research tells us that learning to play an instrument is good for your brain, so perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the smartest among us apparently prefer to listen to instrumental music. A recent paper in the American Psychological Association journal Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences identified a relationship between intelligence and music sans lyrics. "We found intelligence to be a significant predictor of the preference for instrumental music, but not of the preference for vocal-instrumental music," reads the study abstract. Researchers from Oxford Brookes University surveyed and tested 467 Croatian high school students to assess their smarts, their preferred type of music, and how they use music. The result was that students who scored higher in intelligence were associated with an ear for wordless music genres like big band, classical, and ambient or chill electronica. Another finding was that students who listened to music cognitively--that is, for the enjoyment of analyzing or appreciating the composition or technique--also preferred instrumental music. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Ink ARTICLE

ECM Records was founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Schaffner in Munich, Germany, in 1969. Since then, it has become a home to many celebrated artists and released countless genre-defying albums. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, ECM has reissued 50 of its most notable albums via a new series titled Touchstones. These records – including works by such artists as Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Kenny Jarrett, Gary Peacock, John Abercrombie and Steve Swallow, among others – are known as milestones in the history of jazz and improvisation. ECM Celebrates 50th Anniversary with New Reissues Series:     SEE THE JAZZIZ PAGE   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

It is not just National Public Radio and local news that will be lost when RGV Public Radio 88 FM ceases to operate. Mario Muñoz's classical music show "New Edition" will also be lost from the airwaves. It is a one-of-a-kind production in the Rio Grande Valley.  "It is very sad that the Valley will be losing this program," said Max Horowitz, a New York-based music promoter who has provided albums and artist interviews for Muñoz's show for many years. "Programs such as Mario's can only be found on non-commercial radio. To not have a non-commercial radio station that plays music in your market, means it is next to impossible to hear several genres of music." The Diocese of Brownsville is selling 88.1 and 88.9 FM to California-based Immaculate Heart Media. The new buyers plan to air religious programming, meaning NPR, local news provided by the Rio Grande Guardian, and music shows such as "New Edition" will be lost to the Valley. "I have run the classical music show for the past five years," Muñoz said. "The 30-minute show goes out at 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday. We feature selections from the newest classical music CDs, providing commentary about the music and interviews with the performers and composers." In addition to Muñoz's classical music show, the airwaves will also lose Chris Maley's blues music show, "On The Road Side." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Rio Grande GUARDIAN ARTICLE

How would have Yuval Sharon's bewildering new production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" gone over in Los Angeles? That was the first thing that crossed my mind as I walked out of the opera house and into a Berlin rain on a frigid day in March. Sharon, the ever disruptive artist-collaborator of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and artistic director of the experimental opera company the Industry, has made L.A. the locus for opera reinvention in America and gets national attention for each of his grand experiments. But America's major opera companies presumably view Sharon as a troublemaker, whereas Berlin's most important opera company was willing to entrust this cheeky young American with work that is a national pastime in Germany.
PHOTO: (B. Ulig / La Monnaie) READ THE FULL Los Angeles Times ATICLE

In 2017, Spotify launched its Secret Genius Awards annual event to honor songwriters and producers behind some of the streaming platform's most-played songs. But now some of those same honorees are speaking out about something much less celebrated -- Spotify's plan to appeal Copyright Royalty Board rates, along with Google, Pandora and Amazon. "We're hurt and disappointed," the dozens of songwriters wrote in an an open letter to Spotify on Tuesday (April 9) addressed to Spotify chief Daniel Ek and shared with Billboard. "You created a songwriter relations team and ingratiated Spotify into our community. We know that you are not the only DSP appealing the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) rate determination. You are, however, the only provider that made us feel we were working to build a modern music industry together."
PHOTO: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images READ billboard ARTICLE     p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ HYPERBEAST ARTICLE

Interlochen Public Radio is proud to announce that Amanda Sewell will step into the role of Music Director, leading the growth and development of Interlochen Center for the Arts' unique music service, Classical IPR. Amanda is a musicologist who received her Ph.D. from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She became involved with Interlochen in 2015 writing program notes for concerts. She volunteered at IPR helping with the music library and was later hired to host music live on air. "I have found her talents and deep love for music almost a match for her energy and ambition," says IPR Executive Director Peter Payette.  Amanda developed the weekly program "The Interlochen Collection" to showcase the extensive music archive at Interlochen Center for the Arts. In addition to her radio work, she has a book deal with Oxford University Press for a biography about American composer Wendy Carlos. She was recently awarded the Paul Charosh Fellowship from the Society for American Music in recognition of her musicological scholarship. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL IPR ARTICLE

While the audio marketplace is continually expanding as a result of increased accessibility and emerging technology, radio remains front and center, reaching more Americans each week than any other media source, at 92% among U.S. adults 18+. That is more than twice the usage of the next audio platform in line, streaming audio on smartphones, at 45%. The just released Q3 Nielsen Total Audience Report has podcasts as the No. 3 most popular audio platform, with 19% of usage; followed by satellite radio, at 16%; and streaming audio on a tablet, 13%. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} READ THE FULL INSIDE RADIO ARTICLE

For the first time, musicians under 21 years of age (but at least 18 years old) can submit to NPR's annual Tiny Desk Contest. Thus, NPR Music reached out to college newspapers such as the Hustler to promote the contest to newly eligible students.The Vanderbilt Hustler will offer up recording equipment and staff to students looking to submit to NPR's 2019 Tiny Desk Contest. Here's how it'll work: Email Dallas Shatel (dallas.a.shatel@vanderbilt.edu) if you would like to participate. We will set up a time and place to record your song (it must be an original song, and you must perform behind a desk of some sort). After you have uploaded your video to YouTube and submitted it to npr.org/tinydeskcontest, we will feature your concert in an article. At the end of the submission period, we will have readers vote on their favorite. All videos must submitted to NPR by Sunday, April 14. The Tiny Desk Concerts began in 2008, and since then they have featured both established and up-and-coming music artists in an intimate concert right at All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen's desk. Since 2014, NPR has opted to host an annual contest in which unsigned acts can submit an original 1-song performance for a chance to perform a Tiny Desk Concert. SEE The Vanderbilt Hustler PAGE

A look back at the classic Beatles album Sgt Pepper is delivered by artists ranging from Antonio Sanchez and Mary Halvorson to Sullivan Fortner, with impressive results. No one tries to repeat a mood, but simply to take the  songs and puree them through a 21st Century post bop mindset.  The closest thing to a similar mood is with bassist Felix Pastorius bringing in some raga-ish keyboards and synthesizers for a mystical "Within You Without You," but besides that, things get pretty original. Fortner's solo stride of "When I'm Sixty Four" is rich and colorful, while Sanchez's frantic drum work heats up "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and reprise. Guitarist Mary Halvorson gets some pretty tones and effects on "With A Little Help From My Friends" and bassist Miles Mosley gets rollicking on a funky "Lovely Rita." Keyon Harrold's soft horn teams with Shedrick Mitchell's piano for a pastoral "She's Leaving Home" with some thick textures closing things out by The Juju Exchange's creative delivery of "A Day In The Life." Not imitative, but celebrative, and it works well. SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE

Black tie will meet black leather as the San Francisco Symphony joins Metallica on Sept. 6 to break in the new home of the Golden State Warriors in Mission Bay. The classical musicians and classic rockers will be the first acts to perform - yes, together - at Chase Center, the new arena that will serve as home to the NBA team in the fall, Warriors officials announced Monday, March 18, at a news conference hosted just outside of the venue attended by Metallica's Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, Warriors owner Joe Lacob, Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. The pairing is not as odd as it sounds. The concert, which will be conducted by Thomas and Edwin Outwater, marks the 20th anniversary of Metallica's first performance with the San Francisco Symphony at the Berkeley Community Theater in 1999, which yielded the live album "S&M." That concert was conducted by the late Michael Kamen.     PHOTO: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL San Francisco Chronicle ARTICLE

Decca Records has announced a series of exciting musical events to mark its 90th anniversary. To celebrate nine decades of the label, Decca has put together a calendar of releases and events to take place throughout 2019 including a Pavarotti feature film, exclusive reissues and a first-of-its-kind Decca history book. Since 1929 Decca has been home to countless legendary musicians spanning various genres including David Bowie, Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Vera Lynne, Tom Jones, and The Rolling Stones. They have served as the official label partner to three Royal Weddings, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics, and even revolutionised radar technology during the Second World War when they developed the Decca Navigator System. Decca President Rebecca Allen said, "Decca Records has been the soundtrack to many historical and cultural moments...Even as we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we continue to push the boundaries; to seek out artists who stand out from the crowd." In 2018 alone Decca produced Number 1 albums from both Rod Stewart and Andrea Bocelli; they helped push Buddy Holly back into the Top 10 and award Kacey Musgraves her first Top 10 album with Golden Hour. Also in 2018, Hollywood legend Jeff Goldblum reached the UK Albums Chart Top 40 with his debut Jazz record and Sheku Kanneh-Mason became the youngest ever cellist to get a Top 20 album. Decca will be marking their nine decades with a series of exciting musical events to mark its 90th anniversary. SEE THE PAGE

Across the whole of 2018, the three major recorded companies combined generated an average of $19m each day – or just under $800,000 per hour – from streaming services. That's according to new MBW research, which places our microscope on the money generated by Universal, Sony and Warner's labels in the last calendar year. The ‘Big Three' turned over $6.93bn from streaming services in wholesale revenue last year, according to respective recent investor filings from UMG parent Vivendi, Sony Music parent Sony Corp and Warner Music Group, all analysed by MBW. That was up by just over $1.6bn on the $5.3bn the trio generated from streaming services in 2017. Overall, across all formats (and other commercial activities), the recorded music divisions of Universal Music Group, Sony's music division and Warner Music Group turned over $13.14bn last year, which itself was up $1.04bn on the prior year. Which of the Big Three had the most stellar year? In a word, Universal. READ THE FULL MBW ARTICLE

Today, Verve and Impulse! Records, together with UMe, launched their new series Vital Vinyl, a celebration of essential jazz LPs from the iconic labels' enduring catalogs. Throughout the year, the labels are making some of their most beloved must-have albums from the '50s, '60s and '70s available once again as non-limited editions LPs, pressed on audiophile grade 180-gram black vinyl and showcased with their original cover artwork, track listings and liner notes. The records will be released in three batches with the first available today followed by the second on May 3 and the final installment on June 7. Almost all major jazz artists are included within this series, from the joyful vocals of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong to the Brazilian Jazz revolutions of Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd and Antonio Carlos Jobim, through to the powerful soloing of Charlie Parker, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Jimmy Smith, Lester Young, Oscar Peterson, Ben Webster, Wes Montgomery and Gerry Mulligan.  View the attached trailer.

From Liszt to Scriabin, here are ten of the most fiendishly difficult pieces of piano music. Sensible musicians: avoid at all costs. Looking for piano pieces that will make your fingers get stuck in a permanent claw shape? You've come to the right place. The list includes; Liszt – La Campanella Ravel – Gaspard de la Nuit Conlon Nancarrow – Studies for Player Piano Sorabji – Opus clavicembalisticum Charles Valentin Alkan – Concerto for Solo Piano Chopin – Étude Op. 10 No. 4 Scriabin – Sonata No. 5 Stravinsky – Trois mouvements de Petrouchka Prokofiev – Piano Concerto No. 2 Ligeti – Étude for Piano No. 13   READ/WATCH THE CLASSIC fM PAGE

NPR will change the theme music to Morning Edition for the first time in decades, according to a memo sent to member stations Tuesday by CEO Jarl Mohn. NPR is developing the new theme to attract new listeners and "to better reflect what Morning Edition is today," Mohn wrote in the email obtained by Current. The theme will debut May 6. "As we look to draw in new listeners to NPR programming and grow public radio's presence on multiple platforms, a new theme will give us a way to better reflect what Morning Edition is today, and attract listeners who have not yet discovered the program's dynamic mix of engaging, informative, and often surprising stories about today's world," Mohn wrote. Mohn said the theme is "inspired by the work of BJ Leiderman," who composed the current music as well as the themes of Weekend Edition and Wait Wait … Don't Tell Me! Morning Edition has used Leiderman's theme since its 1979 debut, with subsequent arrangements provided by composer and musician Jim Pugh. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Current ARTICLE

Depending on how old you are, what part of the historic and cultural spectrum you have roots in and who you believe, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, recorded between November 1966 and April 1967, and released on the 26th of May, 1967 would be deemed to be the most important and/or influential act of music – as Rolling Stone magazine often puts it – "of all time". And while there are many caveats – such as those relating to being "white" and "western" or "Eurocentric", there is no doubt that with their legendary producer and "Fifth Beatle", George Martin, in the 1960's, The Beatles addressed like no other musical act, a radical shift in the cultural mindset of the late twentieth century. As Thomas MacFarlane, who teaches courses in music theory and composition at New York University put it, "Through tools of ‘electric technology', this shift encompassed the decline of visual modes of perception and the emergence of a ‘way-of-knowing' based increasingly on sound." But music – certainly music today, like most art – is more porous than it has ever been. Charles Mingus even wrote a piece of music about this for his Epitaph album (that was recorded after his death and called the work "Osmotin". And so in the spirit of both monumental cultural icons we approach A Day in the Life – Impressions of Pepper, a reimagining of that iconic Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band which, in the spirit of Mr Mingus' term, is music that has permeated the membrane of aural art emerging through a portal as if relocated into a new soundscape, one that falls into Mr MacFarlane's "way-of-knowing" conceptual thinking. Viewed this way, whether The Beatles would have approved or not; whether the refusniks would find something vile to say about it or not, the fact is this is a hugely enjoyable and , at times, even brilliant execution of a bold concept. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Jazz da Gama REVIEW

George Preston, who will begin in this position March 1, 2019, returns to WFMT, where he served as the afternoon drive host from 2009 to 2013, and hosted and produced the internationally syndicated Lyric Opera of Chicago broadcasts. Preston will be responsible for strategic programming, production, fundraising, broadcasting operations, and syndication activities for WFMT. Preston returns to WFMT by way of Cheyenne Mountain Public Broadcast House, Inc., where he currently serves as the general manager of Classical KCME, and where he added a full‐time jazz service. Prior to arriving at WFMT in 2009, George was a host and music director for WNYC, New York City's primary NPR member station, where he supervised the music staff and produced a wide array of live concert broadcasts, festivals, and specials. He started his career at WXCR, in Safety Harbor, Florida, a commercial classical station serving the Tampa Bay market, and before that was a program host and producer, music director, and assistant program director for WBUR in Boston. "This is an exciting time for WFMT, and I am honored to be taking on the role of general manager," said Preston. "It is a privilege to be returning to WFMT, an organization with a great legacy and unlimited possibilities. I hope to bring my passion and audience‐building experience to bear, and I look forward to working with program director David Polk, and WFMT's entire team." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} WFMT has a new Vice President and General Manager, but it is someone you may recognize! It's George Preston. SEE THE PAGE

Mack Avenue Music Group (jazz and soul/R&B), ROSTER INCL; (Christian McBride, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Macy Gray, Billy Childs, Kirk Whalum, Julian Lage, Jeffrey Osborne, Alfredo Rodriguez, Joey Defrancesco, Chucho Valdez, Cyrille Aimee Jonathan Butler, Kenny Garrett, Stanley Clark, Tia Fuller, Christian Sands, The Yellowjackets) is expanding their marketing team and looking for a Vice President of Strategic Marketing based in their Los Angeles office. CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE via MBW

We've heard from WFMT Program Director David Polk, and hosts Dennis Moore, Maggie Clennon Reberg, Robbie Ellis, and Michael San Gabino. To conclude our week of musical resolutions, host Candice Agree reached out to some friends of WFMT, whose intentions for 2019 are below. SEE WFMT: Chicago PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Impulse! has brought together some of the great progressive jazz musicians of our time to pay tribute to The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper includes performances and interpretations by artists such as UK saxophonist and Impulse! recording artist Shabaka Hutchings, Impulse! pianist Sullivan Fortner, Verve recording artist Miles Mosley, Onyx Collective, percussionist Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mary Halvorson, The JuJu Exchange and more. This stellar lineup represents some of the great progressive jazz artists from around the world: Shabaka from the UK Jazz scene, Miles Mosley and Cameron Graves from LA's West Coast Get Down, Onyx Collective from NYC, Makaya McCraven and the JuJu Exchange from Chicago. The New York City Jazz Record reviewed the disc on pg. 35 in January 2019 issue and commented; "The tracks are, almost as a whole, deep and thoughtful, respectful without being overly beholden to the iconic originals. A rare, truly imaginative tribute album."

It's a good thing, then, that A Day in the Life: Impressions of Pepper is not actually a Beatles cover album. Sure, its 13 tracks sync with the sequence of Sgt. Pepper's, and you can hear traces of that totemic record in every piece here. But A Day in the Life is instead a full-length interpretation of Sgt. Pepper's, rendered by some of the most captivating young musicians in the modern jazz orbit. Rather than offering obvious renditions of these standards, the likes of Makaya McCraven, Mary Halvorson, Shabaka Hutchings, and Sullivan Fortner reimagine them in the grandest jazz tradition-as fodder and grist, inspiration for making something else entirely. From sweeping solo piano vamps to cinematic takes bordering on post-rock, these versions treat the originals like colorful clothes worn by today's most electrifying jazz musicians, who give these old chestnuts a new body and vitality. READ THE FULL Pitchfork REVIEW

Jazz musicians are renown for their sense of time, although – if this album is any measure – perhaps not for their timing. Arriving fully 18 months after the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's – and coinciding with the exceptional remaster/reissue of their follow-up The Beatles (aka The White Album) and the Christmas rush – this stellar interpretation of Pepper somewhat missed the boat . . . and arrives as everyone left on the wharf went off on holiday. Maybe it will stand a better chance when it gets vinyl release in mid-January when the cover will look impressively large. But let's draw attention to it now because there are some terrific "impressions" here by the likes of British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, pianist Sullivan Fortner (on the recent Cecile McLorin Salvant album), bassist Miles Mosley who has played on Kamasi Washington's albums, Onyx Collective, percussionist Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mary Halvorson, The JuJu Exchange and more. READ THE FULL Elsewhere REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

From Gustav Holst's orchestral suite "The Planets" to any John Williams composition for "Star Wars" to the Steve Miller Band's "Space Cowboy," space has inspired the musically inclined for centuries. But space can also create music, and in honor of the Mars rover Opportunity seeing its 5,000th Martian sunrise, scientists created a tune not just inspired by the sunrise but by using data from the photograph of the sunrise itself. The video above was created by Domenico Vicinanza of Anglia Ruskin University and Genevieve Williams from the University of Exeter. The tones you hear were developed by scanning the image from left to right, pixel by pixel, according to a statement released by Anglia Ruskin University. Pitches and melodies were then assigned to things like brightness, terrain elevation and color. For instance, the quieter portions of the piece are a result of the dark background of the image while the higher-pitched sounds are related to the sun's brightness. To create this music of the spheres, Vicinanza and Williams used a process called data sonification. When we typically want to represent data, we use words to explain or charts and graphs to illustrate. Some scientists and researchers, however, are looking for alternative ways to make data consumable, and data sonification does that. So instead of lines on a chart, we get pitches, tones and melodies. At first, data presented in this way can result in something abstract, as if someone made a not-so-great remix of a Philip Glass or Terry Riley composition. And that's normal, according to Jack Jamieson, a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto. Writing for Open Shelf, Jamieson explains that many of us are simply "not used to decoding this sort of abstract information from non-speech sound, and the process takes some getting used to." Take a listen to a Martian sunrise via mnn p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Classically trained musician Shirley Choi has released three chart-topping mobile apps for children and is working on two more – but she has not received a penny for more than four years of work. She composed the music and songs for her children's e-books, all aimed squarely at the issue of climate change. Each is bilingual, in English and Chinese, and available free of charge on both the iOS and Android platforms. The composer-turned-producer says money is the last thing on her mind. "I get emails that bring tears to my eyes," Choi says. "I received an email from a mother of twin girls who said: ‘One of my girls reads your e-book to her sister every night, and they love the songs.' I didn't understand at first, but then I found out that one of the girls is blind." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Yahoo News ARTICLE

This season, approximately 700 families in New York City, across the country, and around the world will take part in Carnegie Hall's Lullaby Project, a program which pairs pregnant women and new parents with professional artists to write personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. In New York City, the project will reach parents at 15 different sites, including healthcare settings, homeless shelters, high schools, foster care, and correctional facilities. Extending across the country and through several international programs, the Lullaby Project enables more than 20 partner organizations to support families in their own communities. Families can also give the gift of song this holiday season with the Decca Gold (Universal Music Group) release, Hopes & Dreams: The Lullaby Project, an album of original lullabies written by workshop participants and performed by leading artists, including Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Joyce DiDonato, Janice Freeman, Rhiannon Giddens, Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant, Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The recording was produced by Glen Roven, Ira Yuspeh, and Mitch Yuspeh. Proceeds from the album benefit the original songwriters and support the Lullaby Project. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE

A note from WGBH: Boston....At WCRB, we are always looking for fill-in hosts who are engaging speakers, are knowledgeable about classical music, and have flexible schedules. This is a great opportunity for a classical music fan with a passion for expanding the audience for classical music and an appreciation for radio. This is a fill-in, as-needed position, with the possibility of up to 25 hours per week. We're seeking all ranges of experience, from the newcomer to the seasoned professional. The Radio Announcer must be an appealing on-air presenter of classical music with a friendly, conversational delivery. S/he should execute station-generated programming or make music selections in accordance with station policy. Must be able to learn and use broadcast software. Familiarity with classical music and radio broadcast knowledge preferred, but not required. Intrigued? if so   CLICK HERE FOR WCRB: Boston positions for a Classical Radio Announcer

Stan Whippo has hosted the live, four-hour classical music show Matinee every weekday on our sister station, Classical 94.1 WBNI, for more than twenty years. And being in his early nineties, Stan has decided that now feels like the right time to retire. Last year, WBOI's Julia Meek had an opportunity to talk with him about what classical music means to him, and how it drives his passion for public radio. Today we revisit that conversation, as Stan presents his final show, and on behalf of all the staff, volunteers, and listeners in our community, we thank you, Stan Whippo, for sharing your music, humor, and friendship with us over the airwaves these many years. LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION

Folk Alliance International (FAI) is proud to announce the 2019 Official Showcase artists* representing 23 countries (*confirmed to date and subject to change) for the 31st annual conference taking place February 13-17, 2019, at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montréal, Québec, Canada. This was an exceptional applicant year with over 1000 artists (a 30% increase over the previous year) from 28 countries applying for 180 Official Showcase slots. A 21-member international jury made up of festival directors and music industry professionals from the U.S., Canada, and abroad spent one month reviewing and scoring the applications. FAI places a priority on reflecting the full diversity of international folk music, and while scoring applications jurors are asked to consider how well the applicant helps broaden the view and offering of folk music for presenters, industry, and audience. Folk Alliance International (FAI) is a registered nonprofit based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1989, FAI is an advocacy, professional development, and networking organization that produces the world's largest conference of the folk music community and industry. Guided by a mission "to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation, and promotion," FAI serves over international 3,000 members and five regional affiliate organizations in North America. www.folk.org READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} A Stradivarius violin worth millions of dollars is the major prize that 40 of the world's best young violinists will compete to wrap their fingers around at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Whoever plays it next will join an eclectic cast, some of whom have reached the stratosphere of their craft and some of whom were just plain rich. Made in 1683, the violin has lived with a Parisian nobleman and a millionaire driver who raced around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has ventured into bluegrass, and it was once deemed a "jealous mistress" by its most famous owner. From the fiddle's deep ruddy brown body, it bestows grace on players who understand it and squawks on those who are too harsh. The instrument's strength lies in an unlimited palate of emotional intensities.  "If I was a painter and I was given a set of colors, and instead of being given five or six shades of blue, I was given a Stradivarius and I was given a hundred shades of blue. So imagine having that many shades in every color," said Glen Kwok, executive director of      Photo: Kelly Wilkinson READ THE FULL Indianapolis Star ARTICLE

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} Mark Ruffin is a two-time Emmy-winning broadcaster and journalist who played jazz on the radio in Chicago for over 25 years before joining the Real Jazz airwaves. He's written over 600 articles for Down Beat, Jazziz, Playboy, Chicago Magazine and others, and he welcomes your requests and feedback. His show on SiriusXM, Real Jazz airs Weekdays 3 pm - 6 pm and Sundays 7 pm - 8 pm ET. Ruffin acted as Master of Ceremony at the 2018 Chicago Jazz Festival. Here's a pic It's the final night w/another outstanding line-up.  •Matt Ulery's Loom Large Ensemble
•Arturo O'Farrill Sextet
•Charles McPherson-Barry Harris Quartet Closing out the 40th Chicago Jazz Music Festival will be Maceo Parker. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Join Classical and Jazz Radio station - WRTI for their block party with Astral Artists on Saturday September 15th from 3 to 6 pm at 1213 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. It's a fun, free afternoon of music played by some of the world's most dynamic young musicians, outdoors in Center City. Performers are sure to entertain and to wow you: they are Christine Lamprea, cello; Xavier Foley, double-bass; and Annie Wu, flute. You'll love the fresh repertoire, including music for beatbox flute, where a flute can sound like a flute PLUS a whole rhythm section, and a Philadelphia premiere by award-winning Canadian composer Vivian Fung, called Humanoid for cello and electronica. Xavier Foley will play his own amazing new compositions, and all three musicians will get together at the end to jam. Why are we so excited about this block party and to see you there? WRTI General Manager Bill Johnson sums it up: "The Block Party allows WRTI and Astral to come together around our shared values of discovering new artists, new music, and community. This fun event will remind us all that music is for everyone and there are no barriers to discovering and sharing it in our everyday lives." SEE THE WRTI PAGE

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles.  As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the "Trojan Family," which is comprised of the faculty, students and staff that make the university what it is. KUSC-FM is a classical radio station licensed by USC.  KUSC Radio is seeking a Program Host to join its team. USC Radio Group's Los Angeles division, KUSC, is seeking a Program Host to present music on America's most-listened to classical radio station. This is on air position with daily hosting requirements weekdays, and recorded programs on weekends.  Candidate must have a passion for and a basic knowledge of classical music, and the facility to pronounce titles in many foreign languages.  The host must be comfortable speaking in public, and have a talent for presenting classical music to a broad audience. The person must have an engaging personality that can weave topical elements into a show effortlessly beyond classical music, and be inviting to new and current listeners. Candidate must be able to work well with others and have at least 7 years of experience working in radio, with an overall understanding of programming automation systems, and social media.  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE APPLICATION

Capital Public Radio is seeking a dynamic classical music host to add to our creative, experienced and expanding team. We're looking for a radio professional who is warm and engaging on the air and has a knack for telling a great story.  Our new team member will play a vital role in scheduling music, crafting and honing CapRadio's diverse and appealing classical format. This is an extraordinary opportunity to work in a creative environment in one of the most fascinating and beautiful parts of the country, Northern California. SEE CapRadio APPLICATION

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Cincinnati Public Radio - 90.9 WGUC is a dynamic, personalized station that earned the distinction as the best performing classical radio station in the country according to a comprehensive report issued by the Station Resource Group and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. While the current environment presents unprecedented challenges, it also holds promise of significant opportunities for improving and broadening WGUC's service… providing the highest quality classical music programming for the Greater Cincinnati community. With that is mind, Classical Music 101: What Happens Behind The Scenes At A Classical Public Radio Station - Part 3 gives us a look behind-the-scenes as Sunday Baroque host Suzanne Bona and Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director at Cincinnati Opera Evans Mirageas discuss the upcoming season of Cincinnati Opera - all recorded by WGUC's recording and master engineer, Stephen Baum. Watch the attached video.

Pianist Davell Crawford, sometimes called "The Prince of New Orleans," was just 14 years old when he met Fats Domino, sometimes called the "architect of Rock-and-Roll." After inspiring Elvis Presley, selling 65 million records, and surviving Hurricane Katrina, Fats Domino passed away last October at age 89. Now Crawford is on a tour of City Wineries with "Walking To New Orleans: Davell Crawford's Tribute to Fats Domino," and will be at City Winery in New York on September 4th.  Members of Fats Domino's band will join Davell Crawford for this tribute, as well as Cyril Neville, the youngest of the Neville Brothers, and the impeccable drummer Bernard Purdie, who's played with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Aretha Franklin to George Benson. LISTEN to our recent conversation with Davell Crawford, and sign up for the American Standards newsletter here by noon on Friday, August 31st for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the New York, September 4th show. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Terms and Conditions apply to ‘Universal bundle' radio competition which will run from 21 August 2018 to 21 September 2018 on Classic FM. Anyone who enters the Competition at ClassicFM.com and must answer a question online. The resident of the UK or Isle of Man winner will be drawn at random from all correct entries. The prize is a bundle of recordings from Universal Music, as follows:  A 12-disc box-set of recordings by Herbert von Karajan  Music from Gladiator on vinyl  Max Richter's Three Worlds: Music from Woolf Works on vinyl  Sheku Kanneh-Mason's debut album on vinyl  Carlos Kleiber's complete orchestral recordings on vinyl  The Complete Works of Shakespeare read and performed – on 11 CDs

Aretha Franklin, whose gospel-rooted singing and bluesy yet expansive delivery earned her the title "the Queen of Soul," has died, a family statement said Thursday. She was 76. Franklin died at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit, surrounded by family and friends, according to a statement on behalf of Franklin's family from her longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn.  "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds," Franklin's family said. She is both a 20th and 21st century musical and cultural icon known the world over simply by her first name: Aretha. The reigning and undisputed "Queen Of Soul" has created an amazing legacy that spans an incredible six decades, from her first recording as a teenage gospel star, to her most recent RCA Records release, ARETHA FRANKLIN SINGS THE GREAT DIVA CLASSICS. Her many countless classics include "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain Of Fools," "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)"; her own compositions "Think," "Daydreaming" and "Call Me"; her definitive versions of "Respect" and "I Say A Little Prayer"; and global hits like "Freeway Of Love," "Jump To It," "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," her worldwide chart-topping duet with George Michael, and "A Rose Is Still A Rose." The recipient of the U.S.A.'s highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal Of Freedom, an eighteen (and counting) GRAMMY Award winner – the most recent of which was for Best Gospel Performance for "Never Gonna Break My Faith" with Mary J. Blige in 2008 – a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement and GRAMMY Living Legend awardee, Aretha Franklin's powerful, distinctive gospel-honed vocal style has influenced countless singers across multi-generations, justifiably earning her Rolling Stone magazine's No. 1 placing on the list of "The Greatest Singers Of All Time." If your a classical radio station looking for a way to work Aretha Franklin into your format today, here it is, attached. Franklin performs Nessun Dorma following Pope Francis' attendance at Festival of Families in Philadelphia, September 26, 2015

90.9 WGUC is a public radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by Cincinnati Public Radio, the station broadcasts classical music as well as jazz on it's HD Radio - WGUC-2. When Cincinnati Public Radio purchased Xavier University's "X-Star Network" (a group of stations headed by WVXU-FM) in 2005, WGUC moved its National Public Radio news and talk programming, including All Things Considered, which had aired on WGUC since the 1970s, to WVXU. 90.9 WGUC host, Elaine Diehl gives you a Classical Music 101: What Happens Behind The Scenes At A Classical Public Radio Station? Find out by watching the attached video.

Yamaha Corporation of America recently hosted a highly acclaimed Piano Pros Best Practices training session as part of the company's ongoing commitment to support its dealers. Approximately 30 sales professionals from around the country attended the event to discuss the best sales techniques and strategies to leverage outside promotions to promote inside sales, according to Bob Heller, national sales director, Keyboard division. In addition to learning the "rules of the road" for Costco-specific events, topics included effective model mix, merchandising and booth display layout that can be incorporated into any venue where an outside promotion takes place. READ THE FULL Virtual-Strategy Magazine ARTICLE

A selection of Georgian artists will be on stage at Berlin Atonal, a major festival of music and visual arts, to perform for crowds in the German capital later this month. Featuring some of the most notable producers and performers from Georgia's electronic and experimental scene, the roster will showcase their sounds and projects at the prominent musical event. The selection of Georgian artists will include Nikakoi, a pioneer of Georgia's electronic scene and HVL, a resident of the acclaimed Bassiani club in capital Tbilisi. The former will perform at the opening of the German festival on August 22. A collaborative performance by Ochtachoron - a duo involving artists Sandro Kozmanishvili and Bakur Metreveli - and ESI - a project by artist Irakli Shonia - will also introduce festival-goers to their work, with NIKA J also appearing at the event. This year's Berlin Atonal will run at the Kraftwerk Berlin venue between August 22-26. READ THE FULL AGENDA.GE ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

What are the finest recordings of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos? In our exclusive Apple Music playlist, to tie in with today's BBC Proms Brandenburg Projects, we bring you six different recordings of Bach's masterpieces, from Apollo's Fire to the English Concert, via Concerto Italiano. BBC Music Magazine presents the finest recordings – from the Academy of Ancient Music to the English Baroque Soloists – of all six of Bach's orchestral masterpieces. LISTEN p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Singer Hisham Breedlove has a precise routine for staking out a performance spot inside Metro stations. The operatic countertenor places his belongings on the station mezzanine. Then, he nods a hello to the station manager, takes a deep breath and begins to belt out the first notes of a popular aria - while silently praying that no one complains. "Just one person has to go to him and say, ‘You know what, that guy is singing there, I don't like it,' and then by law the station manager has to tell me to leave," said Breedlove, who has been singing in Metro stations for years. "That's just how it is." READ THE FULL Washington Post ARTICLE

I've been thinking a little about Fall pledge-drive premiums - your thoughts?? E.g.: 1) "The Best of Leonard Bernstein" - a new 2-CD sampler set on Sony; 2) "Hilary Hahn: Retrospective" - 2-CD set, chosen by Hahn, on DG with fan art and some new live recordings; 3) the new Yo-Yo Ma Bach cello suites set on Sony ("Bach: Six Evolutions"). Would these be the things that inspire people to call 1-800- or pledge online ? Or would something else work better, and if so.... what do you suggest? Thanks!

The Varchetti family ordered a pepperoni pizza from Hungry Howie's for dinner. When the delivery guy came to their suburban Detroit home, he gave them the pizza, then peeked inside to their foyer and said: "That's a beautiful piano. Can I take look at it?" The Varchettis invited him in to see the baby grand, which they said generally goes unused. They asked if he played. Bryce Dudal, 18, who had just graduated from high school, said he did play, and he'd love to give this one a spin. So the pizza delivery guy sat down on the piano bench, and for the next minute and a half his fingers flew and jumped across the keys as he played the third movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata. The Varchettis were blown away. "He was just beyond good," Julie Varchetti said. Dudal is self-taught. He played the complicated piece in the Varchettis' home last week from memory. His playing was so good, in fact, that it caused the Varchettis' 10-year-old son and his buddy to stop playing the popular video game Fortnite to listen. READ THE FULL STORY              WATCH THE VIDEO 

Sarah Cahill is one of the most engaged, forward-looking pianists of our time. In her concerts, more than 20 albums, and radio broadcasts (her weekly radio show, "Revolutions per Minute," can be heard Sunday evenings on KALW-FM: San Francisco), the sublime Berkeley-based artist has devoted much of her musical life to advancing the cause of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. Composers have responded to her advocacy in an array of inspired works. A selection of those works will be featured on Cahill's concert this weekend at Old First Concerts. READ THE FULL Mercury News ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

On Wednesday, July 25th, the prestigious LA Shorts International Film Festival highlighted a new short-film documentary about KUSC's Jim Svejda, host of The Evening Program and The Record Shelf. 'Jim Svejda: Between the Notes' was chosen as one of a handful of shorts featured. The film celebrates Svejda's 40th anniversary with KUSC and also recognizes his status as one of the most knowledgeable classical music hosts in the country. Directed by Daniel Zucker, with a cast including renowned concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, composer Thomas Newman and film director Nicholas Meyer, the short documentary highlights what Svejda has done for the classical music world during his time at KUSC. The station's former president, Brenda Barnes, commissioned the film to commemorate Svejda's 40-year milestone.
Photo by David Feeney-Mosier p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE KUSC: Los Angeles PAGE

One of my favorite classical radio stations is making a meal over measures that one of my favorite conductors is taking to combat coughing in the music hall. San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas now gives away cough drops at concerts. Or at least MTT did so at a recent Chicago Symphony event in which the proverbial throat frogs got unusually jumpy during several quiet pieces. These included a Stravinsky elegy for President John F. Kennedy and an early movement of a Mahler symphony. The Maestro described the drastic step he took in a recent interview with Elliott Forrest at WQXR-FM in New York City "As it happens, just as I had walked on the stage before the Mahler piece I had seen that there was a big box filled with cough drops which is there for members of the orchestra to use it they need it," Thomas explained. "So that was in my mind and I thought, it is going to be a problem later in the piece, so maybe I can do something that will be helpful. So I said to the concert master, ‘Don't worry. I'll be right back.' I walked off the stage and got two very big handfuls of these cough drops. I came back and said something to the audience like ‘I just happen to have a bunch of cough drops . . . ‘" p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Radio Survivor ARTICLE

New and Daring Sounds from SDM Records, Impermanent Projects, and More Portland has long been a friendly haven for experimental music, providing a welcoming space for the two-decade run of the Creative Music Guild and venues where artists of all stripes can challenge themselves and their listeners. In recent years, the city has also seen the rise of record labels that spotlight purveyors of noise, drone, free jazz, and beyond from around the world. If you have an interest in experimental music, here are the five best labels offering new and daring sounds from right here at home. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} PHOTO: TETIANA LAZUNOVA / GETTY IMAGES      SEE The Portland Mercury LIST

Quentin Howard is a man with a mission: To work out if he can run a fully-featured radio station on hardware that costs less than $99. Quentin, who was chief engineer for the UK's national Classic FM and instrumental in the UK's adoption of DAB Digital Radio, is running his own radio station as a bit of fun - deliberately using cheap hardware. "I wanted to run a fully-functional radio station - with a completely automated music schedule, station IDs, encoding and streaming, and pulling in external audio sources. I wanted it broadcasting the time signal at the top of the hour; and for me to be able to broadcast live if I wanted to," he said. The system that does this? A £70 (US$94) tablet computer, running Windows 10. The challenge that Quentin has set himself is to ensure that the system runs reliably, and the touch software remains responsive and usable on a 7-inch screen. "Classical titles are more complicated to music schedule - extreme durations, multiple artists, composers, different versions of same piece, segues in different keys, screeching sopranos, non-English alphabets - so it's a good stress test of music rotation and playout, which is really what this is all about. If it can do all this well, any pop/rock format station is a doddle!", he says. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL radiomagonline ARTICLE

On May 19, 2018 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were wed in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.  They are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. For the first time in history, all of the music, readings, blessings and vows were recorded and made available on streaming services. The physical album is now also available.  The music on the album includes performances by The Kingdom Choir, the Choir of St. George's Chapel, soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, trumpeter David Blackadder, organist Luke Bond and the State Trumpeters from the Band of the Household Cavalry. The young British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason also performed and shot to international stardom for his role in the ceremony.  This recording on Decca Records joins those of the 2011 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the 1997 funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the 1981 wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales. A portion of the album sales will be donated to The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which supports philanthropic activities and program. SEE THE IPR PAGE

Fresh off the presses, it's The Royal Wedding: The Official Album! Fortunately for us, the recent wedding of Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle featured a lot of really nice classical music. One highlight included on the album, is a star turn from the remarkable young cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Tracks include If Ye Love Me, a stunning choral piece from the English Renaissance composer, Thomas Tallis, a musical blessing by the contemporary composer, John Rutter, as well as selections by Schubert, Faure, William Boyce, and more. For the Week of June 18th - The Royal Wedding: The Official Album is the KUSC: Los Angeles - Album Of the Week. SEE KUSC PAGE

History was written in 2000 BC, and 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of Brahms' Lullaby, so this precious musical tradition has deep cultural and emotional roots. These personal songs bring people together, span generations, and tell stories about where we come from, who we are now, and our hopes for the future. The legacy continues with the release of Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project on Decca Gold (Verve Label Group). The recording is inspired by the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute which pairs pregnant women, new mothers, and family members with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Featuring fifteen lullabies written by parents from across New York City, as performed by Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Janice Freeman (The Voice 2017), Rhiannon Giddens (Nashville), Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs), Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hopes and Dreams highlights Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who lends her renowned vocal talents to the project's title track, recorded with the Brentano String Quartet. Joyce has been involved with the Lullaby Project for over five years and met Elsa Negron, the mother who wrote "Hopes and Dreams," when she performed the song at a special concert hosted by Carnegie Hall. Elsa commented, "I was astonished that anyone – especially a famous musician and an opera singer at that – wanted to sing my song. The message I wanted to send to my daughter and future children is that you can do anything you set your mind to do." Joyce, who along with producer Glen Roven was a driving force in initiating the idea of a Lullaby Project album, said about Elsa and the mothers involved in the program, "This project, for me, the common denominator is music and love… I don't think there is any more important relationship than that between mother and child… and it is quite incredible to meet a young woman who has written this for her child, and then she gives me the honor of being able to give voice and breath to it." In conjunction with this project, Ms. DiDonato has made herself available today Thursday June 14, to speak with Classical Radio Stations throughout the US. Participatipating outlets include: WQXR - New York, WFMT - Chicago and All Classical Portland. Watch for our tweets.

Deutsche Grammophon (DG), the world's oldest and most renowned classical music label, will celebrate its 120th anniversary this year with an unprecedented, wide-ranging and ambitious international program of activities to celebrate the Yellow Label's illustrious past, dynamic present and prosperous future. DG120: Curated global program of activities to Throughout its unique history, Deutsche Grammophon has been a committed and long-term investor in culture, innovation, music and the arts, and during the 2018/2019 season DG120 will present a celebration of the cultural importance of classical music and the extraordinary artists who help bring it to life. "These are exciting times for classical music," observes Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President Deutsche Grammophon. "Deutsche Grammophon's 120th anniversary is about sharing classical music's emotional force and expressive beauty with as many people as possible around the world. The Yellow Label's founders used new technology to inspire millions and – together with our family of artists – we are determined to continue what they started as we engage established and future audiences with our DG120 campaign. We are delighted to welcome Google Arts & Culture, Volkswagen Group and our other international partners who are supporting this ambitious global initiative." The carefully curated program features multi-disciplinary activities, events, rare archival treasures and an exciting new product suite that will captivate music fans around the world. DG120 will include: One of the defining characteristics of DG is its long-lasting relationships with the world's greatest musicians. Today's community of DG artists will play a central role in the DG120 celebrations with a program of worldwide concerts that will take place in Beijing, Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Hong Kong, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo, with further events to be scheduled. The DG120 live festivities will begin on October 10, 2018 with a spectacular launch concert at the site of Beijing's historic Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao), which stands just outside the Forbidden City. The concert will feature the globally renowned Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Long Yu, who will perform Orff's Carmina Burana with Aida Garifullina, Toby Spence and Ludovic Tézier, before being joined by Hélène Grimaud for Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major. The Forbidden City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an imperial palace complex that served as the home of emperors as well as the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for almost 500 years, until the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Imperial Ancestral Temple, whose layout echoes that of the Forbidden City, was used by the imperial family on important occasions as a place in which to offer sacrifices to their ancestors. The DG120 concert will be a celebration of both Chinese classical music excellence and the global cultural resonance of Deutsche Grammophon. It will be the first classical music event to be held at the site since 1998, when it hosted a legendary performance of Turandot, directed by Zubin Mehta. Other key DG120 events include performances at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts by the Berlin Staatskapelle and the inimitable Maestro Barenboim, and further concerts throughout the anniversary year featuring performances from DG's unbeatable roster of artists: Anne-Sophie Mutter, considered one of the greatest violinists of all time; Lang Lang, pioneering pianist and global cultural icon; Seong-Jin Cho, winner of the XVII International Chopin Piano Competition; and Max Richter, influential groundbreaking post-minimalist composer. Special DG120 editions of the label's highly successful Yellow Lounge classical club nights are planned to take place throughout the year in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo. The innovative club nights will be live streamed to fans around the world. Yellow Lounge will also visit Wolfsburg, home to DG120 Yellow Lounge partner, Volkswagen Group. "We share many values with Deutsche Grammophon," notes Benita von Maltzahn of the Volkswagen Group. "The yellow label's anniversary campaign is destined to boost the audience for classical music and raise the profile of the qualities of excellence and cultural exchange that the art form represents. We are thrilled to be part of the journey and look forward to partnering with DG and to bringing our expertise to the amazing range of DG120 events. To coincide with the 120th anniversary, DG and Google Arts & Culture are creating digitized versions of rediscovered and previously unreleased tracks extracted from rare surviving Galvano metal masters, recorded in the early 1900s. These treasures, found within the deep vaults of the DG archive, include a reading from one of his novels by iconic Russian author Leo Tolstoy, early recordings by legendary American jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, leading Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin and Austrian-born violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler. These unique and remarkable recordings are in the process of being restored in association with Google Arts & Culture as part of a digitization partnership, as DG adds them and details of their history to its parent company, Universal Music Group's already extensive global digitization program. Four hundred unique shellac records will be released over the next several months, beginning with 40 today, among them Louis Armstrong & his Orchestra with "St. Louis Blues," recorded in 1934 and a recording of Pietro Mascagni conducting members of the Berlin Staatskapelle in a 1927 performance of the famous Intermezzo from his opera Cavalleria rusticana  – which can be found at: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/deutsche-grammophon. In addition, tap dancer Andrew Nemr and Tilt Brush artist Atma created unique visualizations for some of these tracks. "As inventor of the gramophone and founder of the world's oldest record labels, Emil Berliner brought music into everyday life," comments Philipp Justus, Vice President Central Europe, Google. "We are excited about Deutsche Grammophon's collaboration with Google Arts & Culture to digitize hundreds of the world's oldest records, and to make this important chapter of music history more accessible to people everywhere." Expanding on DG's legacy around the invention of the gramophone by the label's founder, Emil Berliner, DG will make cultural background material available: the result are 12 online exhibitions curated by DG opening on Google Arts & Culture's platform (https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/deutsche-grammophon) as well as in their mobile app (Android & iOS) on June 11th. Users can learn about some of the legendary artists of classical music like Leonard Bernstein or Herbert von Karajan, how records are made, or how the invention of the gramophone brought music to our living rooms. The records will also be made available through DG's own channels and on partner platforms including Google Play Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. At the center of an extensive product suite for classical collectors will be DG120: The Anniversary Edition, a flagship 120-CD collection spanning 120 years of recorded music and presenting all the main genres of the label's unrivaled catalog, which will be released globally on September 21. The deluxe box set will also contain some of the new remastered tracks that have been extracted from historic metal masters and feature hidden gems of the DG archive. Pre-order DG120: The Anniversary Edition now:  Other unique products that will be released throughout the year include a vinyl edition of Herbert von Karajan's legendary 1963 cycle of Beethoven's nine symphonies. The Karajan-Beethoven LPs will be issued in a limited edition of 1,200 box sets, and in an additional super deluxe version of which only 120 copies will be available, each accompanied by unique artworks from artist Gregor Hildebrandt, who uses fragments of pre-recorded cassette tape as raw material in his creative process. His Karajan-inspired art will be presented at Berlin's new Deutsche Bank Forum for Art, Culture & Sports to launch the LP edition. The DG120 initiative will also feature an exclusive range of merchandise created in partnership with leading global merchandise company Bravado; the publication by Verlhac Editions of a revised and updated version of State of the Art: Deutsche Grammophon – The Story in German/English, French and English/Mandarin editions; and a special mini-series documentary exploring the art of recording as invented by the Yellow Label. Further aspects of the campaign will be announced throughout 2018. Supported by Universal Music Group, the world's leading music-based entertainment company, Deutsche Grammophon's DG120 anniversary campaign will shine a spotlight on classical music's vitality and extraordinary contribution to global culture. The Yellow Label is characterized by its commitment to its artists and their creative longevity, its drive to discover and support excellence in signing new composers and artists and its determination to ensure a lasting legacy for an unrivaled catalog. Its work in all these areas is underpinned by a constant desire to innovate, experiment and retain leadership in its field. One of the most prestigious names in global classical music since its foundation in 1898, Deutsche Grammophon has always stood for the highest standards of artistry and sound quality. Home to the greatest artists of all time, the famous yellow label is a beacon to which music lovers all over the world look for outstanding recordings and interpretations. Deutsche Grammophon's current artist roster includes some of the most distinguished artists in classical music, such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anna Netrebko, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Hélène Grimaud, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Murray Perahia, Maurizio Pollini, Grigory Sokolov, Daniil Trifonov, Krystian Zimerman, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Elīna Garanča, Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazón and Max Richter. In addition, the label's catalog represents the cultural legacy of whole generations of maestri and features recordings from many of the finest classical artists in music history including Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Herbert von Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Vladimir Horowitz, Mstislav Rostropovich and Andrés Segovia. Highly dedicated to the development of new repertoire, Deutsche Grammophon also fosters and promotes a whole range of popular, contemporary artists.

They say dogs are man's best friends, and it certainly feels true. Dogs don't judge you when you spend the day in your pajamas and eat ice cream for dinner. Dogs are always down to take a ride, as long as you leave the window cracked enough to fit their head through and feel the wind. They just need walks, love and stuffed things to destroy. That's not asking for much when you get back unconditional adoration and warm snuggles. Today, we celebrate man's best friend with a list of jams honoring our furry, four-legged pals. From country to rock'n'roll and a little bit in between, here are our picks for the 10 best songs about dogs. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} SEE/LISTEN TO billboard's 10 Songs About Dogs 

Decca Records has released the official recording of the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. Having recorded the entire service live at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, every piece of music, the readings, blessings and the vows are included. The musical highlight of the moving and joyous ceremony was British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, who was personally asked by the bride and groom to perform at their wedding. The Royal Wedding: The Official Album is WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release' for Tuesday May 22, 2018.

Wedding season is well and truly here, as three new wedding albums have made their way into this week's Classic FM Chart. After Prince Harry's wedding to Meghan Markle, Classic FM – The Wedding Collection, Music For a Royal Wedding and The Wedding Album have all made sudden entries into the Classic FM Chart. At the top of the chart, John Williams: A Life in Music holds at No. 1, while Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks has leapt up a huge 24 places to No. 2. SEE THE CHART

AT THE CORNER of 8th and Market in San Francisco, by a shuttered subway escalator outside a Burger King, an unusual soundtrack plays. A beige speaker, mounted atop a tall window, blasts Baroque harpsichord at deafening volumes. The music never stops. Night and day, Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi rain down from Burger King rooftops onto empty streets. Empty streets, however, are the target audience for this concert. The playlist has been selected to repel sidewalk listeners - specifically, the mid-Market homeless who once congregated outside the restaurant doors that served as a neighborhood hub for the indigent. READ THE FULL Los Angeles Review of Books ARTICLE

The MBW Review offers our take on some of the music biz's biggest recent goings-on. This time, we consider what Sony Music and Warner Music's sale of over $1bn in combined Spotify stock means for Daniel Ek's service and the wider industry. The MBW Review is supported by Instrumental. Some are calling it ‘the billion-dollar pump and dump'. In recent days, we've learned that Warner and Sony have jointly cashed in over $1bn of their Spotify shares – amounting to approximately 50% of Sony's stock holding and 75% of Warner's. On the one hand, there's a very good reason to believe Warner CEO Steve Cooper when he says: "This sale has nothing to do with our view of Spotify's future." Both Warner and Sony are not institutional investors by trade, and both know they have an accounting headache ahead of them when it comes to distributing these proceeds amongst artists and partner labels. So long as the price is right (and it definitely was), the sooner they sell stock, the less administrative pain they are bound to plunge themselves into. Industry veteran Bob Lefsetz echoed many a Wall Street expert's thoughts yesterday, however, when he lambasted the majors' decision, calling it "short-term thinking". The stewards of the labels aren't thinking about tomorrow, just today," he said. Politely, I beg to differ: Sony, for one, is almost certainly thinking about tomorrow. Well, a few months' time, anyway. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Music Business Worldwide ARTICLE

The voice of the singer Gilberto Santa Rosa is the only one of Latin origin within the repertoire of the album of social impact " Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project ", that produces the Carnegie Hall , of New York. This is not another album, and for the salsa singer it does not represent a collaboration anymore, on the contrary, it is a sublime work, one that shakes the soul for its contrasts in the emotions it provokes. The Lullaby Project is a social work, originated in The Big Apple, to support maternal health, child welfare and strengthen the bond between parents and children. It serves, mainly, mothers who are in a hospital institution, in shelters for the homeless and in the Rickers Island Correctional Center. All these women have the opportunity to compose lullabies for their children that are then interpreted by great figures of the song. Among the new repertoire of 15 songs, in the pop, folk, classical, country, salsa and jazz genres, "Mi niña bella" appears, a composition by Andrea Nina and Claudette Sierra, performed by "El Caballero de la Salsa" and the Young Camelia Muñiz, who is about to start studies at the Tisch School of Arts at the University of New York. "The project is a beautiful thing, it's a beautiful thing, and I think that for those girls it's inspiring, and it's a big motivation for them to move on, and get out of that stage of life that unfortunately was very negative," said the artist.  READ THE FULL elnuevodia.com ARTICLE

A new CD created by participants in the Lullaby Project. A program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, the project pairs pregnant women, new mothers and family members with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project features fifteen lullabies written by parents from across New York City, as performed by Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Joyce DiDonato, Janice Freeman, Rhiannon Giddens, Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant, Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende and Catherine Zeta-Jones. READ THE FULL Forbes ARTICLE

Classical: BTS is a six-part webseries devoted to revealing the lesser-seen - and heard - stories about classical music in central Illinois. In these mini-documentaries, you'll see hard work, performance, and creativity brought to life; you'll also hear how six unique individuals found their way to classical music, and how they continue to blaze new trails with their work. The full series is available for viewing below. Join the discussion online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram any time using the hashtag #WILLclassicalbts. Classical:BTS is produced by Illinois Public Media. Production was made possible with funding from the Barbara E. Barnes Fund for Illinois Public Media.   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} watch some videos

BYU Broadcasting announced on April 26, 2018 their decision to reverse a 2017 decision take Classical 89 KBYU-FM off the air in June 2018. Classical 89 will remain a 24-hour classical music station. Brigham Young University's broadcasting managing director Michael Dunn released the news to staff this morning. According to Dunn, BYU Broadcasting recently entered into a purchase agreement for the radio station KUMT-FM. The acquisition will allow both BYUradio (now on SiriusXM Satellite Radio) and Classical 89 to remain on the air as separate stations.  PHOTO: Laura Seitz p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Deseret News ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Capital Public Radio is seeking a dynamic classical music host to add to our creative, experienced and expanding team. Are you warm and engaging on air? Do you have a rich knowledge of classical music and a knack for telling a good story? Does playing a role in crafting our vibrant, classical music format appeal to you? Are you eager to expand the audience for classical music through community engagement initiatives? If you're nodding enthusiastically to these questions, then we want to hear from you! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

I am sitting on the floor of a church in Shoreditch, a shaker in my hand, attempting to respond musically to a series of abstract, contradictory statements: making a hard sound that is soft, a private sound that is public, and so on. Initially self-conscious, as others join in, I soon find myself fully focused and absorbed. As I should be: this is mindful music. The exercises vaguely remind me of my hippie upbringing, but mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, in music as elsewhere; this weekend, the third full Occupy the Pianos festival, in London will be exploring the relationship between music and meditation. The notion of being truly present has obvious benefits for both listening and playing; really getting in the zone – immersed but listening closely – is surely the ideal state for a concert-goer. Curated by pianist and composer Rolf Hind will take place between 20-22 April at St John's Smith Square. Studded with many freshly written works, and radical takes on music and concert-giving, this festival features new and radical piano music at its core. At the festival's heart is an ever-growing team of brilliant musicians whose approach is outward looking, unconventional and curious. Artists include Rolf Hind, Elaine Mitchener, Loré Lixenberg, Nancy Ruffer, David Alberman, Zoë Martlew, Siwan Rhys, Ben Smith, George Barton, and more.a   READ THE FULL iNews ARTICLE

With car dashboards eliminating CD inputs and relying more on smart displays and smartphones, podcasts - both music-related and others - are increasingly becoming big players for a captive mobile audience.  In a recent Nielsen Podcasts Insight Report, the number of homes that considered themselves "avid podcast fans" went from 13 million in 2016 to 16 million in November 2017. With more than 240 music-related podcasts available on iTunes alone, it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, so we've done it for you: Below is a subjective selection of 10 of our favorite music podcasts, in no particular order.  SEE Variety PAGE

... when they attended Disney In Concert, a series of 15 musical events that took place in major arenas over a period of four weeks. During each show, audiences were treated to renditions of classic songs from Disney animated films such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Aladdin and Frozen. Live orchestral music performed by the Hollywood Sound Orchestra was interspersed with movie clips to create an unforgettable experience. To amplify the sound of the orchestral strings, Tonmeister and live sound expert Professor Carsten Kummel specified 45 DPA d:vote 4099 instrument microphones, which were supplied by specialist equipment hire company, Soundhouse. With audiences of 8,000 – 13,000 people per show, Disney In Concert was a massive undertaking and proved so successful that a new tour is planned for December 2018. READ FULL etnow ARTICLE

an article by Tom Reney....First off, a little context: My radio career began at WCUW in Worcester in 1977.  A special feature for Paul Butterfield's 35th birthday occasioned my guest appearance on a Sunday evening show at the community-licensed station near the Clark University campus.  Shortly thereafter, I was asked to host a weekday jazz format, and in due course I discovered my calling. I worked full-time at ‘CUW over the next three years, then transitioned to hosting weekend R&B shows after I returned to UMass in 1981 to complete my bachelor's degree.  During this period, I began listening to a couple of weekly jazz programs on WFCR, a Thursday evening series called "Milestones," and a Saturday night show called "Our Delights."  The names of the shows, and their theme songs, the former by Miles Davis, the latter by Tadd Dameron, bespoke a familiarity with modern jazz that promised quality radio. Marion Brown, the late saxophonist and artist who made his home in the area for many years, turned me on to "Milestones," which for him was required listening. WFCR gave the show good promotion, so Marion would often excitedly call to tell me what was coming up that Thursday. Thanks to him, I too made a weekly appointment with the radio, often the table-top in Marion's kitchen, to hear features on a wide range of jazz players, all smartly programmed and presented.  There were also special features on songs and standards, the most memorable of which was, "They All Played Stardust."  Sometime during this period, ‘FCR also produced a year-long series devoted to Duke Ellington which was syndicated nationwide.  Ellington had been my musical passion for over a decade at that point, and "Ellingtonia" enhanced it considerably. The host of these shows was John Montanari, whom I'd also come to appreciate as one of the voices of WFCR's classical music programming.  John's knowledge of both jazz and classical music was readily apparent in the ease with which he provided historical context and commentary on composers, conductors, and players.  As it turned out, he also wore the hat of music director (and would for three decades), and in that capacity he was the man I addressed when I wrote to the station in 1983 about a job.  John's reply, which began with a memorable apology for being "amazingly belated," led promptly to my succeeding him as host of "Our Delights." That was in January 1984, and since then I've come to share with John a mutually rewarding history that we've made the most of for 30 years.  I'll remain grateful to John for working to keep this arrangement fresh and lively, witty and edgy, and for entrusting me with the autonomy to produce Jazz à la Mode as I've seen fit.  I can't imagine doing it any other way, but I know how rare it is in radio to be able to do anything à la mode.  Thanks for having my back, John. Like myself, John began blogging for New England Public Radio in 2011, and I like to think we've helped pace and inspire each other.  John is the model of a man who's true to himself, and that's not only informed his confident air as a radio host, but his informed, provocative, and occasionally argumentative prose as well. Write on, John. Today is John's last day on the job at WFCR.  We've known it was coming for about a year, so the station is poised to maintain its classical music programming with another veteran colleague, Walter Carroll, and some new voices as well.  But it's for certain that we won't hear the likes of John Montanari again. While I look forward to hanging with John in the months and years ahead, I'll miss his presence ‘round the office more than I can say.  Some of what I'll miss are his chauvinistic claims for the Yankees, which always begged the question, can one be good-natured and deadly serious at the same time?  I'll also miss his often unsolicited, yet engaging thoughts on an impressive range of weighty cultural matters like Pulitzer nominees; Sondheim productions; the aloofness of classical music critics at the major dailies; and the making of a good roux. I'll miss hearing him scat the melodies of any number of jazz tunes, and classic solos by Hawk, Prez, Bird, and Big T at the drop of a hat.  I'll miss his variations on the litanies of the saints, you know, the personnel of the Elllington band in 1935, or the starting lineups of ball clubs besides the Bronx Bombers.  I'll also miss our conversations on the thornier issues facing those of us privileged with maintaining jazz and classical music on the radio; there's been virtually no dispute between us on that subject.  And I'll miss making common cause with a classical music maven whose recent blog, Giving Thanks, gave singular prominence to Louis Armstrong, "for everything." For that, and a whole lot of wisecracking, teasing, and off-color banter, thanks for keeping it real, John M.

"Why does the world need a Piano Day? For many reasons. But mostly, because it doesn't hurt to celebrate the piano and everything around it: performers, composers, piano builders, tuners, movers and most important, the listener." – Nils Frahm Piano Day, a annual worldwide event founded by a group of likeminded people, takes place on the 88th day of the year – in 2018 it's the 29th March – because of the number of keys on the instrument being celebrated. The aim of the day is to create a platform for piano related projects in order to promote the development of musical dimensions and to continue sharing the centuries-old joy of playing piano. Piano Day welcomes all kinds of piano lovers - young and old, amateur and professional, of any musical direction – to join in this years festivities. It is intended to be the most joyful of all holidays! p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

Chinese companies are taking advantage of America's financially strapped higher-education system to buy schools, and the latest deal for a classical music conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey, is striking chords of dissonance on campus. Beijing Kaiwen Education Technology Co. agreed in February to pay $40 million for Westminster Choir College, an affiliate of Rider University that trains students for careers as singers, conductors and music teachers. The announcement came just weeks after the government-controlled Chinese company changed its name from Jiangsu Zhongtai Bridge Steel Structure Co. The pending purchase rankles some Westminster faculty and alumni, who question what a longtime maker of steel spans knows about running an elite school whose choirs sang with maestros Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini and Seiji Ozawa. Alumni are among those suing in New York federal court to block the sale, saying it violates Westminster's 1991 merger agreement with Rider and will trigger the choir college's demise.
PHOTO: Rider University, Westminster Choir College. Source: EQRoy/Shutterstock READ THE FULL Bloomberg News ARTICLE

We recently explored some of the early 1980s Philadelphia electronic music scene in our interview with The Nightcrawlers, the electronic trio who's 1980 cassette recordings have just been collected on The Biophonic Boombox Recordings. This was music steeped in the sounds of 70s German electronic artists like Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel (now just Ashra). Among the leading acolytes of this sound was Chuck Van Zyl. He is a DJ at WXPN, hosting the old Diaspar show and taking over the reins of Star's End from me in the 80s. He still hosts the show on WXPN to this day. Chuck also produces The Gatherings concert series, which has brought live electronic music to Philadelphia since 1992 including performances by Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Richard Pinhas of Heldon and Cluster. But Chuck wasn't content spinning the discs of his electronic heroes. He started making his own music. He released some of them on cassette, some under his own names, some as Xisle, an ad hoc group that sometimes included members of The Nightcrawlers, and released a CD with his duo, The Ministry of Inside Things. Last year he released an epic double CD live album, with the inauspicious name of Recitals and now he's readying Recitals 2, another set of live performances. Van Zyl is currently getting ready to play E-Day 2018 in Holland opening for Zanov and Ulrich Schnauss. Here's a video of Chuck Van Zyl playing one of the segments of Recitals 2. SEE THE Echoes PAGE & WATCH VIDEO

On Jan. 11, in Jazz at Lincoln Center's Appel Room, basketball legend and author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave the keynote address at the first edition of Jazz Congress, a two-day event presented by JALC and JazzTimes. Included here are highlights from that speech. Click here or more on the Congress, which featured industry panels, learning sessions and more, see the photo essay.
(photo by Frank Stewart) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

JUST before this year's Super Bowl, a Philadelphia Eagles devotee sat down at an organ and started to play. There were more melodies than the average fan may have been used to, but the instrument soon quivered to the familiar sound of the Eagles' fight song, "Fly Eagles Fly!" Elsewhere on the internet, a rival musician quickly composed a reply, riffing off "Shipping Up To Boston" to honour the New England Patriots. Remarkably, both pieces were fugues, a musical genre polished 300 years ago. They have challenged and seduced musicians ever since.  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} American-football fans, Romantic composers, Spanish rockers and bluegrass mandolin-players have all offered their own variations on the theme.

Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas traces the history of classical music, revealing its power to present a variety of complex human emotions. Michael Tilson Thomas is a conductor, pianist, and composer. He is currently the music director of the San Francisco Symphony, artistic director of the New World Symphony, and principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, President Obama awarded him the National Medal of Arts. Tilson Thomas has won ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Listen to Part 5 of the TED Radio Hour episode Decoding Our Emotions 

NPR is looking for the next ‘Tiny Desk' star. Local musicians: Enter the ‘Tiny Desk Contest' by March 25 for a chance to headline a sponsored, nationwide tour and play you own episode of the popular show. The popular Tiny Desk Concert video series created by NPR has featured everyone from The Avett Brothers and Yo Yo Ma to Moby and Run the Jewels since its creation a decade ago. Posted on YouTube and at npr.org, the series features a wide range of musical acts performing  intimate 10-20-minute sets. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. on March 25. Cincinnati public radio station WVXU has hosted a live showcase of local Tiny Desk Contest submitters for the past two years. Last year, 16 acts performed at the station's Tiny Desk Showcase at the Southgate House Revival.  READ THE FULL Cincinnati CityBeat ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Russ Solomon, who pioneered the superstore hangout for music lovers by founding Tower Records and expanded it worldwide before internet pirates and crushing debts rendered the chain obsolete and bankrupt, died on Sunday night at his home in Sacramento. He was 92. A high school dropout who sold used jukebox records at 16 in his father's drugstore in Sacramento, Mr. Solomon was the driving force behind a sprawling enterprise that began with one store in that city in 1960 and grew into a dominant competitor in music retailing with nearly 200 stores in 15 countries. Sales of recorded music, videos and books eventually topped $1 billion a year. READ THE FULL NYTimes ARTICLE

A new generative logo for the amateur Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra aims to make the their music accessible to a broader audience. The dynamic visualizations entirely depend on the music the orchestra plays–and represent a new way to make classical music more accessible. Created by the branding agency Superunion, the static version of the logo is composed of three bold typographic letters–an architectural "B" that echoes the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge, and sinuous "S" meant to evoke the expressive rhythm of music, and an "O" letterform that's entirely composed of dots, which represents the community focus of the organization. It's a striking contrast to the old logo, which used a graphic of the Brooklyn Bridge that looks like a piece of clip art.
[Photo: courtesy HAWRAF/Superunion] READ THE FULL Co.Design ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Decca Gold (Verve Label Group) - Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project, is a collaborative album inspired by the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute's Lullaby Project. The program provides support for maternal health, and seeks to strengthen the bond between mother and child through art, by pairing pregnant women and new mothers with professional artists to create lullabies for their children. NBC's The Voice contestant Janice Freeman is featured on the album, lending her warm vocals on "Wildest Dreams."

Set for release on April. 20 -- Natalie Merchant, Rhiannon Giddens, Angélique Kidjo, Fiona Apple, Dianne Reeves, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rosanne Cash, Patti Lupone, Joyce DiDonato, and Pretty Yende, are also featured. READ THE FULL billboard ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}

Rolling Meadows High School promises to be a busy place on Saturday, Feb. 24, when more than 100 jazz bands -- representing 68 schools from five states -- descend on the school for the 33rd edition of Jazz in the Meadows. The daylong festival features unlimited jazz in all genres, from big band and swing, to Latin and blues, and with lots of student improvisation. The majority of performances are by high school ensembles who compete in their respective classes based on school size. But the fest has grown to include jazz combos, middle school jazz bands, and feature an open jam session in the cafeteria and a pair of celebrity concerts. Over the years, it has become one of the largest and most highly regarded jazz festivals in the Midwest. Schools come from Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane and McHenry counties, as well as from Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin to participate. PHOTO: Mark Welsh    READ THE FULL Daily Herald ARTICLE   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}

To promote the release of Another Time: The Hilversum Concert, Resonance Records' latest revelatory archival Bill Evans find, the label's executive VP, Zev Feldman, hung out and reminisced with an old friend of the iconic pianist's, the comedy great (and longtime jazz fan) Chevy Chase. The Hilversum Concert, recorded live in Holland in 1968, features the "lost" Bill Evans Trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette, and follows 2016's acclaimed Some Other Time: The Lost Session From the Black Forest.  JT is proud to premiere the interview video below. Also, check out JT's review of the Hilversum Concert set, by Lloyd Sachs; and Aidan Levy's JT feature on the making of Some Other Time.  photo courtesy of Rob Rijineke. 

WATCH THE ATTACHED JT Video Premiere w/ Chevy Chase p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

A few years ago, the gang at Reverb put together a cool list called "It's All Relative: Five Great Out-of-Tune Recordings." That story, which you can check out here, pinpointed five recordings that feature instruments not tuned to concert pitch-A/440Hz-and/or not simply tuned down a half step in the style of Jimi Hendrix, SRV, etc. Today, however, we're offering up a selection of songs featuring instruments that aren't quite in tune with each other. Or, to put it another way, your band has 16 strings (two six-string guitars and a four-string bass), but at least one of those strings is in its own world and isn't getting along nicely with the other 15. Remember, we're not knocking these songs-we love them. In fact, the out-of-tune guitars and basses add a touch of charm to the recordings, some of which are out-and-out classics.  If you have out-of-tune choices of your own, feel free to add them to the comments section below. We're not opposed to making this into a "top 10" or a "top 37," for that matter.  SEE THE Guitar World LIST p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

In both music and manner, Quincy Jones has always registered - from afar, anyway - as smooth, sophisticated, and impeccably well-connected. (That's what earning 28 Grammy awards and co-producing Michael Jackson's biggest-selling albums will do.) But in person, the 84-year-old music-industry macher is far spikier and more complicated. "All I've ever done is tell the truth," says Jones, seated on a couch in his palatial Bel Air home, and about to dish some outrageous gossip. "I've got nothing to be scared of, man." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Currently in the midst of an extended victory lap ahead of his turning 85 in March - a Netflix documentary and a CBS special hosted by Oprah Winfrey are on the horizon - Jones, dressed in a loose sweater, dark slacks, and a jaunty scarf, talks like he has nothing to lose. He name-drops, he scolds, he praises, and he tells (and retells) stories about his very famous friends. Even when his words are harsh, he says them with an enveloping charm, frequently leaning over for fist bumps and to tap me on the knee. "The experiences I've had!" he says, shaking his head in wonder. "You almost can't believe it." READ THE VULTURE Q&A

"Jazz Transfusion," a Sunday night staple on WXRT FM 93.1 - Chicago for 43 years, is vanishing from the Entercom adult album alternative station. This weekend marks the final broadcast of the jazz showcase, which airs from 11 p.m. Sunday to 1 a.m. Monday. Since 1986 it has been hosted each week by Barry Winograd. "Barry Winograd will always be a part of the WXRT family, and we are keeping our relationship alive to hopefully have Barry return to the airwaves in the future for special features and special programming in the jazz genre," Greg Solk, operations manager and program director of WXRT, told staffers Thursday. Starting February 11, Sunday nights will be hosted by 'XRT newcomer Don Davis, according to Solk. Said Winograd: "Thirty-two years doing commercial jazz on 'XRT, it's pretty amazing, I think. It's been a privilege to present music to people who wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to it any other way." Winograd, who was born in Chicago and grew up in Evanston, continues to host a weekday jazz show on the College of DuPage's WDCB FM 90.9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He also hosts "When Jazz Was King" from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturdays on WDCB.

Eric Sun, a software engineer who joined Facebook when it was just four years old and rose as vertiginously as the company, was a keen amateur violinist in his spare time. A long-time Hilary Hahn fan, it was natural that he graviated towards the maker of her violin when looking for a very special instrument to indulge his hobby. A long search for the right Vuillaume eventully led to him purchasing an 1855 Guarneri model in 2016. But just a two months after purchasing the violin he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. In the months that followed, music became one of his principal sources of comfort, and he began setting himself challenges – like learning and filming himself play all Bach's Sonatas and Partitas, then Paganini's 24 Caprices – as a way of keeping his mind occupied and having something positive to share with friends and family. Over time, an online support community was built around his videos. Sadly, despite operations to remove the tumor, Sun passed away in November 2017 at the age of just 33 – but he and his wife Karen Law made plans for his beloved Vuillaume to touch other lives like it did his. Through the Tarisio Trust, operated by auction house Tarisio, from which the violin was purchased, the Eric Sun-Karen Law Vuillaume Fellowship was set up. The inaugural fellowship will be judged by composer John Adams and Eric and Colin Jacobsen, artistic directors of New York ‘orchestral collective' The Knights. Applications for the fellowship and loan of the violin are open until 28 February 2018. CLICK HERE FOR Information on how to apply      CLICK HERE FOR Strad PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Hello World, released earlier this month via Flow Records, is being touted as ‘the first multi-artist commercial album created using Artificial Intelligence'. The LP has been recorded by French collective SKYGGE, in collaboration with Canadian chart-topper Kiesza and Belgian pop star Stromae… and, of course, computers. SKYGGE is led by composer, author and producer Benoit Carré, alongside François Pachet who joined Spotify as Director - Creator Technology Research Lab'. His recruitment by Daniel Ek followed 20 years at Sony, where Pachet pioneered projects which resulted in the first known pop songs composed with AI. The potential of machine-created music has some in the entertainment industry excited, yet others are flat-out skeptical – even spooked – by the idea of CPUs superseding human-driven composition. For Pachet, a semi-professional musician, such concerns have little bearing on what he sees as his central mission: manipulating the power of AI into tools which push artists and songwriters into exciting and uncharted creative territory. READ THE FULL MUSICBUSINESS WORLDWIDE ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

The Menuhin Competition has today revealed the 44 young violinists who made it through the pre-selection process to be accepted for its 2018 edition, taking place in Geneva. The competition received 317 applications for the 44 positions available across junior and senior categories. The announcement notes that participants come from 16 countries and five continents, representing 17 nationalities, with 46% from Asia, 35% from USA, 15% from Europe and 4% from the rest of the world. Brazil and Slovenia will be represented by competitors for the first time in the Menuhin Competition's history, and the average age of participants has dropped to 15 for the first time, with the youngest aged ten and the oldest 21. Founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1983, the competition is separated into a Junior Division, open to violinists aged between 11 and 15, and Senior Division for ages 16 to 22. Over 90% of participants began playing the violin before the age of five and average age across junior and senior categories has dropped to 15 for the first time, with the youngest aged ten and oldest 21 Previous prize winners include Tasmin Little, Nikolaj Znaider, Ilya Gingolts, Julia Fischer, Ray Chen, Chad Hoopes, Stephen Waarts and Callum Smart. READ THE FULL Strad ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

It's the '60s all over again as massive festival takes over the New York City. More than 30 cultural institutions, theater groups, museums and more are all staging exhibits as part of The '60s: The Years That Changed America. Tapping into the cultural, social and political anxieties that are tipping our country toward another revolution, Carnegie Hall has rallied some of the biggest institutions in the city for The ‘60s: The Years That Changed America. Officially going on now through March 24 (though some exhibits have already started and others will continue past that date), The ‘60s brings together over 35 organizations from the Museum of Modern Art to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater staging more than 50 exhibitions, concerts, talks and more about the decade that reshaped American culture. READ THE FULL Metro ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Would you like to see a piece played so fast the violinist sweats? Of course you would. It's always impressive to hear a piece played super-quickly, but this performance of the final movement from Saint-Saens' first violin sonata takes the biscuit. It's performed here by Mélodie Zhao on the piano and violinist Iskandar Widjaja, and it is utterly bonkers. Especially in those fluttering semiquavers, it would be tempting to get lost and give up – but when you're at the top of your game like these guys, it's strangely effortless. Bravo, both! The piece itself has become something of a showpiece for violinists across the generations – legendary recordings of the piece exist from the likes of Jascha Heifetz, Gil Shaham and Midori. WATCH THE VIDEO   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

The legendary saxophone maker Henri Selmer Paris said on Wednesday it would sell a majority stake to an investment fund, ending more than 130 years of family control over the firm. Founded in 1885, the company has remained in the Selmer family's hands since then, but some of its 55 shareholders have decided to sell out to investment fund Argos Soditic, it said in a statement. The company, which has a staff of 500 and booked revenues of 35 million euros ($41.90 million)in 2017, said bringing in the fund as a shareholder would help it tap into growing demand in the face of growing competition. Though it also makes clarinets, bassoons and trumpets, the company is best known for saxophones played by jazz legends like John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter. Selmer's Mark VI tenors were in particular the saxophone of choice for many of the jazz greats from the 1950s and 1960s and vintage instruments remain in high demand and fetch equally high prices. SEE REUTERS PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Happy 2018! While it scarcely seems possible, a brand new shiny year that roars into view each January also marks the halfway point of the arts calendar. There's been a real buzz in the city since we first heard that towering American composer/pianist Philip Glass would be headlining this year's Winnipeg New Music Festival (Jan. 27-Feb. 2). While those with long memories will recall his mesmerizing solo concert at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre in February 2006 (one of my more surreal experiences reviewing for this esteemed newspaper), the now 80-year-old icon will likely not be returning anytime soon. For more info, see wnmf.ca. We also would like to give a shout out to Classic 107 FM. This little radio station that could just marked its fourth anniversary and continues to offer fine classical and jazz programming, including in-depth studio interviews of local and international visiting artists. Bravo, Classic 107, and may the fourth (season) be with you!  Here are the Winnipeg Free Press - Top 10 picks of upcoming concerts  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}

Depending on who you talk to, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is either the guy who saved the music industry, or the one who killed it. Nearly a decade after the 34-year-old launched the hit streaming service, rumored to go public within the next few months, his future stands to be a valuable one. Private trades have bumped Spotify's valuation up to as much as $20 billion – if the IPO goes forward, Ek's stake will be worth $1.6 billion or more, according to Business Insider. In 2017, based on a reported 10% ownership in the company, Ek's net worth hovered around $800 million, according to Billboard. And Spotify's competitive edge will only get stronger. "As a public company, analysts predict that Spotify's lead will only grow stronger and will put pressure on Apple and Amazon to dig into their deep war chests," Fast Company writes. READ THE FULL Money ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px}

2017 is just about in the books and it was a big year for the recorded music industry, so now it's time to look ahead to 2018. Here are 7 predictions that can affect the music business in ways big and small in the upcoming year should they come to pass. 1. Spotify finally goes public, and the going gets tougher. The time comes for Spotify to finally make the transition that's been promised to investors for so long. The company gets listed in 2018, but that just opens it up to new challenges. Questions about expensive office space, scrutiny of its metrics, and pressure from the major labels to drop its free tier increase. Growing competition (see #2 and #3), and usage caps (see #5) make growth more difficult than in previous years, which affect its stock price by the end of the year. 2. Amazon grows the music streaming pie. Amazon gives its stand-alone Amazon Music Unlimited service a marketing boost, and because of exclusive deals thanks to #5 below, becomes a major player in streaming distribution. The company uses its platform prowess to increase sales of physical product and merch, and becomes an increasingly lucrative sponsor/partner for superstar artists. 3. Google gets its music streaming act together. Google consolidates its confusing music offerings (Google Play Music and YouTube Red) into a single service. While less challenging to market and easier for the consumer to navigate, the new service still struggles to gain traction against the market leaders at first, but manages to show growth by the end of the year thanks to #5. The launch of the new service stifles major label protests about the low royalty payout from YouTube throughout the year. 4. Streaming networks up their game. In an effort to further differentiate itself from the competition, Apple Music finally becomes an all high-resolution audio service with no increase in monthly price. Thanks to collecting hi-res masters for the last 5 years, its miles ahead of the other platforms, which have to scramble to keep up. Some users can't hear the difference, but many can and feel its worth jumping through the hoops imposed to by #5 to maintain a subscription with the service. 5. The lack of net neutrality changes our online media consumption. It happens gradually at first, but by mid-year telecoms and ISPs begin to exert the new power bestowed on them by the recent changes to the Net Neutrality ruling. First usage caps are put in place so that users must now pay an extra fee for higher consumption. Then they each do exclusive deals with a streaming network, making it more difficult and more expensive for the user to choose their streaming network of choice. This puts great pressure on stand-alone platforms like Spotify, Tidal and Pandora, but is just a passing cost to deep pocketed Google, Apple and Amazon. As a result, the streaming music industry consolidates even further. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #263e0f} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #263e0f; min-height: 14.0px} 6. Major labels lose the middle class artist. Lower income from catalog and physical product results in fewer and lower advances to artists. Artists and their managers realize that its better business not to sign with a major unless they're on the cusp of superstardom, and opt to maintain a DIY approach with indie label support instead. The majors finally become aware that their marketing infrastructure is based on television, radio and print, media all in decline and ignored by their target demographic, and begin to place more resources online than ever before. 7. Vinyl record sales plateau. Vinyl remains a viable niche business but its growth slows to single digits. Many young vinyl buyers get frustrated with the relatively slow process of actually playing a record, and many use marginal playback systems that don't provide a sufficient audible difference over streaming, especially since many services are transitioning to hi-res audio. Most return to online platforms for quick and easy consumption. How many of these predictions will come to pass? I'm as interested as you are to find out, and can't wait to revisit them next year.
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Elizabeth Sobol doesn't seem to slow down. And now, neither does the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Since stepping into the role of director and president, Sobol has expanded SPAC's educational programming, reaching out to 23,000 students in the Capital Region, and extended SPAC's entertainment to all year.  But she spent the first few months on the job listening and connecting with a community that she said was more than willing to get to know her.  "This community just loves hanging out together. It's a really generous community ... and that blew me away," Sobol said. She also quickly realized just how much SPAC meant to the locals.  READ THE FULL Daily Gazette ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px}

Here is a compilation of our Jazz Notes reviews of some of the year's best Jazz recordings. We'll be continuing our list in next week's blog so "stay tuned"!    An all-star band pays homage to one of the greatest players, improvisers, and style- makers in Jazz: Charlie Parker. They accompany some of today's best Jazz vocalists such as Gregory Porter, Madeline Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Kurt Elling and other notables. Each one personalizes and interprets the songs Parker made famous incorporating everything from neo and classic bebop, hip hop and more into their personalized renditions of the music that utilize both modern and traditional styles.   SEE ALL Dirty Dog: Jazz Notes With Judy Adams outstanding album reviews of 2017  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #263e0f} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #263e0f; min-height: 14.0px}

New in January, Fridays at 2 p.m. on 90.5 FM WKAR - Kalamazoo MI is The New York Philharmonic This Week. An avid music lover, Alec Baldwin lends his Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning style to one of music's great institutions. Since its founding in 1842, the New York Philharmonic has been the apex for composers, soloists and conductors alike. Bringing to bear that 170-year history, The New York Philharmonic This Week offers the highest musicianship, insight and vision in every program. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px} Also new from 90.5 this month on Sundays at 2 p.m., the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Radio Broadcast Series presents the full range of orchestral works under the seasoned baton of music director Riccardo Muti. Top tier soloists and guest conductors include artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Matthias Goerne, and Daniil Trifonov; as well as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mitsuko Uchida, and Bernard Haitink. Hosted by Lisa Simeone, the two-hour Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcasts include dynamic and innovative commentary, taking you behind the scenes and into the music. SEE THE WKAR PAGE

It's time to divine the divine, as jazzwise asks their crack unit of writers and assorted other taste-formers to gaze into their crystal balls and reveal the intel on those artists they think are set to sizzle in 2018.
  Kevin Le Gendre, Jazzwise, Echoes, BBC Radio 3 Jazz Line-Up The young Guadeloupian drummer Arnauld Dolmen is a very exciting prospect. He's just made an impressive debut album, Tonbe Leve, that showcases his skills as a composer, as well as improviser, who brings a fresh contemporary jazz sensibility to the rhythmic riches of his heartland.   Alyn Shipton, BBC Jazz Now, Jazzwise Drummer and vibes player Jonny Mansfield not only plays in the up-and-coming Jam Experiment, but his own Elftet will release an album this year of strikingly original music, mixing whimsy with rhythmic grooves.   Andy Robson, Jazzwise Look no further than Mary Halvorson, whose unique guitar voice has burned bright for some years and now deserves a wider audience.
  Daniel Spicer, Jazzwise, The Wire For old-fashioned funk-fusion with, ahem, plenty of chops, check out quintet Butcher Brown from Richmond, Virginia.
  Brian Glasser, Jazzwise Colin Steele: technically, a re-entry. Not one, but two, albums have announced the second coming, after a long layoff, of the brilliant but tender Scottish trumpeter this year.   Chris Philips, Jazz FM Pianist and keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, already making a name for himself in the highly energetic Ezra Collective, is pianist of choice for China Moses. He is currently working on a raft of different collaborative cross-genre projects, while launching a new solo venture in 2018. Look out for his electronic work with producer and DJ Maxwell Owin called Idiom, set to play at Love Supreme's all-day event at the London Roundhouse in May and, with a solo album now complete, 2018 could be quite a year for this in-demand musician.   Eddie Myer, The Verdict Jazz Club, Brighton Zenel Trio, Cesca, Shabaka, Triforce, Maisha, James Beckwith, Yussef Dayes, Binker and Moses, Alex Hitchcock – hanging at the Bandstand at Love Supreme we heard a new generation of UK artists breaking through with a fresh sound – looking forward to New Generation Jazz in 2018!   Helen Mayhew, Jazz FM Vibes player, composer and bandleader Jonny Mansfield, still at college, much in demand and his 11-piece band Elftet is an exciting prospect. Also, saxophonist Tom Barford, winner of this year's Kenny Wheeler Prize from the Royal Academy of Music, is about to release his debut album on the Edition Label.
  Jan Granlie, editor salt-peanuts.eu Jeppe Zeeberg is a great Danish piano-player whose distinct musical dialect you can hear in his solo work or with his Horse Orchestra. Modern and free, but still in the rich piano tradition. Another Dane, Lasse Mørch, has his own piano-less quartet whose fantastic Imagining Places I Have Never Been was released early in 2017. A great composer and bassist who has been listening to plenty of Charles Mingus.
  Jane Cornwell, Evening Standard, Jazzwise Yelfris Valdés is one of the brightest stars on London's already vibrant Cuban and latin jazz scenes, having made his name with son kings Sierra Maestra and the pianist Roberto Fonseca. The classically-trained trumpeter landed in the British capital three years ago and swiftly stuck his fingers in a veritable smorgasbord of musical pies. There've been sessions for the likes of Quantic, Dayme Arocena, Gilles Peterson, Yussef Kamaal, Cuban/Iranian outfit Ariwo and Henry Wu, with whom he interpreted the music of Freddie Hubbard. 2018 brings a solo project, The World of Eschu Dina. Get ready.   Jez Nelson, Jazz FM Sam Barnett – 16-year-old saxophonist who's been playing jazz since he was eight. His compositions are ridiculously advanced for someone so bloody young!
  John Fordham, The Guardian A former BBC Young Musician of the Year as a classical pianist, Sarah Tandy has been making waves on the London club scene this year – notably with young saxophonist Camilla George – as an incisive, exciting and original new post-bop presence on the keys.
  Jon Newey, Jazzwise With their compelling mash-up of spiritual jazz, Afrobeat, drum'n' bass rhythms and vintage keyboard textures, Maisha hit the head, heart and feet in equal measure. Led by drummer Jake Long and featuring saxophonist Nubya Garcia and guitarist Shirley Teteh their sessions at east London's Church of Sound have been a revelation and are now set to take their raw, uplifting spirit to a temple near you. Meanwhile, when can we expect astonishing drummer Yussef Dayes' next venture?
  Michael Jackson, Jazzwise, DownBeat Chicago-based Jason Stein has been flying around on a private jet of late, opening stadium gigs for his sister, comedian Amy Schumer, but it hasn't changed this bass clarinet specialist's attitude to making uncompromising music. Check his latest, Lucille, on Delmark Records. Elsewhere, alto-saxophonist Nick Mazzarella's first crush is clearly Ornette Coleman, but he's quickly become his own brand of virtuoso and a fine composer who can match lyrical ‘in' playing with wide-ranging free improv.
  Mike Flynn, Jazzwise The rebith of fusion sees imaginative guitar/bass/drums crew SEN3 emerging among a new armada of drum'n'bass inspired trios with their sumptuous hybrid of lush melodies, kicking grooves and dime-stop dynamics. Also making waves are the frenetic James Beckwith Trio (powered-up by Harry Pope's fearsome drumming), impressive London foursome Triforce, with their raw and soulful take on the Mahavishnu Orchestra, while US world-fusion threesome House of Waters which sees Max ZT taking the hammered dulcimer to infinity and beyond, as Moto Fukishima's bass-playing leaves many slack-jawed in awe.   Mike Hobart, Jazzwise, Financial Times David Virelles is a pianist with serious chops. His latest album, Gnosis, confirms him as an equally serious composer blending classical, jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions. Trumpeter Alexandra Ridout was an outstanding winner of the BBC young musician jazz award of 2016 and just keeps on growing as an artist.   Nick Hasted, Jazzwise, The Independent, Uncut Istanbul's Korhan Fatuci & Kara Orkestra show the ritualistic communal power still latent in psychedelic, Near Eastern-rooted jazz-rock. Belgian trio Hermia/Ceccaldi/Darrifourcq are also adding immersive, mysterious atmosphere to their playing's lucid, high-wire intricacy.
  Paul Pace, Ronnie Scott's, Spice Of Life Trombonist Rory Ingham is a young man on the way up – excellent musicianship, swagger and a winning ‘can-do' attitude – his main project Jam Experiment also contain a coterie of other superb young players.
  Peter Bacon, Jazzwise David Austin Grey, Birmingham-based pianist/composer. His energy and creativity mean laurels will not be rested upon. Charlie Haden's rightful heir, bassist Thomas Morgan, has an impressive CV, but might still be in the foothills of his potential.
  Peter Quinn, Jazzwise, The Arts Desk One of five finalists in this year's Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, vocalist, musician, songwriter and educator Tatiana ‘LadyMay' Mayfield possesses an unfailingly beautiful timbre and a real jazz feel. Her third album, The Next Chapter, is hotly anticipated. 
  Rob Adams, Glasgow Herald, Jazzwise Drummer Stephen Henderson has already made an impression with Peter Whittingham Award winners Square One, but has reinforced his credentials this year with superbly buoyant playing in Spark Trio and by adding great shape and assurance to bassist David Bowden and fiddler Charlie Stewart's new jazz-folk band.Z
  Robert Shore, Jazzwise Sam Barnett's New York-London Suite was the very definition of musical precocity. Sixteen-years-old when the album was released, the saxophonist/composer/bandleader was just 14 when he penned it.   Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise Keep an eagle eye out for a young Norwegian singer-songwriter with a star quality, Rohey – sort of a cross between Eska, Nina Simone and Amy Winehouse. In the UK, check enterprising London-based LUME saxophonists Dee Byrne (Entropi) and Cath Roberts (Sloth Racket).
  Spencer Grady, Jazzwise After a recent series of psychotropic lathes, tapes and other sonic ephemera New York noiseniks Grasshopper (aka Josh Millrod and Jesse DeRosa) will emerge all-conquering from the entrails of 2018 clutching a talismanic third full-length. Quakes from the under-crust ought to be seismic, followers of outlier orbits already thirsty for more of the duo's blissed-out post-Dark Magus deviancy.   Steve Mead, Manchester Jazz Festival Hold on tight for the short, sharp shocks of Skeltr – the new Manchester duo of Sam Healey's alto (Beats & Pieces) and drummer Craig Hanson (Toolshed) – it's high-energy, compact and immediate. Emerging singer-songwriter Mali Hayes also wowed the crowds at MJF this year, with her neo-soulful vocals and her quirkily funky nine-piece.
  Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise Keep an eye out for Cologne-based Pablo Held and his Trio. They have been quietly labouring at the coal face of the German jazz scene to much acclaim and a breakthrough must surely be imminent.   Tony Dudley-Evans, Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Birmingham Jazzlines Chris Mapp continues to work with Gonimoblast and that group's live album on Stoney Lane Records with special guests Maja Ratkje and Arve Henriksen is wonderful. In 2018, Chris will launch his ‹quiet› band Stillefelt with Percy Pursglove on trumpet/flugelhorn and Thomas Seminar Ford on guitar. WATCH ALL VIDEOS via Jazzwise p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px}

In 2013, Verve Records started a series of popular artists covering Disney songs on albums called "We Love Disney," which inspired an American release in 2015. A genre-specific spin-off, Jazz Loves Disney released its first installment last year and the tradition continues with the latest release, Jazz Loves Disney 2 - A Kind of Magic. Get ready to snap your fingers to some of the jazziest renditions of Disney classics you've ever heard. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; min-height: 13.0px} From the percussive beginning of Babel Gilberto's take on "Beauty and the Beast," I was hooked. Her smooth voice carries this love song away from a waltz and towards a more bossa nova style. It's the first of many tracks that will redefine jazz for Disney fans who are maybe less knowledgeable on the diverse styles of jazz that exist. Jacob Collier's version of "Under the Sea" also also a fusion of styles and doesn't instantly call jazz to mind. George Benson is a jazz guitarist who provides a guitar version of "You'll Be in My Heart" that also adds diversity to the jazz styles presented. READ thelaughingplace REVIEW

This second collection of jazz stars interpreting The Magic Kingdom Songbook is as good as the first, and that's saying a lot. This album reminds us that jazz is a verb, as you get a R&Bish groove and hip guitar solo by George Benson on "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan as well as some sassy fun from Madeleine Peyroux on a brassy "The Golden Touch." Hotch jazz by Thomas Dutrone delivers Dumbo's "When I See an Elephant Fly" and a hit Afro Cuban mix of tribal drums ha Jacob Collier perform "Under the Sea." Even a piece as old as "Steamboat Willie" gets a turn at the wheel by The Amazing Keystone Big Band" and Jamie Cullum teams with Eic Cantona for a fun and cozy cabaret ‘d "Be Our Guest." Selah Sue is slinky on "So This is Love" from Cinderella and Bebel Gilberto sashays a samba on a sweet "Beauty and the Beast." WE WANT MORE!!! SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica}

Qwest TV, the world's first subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platform dedicated to jazz and jazz-inspired music forms founded by music legend Quincy Jones in collaboration with French jazz impresario and television producer Reza Ackbaraly, announced today its official global launch date set for December 15, 2017. The announcement comes just two months following a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in Fall 2017 that raised nearly $170,000 USD, nearly double the platform's target goal. READ THE FULL Broadway World ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

KMUW: Wichita KS - Night Train joins in with Global Village and Strange Currency to mark Walt Disney's birthday with jazz versions of songs from Disney films – including music from the new Jazz Loves Disney 2 album, Dave Brubeck's Dave Digs Disney album, the Jazz Network's Beauty and the Beast album of Disney music and more. It's also the birthday of two acclaimed Italian pianists Enrico Pieranunzi and Stefano Bollani, and of saxophonist Corey Weeds and Night Train has music from all three, including Weeds' new album featuring jazz versions of songs from Earth, Wind & Fire. The second installment of the Jazz Loves Disney series, Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic features guest artists including Angélique Kidjo, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Jacob Collier, George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux and more, taking on beloved melodies from the Disney canon. Released on Verve Records, the Jazz Loves Disney series celebrates the nostalgia and universal appeal of the music of Disney films. The rich catalogue of Disney songs that span genres and generations inspired producer Jay Newland and arranger Rob Mounsey to continue the series. 

Today is the 119th birthday of Deutsche Grammophon. Since its foundation Deutsche Grammophon has always been a pioneer in the use of new technology but it is during this decade where digital technology is on a level to move beyond familiar audio and video products: the first of these is Beethoven's 9th Symphony released in 2013: an audio-visual, interactive and informative iOS app, combining these three elements into a revolutionary experience. It is followed by the Vivaldi Four Seasons App in 2014 which compares the original Four Seasons by Vivaldi, represented by the acclaimed recording by Trevor Pinnock, with a Recomposed version by Max Richter. In 2015 DG releases the universal iPhone / iPad app „Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood" together with the New York producers Giants Are Small, an unforgettable journey of classical music, visual wonder, and digital play, giving an invigorating new perspective on Prokofiev's classic. Narrators of the story are Alice Cooper and, for the german version, Campino. What is a birthday without presents? Join prize draw to win a copy of of Deutsche Grammophon - 50 Classical Masterworks Compilation

Deutsche Grammophon, the world's leading classical music label, and Swiss music industry startup Tombooks, inventor of interactive sheet music and the Tomplay app, announced an agreement allowing users to experience, play and learn along with the greatest musicians of all time through Deutsche Grammophon's incomparable repertoire. Tomplay Interactive Sheet Music allows all musicians to play along with classical, pop, rock, folk, jazz, film and world music scores accompanied by real recordings from professional musicians. Its unique technology creates an immersive, concert hall experience and makes learning music simpler, more effective and fun. More information on www.tomplay.com  One of the greatest names in classical music, since it was founded in 1898, Deutsche Grammophon has always stood for the highest standards of artistry. Today, the label continues to be known for musical excellence with a roster of artists including many of the world's most admired talents.       READ MORE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Traditional pop vocal album * "In Full Swing" - Seth MacFarlane  Republic/Verve Best Jazz Vocal Album • Dreams And Daggers - Cécile McLorin Salvant  Mack Avenue Best Jazz Instrumental Album • Uptown, Downtown - Bill Charlap Trio  Impulse/Verve Best Folk Album • The Laughing Apple - Yusuf / Cat Stevens   Decca Best Musical Theater Album • Hello, Dolly! - Bette Midler, principal soloist; Steven Epstein, producer (Jerry Herman, composer & lyricist) (New Broadway Cast Recording) Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media • Arrival - Jóhann Jóhannsson, DG Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals • I Like Myself -  Joel McNeely, arranger (Seth MacFarlane – In Full Swing)  Verve, Republic Best Surround Sound Album • Jane Ira Bloom - Early Americans - Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Jim Anderson & Jane Ira Bloom, surround producers (Jane Ira Bloom).   Sono Luminus Producer Of The Year, Classical
• David Frost • Alma Española (Sharon Isbin, Isabel Leonard    Bridge
• Troika (Matt Haimovitz & Christopher O'Riley)  Pentatone Best Opera Recording • Handel: Ottone - George Petrou, conductor; Max Emanuel Cencic & Lauren Snouffer; Jacob Händel, producer (Il Pomo D'Oro)  Decca Best Classical Instrumental Solo 
• Bach: The French Suites - Murray Perahia  DG
• Transcendental - Daniil Trifonov  DG p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

The second installment of the Jazz Loves Disney series, Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic is set for release through Verve Records on 10 November 2017. The news title features guest artists including Angélique Kidjo, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Jacob Collier, George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux and more, taking on beloved melodies from the Disney canon. The Jazz Loves Disney series celebrates the nostalgia and universal appeal of the music of Disney films. The rich catalogue of Disney songs that span genres and generations inspired producer Jay Newland and arranger Rob Mounsey to continue the series. Tracks include: ‘Tale As Old As Time' – Bebel Gilberto (Beauty & The Beast) ‘Someday My Prince Will Come' - Imany (Snow White) ‘Be Our Guest' - Jamie Cullum & Eric Cantona (Beauty & The Beast) ‘Under The Sea' - Jacob Collier (The Little Mermaid) ‘Try Everything' - Angelique Kidjo (Zootopia) ‘Steamboat Willie' - The Amazing Keystone Big Band (Steamboat Willie) ‘Les Corbeaux' - Thomas Dutronc (Dumbo) ‘So This Is Love'- Selah Sue (Cinderella) ‘The Golden Touch' - Madeleine Peyroux (The Golden Touch) ‘You'll Be In My Heart' - George Benson (Tarzan) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} ‘Stay Awake' - Laura Mvula (Mary Poppins)
  READ THE FULL udiscovermusic ARTICLE

An all-star band pays homage to one of the greatest players and style-makers in Jazz: Charlie Parker. They accompany some of today's best Jazz vocalists such as Gregory Porter, Madeline Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Kurt Elling and other notables. Each one personalizes and interprets the songs Parker made famous incorporating everything from Neo and classic bebop, hip hop and more into their personalized renditions of the music that utilize both modern and traditional styles. Detroit Public Radio mainstay, Judy Adams, is a pianist, composer and musicologist who hosts a Jazz and contemporary music show on CJAM 99.1FM and guest hosts on WRCJ 90.9FM. SEE FULL Dirty Dog PAGE   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Here is some very rare footage of genuine oboe-based friendship. The London Symphony Orchestra was performing Hector Berlioz's opera The Damnation of Faust last Sunday at the Barbican Centre, London. Principal oboe Olivier Stankiewicz was about to embark upon the oboe solo at the end of the performance, when he realised there was a water bubble trapped in his keys. Quickly tapping to clear it, he accidentally split his reed in the process. But second oboe Rosie Jenkins was ready to jump in and save the day. In a heartbeat, the principal oboist grabbed the second oboist's instrument and continued the solo seamlessly. And he wasn't even fazed by the different fingering system on her instrument. "What we didn't capture on camera," the LSO explains on their YouTube channel, "[is that] Rosie cleans Olivier's instrument, fits a new reed and hands it back to him, all in time for their next entries. And meanwhile, none of the players around them bats an eyelid, and no one in the hall is any the wiser that there has been a drama." WATCH THE VIDEO via CLASSIC fM p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

The results are in via an informal poll of critics, influencers, music industry veterans, and vinyl enthusiasts conducted by Variety. Admittedly, the question asked was fairly basic - "what is your favorite record label from the 20th Century?" - and the pool that answered lacked some diversity within age, race and gender, but the results are no less interesting. Many expressed nostalgia for their personal, musical coming-of-age. Some took a historical view towards the music industry - qualified by eras, musical genres and even indie vs. corporate contexts. Others went on sheer instinct citing revelatory inspirations, completist obsessions, aesthetic presentation, and taste-making consistency. A few felt it was impossible to answer - but answer they did. READ THE FULL Variety ARTICLE    

Last week I spent a little time with one of Marvin Rosen's early music specials at WPRB at Princeton, New Jersey. I kept listening to Biagio Marini's Sonata a tre over and over on the mp3, performed by Christopher Hogwood and The Academy of Ancient Music. It has that wonderful, sad, baroque busy-busy-busy sound that I love. You should download the show while you can. Rosen, a full-time music educator with the Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey, has a doctorate in music education from Columbia University. He was managing the record department at Princeton University's store IN 1997 when he was offered the opportunity to host a morning music program on WPRB 103.3 FM, the school's independent radio station, which has a strong signal and a following in Philadelphia.  SEE THE FULL Radio Survivor PAGE   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

My latest Hybrid Highbrow podcast did fairly well. It focused on classical tangos and got a significant number of listens on Mixcloud. I'm going on a trip to Turkey this week and will visit a radio station there. When I return, I'll write up the tour. Then I hope to do a show on jazz interpretations of Bartok. After that I'll throw together something about Gamelan Music and the classical tradition, which means of course that I will play some Lou Harrison. Here's a really nice video of pianist and KALW: San Francisco - radio host Sarah Cahill taking you through Harrison's Piano Concerto, which has gamelan all over it. Enjoy! SEE THE FULL Radio Survivor PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

City Parks Foundation is proud to announce the 25th Anniversary celebration of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. The festival is New York City's annual salute to the legendary late saxophonist, featuring storied veteran players as well as young jazz musicians who continue to shape and drive the art form. This year's festival runs August 23 through August 27 at parks and venues around Manhattan and will include free concerts, artist discussions, a film screening, and for the first time in the festival's history, a dedicated evening of dance.  "We are thrilled to celebrate 25 years of the beloved Charlie Parker Jazz Festival," said Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation. "In honor of this milestone we have expanded the program to 5 days, partnered with local institutions on family jazz events and open jam sessions, and are presenting a full evening of dance on the lineup for the first time. We hope all New Yorkers, young and old, jazz aficionados and new fans alike will join us in honoring the legacy of Charlie Parker and jazz in New York City." READ THE FULL Grateful Web ARTICLE  The festival kicks off on Wednesday, August 23 at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music with "Bird With Strings," a tribute performance featuring an ensemble of students and veteran jazz players honoring Parker's 1950 recording, Charlie Parker With Strings.   On Thursday, August 24, the festival heads uptown to Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem for Jason Samuels Smith's Chasin' The Bird Remixed, an added evening of programming in honor of the 25th Anniversary, and the first full evening of dance in the festival's history. Emmy award-winning tap dance virtuoso, Jason Samuels Smith, and Broadway veterans, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Derick K. Grant, bring Parker's music to life through dance in this special performance featuring live music.   The festival continues in Marcus Garvey Park on Friday, August 25 with world-renowned clarinet player & saxophonist Anat Cohen, who will lead a consortium of strings, horns, percussion, and keyboards with her jazz-folk troupe, and Camille Thurman, a multi-talented saxophonist, flutist and vocalist.   On Saturday afternoon, veteran alto-saxophonist player Lee Konitz, a contemporary of Charlie Parker when bebop came on the scene, will perform with his quartet in Marcus Garvey Park joined by drumming prodigy and pioneering female percussionist Terri Lyne Carrington, one of the most recorded jazz drummers of all time Louis Hayes (who has played with the likes of John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Cannonball Adderley), and rising vocalist Charenee Wade, a brave new voice on the modern jazz frontier intent on using her gift to address social change.   On Sunday, August 27, the festival travels back downtown to the place where it all began, Tompkins Square Park, home to the inaugural Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in 1993, and located just blocks away from Charlie Parker's home in the East Village. Joshua Redman, one of the most important contemporary horn players and widely considered to be the top sax man of his generation, will make his Charlie Parker Jazz Festival debut. NEA Jazz Master Lou Donaldson, revered by many as one the greatest alto saxophonists of all time; saxophone virtuosa Tia Fuller, one of the world's best jazz multi-instrumentalists, full-time professor and one-time member of the all-female band that toured with Beyoncé; and vocalist Alicia Olatuja, who performed with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir at President Obama's second inauguration and has been in high demand ever since, will also perform to close out the final day of the festival.   In honor of the 25th Anniversary, City Parks Foundation has also partnered with local institutions to present free and open-to-the-public jazz events around the city. Events include an all ages Family Jazz Party with Festival performer Charenee Wade and a "Harlem Speaks" interview with Lee Konitz at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, a screening at The New School of the 2016 film, I Called Him Morgan, about the life and tragic death of jazz musician Lee Morgan, live jazz in the gardens at The Harlem Rose Garden and 6BC Botanical Garden, and jam sessions at Gin Fizz Harlem and Ginny's Supper Club.   The complete Charlie Parker Jazz Festival schedule follows or can be found on the City Parks Foundation website here: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2017 Schedule READ THE FULL Grateful Web ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

This is some piece of work. Anyone who knows the ins and outs of jazz recording would have every right to dread the result of this, produced by the prodigious Larry Klein. On this tribute to the epochal bebopper who died 62 years ago Klein put words to Parker songs and worked on the lyrics with David Baerwald and a group of musicians are truly formidable playing the jazz of the 21st century, not the '40s. The compositions are from the '40s but the words are new -- on "So Long," a vocal version of Bird's "K.C. Blues" -- you've even got "singer" Jeffrey Wright telling Bird's hometown where it can go in quite obscene terms. The singers all through this disc are terrific with Klein and Baerwald's words, no matter what their caliber. The singers here are an aristocracy of jazz vocals in 2017---Madeleine Peyroux, Gregory Porter, Melody Gardot, Kurt Elling and Luciana Souza, among others. Wright, a first-rate working actor, is brilliant with some of the words' darker content. But the glory of this disc is the band. READ THE FULL Buffalo News REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Linda Yohn, Music Director for WEMU: Ypsilanti MI ( Detroit adi )  was named 2017 National Jazz Presenter of the Year by JazzWeek magazine at their annual summit in San Jose, CA, Thursday, August 10. This category is for a jazz broadcaster with exceptional presentation and communications skills for an outstanding individual who hosts or produces a jazz program.  It's the first time Yohn has won this particular award; she has been named National Jazz Programmer 5 separate times since 2008. Yohn, who is celebrating her 30th anniversary with WEMU this year, is retiring in December.  "I can't think of a better honor for Linda during this significant anniversary year," said WEMU's General Manager, Molly Motherwell.  "Not only is it a fitting tribute to her outstanding skills as a jazz presenter but it also shows the impact she has made here at WEMU, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a jazz broadcaster.  WEMU is one of the top rated jazz/news stations in public broadcasting and that is due largely to Linda's tireless acquisition and promotion of all things jazz.  We're so proud of her and what she's accomplished, which now includes this award." JazzWeek was founded in August 2001 after trade publication The Gavin Report ceased publishing a jazz radio chart, and has published weekly jazz radio airplay charts since that time. WEMU is a listener-supporter, NPR affiliate, with a format of local news, jazz, and blues in addition to NPR news, information, and cultural programming. Broadcasting to over 65,000 listeners per week, the largest audience in station history, WEMU reaches all or part of Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Lenawee, Monroe, and Lucas (OH) Counties, live streams 24 hours a day at wemu.org, and has a free downloadable app for iPhone and Android.  SEE THE FULL WEMU PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

A few months into her tenure at the helm of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Elizabeth Sobol explored the venue's historic stage, the jigsaw pieces of a unique concept formulating in her mind. "One day I was standing out in the amphitheater and looked up at this massive stage while thinking about this crazy idea," recalled SPAC's president and CEO. Earlier this week, the fruition of that "crazy idea" went on full display when the venue hosted the first of four SPAC On Stage events, which spins the performers' podium 180 degrees and places audience members at the back of the stage to face the musicians. A panoramic of the setting sun. the great lawn of SPAC and the columned architecture of the Hall of Springs lazily recline in the distance. The four-part series will be staged consecutive Monday nights in August. The grand experiment kicked off Aug. 7 and by all measures of sound and vision was a major success.  READ THE FULL Saratoga TODAY ARTICLE   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

The Passion of Charlie Parker is a new album from producer Larry Klein that tells the story of Charlie Parker using his music as inspiration for new songs that narrate his life. Guest artists include Gregory Porter, Madeleine Peyroux, Kandace Springs, actor Jeffrey Wright, and more. The album will be available on impulse!/ Verve digitally on June 16, with physical release to follow on June 30. Larry Klein says, "With this album I've endeavored to do something new and different in an effort to illustrate who ‘Bird' was as an archetypal character, and to draw attention to the huge impact that his work had on Jazz." Rather than create another tribute of traditional bebop tunes, Klein partnered with lyricist David Baerwald to create a musical play that tells the story of Charlie Parker's life while still playing with the jagged melodic nature of Charlie Parker's compositions. The Passion of Charlie Parker is 'Biggest Gainer', 'Most ADDed' & 'Chartbound' on this week's Jazzweek chart moving up from postion #108 to #51, just missng the Top 50

Here is a great idea, with almost a perfect cast of characters. Producer Larry Klein celebrates the music and life of Charlie Parker by using the famed alto saxist's songs for vehicles of musical narration by an A team of singers. With Madeleine Peyroux doing a slow and simmering "Ornithology" as "Meet Charlie Parker," Gregory Porter slowing down "Yardbird Suite" to a soulful strut, Luciana Souza gently articulating "Bloomdido" via "Every Little Thing" and Kurt Elling waxing eloquence like a guide on a "Moose the Mooch'd" "Los Angeles," the recipe seems like a sure winner. READ THE FULL Jazz Weekly REVIEW

On paper, this doesn't sound promising: a series of Charlie Parker compositions sung by today's best-selling jazz vocalists, with lyrics based on Parker's life story. It's a tribute to the personnel involved that it works so well. The core band from David Bowie's Blackstar – puckish saxophonist Donny McCaslin, guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Mark Guiliana – recreate Parker's confrontational bebop as dark, electric jazz, with Craig Taborn's keyboards adding space-age textures. The female singers direct their vocalese lyrics at Parker: Madeleine Peyroux turns Ornithology into a drowsy, adoring flirtation; Melody Gardot transforms Scrapple from the Apple into a music journalist's praise. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} The male vocalists sing from Parker's point of view: Gregory Porter's Yardbird Suite tells of youthful genius burning out; actor Jeffrey Wright plays Bird as a growling, embittered junkie on the two most Blackstar-ish interpretations; while Kurt Elling's Moose the Mooch is a woozy hymn to Bird's dope dealer. An unexpected triumph.      Photograph: William Gottlieb/Redferns SEE theguardian PAGE

It can feel like we've seen every possible form of tribute to the alto saxophonist and bebop lodestar Charlie Parker, but The Passion of Charlie Parker has its own curious slant. The brainchild of producer Larry Klein, it might best be described as a biographical portrait in song, with Parker's melodies set to original lyrics (by David Baerwald) and sung by an all-star cast of contemporary vocalists. Luciana Souza does the honors on "Every Little Thing," a reinvention of the jaunty blues "Bloomdido." Her brisk execution recalls the vocalese flair of someone like Jon Hendricks. And as on the rest of the album, the band is tops: Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone, Craig Taborn on piano, Ben Monder on guitar, Scott Colley on bass and Eric Harland on drums. The Passion of Charlie Parker is out digitally from Impulse!/Verve, and will be released in physical formats on June 30. SEE ALL OF Nate Chinen's WBGO: Newark NJ: Take Five REVIEWS p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline}

The 2017 Newport Jazz Festival presented by Natixis Global Asset Management takes place August 4 - 6 at Fort Adams State Park and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. Artists include The Roots; Béla Fleck & The Flecktones; Snarky Puppy; Andra Day; Leslie Odom, Jr.; Branford Marsalis Quartet; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue; Rhiannon Giddens, Christian McBride Big Band with Special Guests; Cécile McLorin Salvant; Maria Schneider Orchestra; Hudson: Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski & John Scofield; Maceo Parker; Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith and many more.  "Many of the artists we're presenting at the 2017 Newport Jazz Festival have released ground-breaking and important new albums this season," said Danny Melnick, Newport Jazz Festival Producer.  Take a look at the new 2017 releases via JazzCorner p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

More than 600 of the most talented young musicians in the world gathered Tuesday morning in the Benedict Music Tent, as the Aspen Music Festival and School celebrated its student convocation and began its 2017 season. Students are beginning an intense 10-week summer of study and performance across the musical spectrum from strings to brass, composition to conducting, and percussion to singing, and will perform in four orchestras alongside more than 100 guest artists including leading lights like Renee Fleming and Jonathan Biss. This year's class ranges in age from 11 to 36. It includes students from 36 states and 39 countries. "I always love this day," festival music director Robert Spano told students. "I love the beginning, the initiation of summer, the possibilities that lie before us, the energy it takes to start something." READ THE FULL Aspen Times ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Alan Gilbert has chosen to celebrate the close of his tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic on a political note, with a program called "A Concert for Unity." By inviting musicians from countries including Iran and Israel to join Philharmonic members on the stage of David Geffen Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Mr. Gilbert is clearly trying to steer against the divisive winds coming out of Washington. But he is also inserting himself into a tradition of bridge-building musical events that reach back to the aftermath of World War II.

Watch five memorable moments of musical diplomacy compliments of The New York Times A Cold War Coup
A Postwar Requiem
A Fallen Wall
A Mideast Conflagration
A Diverse Ensemble p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Analekta announced that the musical works from its catalogue have now been streamed 100 million times on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer.  Analekta's president and founder, François Mario Labbé, said "It is rather exceptional for a classical music label to already reach the mark of 100 million streams, only a few years after the deployment of this relatively new technology for listening to music.  This achievement was made possible thanks to the quality of our recordings, the artists we work with and the fantastic reception given to our albums by music lovers all over of the world and also, perhaps, because we have believed in the potential of streaming since the very beginning.  We are proud of Analekta's contribution, here and abroad, to the promotion of Canada's best musicians. I wish to thank our digital distributor, The Orchard, who has been an outstanding partner and a significant contributor to our worldwide success on digital platforms for the past twelve years." Jason Pascal, vice-president of catalogue development & associate general counsel at The Orchard, said "The Orchard has been a proud partner of Analekta since 2005.  All along, we have trusted each other to do what we do best, and as a result, we continue to experience robust growth together.  It is an honour for all of us at The Orchard to work with Analekta and its excellent artists." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial; color: #2d2d2d; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {color: #2d2d2d} Analekta was one of the pioneers in the classical music industry to invest on the digital platforms, including the development of a leading website which allowed consumers to listen to its complete music catalogue, as well as offering them the possibility to download files in MP3 and FLAC digital formats. 

Why is new and unfamiliar music in the classical tradition so hard to find? Our local musical ensembles are doing their best to bring largely unknown sounds to the concert stage, but just how many concerts does a typical music lover attend in a year? If you attend 10 concerts, at best you'll walk away having heard 10 unfamiliar works (one per concert), if that. Local classical radio stations provide excellent programming, but like their concert colleagues, they offer new music as an add-on to traditional fare. Our region is actually stronger than many in the exposure we give unfamiliar music. One ensemble, Philadelphia's Orchestra 2001, is dedicated exclusively to playing and recording new music. On the early-music side, Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, offers pre-Baroque delights with plenty of attitude and good humor, while Tempesta di Mare has revived interest in the rich diversity of Baroque repertoire. But how many existing or potential lovers of new or unfamiliar music are able to attend these concerts or buy recordings? What if you want to hear the best new Estonian music, the lesser-known composers of New Zealand and Australia, music by women before 1600, or the latest works by Philadelphia composers? Enter Marvin Rosen. Rosen, a full-time music educator with the Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey, has a doctorate in music education from Columbia University. He was managing the record department at Princeton University's store when he was offered the opportunity to host a morning music program on WPRB 103.3 FM, the school's independent radio station, which has a strong signal and a following in Philadelphia. The date was May 29, 1997. READ THE FULL BROAD STREET REVIEW

These technologies all have staying power. They will affect the economy and our politics, improve medicine, or influence our culture. Some are unfolding now; others will take a decade or more to develop. But you should know about all of them right now. The list includes: Reversing Paralysis - Scientists are making remarkable progress at using brain implants to restore the freedom of movement that spinal cord injuries take away. Self-Driving Trucks - Tractor-trailers without a human at the wheel will soon barrel onto highways near you. What will this mean for the nation's 1.7 million truck drivers? Paying with Your Face - Face-detecting systems in China now authorize payments, provide access to facilities, and track down criminals. Will other countries follow? Practical Quantum Computers - Advances at Google, Intel, and several research groups indicate that computers with previously unimaginable power are finally within reach. The 360-Degree Selfie - Inexpensive cameras that make spherical images are opening a new era in photography and changing the way people share stories. Hot Solar Cells - By converting heat to focused beams of light, a new solar device could create cheap and continuous power. Gene Therapy 2.0 - Scientists have solved fundamental problems that were holding back cures for rare hereditary disorders. Next we'll see if the same approach can take on cancer, heart disease, and other common illnesses.  The Cell Atlas - Biology's next mega-project will find out what we're really made of.  Botnets of Things - The relentless push to add connectivity to home gadgets is creating dangerous side effects that figure to get even worse. Reinforcement Learning - By experimenting, computers are figuring out how to do things that no programmer could teach them. SEE MIT Technology Review PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. International Jazz Day is chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration, which began in 2012. The 2017 All-Star Global Concert took place in the historic Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso, one of the world's leading performing arts centers and the oldest theater in Latin America. Located in the heart of Old Havana, the building is an extraordinary setting for International Jazz Day. Watch the attached video Look at playlist courtesy of Bibs from The Hot Sardines p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

The Fair Play, Fair Pay Act, originally introduced in 2015, is back on the table. A bipartisan group of legislators led by Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have reintroduced the Fair Play Fair Pay Act, a bill that would establish a public performance right for sound recordings on terrestrial radio, forcing stations to pay labels and artists. Joining Nadler and Blackburn in reviving the bill, originally introduced in 2015, were Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Tom Rooney (R-FL). p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} If the bill passes, and is signed into law by President Trump, it would put AM/FM radio on equal footing with webcasters like Pandora and iHeartRadio, which pay statutory royalties for their online radio platforms. Members of Congress say the bill will not be used to lower royalties that radio stations now pay to publishers and songwriters, which stations have always paid for the use of their songs.  READ THE FULL billboard ARTICLE

She is both a 20th and 21st century musical and cultural icon known the world over simply by her first name: Aretha. The reigning and undisputed "Queen Of Soul" has created an amazing legacy that spans an incredible six decades, from her first recording as a teenage gospel star, to her current RCA Records release, ARETHA FRANKLIN SINGS THE GREAT DIVA CLASSICS.
Her many countless classics include "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain Of Fools," "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)"; her own compositions "Think," "Daydreaming" and "Call Me"; her definitive versions of "Respect" and "I Say A Little Prayer"; and global hits like "Freeway Of Love," "Jump To It," "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," her worldwide chart-topping duet with George Michael, and "A Rose Is Still A Rose." TODAY March 25th is Aretha Franklin's 75th birthday. Listen to our playlist

The Folk Alliance International Conference is the world's largest gathering of the Folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Indigenous, Old Time, Traditional, Singer-Songwriter, and Spoken Word). The 2017 annual February conference (now in its 29th year) runs from February 15-19 in Kansas City and draws over 2,000 artists and industry (agents, managers, publishers, labels, festival/venue presenters, promoters, media) dedicated to folk music. Delegates who attended the 2016 conference represented 17 countries including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Scandinavia, Continental Europe, Mexico, and Japan.
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  The 59th Annual Grammy Awards took place last night and 6 Crossover Media Artists picked up the top prize. Congratulations to these winners. Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: WINNER: Culcha Vulcha - Snarky Puppy Best World Music Album: WINNER: Sing Me Home - Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble Best Orchestral Performance: WINNER: Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9 - Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)   Best Classical Solo Vocal Album was a TIE with Schumann & Berg - Dorothea Röschmann; Mitsuko Uchida, accompanist John Scofield picked up 2 GRAMMY's  Best Improvised Jazz Solo: WINNER: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" - John Scofield, soloist Best Jazz Instrumental Album: WINNER: Country for Old Men - John Scofield

Crossover Media artists got 17 nominations this past year for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Nominees are: Best Contemporary Instrumental Album Bill Frisell
Label: Okeh Records Snarky Puppy
Label: Ground Up Music Best New Age Album Vangelis
Label: Decca Best Improvised Jazz Solo I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
John Scofield, soloist
From: Country For Old Men Label: Impulse! Best Jazz Instrumental Album Book Of Intuition
Kenny Barron Trio
Label: Impulse! Country For Old Men
John Scofield
Label: Impulse! Best World Music Album Sing Me Home
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Label: Masterworks Land Of Gold
Anoushka Shankar
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Musical Theater Album Bright Star
Peter Asher & Una Jackman, producers; Steve Martin, Edie Brickell, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Label: Ghostlight Kinky Boots
Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers
Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist
(Original West End Cast)
Label: Masterworks Broadway Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

Somewhere (Dirty Blvd) (Extended Version)
Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)
Track from: New York Rhapsody Label: Sony Classical Best Engineered Album, Classical Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9
Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer
(Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Orchestral Performance Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9
Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Opera Recording Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Thomas Hampson, Christiane Karg, Luca Pisaroni & Sonya Yoncheva; Daniel Zalay, producer (Chamber Orchestra Of Europe; Vocalensemble Rastatt)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Monteverdi
Magdalena Koená; Andrea Marcon, conductor (David Feldman, Michael Feyfar, Jakob Pilgram & Luca Tittoto; La Cetra Barockorchester Basel)
Label: Archiv Produktion Verismo
Anna Netrebko; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Yusif Eyvazov; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra
Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Music Film

The Music Of Strangers
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Morgan Neville, video director; Caitrin Rogers, video producer
Label: Tremolo Productions Good luck TODAY!!

Norway opened a chapter in telecommunications history on Wednesday, becoming the first country to cease FM radio broadcasting. The switch, to digital broadcasting, is intended to save money, but critics are worried about the effect on drivers and listeners of small radio stations. The move to "radio digitization" was decided by Parliament in 2011, and a timetable was announced in 2015. At 11:11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11 - a time chosen because it was easy to remember, according to the national broadcaster, NRK - nationwide radio channels began stopping FM broadcasts, switching to a system known as digital audio broadcasting that proponents say offers a wider range of broadcasting options and greater sound quality. p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} FM broadcasting originated in the United States in the 1930s and arrived in Norway in the 1950s. Other countries have considered dropping FM broadcasting, including Britain, Switzerland and Denmark, but no decision has been made; Sweden considered the switch but abandoned the idea.        READ THE FULL New York Times ARTICLE

As popular as Michigan's The Accidentals have become over the past two years - selling out venues across the region - their stardom potential is about to ramp up considerably on a national and international scale. The young, much-buzzed-about Traverse City band has signed a contract with New York's Sony Music Masterworks, a highly regarded label that features renowned and eclectic artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins, Tall Heights, Bill Frisell, Branford Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, The Bad Plus, Yanni, Jackie Evancho, Robert Randolph and Joshua Bell. Earning widespread national media praise as a breakout "act to watch," the multi-instrumental duo of Savannah Buist and Katie Larson, with touring and studio drummer Michael Dause, will release its Sony Music Masterworks debut album this spring. The indie-folk band recorded the full-length album with engineer and co-producer Jason Lehning (Mat Kearney, Guster, George Jones, Alison Krauss) at North Carolina's Echo Mountain Recording, with additional tracking at Nashville's House of Blues Studios and Addiction Sound Studios. The album boasts guest appearances by The Decemberists' Jenny Conlee, Jack White bassist Dominic John Davis, "one-man jam-band" guitarist Keller Williams and percussive guitar virtuoso Kaki King. Buist described label representatives and Sony Masterworks senior vice president Chuck Mitchell as "a family that gets us and our music, and wants to support that authentically." READ THE FULL Traverse City Record Eagle ARTICLE

Coughing - the bane of the live, classical recording. No matter what you do, if you pack hundreds of people into a quiet room - someone is bound to cough. Maria Schneider is the director of operations for the Gilmore Keyboard Festival. She says the Gilmore hands out more than 12,000 cough drops every festival. So, she says the Gilmore decided to do a cough drop test to make sure they were getting the most for their money. "One of those needs is sound and the wrapper of each throat lozenge or cough drop and how they will translate their sound into a room," Schneider says. READ & LISTEN TO WMUK: Kalamazoo MI SEGMENT p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

In celebration of Shakespeare's 400th birth anniversary, Decca presents a double-album of music inspired by the Bard as well as highlights of his greatest written work. The first half consists of famous classical pieces where the composers have taken inspiration from Shakespeare's best-loved plays and poems.  Highlights include: Tchaikovsky's ‘Dance of the Knights', Armstrong's  ‘Balcony Scene', Mendelssohn's ‘Wedding March' and Vaughan-Williams ‘Three Shakespeare Songs' to name but a few.  From orchestral to vocal music, this collection features performances by Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Herbert bon Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Colin Davis, Gerog Solti, The Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and many more. LISTEN TO THE NPR: FRESH AIR FEATURE WITH classical music critic, Lloyd Schwartz p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

Exposing students to music they may have never heard before is the goal of new partnership involving the Peabody Institute and Baltimore City schools. The hope is to inspired the budding musicians and ignite a spark. At Mt. Royal Elementary Middle School, a brass quintet from the Peabody Institute made the stage come alive, exciting students who already love music. "(I) rap, song write, write beats, play the saxophone, play the trombone, a lot of different music stuff," eighth grader Heaven Avery said. "It is right up my alley, because depending on how a person plays an instrument, it can speak to me with the phrasing," eighth grader Joshua Grandy said. In a new partnership, Peabody and the organization, Young Audiences, are trying to inspire and new generation by bringing classical music into Baltimore City schools. "Being a musician, I totally believe in arts in the schools and anything we can do to emphasize that. You never know who the next Yo-Yo Ma is in the audience. You never know who the next virtuoso is," Mt. Royal Elementary School principal Job Grotsky said. WATCH THE WBAL News 11 VIDEO p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {text-decoration: underline}

For the first time ever, a concert has taken place on St Kilda – the deserted Scottish island dubbed ‘the Edge of the World'.  Internationally-renowned composer Sir James MacMillan performed the ‘Lost Songs of St Kilda' in front of a handful of people who endured an eight-hour boat trip from Skye to be there.  It is the first time music has been heard on St Kilda since its evacuation in 1930. Here are Best albums of the year 2016 compliments Alexander Varty for thegeorgiastraight. review: It's almost a ghost story: the remote Scottish island of St. Kilda had a thriving musical culture when it was evacuated by government order in 1930, but no one thought to document its hymns and work songs. One nameless piano teacher remembered them, though, and taught them to a boy called Trevor Morrison, who carried them in his own memory for almost 70 years. Morrison recorded them shortly before he died, and those recordings, along with newly orchestrated versions from some very accomplished composers, are what we have here. The dead walk among us, beautifully. p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

As 2016 comes to a close, John Zimbrick can officially say he has broadcasted on the air for six decades. The Purdue University adjunct professor has kept up his self-described second life playing jazz selections since he was in college, a streak only interrupted when his day job became too busy. He is part of Purdue's School of Health Sciences and a professor emeritus at Colorado State University. Zimbrick has practiced his passion for jazz in many places, including Washington, D.C., and Kansas, and he has interviewed top talent. He plays albums from his own vast collection on his show, "Jazz Cornucopia," which airs on WBAA from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday on 920 AM, 105.9 FM and WBAA Jazz 101.3 FM HD 2. Here are excerpts from his interview with the Journal & Courier.

Besides being known as "The Happiest Place on Earth," Disney is now trying to be "The  Hippest Place on Earth" with a number of their best known songs being delivered by today's artists. The width and breath of the artists makes this a fun fest, with each artist displaying unique charms and interpretations. Jamie Cullum is hep on "Everybody Wants to Be A Cat" and the Hot Sardines go bohemia during "I Wanna Be Like You." Melody Gardot gets a couple of nods, a peppy swing era duet with Raphael Gualazzi on "The Bare Necessities" as well as a slinky work with piano and bass on "He's A Tramp.' Some true bohemia is delivered by Stacey Kent as she coos in French to a delicious samba on "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" while a soulful strut by Gregory Porter is delivered on a richly textured "When You Wish Upon A Star." When it comes to jazz, it is a small world, after all! SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE

Here are our 59th Annual Grammy Awards Nominees  Best Contemporary Instrumental Album Bill Frisell
Label: Okeh Records Snarky Puppy
Label: Ground Up Music Best New Age Album Vangelis
Label: Decca Best Improvised Jazz Solo I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
John Scofield, soloist
From: Country For Old Men Label: Impulse! Best Jazz Instrumental Album Book Of Intuition
Kenny Barron Trio
Label: Impulse! Country For Old Men
John Scofield
Label: Impulse! Best World Music Album Sing Me Home
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Label: Masterworks Land Of Gold
Anoushka Shankar
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Musical Theater Album Bright Star
Peter Asher & Una Jackman, producers; Steve Martin, Edie Brickell, composer/lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Label: Ghostlight Kinky Boots
Sammy James, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, Stephen Oremus & William Wittman, producers
Cyndi Lauper, composer & lyricist
(Original West End Cast)
Label: Masterworks Broadway Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

Somewhere (Dirty Blvd) (Extended Version)
Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)
Track from: New York Rhapsody Label: Sony Classical Best Engineered Album, Classical Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9
Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer
(Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Orchestral Performance Shostakovich: Under Stalin's Shadow - Symphonies Nos. 5, 8 & 9
Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Opera Recording Mozart: Le Nozze Di Figaro
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Thomas Hampson, Christiane Karg, Luca Pisaroni & Sonya Yoncheva; Daniel Zalay, producer (Chamber Orchestra Of Europe; Vocalensemble Rastatt)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Monteverdi
Magdalena Koená; Andrea Marcon, conductor (David Feldman, Michael Feyfar, Jakob Pilgram & Luca Tittoto; La Cetra Barockorchester Basel)
Label: Archiv Produktion Verismo
Anna Netrebko; Antonio Pappano, conductor (Yusif Eyvazov; Coro Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia; Orchestra
Dell'Accademia Nazionale Di Santa Cecilia)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon Best Music Film

The Music Of Strangers
Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble
Morgan Neville, video director; Caitrin Rogers, video producer
Label: Tremolo Productions

Peer Gynt (Death of Aase) - Paradise Lost Remix" < 3:02->7:09 > from RE:WORKS on Decca is a featured cut on this week's Hearts of Space. Hearts of Space is heard on over 200 National Public Radio stations. Estimated audience is 200,000 listeners each week and is the #2 contemporary Music program on public radio in station carriage. HOS is in the Top 20 of all syndicated programs, including - All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Garrison Keillor, has a worldwide audience online, and is heard weekly on Digitally Imported (DI.fm) on the SPACE DREAMS channell. =--------------------------------------------------------------------=
   PGM 1129 : "ELECTRON TRAVELER 2" - Distribution Date:  November 25, 2016
=--------------------------------------------------------------------=
 a chilled deep space journey on electronic waves Here's the full program playlist
 ENIGMA
  "Lost in Nothingness" < 0:00->3:02 >
   : THE FALL OF A REBEL ANGEL; Republic B0025687-02; 2016
   : Info: www.enigmaspace.com

 SOLOMON GREY
  "Peer Gynt (Death of Aase) - Paradise Lost Remix" < 3:02->7:09 >
   Based on orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg
   : RE:WORKS [compilation]; Decca 4760544; 2016
   : Info: www.solomongrey.net

 NERVOUS_TESTPILOT
  "Menu" < 7:09->17:42 >
   : FROZEN SYNAPSE [soundtrack]; Mode 7 Games [no catalog #]; 2011
   : Info: www.nervoustestpilot.co.uk

 BIOSPHERE
  "The Things I Tell You" (edited) < 17:42->22:16 >
   : SUBSTRATA; All Saints/Thirsty Ear THI 66033.2; 1997
     re-released as SUBSTRATA 2 by Touch Music (TO:50) in 2001
   : Info: www.touchmusic.org.uk; www.biosphere.no

 MARTIN KENNEDY
  "Out of the Earth" < 22:16->28:57 >
   : BEYOND THE BORDERS: ULTIMA THULE AMBIENT VOL.2 [compilation];
     Ultima Thule Ambient Media [download only]; Australia 2016
   : Info & Orders: www.ultimathuleambient.bandcamp.com

 CHRONOTOPE PROJECT
  "Solaris" (edited) < 28:57->37:40 >
   : PASSAGES; Spotted Peccary Music SPM-2804; 2016
   : Info: www.spottedpeccary.com; www.chronotope-project.com

 RUDY ADRIAN
  "Mists from the Sea" < 37:40->41:27 >
   : COASTLINES; Spotted Peccary Music SPM-2602; 2016
   : Info: www.spottedpeccary.com; www.rudyadrian.magix.net

 TOM EATON
  "Argo Navis" < 41:27->48:19 >
   : INDESTERREN; Riverwide RWR1216; 2016
   : Info: www.riverwiderecords.com; www.abendromen.com

 DEEPSPACE
  "The Barometric Sea" < 48:19->54:03 >
   : THE BAROMETRIC SEA; self-published; Australia 2007/2016
   : Info & Orders: www.deepspace1.bandcamp.com

 RUDY ADRIAN
  "Evening on Pohara Beach" < 54:03->58:59 >
   : COASTLINES; Spotted Peccary Music SPM-2602; 2016
   : Info: www.spottedpeccary.com; www.rudyadrian.magix.net

=--------------------------------------------------------------------=
   PRODUCED BY : STEVE DAVIS and STEPHEN HILL
=--------------------------------------------------------------------= HEARTS of SPACE began as a San Francisco late night radio show in 1973, went national on public radio in 1983 and to our eternal amazement, grew to almost 300 stations. Despite our success, it was hard to make a living in public radio, so we started an independent record label in 1984, ultimately releasing almost 150 albums.
 

It's hard to write about joy. Usually, what comes instead is fluffy sentimentality, something that seems indelibly false and saccharine. At the very least, joy isn't interesting for the audience: too little contrast, too little conflict. Without shadow, joy seems meaningless. And yet, Rick McCarthy's easily overlooked debut CD, "Message of the Muse," is overflowing with joy, and every inch of it is believable and oddly endearing. Of course, McCarthy, in addition to his recent turn as a singer-songwriter solo artist, has long played with the likes of the Lester Rawson Band, Cosmic Slim and His Intergalactic Plowboys and Grade "A" Fancy, which performs tonight at the Singletary Rod and Gun Club in Oxford. He's also the host of WICN's "Jazz Highways," so he knows a thing or two about music. Throw in that the album was produced by Mike Harmon of Grain Thief and features several local favorite musicians, and it's easy to see why this feels less like a debut than it does a polished work from a seasoned professional. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL worcester telegram ARTICLE

On Nov. 18, Verve will release Jazz Loves Disney, a 13-track album of classic Disney tunes from Cinderella, Lady and the Tramp, the Jungle Book and more that have been "given the big-band jazz treatment," according to a press release. The album, which "celebrates classic Disney magic and Walt Disney's love for jazz," was recorded between Paris, London and Los Angeles, and features such artists as Gregory Porter, Melody Gardot, Stacey Kent, Jamie Cullum and the Hot Sardines, among others. p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} Highlights of Jazz Loves Disney, produced by Jay Newland and arranged and directed by Rob Mounsey, include Gregory Porter singing "When You Wish Upon a Star," Jamie Cullum singing "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat," "He's a Tramp" with Melody Gardot and Stacey Kent, who puts a bossa nova spin on "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo." READ THE FULL Jazziz POST

What do a political analyst, a former Miss America, a fake news anchor, and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi have in common? At some point in each of their lives, they all played French horn! Full disclosure: in high school and college I played, or attempted to play, the Horn, the brass instrument that chooses to identify as a wind. When it comes to celebrities who played an instrument when young, far more were pianists, flutists, and violinists than Hornists. When I learn of others who played, I wonder what attracted them to the instrument. With that in mind, meet the Fab Four of French horndom and READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY WFMT: Chicago - Candice Agree

Tune in throughout the week for tracks from KDFC's Album of the Week. More to discover with KDFC and KDFC.com. For the Week of August 15th, we select - Paradisum: Serene Sacred Songs, featuring: Bocelli, Pavarotti, Netrebko, et al This 2CD collection brings together the calmest and most thoughtful sacred songs ever written, performed by the world's greatest singers including Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Jonas Kaufmann, Anna Netrebko, Renee Fleming, Jose Carreras and Bryn Terfel. Composers range from Bach, Mozart, and Schubert, to the contemporary cool of today's gifted choral composers such as Eric Whitacre and Ola Gjeilo. A much-needed escape from our hectic world.

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" - Google this quotation and you'll find it attributed to any of a dozen people ranging from Thelonious Monk to Lou Reed, from Martin Mull to Elvis Costello to Frank Zappa. Doubtless there's a story to be told about how this quip turned into the stuff of urban legend. But most everyone who has ever thrilled to a favorite song knows the force of it. I sure do. I've been writing about - or trying to write about - music since I was in college, driven by the sheer futility of it, but also by that deeply human need to communicate what is beyond words. READ THE FULL ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Decca presents a 2-CD compilation of reflective sacred music. Meditative, contemporary and accessible, the set is curated to appeal to the inner spiritual need within us all. It features the most renowned singers: Pavarotti, Netrebko, Kaufmann, Carreras, Fleming and more, while composers range from Mozart and Bach to the contemporary music of Eric Whitacre and Ola Gjeilo. Paradisum: Serene Sacred Songs on Decca is the WFMT: Chicago - Featured CD for Thursday August 4, 2016. Tracks include: Bach/Gounod: Ave Maria (2:54), Juan Diego Flórez, tenor; Bologna Teatro Comunale Chorus & Orchestra / Michele Mariotti - Faure: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op 11 (5:33) Choir of King's College, Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury; James Vivian, organ - Gjeilo: The Ground (Pleni sunt caeli) (3:39) Tenebrae; London Chamber Orchestra / Ola Gjeilo, piano  

In 2011 the Emmy Award-winning composer Glen Roven was in town from New York when he wandered into the poetry section of a local bookstore. He barely remembers most aspects of that visit to the City Different, he told Pasatiempo, because he was in the throes of profound grief after the death of his partner of 30 years. "I was walking around in a complete daze, really not knowing where I was or what I was doing," he said. He started flipping through books by writers from New Mexico, finding solace in their images and metaphors. "I was so down. I've always loved poetry, but the darkness of it was really speaking to me. And then something clicked. I decided I wanted to set some of these poems to music and call themThe Santa Fe Songs." That cycle of eight poems falls into the genre of music known as art songs, which are poems set to classical music and sung in an operatic style. "The tradition started, I guess, around the time of Beethoven and Mozart but really came to fruition around Schubert and Schumann," Roven explained. The Santa Fe Songs were recorded by soprano Talise Trevigne on her debut album, At the Statue of Venus (GPR Records, 2011). They have their Santa Fe premiere on Thursday, July 28, at 4 p.m., as part of Performance Santa Fe's Festival of Song.

Spotify Chief Executive Daniel Ek has persuaded more people to pay for music online than anyone besides Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. On Wall Street, his business may be a tougher sell. Spotify aims to go public in the second half of next year, say five people familiar with the plan. In March, shortly before its 10th birthday, the Swedish company raised $1 billion in convertible debt from investors who valued the company at more than $8 billion. It's also lost money in each of those 10 years. Companies awash in red ink can make it in public markets-Amazon.com, Tesla-but it's hard to hang a business on music streaming. "This is just a tough sector, and that is skepticism Spotify will have to overcome," says Mark Mahaney, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets. The company declined to comment for this story. Ek's company is great at what it does. Spotify dominates paid streaming, with more than 30 million customers, most paying $10 a month for a library of millions of songs. Last year sales almost doubled, to $2.2 billion. (Pandora, which has about 80 million users, reported sales of $1.2 billion.) So why the losses? Well, Spotify's expenses start with commissions to the music industry, which last year totaled more than $1.8 billion, according to public filings. Record labels bank about 55 percent of Spotify sales, and publishers also get cuts. The largest checks go to the big three labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. READ THE FULL Bloomberg ARTICLE READ Fortune ARTICLE

This full evening of Brahms lieder took place at the 2003 Verbier Festival. Performed in the spirit of true chamber music, with characterful voices and a feeling of mutual sympathy, the singers and their accompanists displayed a wide range of mood, color, blend and individuality. The Brahms: Neue Liebeslieder-Walzer, Op 65 (21:27) from Brahms: Lieder & Waltzes at Verbier on DG is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured Release' for Saturday July 9. Musicians are: Andrea Rost, soprano; Magdalena Ko?ená, mezzo-soprano; Matthew Polenzani, tenor; Thomas Quasthoff, baritone; James Levine & Yefim Bronfman, pianos    

It's hard to believe that this fall I'll have hosted my locally produced classical music hour Of Note for KUAF(FayettevilleAR) listeners for five years. What a true honor and pleasure I've had bringing you compelling fresh takes on classical alongside interviews from international stars and the local musicians, conductors and composers who bring classical music into the 21st century. I'm incredibly thrilled to announce that my program is expanding to two hours so I can bring you even more in the way of exclusive interviews plus local concerts and more beginning Sunday, July 3. The expanded two hour Of Note will air from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and will also be available for streaming on our website in case you're a daytime classical listener. My goal is to bring more classical your way however you'd like to listen. Included in the expansion will be more arts coverage via my series the KUAF Arts Beat. 

This is one in a number of stories on radio in Media Life's ongoing series "The new face of radio in America," examining all the changes taking place in the medium. Of all media, radio will undergo the most dramatic change in the coming decade, and these changes will radically transform the industry. Below are some of the most important of those changes, based in insights by various media forecasters radio bug, analysts and media buyers, and the Media Life's radio advisory panel. READ THE FULL medialife ARTCLE

According to a report by Bloomberg, Spotify's chief executive and cofounder, Daniel Ek, has boldly proclaimed that he has no plans whatsoever to sell the streaming service.  And that includes a large, US-based tech giant.  Ek believes that had entrepreneurs kept hold of their businesses and continued to build their own brands instead of selling to large-scale tech companies, those businesses potentially could have been huge successes. At a recent music and technology conference in Stockholm, when asked whether he' s looking to sell, Daniel Ek said…"Not going to sell, no. My biggest advice for entrepreneurs is don't ever sell." Though, Spotify have recently released their financials, which show some scary figures highlighting major losses.  The company losses have been increasing year-on-year, and 2015-year losses topped an astounding $188.7 million on revenues of roughly $2.12 billion.  The company's losses now cumulatively stand at $698.1 million since 2008, which have raised questions of whether Spotify's business model is viable or not.  Despite the shocking financial results, Ek is sticking with his guns and hoping for a brighter future. READ THE FULL Digital Music News ARTICLE

Donald Trump is great for a quote, so who better than the presidential candidate to form the basis of a new operatic venture? Opera Tenor - Ben Heppner has turned some of Trump's most illuminating quotes into operatic excerpts named - The Trumpera. Watch CLASSIC fm as Heppner douses Trump's words of wisdom with some Wagnerian technique

Violinist Itzhak Perlman recently took to his Facebook page over a high-profile issue well outside of his usual realm: North Carolina House Bill 2, which eliminated various antidiscriminatory legal protections for a range of people, including those who are gay, bisexual, and transgender, and required people to use only restrooms that corresponded with the gender specified on their birth certificates. Wrote the violinist: "As my fans know, I have spent a lifetime advocating against discrimination towards those with physical disabilities and have been a vocal advocate for treating all people equally. As such, after great consideration, I have decided to cancel my May 18th concert in North Carolina with the North Carolina Symphony as a stand against House Bill 2." It's not unheard of for classical artists to enter the fray on social justice issues. But are the potential risks and rewards higher today, in our superconnected, hyperventilating climate of social media and 24-hour news channels? The Philadelphia Enquirer asked Sarah Baird Knight, a partner, along with Steven Swartz, at Brooklyn P.R. firm DOTDOTDOTMUSIC (which does not represent Perlman), to weigh in on questions raised by Perlman's not-so-silent act of silence. READ THE Philadelphia Enquirer Q&A

"Give us a day," promise Deutsche Grammophon, "and we'll give you a lifetime." The label has released a box set titled The History of Classical Music in 24 Hours, guaranteeing a broad introduction to classical music over the course of 24 CDs. If I'm going to give classical music a day, I thought, why not make it an actual day? Why not listen to the set in a continuous 24-hour listening session? That's exactly what I'm going to do, starting on Wednesday, May 25 at 9 a.m. CDT. I'll live-blog the entire experience, sharing my thoughts as I whip through 1,200 years of music history in 24 hours - a rate of just about a year a minute. Whew! Here's my schedule - watch for updates throughout the day.

Steinway, the gold standard for pianos, is now offering its year-old Spirio player piano in Chicago-for anyone in the market for a self-playing piano with virtuoso-level quality, minus the virtuoso. Digital-age player pianos already existed, notably the Yamaha Disklavier. Spirio, however, has access to Steinway's contractually bound artists, such as the flashy, high-selling piano duo Anderson and Roe, who played a launch event this week at Venue SIX10 in the Loop, a space looking as remarkably white as the room from the Spirio promotional shot. Player pianos have been around since the 19th century. They peaked in the early 1920s, just before record players and the radio elbowed them out of the living room. READ THE FULL Chicagomag.com ARTICLE

James Taylor helped Carnegie Hall commemorate its 125th anniversary Thursday night with a gala concert that included performances by singer/pianist Michael Feinstein, soprano Renee Fleming, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, pianists Emanuel Ax and Lang Lang, violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Two retired singers, soprano Martina Arroyo and mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne, gave spoken tributes, and first lady Michelle Obama recorded a video that was played. Horne, who is 82, joked that she felt as if she'd been at Carnegie for all 125 years. Host Richard Gere paid tribute to the violinist Isaac Stern, who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1943, led the campaign that saved the hall from demolition after the New York Philharmonic moved to Lincoln Center in the 1962 and served as Carnegie's president until his death in 2001. SEE THE CT POST PLAGE READ ShanghaiDaily.com READ New York Times READ billboard READ Town & Country

The most important composer and musician of the Baroque period and perhaps in the history of music, Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 21 1685. German born, he enriched established styles of counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures. Infludenced from abroad, particularly from Italy and France, Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and over three hundred cantatas of which around two hundred survive. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth.

Last month we were thrilled to have two-time Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin join us in a Google Hangout to discuss his latest recording, The Drop That Contained The Sea, his composition process, and how he likes working in Los Angeles. In conjunction with Bach's Birthday on March 21st, Rachel Barton Pine will be releasing her new recording - Testament: Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by Bach. Crossover Media will be conducting an interview day in March with several radio networks and stations throughout the US. Participating cities include: Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Portland, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. Please make sure to visit our Soundcloud Page for downloadable clips and a podcast from the session. Have you subscribed to our podcast series on Itunes? Join us as we explore our new album releases with the artists themselves! Recent episodes feature pianist Igor Levit and Downton Abbey TV series composer John Lunn. To celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach's Birthday on March 21st, we have curated a Spotify playlist featuring music from our artists including Matt Haimovitz, Anne Akiko Meyers, Ensemble Caprice, Gabriel Kahane, and more! Listen here! Houston Public Media's classical station, 91.7 KUHA has been sold to KSBJ Educational Foundation in one of the highest-dollar noncommercial station purchases - $10,000,000. Going forward, they plan to focus on HD radio and digital streaming. Read more here. Our Featured Albums for March include - Bill Laurance - Aftersun, Cory Henry – The Revival, Sultans of String - Subcontinental Drift, Helene Grimaud – Water, The Danish Girl Soundtrack, and Claire Jones – Royal Harp Strings   If you would like to Subscribe to the Crossover Media Newsletter, Click here

One of the most prestigious labels in the history of jazz, Verve Records will celebrate its 60th anniversary throughout 2016 with a trove of historic reissues and stunning new collections from its legendary archives. The release schedule constitutes a who's-who of jazz legends, including such pioneers as Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Count Basie,Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Smith, Stan Getz, and the label's heart and soul, Ella Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald will be honored with the release of Jazz at the Philharmonic: The Ella Fitzgerald Set, a new compilation bringing together all of her Jazz at the Philharmonic performances previously issued by Verve on various albums, on a single collection for the first time ever. The collection-which includes concerts from 1949, 1953 and 1954 and features appearances by Parker, Lester Young, and Hank Jones among others-will feature newly re-mastered music and an essay by author Will Friedwald. The first set of releases, due out in March 2016, is also highlighted by the new digital collection Verve 60, featuring 60 stellar tracks by 60 different artists from throughout the label's history, spanning from Ella and Oscar through Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock toDiana Krall and Christian McBride. In addition, five favorites from the Verve catalogue will be reissued on vinyl, including Ella & Louis, the first pairing for the label of Fitzgerald and Armstrong; Billie Holiday's Lady Sings the Blues; Charlie "Bird" Parker's innovative Charlie Parker with Strings; Oscar Peterson's Night Train; and Count Basie's April in Paris. Several classics will also make their debuts in HD digital audio and iTunes, including titles by Fitzgerald, Evans, Parker, Wynton Kelly, and Stan Getz. Organ master Jimmy Smith's classic singles for the label will be compiled into a digital box set. The release schedule continues in May and June with more vinyl and digital reissues, including Getz/Gilberto and albums by Wes Montgomery, Blossom Dearie, Coleman Hawkins, and Anita O'Day. A new CD collection will compile unreleased music by Charlie Parker, while Louis Armstrong's complete studio recordings for the label will be collected onto one multi-disc set. Verve was founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the forward-thinking impresario responsible for the hugely popular Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, which brought the music to new audiences and garnered jazz an unprecedented level of respect in the popular culture. Granz also managed Ella Fitzgerald and launched the label in large part to create new opportunities worthy of the singer's immense talent, including her landmark series of Songbook recordings. Under the visionary leadership of Granz and later Creed Taylor (after MGM purchased the imprint in 1961), Verve continued to set new trends. The label sparked the Bossa Nova craze with the 1964 release of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Getz/Gilberto and brought a lush, elegant new sound to jazz with the arrangements of Claus Ogerman and Oliver Nelson. Its focus also encompassed groundbreaking comedy, and later widened to embrace folk and rock recordings, including now-iconic releases by The Velvet Underground, Richie Havens, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention and Janis Ian. It was its jazz legacy that cemented Verve's place in the popular imagination however, and after a fallow period in the '70s and '80s Verve was revived in the mid-1990s, again signing many of the biggest names in the music: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Jeff Lorber, Chris Botti and Incognito all recorded for Verve during this period. Its diverse and distinguished lineage continues today through the work of artists like Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan and Third Story. Over the course of its six-decade history, Verve has become synonymous with the very best in jazz, venerating the music while charting its course and helping to break down racial and stylistic barriers. There's no better way to celebrate that legacy than with the music itself, and 2016 will allow listeners to revisit the breathtaking sounds of Verve in new and exhilarating ways.

Up until today, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) had yet weigh the merits of streaming. However, that's about to change, as starting today, the RIAA will take into account audio and video streaming numbers in addition to sales when certifying an album gold or platinum. Back in 2013, the music industry's governing body began tallying individual songs towards its so-called Digital Single Award, but this new change will be the first time streaming is factored in to the main Album Award process. "Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists' albums today," said RIAA chairman and CEO Cary Sherman.

As you might expect, how much an album is streamed won't count the same as a purchase. After a "comprehensive analysis" of a number of criteria, including listening patterns and more, the RIAA came up with a formula for including streaming numbers. Going forward, 1,500 on-demand audio or video song streams will equal 10 track sales or 1 album sale. What's more, 150 on-demand streams will count as one download.

READ THE FULL engadget ARTICLE

Netflix is doing a lot of things that Spotify isn't. This year, across licensed content and its own original shows, the company will spend $5bn on programming. It's just launched in 109 countries, including India, where Daniel Ek is yet to tread. It boasts around 75m paying subscribers – three times that of  Spotify. Oh, and it's turning a profit. There is an overly simplistic conclusion to draw from the graph above: that the Netflix model – one month's free trial then pay, as deployed by Apple Music – is a better driver of subscriptions than Spotify's freemium setup. That may or may not be true, but it dismisses the fact that a ‘rental' and satellite subscription culture was rife in film and TV before Netflix started encouraging customers to move from its DVD borrowing service to streaming in 2010. (Netflix's streaming service technically launched as ‘Starz Play' in 2008- the same year Spotify was born.) It's also worth bearing in mind that Spotify now has around 100m total users. For Netflix in Q4 2015, that number stood at 77m (which means 6m people were enjoying their free trial). By now, Netflix's paying subs number will already be hovering around 75m.  READ THE FULL Music Business Worldwide ARTICLE

The GRAMMY Nominations are in and Crossover Media is working with 15 of the Nominees for the 58th Annual Awards. Congratulations to all. Here's our list Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Thompson Fields
ArtistShare Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest, Sylva
Universal Classics Best World Music Album
Anoushka Shankar, Home
Deutsche Grammophon Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Daniil Trifonov, Rachmaninov Variations
Deutsche Grammophon Best Engineered Album, Classical
George Manahan & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for Laura Karpman's Ask Your Mama
Avie Records Best Classical Compendium
George Manahan Orchestra for Laura Karpman's Ask Your Mama
Avie Records Best Musical Theater Album
An American in Paris
Masterworks Broadway Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Larry Klein, who produced our JD Souther album, Tenderness
Sony Masterworks Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Bill Frisell, Guitar in the Space Age!
Sony Masterworks | Okeh Best Jazz Instrumental Album
John Scofield, Past Present
Impulse | Universal Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Jonas Kaufman, Nessun Dorma - The Puccini Album
Sony Masterworks Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Julia Wolfe, Wolfe: Anthracite Fields
Cantaloupe Music Producer of the Year, Classical
Manfred Eicher, Arvo Pärt - Musica Selecta
ECM Records Producer of the Year, Classical
Judith Sherman, Laura Karpman - Ask Your Mama
Avie Records Best Musical Theater Album
The King and I
Universal Classics Congratulations to all the nominees! The GRAMMYS will be broadcast from The Staples Center in L.A. on February 15th, 2016.

Internet radio was supposed to squash small FM music stations like KEXP. Someone forget to tell that to KEXP. Music fans live in a time of plenty, when nearly every song for any musical taste can be listened to in an instant over the Internet, from Spotify, Pandora and dozens of other sources. Satellite and commercial radio crowd the airwaves with further options for discovering new music and listening to the old. And yet a handful of nonprofit music stations like KEXP with roots in college radio have never been doing better. They are using the Internet to reach bigger audiences around the globe, adding to their video programming and seeking to become in-person destinations for fans. Most of all, they are trying to stand out with their music programming, with genre-hopping mixes selected by D.J.s rather than software or dictated by program directors at commercial radio chains. "There's so much music out there, so many places to go," said Roger LaMay, general manager of WXPN, a public music station in Philadelphia, and chairman of the board of National Public Radio. "But finding curation from a trusted source is a lifeline for most music lovers who don't have the time or wherewithal to sift through it all on their own." KCRW, a public radio station in Southern California, is another tastemaker. At the end of next year, the station plans to move out of its basement studio beneath the cafeteria of Santa Monica College to a $48 million facility with a public performance space. "The thing that has helped KEXP and KCRW is we're not traditional radio," said Jennifer Ferro, the president of KCRW. "We're really building this tribe of people that are interested in music discovery and curious about the world." READ THE FULL New York Times ARTICLE

Imagine you're sitting in an intimate, dimly lit club in New York's Greenwich Village. A jazz band is playing, the audience is clapping along, the woman next to you is sipping a colorful concoction from a long-stemmed martini glass. It all feels and - above all - sounds so real. But it's not. You aren't really in the club. You aren't in New York. In fact, you never left your house. You're sitting instead on your own couch, in the comfort of your own living room, watching the show on a virtual-reality headset. While this might sound like a scene cut from Back to the Future, it's actually happening: A legendary New York jazz club - Blue Note - is pioneering such virtual events as a new way for jazz fans all over the world to watch concerts and, eventually, other live events.  READ THE FULL Yahoo Tech ARTICLE AND WATCH THE VIDEO

Today, Friday October 2nd is the 5th annual College Radio Day and hundreds of college radio stations are coming together to celebrate the unique medium of college radio. The original idea for College Radio Day was conceived by Dr. Rob Quicke (General Manager, WPSC FM, William Paterson University, NYC market), and was founded in December 2010 by Rob, who worked with Peter Kreten (General Manager, WXAV FM, Saint Xavier University, Chicago market) to help develop the idea. The aim of College Radio Day is to harness the combined listenership of hundreds of thousands of college radio listeners throughout the world and to celebrate the important contribution of college radio by uniting for this one day. The aim of College Radio Day is to raise a greater, international awareness of the many college and high school radio stations that operate around the world by encouraging people who would not normally listen to college radio to do so on this day. It is hoped that those people who do tune in like what they hear and become regular listeners. The organizers of College Radio Day believe that college radio is one of the last remaining bastions of creative radio programming, free from the constrictions of having to be commercially viable, and a place where those involved in its programming believe passionately in its mission. College radio is the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis. Indeed, many famous and successful bands today, owe their initial break to being played on college radio. Put simply, college radio is an important part of the media landscape because of its unique and fearless programming.

From the Chicago Tribune, here is a sampling of noteworthy new classical recordings set for release this Fall. Crossover Media titles from the list include: Decca
Berg: "Lyric Suite" (September): Diva Renee Fleming collaborates with the Emerson String Quartet in Alban Berg's coded outpouring of passon to his married lover.. Rachmaninov, Chopin: Cello Sonatas (September): Longtime musical partners Alisa Weilerstein, cello, and Inon Barnatan, piano, explore staples of the cello chamber repertory. Puccini: "Turandot" (September): Tenor Andrea Bocelli's Calaf woos soprano Jennifer Wilson's ice princess in a new recording of Puccini's unfinished opera. Zubin Mehta conducts. Deutsche Grammophon
Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (September): Pianist Daniel Barenboim is joined by conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Staatskapelle Berlin for the pianist's third recorded cycle of these German Romantic masterpieces. Faure and Strauss: Violin Sonatas (September): Violinist Itzhak Perlman's first new recording in 16 years unites him with pianist Emanuel Ax. "Rachmaninov Variations" (September): Russian virtuoso Daniil Trifonov pays homage to his idol Sergei Rachmaninov with three sets of the composer's piano variations, including "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" (with Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra). ECM New Series
"Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano" (September): This three-CD set is the result of pianist Anthony de Mare's having commissioned 36 composers (representing genres from classical to jazz) to create original fantasias on songs by Stephen Sondheim. Part: "Musica Selecta" (September): The double album honors the great Estonian composer Arvo Part's 80th birthday with a compendium of ECM recordings of nearly 20 Part works, as chosen by label founder-producer Manfred Eicher. Sony Masterworks
"Nessun dorma: The Puccini Album" (September): German superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann sings favorite Puccini arias. "Four Hands" (September): The veteran pianist Leon Fleisher is joined by pianist Katherine Jacobson (Mrs. Fleisher) for keyboard duets by Brahms, Schubert, Ravel and Bolcom. SEE THE FULL Chicago Tribune LIST

According to the OC Register - The list that follows is not the same thing as the 50 greatest classical pieces ever, like a set of recordings available only in a TV offer, though every piece listed is indubitably great in some way. No, "50 classical pieces to hear before you die" is more of a list of pieces that it would be useful for all of us to know as a community, as a culture, as music lovers (of all stripes). Just as there are books that, until recently at least, we can all assume are part of our common culture ("Huckleberry Finn," "The Catcher in the Rye); just as there are movies we think that every movie lover should have seen ("Casablanca," "The Matrix"); so too are there musical pieces that we all would be better off having heard and experienced at least once in our lives. So, how was the list chosen? By instinct mostly. But also in an attempt to span musical history from 1600 to 2000 in one fell swoop. Also with an eye on a piece's fame and presence in pop culture. Also with an ear toward what is typical or emblematic of a particular composer's style, to get to the nub.  SEE THE FULL OC Register LIST Undoubtedly, it is an imperfect list, as all such lists are. But should a listener undertake to listen to it all, he or she would have a pretty good grasp of the sweep of Western music from the Renaissance on, a sense of who the important composers are and a strong sampling of the landmark works. A note on the suggested recordings. These days they go in and out of print quickly; I have tried to choose those currently in print. Most, if not all, are also available for digital downloading.

Each year on August 20th, National Radio Day celebrates the great invention of the radio. The invention of the radio dates back to the late 1800s. A number of inventors played a role in creating this important medium. A number of inventions and discoveries were required to make the radio a reality. This included both transmission and reception methods and technology. The radio somewhat evolved from the telegraph and the telephone, with wireless telegraph directly contributing to its invention. It was in the 1920′s when the first broadcast stations began airing programs.  These first programs were those of news and world events. Radio ownership grew from two out of five homes in 1931 to four out of five homes in 1938. According to FCC statistics, at the end of 2012, there were more than 15,000 licensed broadcast radio stations in the U.S. Celebrating National Radio Day is easy listening. Simply tune into your favorite radio stations. You could also give your local radio personalities a little recognition. Use #NationalRadioDay to post on social media.

Cinema of late has become littered with themes related to artificial intelligence, but arguably one of the most provocative moments from this genre comes in the movie Her when the intelligent OS begins composing music in its spare time. Music has long been used as something of a gold standard in reference to culture and creativity, showcasing the best and brightest aspects of the human intellect. Now The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the US military, would seem to be robbing humanity of this last emblem of intellectual singularity by teaching an artificial intelligence system to play jazz. At first blush, DARPA and jazz music seem like odd bedfellows - and one is tempted to ask what mandate the military has for spending taxpayer dollars teaching a computer to play jazz. Is this a case of government spending run amok? But as often happens with DARPA, the seemingly innocent headline belies more insidious intentions. The first step in unpacking what might be DARPA's real motivations behind this project is to ask, why jazz, why not teach the computer to play classical music, or reggae for that matter?  READ THE FULL ExtremeTech ARTICLE

For a sense of how quickly digital radio outlets like Pandora and SiriusXM have become a major source of revenue for the music industry, look no further than their royalty payments. SoundExchange, the nonprofit group that processes the royalties those companies and others pay to performers and record companies, took nearly a decade to pay out its first $1 billion, in 2012. The second billion came almost two years later, in early 2014. On Wednesday the organization will announce that it has crossed $3 billion in payments. "When we first started, we were a rounding error on most people's income statements," Michael Huppe, SoundExchange's president, said in an interview. "Now we're one of the top accounts at most recorded music companies." SoundExchange, which was founded in 2000, collects money for performers and record labels whenever songs are played on digital radio. These payments - which are separate from songwriting royalties - have grown along with the popularity of online radio, and now make up a substantial part of the music industry's revenue. The $773 million that SoundExchange paid last year is equivalent to about 16 percent of the American recording industry's whole income of $4.9 billion, as reported by the Recording Industry Association of America.  READ THE FULL New York Times ARTICLE

In celebration of bringing jazz to Denver for 30 years, KUVO is teaming up with the Blair-Caldwell Library to create an exhibit sure to take jazz lovers down a musical memory lane!

Since its very first record dropped on August 29, 1985, KUVO 89.3 Jazz FM - Denver has proudly been offering a mix of jazz, Latino and blues. Located in a studio in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood, KUVO has established a go-to hub for musicians from around the world. KUVO's history will be on display at the Blair-Caldwell Library July 7- September 9, 2015 and is open to the public.

Music Director Arturo Gómez, who spearheaded the project, said cataloging the station's colorful history was like entering a musical time capsule. "It struck me how far we have come in the past 30 years, from humble beginnings fueled mostly by inspiration to the world-renowned jazz station we are today. I couldn't be prouder."

Florence Hernández-Ramos, KUVO's first CEO, says she thinks the station's growth and success can be attributed in large measure to music lovers who tirelessly offered support and volunteered their time to keep the station alive.

"From day one, KUVO has been about community, and about culture and acceptance, and we had a staff that was committed to these principles – plus, they loved jazz and KUVO's innovative weekend programming," said  Hernández-Ramos.

"1985-2015: KUVO Celebrates 30 Years" will be open during regular library hours and will also include special Saturday afternoon Movie Days. The exhibit and matinee events are free to the public, but seating for the movies is limited to a first-come, first served basis.

On the 8th of June, Apple's CEO announced the release of Apple Music, the new streaming service which will be released at the end of the month and will be installed on all the devices running the latest iOS 8. With the application, Apple enables customers to listen to music and interact with artists in a similar way to the main competitors, namely Spotify or Google Play Music. And when the most valuable company in the world starts competing against you, you know you are in a fix. With 20 million premium users and 55 million subscribers who listen to the free version, Spotify is the market leader in music streaming and one of the most funded start-ups in Europe, having raised more than $1bn since it was founded. However, a few days after Apple's WWDC, Spotify raised $526m from investors to face the increasing pressure from its new main competitor. Indeed, even though the Swedish company has the first mover competitive advantage, the Silicon Valley giant will release its new application in a much more efficient way as customers won't be required to download the app and will be allowed to probe it with a three months trial. Furthermore, Spotify's ability to generate profit is strictly fastened by music copyright owners: according to the contract, Daniel Ek's app is required to pay out 70% of profits to record labels and music publishers. The company is so bound by three major music labels (Vivendi's Universal Music Group, Sony Corp's Sony Music Entertainment and Len Blavatnik's Warner Music Groupthat) that in 2014 it reported a net loss of more than $180m and that, in the worst case scenario, it could be made insolvent. The main threat is that Spotify is required to at least equate Apple's slice of profits paid out to the music industry. But Apple has already announced it will pay 73% of revenues to music labels against Spotify's 70%: those three percentage points are the biggest threat for a company which is already facing net losses and this is why Spotify needs to invest all of the $526m to innovate at an unprecedented pace. The "massive leap forward" Spotify is making – Daniel Ek says – is a new version tailored to the listener's tastes and which includes the addition of video and podcasts. Indeed, the new version of the application will be able to understand what the right track is based on what the user is doing (like running very fast or just warming up) and what he usually listens to. This semantic development will be made possible by the recent acquisition of the data group The Echo Nest. Moreover, video streaming will be added to the platform following the signing of contracts with major players like BBC, ESPN, MTV, NBC and TED, just to quote few of them.  READ THE FULL Market Mogul ARTICLE

Longtime KUER: Salt Lake City's jazz host Steve Williams signed off for the last time Wednesday night, ending 31 years of Nighttime Jazz music in the Utah market. Born in Manhattan at the end of WWII to a big band Dad and a dancer Mom, Steve was pretty much sentenced to a life of music. His father's woodwinds were all around, and Steve picked up the clarinet and saxophone. He studied music at the University of Utah, and loves playing with small groups. He got his start in radio in 1979 at KUER, and became Jazz Director in 1984. He loves the opportunities he has to meet the people and artists in jazz.  On Thursday, Williams joined the Salt Lake Tribune's - Jennifer Napier-Pearce to talk about his retirement, favorite interviews and musicians, and the vibrant local jazz community he helped build. WATCH THE INTERVIEW

WEMU: Ypsilanti MI is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting in 2015.  From humble beginnings airing WEMU sports and classical music to where the station is today, it has been quite a journey.  The late 1960s and early 1970s were a hodge-podge of programs hosted by students and community volunteers. Starting in the late 1970s jazz and blues took on a much greater role in WEMU's programming thanks to General Manager Arthur Timko and then music director, Jim Dulzo.  The NPR membership solidified WEMU's professionalism in news. WEMU's 50th anniversary is on December 8th and the station is polling listeners for their favorite recordings in their current 3 styles:  jazz, blues and Americana to help develop the anniversary playlist.   Check it out and vote    

Spotify's new financing round gives the company a war-chest with which to go after Apple. You can almost hear the clanking of armor and the clash of swords from Spotify as it gears up to go head-to-head with Apple for dominance in the streaming music industry. And since every army needs a hoard of gold to finance such a battle, the company just boosted its coffers with a massive $526 million financing round that gives the money-losing venture a theoretical market value of more than $8 billion. That means Spotify is worth more than twice as much as Pandora - at least in the rarified, non-public marketplace that is the venture capital industry. As one wag put it on Twitter, clearly the answer to a decade or so of music piracy is to just get VCs to subsidize free music for everyone.  READ THE FULL Fortune ARTICLE READ ET Small Biz ARTICLE READ Tech Times ARTICLE

The chief executive of Spotify, Daniel Ek has predicted that the free online music service will help the industry grow to as much as 10 times its current size, in a future where old distinctions between providers break down. Having paid out $3bn to music rights holders so far, Spotify is pitching itself as a competitor to traditional broadcasting, having recently added news, weather, podcasts and videos to its service. "The old-world paradigms we used to have are no longer true. When I think about music in the future, I don't make a distinction between what's radio, what used to be the music library, and so on," Ek told theObserver in a rare interview. "It's only going to be listening – and, as that goes forward, this old notion of these different industries or different competitors will collapse and merge together." Spotify is stepping up its efforts to appeal to mainstream radio listeners by emphasising its collection of playlists "programmed" by an in-house editorial team and suggested to users based on the time of day, popular activities and their listening habits. "We're getting better and better at giving upcoming artists exposure on the service and creating tools to give those new artists a way to market themselves. In the future, people will listen to more music from a bigger variety of artists," said Ek. "And if we build the revenue model around ‘freemium' [a business model that gives basic products away for free], the music industry will be much larger than it's ever been before, more artists will be able to make a living by being artists and more people will listen in turn." READ THE FULL guardian ARTICLE READ THE Daily Mail ARTICLE

Steve Williams, the music director and host of 90.1 KUER: Salt Lake - jazz programming since 1984, will be retiring from the University of Utah next month. In this 2010 file photo, Williams is pictured in the KUER studios. Williams' last night on the air is June 30. "Over the past 30-plus years, Steve has shared his encyclopedic knowledge and love of jazz music with listeners in Utah and surrounding states," John Greene, KUER's general manager said. "He introduced all of us to the best of the best in this uniquely American art form." The station will be pulling the jazz music from Williams' timeslot after he goes, and instead will add news and storytelling programs. The details of the new programming schedule are still being finalized. Gordon Hanks, founder and president of the GAM Foundation, said Friday he was "very distressed" by KUER's decision to cancel nighttime jazz. The foundation runs the JazzSLC concert series, and Williams often touted upcoming concerts on his show. KUER's decision is bad "not just for jazz, but for the arts community as a whole," Hanks said. "I think the responsibility of public radio is to serve the public, and nobody's going to listen to news between 8 p.m. and midnight." READ THE FULL Salt Lake Tribune ARTICLE

"Best of" polls -- and the supposedly definitive lists they produce -- have prompted many a dinner-table war and drop-dead silent treatment. When the topic is rock music, fiery critics and fans of all tastes should prepare themselves for the eruption of World War III. Monster audio products asked 1,000 Americans to name their favorite bassists of all time. See who thumped out the competition below.  The list is below. SEE THE Daily News PAGE 10. Victor Wooten - The five-time Grammy Award winner joined Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in the mid-1980s. Wooten, who played alongside his brother Roy in the band, contributed smooth jazz melodies influenced by R&B. 9. Les Claypool - Primus' lead vocalist and bassist drew inspiration from the likes of Geddy Lee and Paul McCartney and brought funk to the world of rock. "Pork Soda," one of the group's biggest hits, was a huge draw for fans who flocked to Lollapalooza in 1993. 8. Jaco Pastorius - Electric bassist brought soul to rock music with his groove and melody, and collaborated with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock. He made a huge splash with his eponymous album in 1976. 7. Jack Bruce - The Cream bassist teamed with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in the 1960s to become a powerful force, offering an eclectic mix of blues and hard rock. Bruce's subtle, psychedelic style is highlighted best on tracks including "White Room" and "Spoonful." 6. Geddy Lee - He wore three hats in Rush as the lead vocalist, bassist and keyboardist. The group, featuring Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson, became one of the most successful Canadian rock bands of all time. 5. Cliff Burton - His time in Metallica was cut short, but no less impactful than his fellow band members. The bassist died in a bus accident while touring Sweden and Denmark in 1986. He's remembered for contributions to songs including "Orion," "Anesthesia" and "Creeping Death." 4. John Entwistle - The founding member of the Who and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, often referred to as "The Ox," played a key role in revolutionizing the modern sound of rock music. 3. Flea - The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, whose given name is Michael Balzary, started his journey to becoming one of the top bassists with the group's first album, "BloodSugarSexMagik," in 1991. He grew up on jazz greats including Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, and joined forces with Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons. 2. John Paul Jones - Born John Baldwin, he was classically trained in piano but began playing the bass guitar as a teen with groups like the Rolling Stones, the Outlaws and the Mindbenders before Jimmy Page recruited him to join Led Zeppelin in 1968. Even after his heyday with the group, he enjoyed a successful career as a composer for other artists. 1. Paul McCartney - Fronted The Beatles as bassist, vocalist and pianist, and co-wrote most of their songs. Soon after the group disbanded, in 1970, he founded Wings with his wife Linda and Denny Laine, and later launched a successful solo career.

Musicians say they're receiving micro-pennies for streaming while Spotify says its paying big bucks. So what gives? After speaking at Spotify's press conference unveiling its new video product and mood-music playlists, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek sat down and told On the Money that his company is paying big artists between $5 million and $10 million annually. "That is meaningful money." So where is it going? Ek responds: "I don't want to point fingers. I think it's more of a systemic thing." READ THE FULL New York Post ARTICLE

A Grammy-nominated mandolin player and a string quintet that tackles everything from Mozart to Radiohead are among the acts booked for the newly announced third season of the Schubert Club Mix, a series of concerts that spotlight "a new generation of classical music." A series subscription for all four performances is $100 and goes on sale Aug. 3. Sponsored by St. Paul's Schubert Club, the concerts will take place in St. Paul's James J. Hill Center and Bedlam Lowertown as well as Aria in Minneapolis. Featured Crossover Artists include - David Greilsammer, Dec. 3, James J. Hill Center: Israeli pianist David Greilsammer is known for interpreting baroque and contemporary music. In this performance, he alternates between the two worlds of Domenico Scarlatti and John Cage, two composers born more than 200 years apart. Avi Avital, March 8, Aria: Grammy nominee Avi Avital joins Ksenija Sidorova (accordion) and Itamar Doari (percussion) for "Between Worlds," which explores the borders between folk and classical music. Gabriel Kahane and Timo Andres, April 5, Bedlam Lowertown: This pair of classically trained musicians presents a free-associative program combining music from four centuries, from J.S. Bach to world premieres by Kahane and Andres, each one writing for the other.  VIEW THE TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press PAGE

Spotify has just unveiled the newest version of the product at a recent New York City media event. Alongside the introduction of new media types, such as podcasts and videos, the service will also serve up playlists that are more personalized and relevant to what you're doing at the time. "Music is moving away from genres," said Daniel Ek on stage. "People don't search for Hip Hop or Country anymore, but rather they search around activities or a particular experience." As opposed to focusing on genres, the service will act more like Songza and take into account what music you've listened to in the past, information about who you are (like age and location) and the time of day. Spotify pays closer attention to what you have historically listened to over the course of the day and puts together playlists that will work for that particular time. Some media partners include NBC, Slate, Vice NEWS, BBC, NBC, ABC, Conde Nast brands (GQ, Vogue, Wired), Comedy Central MTV, E!, TeamCoco, Adult Swim, Elite Daily, TED, CBS Radio, PRX, and many more. It seems, from the announcement, that much of the video content will be served as clips from popular shows and programs. For example, Comedy Central will be offering clips from their ultra-popular show Broad City.  READ THE FULL TechCrunch ARTICLE READ THE CBS News POST READ THE Forbes ARTICLE

Starbucks may have halted CD sales in its stores recently but the world's largest coffeehouse chain hasn't given up on music. On Monday May 18, Starbucks and Spotify announced a new partnership that will connect the latter's streaming music service with the 10 million members of Starbucks' loyalty program. Customers will be able to listen to - and influence - specially curated in-store Starbucks playlists on Spotify. And they'll be able to continue to listen to playlists after they leave the stores, either through the Starbucks or Spotify apps. The multi-year partnership will be phased in starting this summer at U.S. Starbucks stores, followed by stores in Canada and the UK. "Almost from the very beginning music has been a very significant part of the Starbucks experience," Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says. "We think we have a historic opportunity to take the best of a bricks and mortar consumer brand, combine it with a digital platform and obviously the music and business acumen that Spotify has around building subscribers, and do something together that will enhance the music industry and most importantly provide further value for artists." "What we're envisioning is really centered around collaborative playlisting," Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says. READ THE FULL USA Today ARTICLE

MOJA Founder Russ Davis reflects on the development of the online service. Here's a paragraph I just came across some statistical information from the service Live365 on which we first listed MOJA Radio, the online service I call "The World's MOdern JAzz Radio Channel," that told me that we began operation on the 1st of April in 2009. That would make us 6 years old now and it gave me another change to take stock of where we came from, where we've been, where we are and where we will go as we proceed in the ever-evolving arena of jazz in the 21st century as heard in cyber-world. When Michelle Sammartino and I were told by our superiors at XM Satellite Radio, just before the company was taken over by our competitor Sirius, that our channel Beyond Jazz would not be remaining in the lineup and that we would be leaving with it we decided to put out the word to the 400,000 estimated weekly listeners and see if they'd be interested in following us wherever we might go? We got a large and positive response so we decided to put our personal funds, time, creativity and effort into building the online version of the channel called MOJA Radio (MO for MOdern, JA for JAzz)!   READ THE FULL JazzTimes ARTICLE

The second annual Plymouth Rock Assurance Jazz Fest, a three-day festival produced by local musician Johnny Souza, boasts longtime WGBH jazz radio host Eric Jackson as emcee on Friday, May 22, and Saturday, May 23. Friday's performers include the Johnny Souza Quintet, the Marshall Wood Quartet featuring Donna Byrne, and the Harry Allen Quartet. Saturday night's bill features Yoron Israel & High Standards, Cassandre McKinley and the Paul Broadnax Trio, and the Joey Calderazzo Trio. READ THE FULL Boston Globe ARTICLE

Chamber Music America has designated May as National Chamber Music Month - a celebration of the many styles of small ensemble music performed and presented in the U.S. today. Our goals are to raise public awareness of the chamber music field nationally and help ensembles and presenters attract audiences and media attention in their own communities. Between May 1 and May 31, 2015, CMA invites concerts, residencies, lectures, demonstrations, and other events to designate them as National Chamber Music Month activities. CMA encorages organizations and individuals to complete the National Chamber Music Month registration form, join the Facebook Event, and use the hashtag #ChamberMusicMonth on Twitter. Once you sign up, your event will be listed in CMA's national publicity materials and on the CMA website.     

"In times of change and uncertainty, we need the spirit of jazz more than ever before, to bring people – especially young women and men – together, to nurture freedom and dialogue, to create new bridges of respect and understanding, for greater tolerance and cooperation." - Irina Bokova, Director General Today, April 30 is International Jazz Day. Organized by UNESCO to celebrate "the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people," this yearly event on was proclaimed during the UNESCO General Conference in November 2011. The first annual International Jazz Day was kicked off in Paris by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock. Watch All-Star Global Concert - LIVE From Paris 

Spotify founder Daniel Ek and At Night Management head Ash Pournouri have partnered to launch a digital music conference, Symposium Stockholm. Taking place in Sweden from June 8-13, the event aims to celebrate music, technology, creativity and innovation. Attendance is currently invitation only, and will open for applications from April 27. Across the week, events will include the Polar Music Prize, Polar Talks, Denniz Pop Awards, Scandinavian Music Summit, Summerburst Festival and AVICII Fest. Meanwhile, from June 11-12, a Brilliant Minds Conference will be hosted at the Grand Hotel Stockholm. Said Ek: "Stockholm has long been a hub of innovation and our unique viewpoint has impacted industry, music, technology, and culture."  READ THE FULL Music Week ARTICLE        READ THE Billboard ARTICLE

Though WWOZ's eclectic Jazz Fest broadcast lineup isn't a perfect format fit, WDCB FM-90.9 -- "Chicago's Home for Jazz" -- carried a portion of the broadcast for the first time last year and got positive listener feedback. "We picked up almost everything they aired on the three days of the festival that we ran," said Dan Bindert, station manager. "One of the things I love about the festival is that it's not just strictly jazz. "It sounds like a party." WWOZ has presented live broadcasts of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell since 1993, first via the station's over-the-air signal at FM-90.7, and lately also by Internet stream at WWOZ.org. A network of stations like WDCB join the party by taking all or part of WWOZ's live feed for their own broadcast listeners. This year's list of simulcast carriers includes outlets in Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and California, as well as stations within easy driving distance of the Fair Grounds. "We're an hour and a half away," said Justin Martin, general manager of WUSM FM-88.5 in Hattiesburg, Miss. "A lot of our listeners end up going to the festival, but there are some that don't get to go at all. I feel like having that content available to them is super-important."   READ THE FULL Nola.com ARTICLE

This Sunday evening, April 12, from 7:00 to 9:00pm CT, it's Crossover Media night on Nebraska's own NET - The Verge. Hear brand new recordings from Canadian violinist Angele Dubeau & La Pieta, Russian Pianist Valentina Lisitsa and Alice Sara Ott with Olafur Arnalds.  The Dubeau recording is another in her "Portrait" series, this time focusing on the music of Italian composer and musician Ludovico Einaudi.  There is a behind the scenes video here.  Also recording the music of just one composer, Valentina Lisitsa plays music by Philip Glass. And, the Iclandic Olafur Arnalds, the creator of  The Chopin Project. We will also play tracks from guitarist Jason Vieux's Grammy award winning album Play, as well as the three-time Grammy winning album Winter Morning Walks on which composer Maria Schneider set poems of Ted Kooser, which are sung by Dawn Upshaw.

Former Seattle Symphony cellist Joshua Roman and KING-FM: Seattle's new-music Web channel - Second Inversion have joined forces and plan to increase the channel's presence with new repertoire, performances, and more engagement on social media. A hub for modern, avant-garde and cross-genre experimental music from the 21st century, Second Inversion - launched in 2014 - is at the forefront of the Seattle station's efforts to expand and diversify its audience. Right now the station is only one of two radio stations in the U.S. (the other is WQXR in New York) with a dedicated online stream for cutting-edge new music. At a Town Music event Wednesday night - where he conducted ensemble Deviant Septet - Roman announced that he is now the artistic adviser for Second Inversion. He'll work with manager Maggie Stapleton on introducing new repertoire and performances and giving Second Inversion a high-profile personality and voice - on-air and through blogging and social media. Roman commented - "I had been talking to KING-FM for a while about being involved somehow," says Roman. "The growth of Second Inversion and its relationship with Town Music converged into this arrangement. Hopefully, I'll be able to bring new artists to the stream, but I think this is also about the way I approach and put things together." READ THE FULL Seattle Times ARTICLE

Orrin Keepnews, who as a record company executive and producer helped create some of the most celebrated recordings in jazz over a half-century, died on Sunday at his home in El Cerrito, Calif. He was 91. His death was confirmed by his son Peter. Mr. Keepnews, a four-time Grammy Award winner, was a jazz journalist, essayist and writer of album notes as well as the producer of enduring albums by the likes of the tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and the pianists Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans. His attention to detail and sensitive hand as a producer earned him the respect of musicians almost as soon as he started Riverside Records with Bill Grauer, a record collector and former classmate at Columbia University, in 1953. As a tribute, Evans wrote "Re: Person I Knew," a composition whose title is an anagram of Mr. Keepnews's name. READ THE FULL New York Times ARTICLE

Members of the New Westchester Symphony Orchestra are extras on Amazon's streaming series "Mozart in the Jungle," about the cutthroat world of modern Manhattan music makers. The 10-episode first season follows Lola Kirke's character Hailey Rutledge as she navigates rent, roommates, love and music. Producers reached out to the Chelsea Symphony and New Westchester to fill out their on-screen orchestra. "We didn't believe it was real at first," said Ben Niemczyk, New Westchester's conductor and co-founder. "We got an email asking us to be part of the pilot. And I told (co-founder Belinda Kan) it was just spam." But it was on the level. "The clincher was she said we didn't have to actually play," Kan said with a laugh. "And I said, 'Oh, we are so there!' " Kan hired 30 musicians to "play" – people who could reasonably mime to a soundtrack without making sound – including herself, Niemcyzk, and concertmaster Jesica Youngblood of Rye. Most of their scenes were shot in 2013 at the massive Concert Hall at Purchase College. Youngblood had just joined New Westchester Symphony when she was cast in the pilot. There she is, on the stage at Purchase College, which might have been enough. Then violin virtuoso Joshua Bell walked in for his scene, accompanied by actor Malcolm McDowell. Then Bernadette Peters strode onto the stage. "It was an unforgettable experience, and a great bragging point," Youngblood said. "I got to hug Joshua Bell and we had a nice conversation."  SEE THE lohud/Journal News PAGE READ A RELATED STORY FOR The New York Times

KUHA: Houston - Classical Classroom is excited to share their new subseries, MusicWorks! It's a show where you'll learn about what classical music is doing in the world right now. You'll hear inspiring artist stories, plus we'll go into the sometimes unexpected places we've discovered classical music thriving while we've been learning about it on the Classical Classroom. We hope you dig it! In our first MusicWorks episode, soprano Sonya Yoncheva tells the story of how she happened upon her passion - singing opera - by being true to herself (and listening to her mother) and by practicing her buns off. This put her in a position to be ready when she got that call from the Met to fill in at the last moment. And the rest, as they say, is in the podcast. Audio production by Todd "Totally" Hulslander with awesomeness by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode:
Jules Massenet: Herodiade - Celui dont la parole
Giacomo Puccini: Le Villi - Se come voi piccina io fossi
Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme - Donde lieta usci
Jules Massenet: Thais - C'est toi, mon père
Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata - Sempre libera
André Messager: Madame Chrysantheme - Le jour sous le soleil béni
Charles Lecocq: Les Cent Vierges - O Paris, gai séjour de plaisir
Claudio Monteverdi: L'incoronazione di Poppea - "Pur ti Miro"  (Sonya Yoncheva & Max Emanuel Cencic)
W. A. Mozart: Il Re Pastore - "L'Amero saro costante"  (Sonya Yoncheva & Marc Minkowski)

For Sony, it's out with the old, and in with the new, ditching its existing streaming music service, Sony Music Unlimited, and replacing it with a new service called Playstation Music, which will give users access to 30 million songs and 1.5 billion playlists, all powered by Spotify. The new service is set to launch some time this spring on the PS4 and PS3 game consoles, as well as on Xperia smartphones and tablets. For Sony, this partnership is a bold admission that when it comes to infiltrating the increasingly competitive streaming music industry, even a company like Sony needs some help. It faces existing rivals like Pandora, and until now, Spotify, as well as newer ones, like Apple, which acquired Beats Electronics for $3 billion last year and is now working to make Beats' music streaming service an integral part of the iPhone experience. Even Google recently got into the streaming space, acquiring the playlist company, Songza, last summer.  READ THE FULL Wired ARTICLE

Beginning with 1990's acclaimed Cole Porter tribute Red Hot + Blue, which featured a stellar assortment of queer and queer-friendly artists, including Sinead O'Connor, Jimmy Somerville, Erasure, k.d. lang, Annie Lennox, U2, Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop, and the late Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues, singing Porter tunes, the Red Hot Organization launched a series of AIDS fundraising albums that continue to be issued to this day. Covering a variety of genres (indie, country, dance, Latin, Brazilian, African, alternative, and jazz, to mention a few) and calling on an incredible array of talent (Antony, Sharon Jones, David Byrne, Grizzly Bear, Meshell Ndegocello with Herbie Hancock, Bebel Gilberto, Angelique Kidjo, George Michael, Natalie Merchant, Smashing Pumpkins, Patti Smith, Bob Mould, Pavement, Dolly Parton, Wilco with Syd Straw, and Future Bible Heroes), the Red Hot compilations are something to look forward to, and all in the name of a worthy cause. Red Hot + Bach (Masterworks), one of the Red Hot Organization's 2014 releases, is akin to the work that Cameron Carpenter is doing in that it features a variety of hip artists (such as Chris Thile, Mia Doi Todd, Shara Worden, and Julianna Barwick) performing the music of J.S. Bach for an audience (read: generation) that might not necessarily have Bach in its iTunes playlist.  SEE THE Out Smart REVIEW PAGE

Spotify launched in almost 30 new countries in 2014 and the growth in subscribers has been impressive. But the artist debate continues. The question is, will Spotify be able to adequately compensate artists for their work?  READ THE FULL Billboard INTERVIEW

Each week KDFC: San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music, "The Great British Carol Collection" is a 2CD set of best-loved carols that captures the essential essence of a traditional Christmas. This special collection features  the most popular classics, from evergreen standards "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger" to "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge is one of the leading exponents of British choral tradition and acknowledged by "Gramophone Magazine" as one of the world's greatest choirs. On this beautiful collection, the choir performs under the baton of the critically acclaimed and internationally renowned maestro, Richard Marlow.   Join KDFC & Download a free mp3 of the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge performing their rendition of "In Dulci Jubilo".

Taylor Swift is absolutely right: music is art, art has real value, and artists deserve to be paid for it.  We started Spotify because we love music and piracy was killing it.  So all the talk swirling around lately about how Spotify is making money on the backs of artists upsets me big time.  Our whole reason for existence is to help fans find music and help artists connect with fans through a platform that protects them from piracy and pays them for their amazing work. Spotify has paid more than two billion dollars to labels, publishers and collecting societies for distribution to songwriters and recording artists. A billion dollars from the time we started Spotify in 2008 to last year and another billion dollars since then. And that's two billion dollars' worth of listening that would have happened with zero or little compensation to artists and songwriters through piracy or practically equivalent services if there was no Spotify. READ THE FULL Music Industry Forum ARTICLE

Crossover Media claims 12 GRAMMY Nominations for 2015. The list includes:
  Best American Roots Performance "And When I Die," Billy Childs Featuring Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas - From: Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro
  Best World Music Album "Magic," Sérgio Mendes
"Traces Of You," Anoushka Shankar    Best Jazz Vocal Album "Map To The Treasure": Reimagining Laura Nyro," (Billy Childs &) Various Artists   Best Latin Jazz Album The Pedrito Martinez Group   Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals "Goodnight America," Vince Mendoza / Mary Chapin Carpenter - Songs From The Movie "New York Tendaberry," Billy Childs (Billy Childs, Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma - Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro   Best Instrumental Composition "The Book Thief," John Williams - From: The Book Thief   Best Classical Instrumental Solo "The Carnegie Recital," Daniil Trifonov "Play," Jason Vieaux   Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance "In 27 Pieces - The Hilary Hahn Encores," Hilary Hahn & Cory Smythe   Best Musical Theater Album "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical"

There's some exciting things on the horizon for music artists. Twitter has recently teamed up with SoundCloud to enable its users to hear and share songs on it's social media platform.

Eventually, users will be able to embed music inside a tweet using a Twitter Audio Card and share it on their timelines. This will offer musicians a chance to post exclusive clips on their account.
The app will also analyse tweets to discover which songs users most frequently talk about and also lets users see what music artists themselves are listening to.

We are really looking forward to seeing how Twitter #Music will evolve! READ THE FULL Eyewitness News ARTICLE.

Carnegie Hall and medici.tv have teamed up stream recitals on live webcasts! In addition to the first webcast tonight featuring Joyce DiDonato and David Zobel, this new partership between Carnegie Hall and medici.tv will offer four more free webcasts featuring a number of Crossover Media artists: Anne-Sophie Mutter (Nov. 18), Leonidas Kavakos and Yuja Wang (Nov. 22), and Daniil Trifonov (Dec. 9). Mutter will lead The Mutter Virtuosi, in a program that includes the U.S. premiere of André Previn's Violin Concerto No. 2 as well as Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos and pianist Yuja Wang perform music by Schumann, Brahms, Respighi, and Stravinsky. The series of webcasts from Carnegie Hall ends with Russian piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov in works by Bach (arranged by Liszt), Beethoven and Liszt. Following each live webcast, free replay of these concerts will be available to online audiences on medici.tv for another 90 days, playable worldwide on all internet-enabled devices, including smart phones, tablets, Chromecast, computers, and smart TVs. "For music lovers around the world, Carnegie Hall is the hall of fame of classical music," says medici.tv founder and managing director. "Attending a concert in this legendary venue is a dream for many of them. Today, thanks to new technology, this dream becomes reality by allowing them to watch - live and free - a selection of the finest concerts of the season. Our mission and our passion is to bring artists to their audience. medici.tv is proud to inaugurate this partnership, a world premiere for this venerable hall." READ THE FULL San Francisco Classical Voice ARTICLE.

The Deutsche Phono-Akademie (German phono academy) was founded on 27th September 1973 as a non-profit cultural institute of the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (German music industry association). Aside from supporting musical talents, it is the aim of the Deutsche Phono-Akademie to honour outstanding artists and to bring those political, cultural, scientific and business groups associated with the musical arts field closer together. The Echo Klassik Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the music indutry. Here are the 2014 Crossover Media artists and projects being recognized: Conductor of the Year: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Newcomer of the Year (Piano): Daniil Trifonov - The Carnegie Recital Concert Recording of the Year (Music up to and including 18th century) / Piano: Martha Argerich / Orchestra Mozart / Claudio Abbado - W. A. Mozart: Klavierkonzerte 20 & 25 Concert Recording of the Year (19th century music) / Violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Berliner Philharmoniker / Manfred Honeck - Dvořák Opera Recording of the Year (19th century opera):  Cecilia Bartoli / Sumi Jo / John Osborn / Giovanni Antonini - Bellini: Norma Solo Recording of the Year (19th century music) / Piano: Igor Levit - The Late Beethoven Sonatas Solo Recording of the Year / Voice (Duets/opera arias): Jonas Kaufmann - The Verdi Album See the full list of 2014 Echo Klassik Prize Winners here.

Crossover Media's classical artists are confirmed to play the iTunes Festival in Camden, London! Violinist Nicola Benedetti, trumpeter Alison Balsom and guitarist Miloš are set to play this year's iTunes Festival on September 28th. They'll be performing alongside a host of big-name pop acts including Pharrell Williams, David Guetta and Calvin Harris appearing at iconic venue The Roundhouse throughout September, for 30 nights of live music. Tickets for the concerts are not available to buy; anyone who wants to see the artists perform must enter a ticket draw online , with winners being announced 72 hours before the concerts. The performances will also be streamed live online, and available to watch on the iTunes store after the event.

Written and produced by Max Horowitz & hosted by Tom Schnabel from KCRW – Los Angeles: Rhythm Planet, the Red Hot & Bach Audio Special celebrates the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach in a collaboration of musicians, producers, DJs and artists from around the world. Coming together once again in the fight against AIDS and the spread of HIV, Red Hot presents a wide spectrum of contemporary re-interpretations, this time honoring the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Released through Sony Masterworks 100% of album proceeds from the 19 track CD and 29 track digital album goes directly to fund Red Hot's HIV/AIDS work around the world. The project also includes a free iPad app that allows users new ways to discover and interact with the timeless energy and beauty of Bach's music. The radio special features music and conversation with a diverse group of today's most creative artists who have re-interpreted the music of Bach in their own ways: Amiina, Daniel Hope, Dustin O'Halloran, Gabriel Kahane, Jeff Mills, Jherek Bischoff, Julianna Barwick, King Britt, Kronos Quartet, Mark De Clive-Lowe, Max Richter, Mia Doi Todd, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Om'Mas Kieth, Paul De Jong, Pieter Nooten, Rob Moose, Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, Shara Worden, Stephane Wremble, Stuard Bogie, Valgeir Sigurðsson, and Francesco Tristano. Listen, Download and Air this collection of 25 episodes on our soundcloud. Let us know what you think about this special on Facebook and Twitter!

A Philharmonic Orchestra featuring appearances by stellar jazz artists… some might suggest that it has been seen and heard before, beginning with Norman Granz's JATP. But something of this magnitude that has brought together your artists in a Philharmonia together with the likes of vocalist Bobby McFerrin, pianists Chick Corea, Dave Grusin, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, violinist Mark O'Connor and the classical singer Eric Owens and the dancer Desmond Richardson (in the accompanying DVD). Now that turned out to be something truly special; something absolutely memorable. And there are manifold reasons why, some of which are certainly not circumstantial. To begin with musical director and pianist Shelly Berg's suggestion that this was taking the idiom of jazz to the very roots of classical music is a very credible one. After all Bach, Beethoven and Brahms… and all the classicists added great cadenzas-improvised passages-to the music they wrote. Thus the suggestion is that what is known as jazz music is all part of the cultural ethos of classical music as the idioms are related in that they not only use scales that are similar, but at some time both music idioms have been wholly or at least partially improvised. Not only that, much of jazz today is also written; programmatic in some if not almost all its compositions. Certainly if the music of Jazz and the Philharmonic is any indication this is not only at least partially true, but quite a successful marrying of the two, the musics being apart by only a few degrees of separation. READ THE FULL Jazz Da Gama REVIEW.

Each week KDFC - San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music. This week's pick is from the Sony Masterworks and the Red Hot Orginization. The creators of Red Hot + Bach embrace Bach as a living artistic force, as real and as vital today as he was when he lived (1685-1750). They range across nineteen freely imagined tracks from mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, The Punch Brothers), singer/songwriters Gabriel Kahane and Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), jazz legend Ron Carter, DJ/producer King Britt and the Icelandic band amiina, to imaginative classical artists such as the Kronos Quartet, composer Max Richter, violinist Daniel Hope and organ virtuoso Cameron Carpenter.  Download a free mp3 of "Air" featuring Daniel Hope (violin) and Georg Breinschmid (double bass) 

Red Hot + Bach from Sony Music Masterworks charts a new pathway into the musical universe of Johann Sebastian Bach. Through the collaboration of performers, producers, DJs and artists from around the world and across the spectrum of contemporary music, different facets of Bach's centuries-old masterpieces are transformed with fresh energy and modern virtuosity that know no limits.  Jazz legends Gary Bartz and Ron Carter re-imagine Bach's masterpiece "Cello Suite No. 1" with a sublime arrangement for bass and saxophone, and is chosen as KCRW - Los Angeles: Today's Top Tune for Monday July 28, 2014. The epitome of musical elegance, Ron Carter has been a world class bassist and cellist since the 1960s. Almost exclusively an acoustic player, Carter is among the greatest accompanists of all time and the list of people he has played with is simply too great to completely track. Heard on an unprecedented number of recordings, Carter's reputation as being possibly "the most recorded bassist in jazz history" comes from a staggering legacy . His record label includes; Atlantic, CTI, Milestone, EmArcy, Elektra, and Concord, and of course - Blue Note Records. Equally accomplished in both classical and jazz styles, Carter uses everything in his bass and cello arsenal exhibiting a prodigious technique and brilliant rhythmic and melodic sense. He is often referred to as the bass equivalent of Duke Ellington in both musical and extra-musical interests. Carter has performed as soloist, in duos, small and large group ensembles, and in symphony orchestras around the world. He has even invented his own instrument….'the piccolo bass.' Grammy Award winning alto saxophonist Gary Bartz first came to New York In 1958 at the age of 17. Charlie Parker had passed away but Miles' was in his heyday. Monk was down at the Five Spot, and Ornette Coleman just got to town. His early work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Charles Mingus' Workshop, Max Roach, McCoy Tyner, and Miles Davis are legendary and quickly established Bartz as the most promising alto player since Cannonball Adderley. After releasing several acclaimed albums as leader, by the late '70s Bartz was considered to be one of the ‘go to' studio musicians in Los Angeles, and by 1988 music columnist Gene Kalbacher described his guest work as "vital ear-opening sides." In the 90's Bartz produced brilliantly conceived concept albums. Recordings that would later prove to be twenty years ahead of their time, and which are now frequently used to remix on hip hop andacid jazz tracks. With over 30 recordings as a leader, and more than 100 recordings as a guest artist, Gary Bartz has taken his rightful place in the pantheon of jazz greats. His musical life has been a testimonial to his steadfast belief in the power of music to soothe, challenge, spark, and move people to think. It's box full of musical snapshots from a life lived and played with passion and stirred with both joy and sadness - by the blues.

As a small child, I was surrounded by music and at an early age I found myself fascinated with the musical genius, Johan Sebastian Bach. I remember we were in a music store in Boulder, Colorado and they were playing a new LP entitled, Switched On Bach, where Walter Carlos was performing classic Bach pieces on Moog Synthesizer. I purchased the album, and all following Moog records I could find afterwards. If you are wondering where I am going with this, let me get to my point… J.S. Bach really understood music. The intricate patterns and compositional choices he made were at a superior level and have transcended through the ages. I believe that every musician should experience this music in-depth to gain insight into what is creatively possible. Better yet, one might grasp that there is still so much  unexplored, potential music at ones fingertips, if you only reach for it. That brings us to Red Hot + Bach, where we have an updated, superb performance of nineteen classic Bach pieces. This CD is not just someone else playing the pieces verbatim, but they have taken this timeless music and made it their own. The CD is a collaborative effort of a veritable army of exceptional musicians, DJ's and producers that bring this music alive, using their specific instruments and making interpretive choices that rise above simply playing the music. READ THE FULL Bass Musician Magazine REVIEW.

Composers Gustavo Dudamel, Gustavo Santaolalla and John Williams will gather at the Academy for "Behind the Score: The Art of the Film Composer," on Monday, July 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles.  In a conversation hosted by Tavis Smiley, the illustrious trio will discuss significant musical moments in film that have inspired their work as they examine the art and process of creating a film score as well as the director-composer collaboration.  Dudamel, now entering his sixth season as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, made his first foray into composing for motion pictures with "THE LIBERATOR (Libertador)," a biopic about Simón Bolívar that screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this month.  The score for this film, as well as a CD on Deutsche Grammophon, was recorded with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, of which Dudamel is music director.  Dudamel also appears as a guest conductor with many of the world's greatest musical institutions. A renowned singer, guitarist, music producer and composer, Santaolalla earned consecutive Oscars® for Original Score for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Babel."  His other feature credits include "Amores Perros," "21 Grams," "The Motorcycle Diaries," "North Country," "Biutiful" and "On the Road."  Long before he won the first of his 16 Grammy® Awards, Santaolalla was a creative force in the Argentine rock nacional movement in the early 1970s. Williams, whose career spans six decades, has written scores for more than 100 films, including "Lincoln," "Memoirs of a Geisha," the first three "Harry Potter" films,  the "Indiana Jones" films, and "The Book Thief," and has won Academy Awards® for five films: "Fiddler on the Roof," "Jaws," "Star Wars," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and "Schindler's List."  With 49 Oscar® nominations, he holds the nominations record for any living person. Smiley is currently the host of the late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS and the weekly radio broadcast "The Tavis Smiley Show" from Public Radio International.  He also has authored or co-authored 16 books, including his forthcoming Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year to be published this September. Behind the Score: The Art of the Film Composer is supported by The New York Times, a founding supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2017.

The young classical superstar isn't exactly a new phenomenon – think Mozart, Liszt or Mendelssohn – but if you think the hottest talents are getting younger and younger, you might just be right. This month we've decided it's time to take stock. So who is the new breed of soloist and what makes them special? Among the 30 artists chosen are 4 Crossover Media artists: Ray Chen, Daniil Trifonov, Yuja Wang, and Khatia Buniatishvili. READ THE FULL Limelight Magazine ARTICLE.

For most jazz fans, it would be impossible to pick the key Miles Davis album, and that's no different for actor Don Cheadle. "I love Kind of Blue, but who doesn't?" the 49-year-old from Kansas says, "but then I love Circle in the Round, and the live albums such as Miles in Berlin and Miles in Tokyo. Then there are the bootleg albums. There is just so much great music from Miles." READ THE FULL London Daily Telegraph ARTICLE

The motto of Red Hot, the organization started by John Carlin and Leigh Blake in 1989 as a response to the AIDS epidemic, is "Fighting AIDS Through Popular Culture." To raise money and awareness for HIV and AIDS, Red Hot has released albums featuring Beck, John Legend, Feist, The Beastie Boys, Marisa Monte, Aloe Blacc and the Dessner brothers. The list goes impressively on. Following that motto, what comes next? Rightfully, the answer is Bach-total, full-on Johann Sebastian, re-imagined by people fit to join Red Hot's ranks. The album "Red Hot + Bach," released on June 17, enlisted musicians, DJs and producers to create work inspired by certain pieces of the composer. Ranging from the Kronos Quartet to Julianna Barwick, the artists have created diverse tracks representing the wide-reaching influence of Bach over today's musical quilt. The disc is Q2 - New York - 'Album Of the Week

The Gramophone Awards are an annual celebration of the best in recorded classical music. There are 10 artists nominated for the coveted 2014 Gramophone Artist of the Year award. In addition to Crossover Media artists Leonidas Kavakos, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Alisa Weilerstein, the nominees include: Iestyn Davies, , Renaud Capuçon, Mariss Jansons, Mahan Esfahani, Alina Ibragimova, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Vasily Petrenko. Read more about the Gramophone Awards and register your vote before July 22nd.

The lineup has been announced for the 34th edition of the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, taking place June 20-July 1 at the Canadian capital city's National Arts Centre Studio. Crossover Media artists set to play include Bill Frisell, Jeff Ballard Trio featuring Miguel Zenon and Lionel Loueke, The Bad Plus, Béla Fleck and Brooklyn Rider, Dianne Reeves, and Bobby McFerrin. These are just a few of the highlights to appear at this summer's festival. Read the full JazzTimes article and visit Ottawa Jazz Festival for ticketing information.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra's just-announced their 2014–15 season and featuring 3 great Crossover Media artists - Cello great Yo-Yo Ma & the celebrated pianist Lang Lang and Violinist extraordinaire Ray Chen. Mr. Ma will perform Anton Dvorák's Cello Concerto in B Minor on May 1, 2015, at the Orpheum, and Lang Lang will be taking on Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major on March 18, 2015. The two are joined on the seasonal roster by violinists Ray Chen, Ryu Goto, and Karen Gomyo and pianists Yevgeny Sudbin, Inon Barnatan, and Janina Fialkowska. Special concerts include a Beatles tribute act, called Classical Mystery Tour, appearing with the VSO on October 8, and Cirque Musica, a blend of circus acrobatics and orchestral music on October 11. The second annual Pacific Rim Celebration will take place on February 28th and March 1st, 2015, with a focus on Japan.  The New Music Festival will be performed in January of 2015. READ THE FULL straight.com ARTICLE

Best Musical theater Album:
Kinky Boots Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media:
Skyfall, Thomas Newman, composer Best Song Written for Visual Media:
Adele, "Skyfall" (Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth, songwriters) Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s):
Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding, "Swing Low" (Gil Goldstein, arranger) from spirityouall Best Engineered Album, Classical:
Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Winter Morning Walks (David Frost, Brian Losch and Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer) Best Classical Vocal Solo:
Maria Schneider; Jay anderson, Frank Kimbrough and Scott Robinson; Australian Chamber Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Winter Morning Walks (Dawn Upshaw) Best Contemporary Classical Composition:
Schneider, Maria: Winter Morning Walks, Maria Schneider, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Jay anderson, Frank Kimbrough, Scott Robinson and Australian Chamber Orchestra)

A bitter lockout that silenced one of the country's top orchestras for more than 15 months ended Tuesday when musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra approved a contract that will bring them back to the stage in early February. Hours earlier, the orchestra board had approved the terms of a three-year deal that cuts salaries and benefits roughly 15 percent. The average salary would drop to $118,000 in the first year, from $135,000 under the expired contract. There are small salary increases in the second two years, which musicians said would reduce the total cut to 10 percent. Musicians would pay significantly more for health care.

READ THE FULL Star Tribune ARTICLE.

Wearable technology "Smarty Ring" raised $299,824 in crowdfunding via Indigogo (well above their $40,000 goal) in an effort to make their product 'for the finger' a reality. 

The $275 'Smarty Ring' will be available for both Android and Apple devices and according to developers, the less intrusive ring will allow users to receive calls, texts, emails, and chat notifications all without ever touching their devices. Waterproof stainless steel with LED display the package includes battery chargers for ring and devices. No specific date for availability has been announced, but contributors of $175 or more to the recently closed Indiegogo campaign will receive by April 2014.

Yesterday Spotify and Tango announced a deal to stream and share music via Tango's mobile messaging app: U.S. and European music interests in hybrid messaging apps that are becoming communication and entertainment platforms. Spotify is now providing music to Tango users who will be able to search Spotify's catalog of over 20 million songs via their mobile devices and instantly share clips of their favorites through group chat or with anyone in the Tango community using social features like 'People Nearby' and 'People You May Know.' The clips personalize Tango's messaging with the ability to easily discover and share music, and instantly access full versions of songs on Spotify with just one tap." mobile messaging as a base to create a communication and entertainment platform in a mobile app: Make video & voice calls, send text messages, play games and more all for free. Roughly half of all Tango users are in the U.S., and the Spotify deal is the first between a streaming music service and messaging app/platform.

Here is the list of nominees:

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Gloria Estefan: The Standards
Sony/Okeh Best Musical Theater Album
Kinky Boots
Masterworks Broadway Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Life Of Pi - Mychael Danna, composer
Lincoln - John Williams, composer
Skyfall - Thomas Newman, composer
Sony Masterworks Best Song Written For Visual Media
Silver Lining - Diane Warren, songwriter (Jessie J)
Skyfall - Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
Sony Masterworks Best Instrumental Composition
Gordon Goodwin, composer
Quartet San Francisco: California Pictures For String Quartet
ViolinJazz

Vince Mendoza, composer
Quartet San Francisco: String Quartet No. 1: Funky Diversion In Three Parts
ViolinJazz Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
Gil Goldstein, arranger
Bobby McFerrin & Esperanza Spalding: Swing Low from ‘spirityouall'
Sony Masterworks

Shelly Berg, arranger
Gloria Estefan: What A Wonderful World
Sony/Okeh Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Maria Schneider
Winter Morning Walks - Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
artistShare Best Classical Vocal Solo
Winter Morning Walks: Dawn Upshaw
(Winter Morning Walks - Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
artistShare Best Surround Sound Album
Jane Ira Bloom: Sixteen Sunsets
Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; Jim Anderson & Jane Ira Bloom, surround producers
Outline Best Engineered Album, Classical
Winter Morning Walks - Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
David Frost, Brian Losch & Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer
artistShare Best Album Notes
Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps
Jonathan Cott, album notes writer
(Leonard Bernstein & New York Philharmonic)
Sony Classical

World-renowned Canadian violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou has performed for the last time with a nearly 300-year-old violin worth $6 million in a tribute with the London Symphony Orchestra. Hou is the daughter of Alec Hou, the first person in 1970's China to be permitted to perform western classical music after it was banned during the Cultural Revolution. The violin was crafted in Italy in 1735, and played by Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler. Hou chose to play Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D. Major for the recording, which her father also played after the end of the Cultural Revolution before the family emigrated to Canada. Alec Hou also played the piece the night his daughter Susanne was born. CBC's Margaret Evans spoke with Hou and her parents and attended the recording last night. Watch her report from The National above. WATCH THE VIDEO

As part of their efforts to raise awareness about how visually impaired artists are able to practice and perform music, the LACO has partnered with the Braille Institute in Los Angeles for Haydn: Cello Concertos on October 19 & 20. The LACO invited Monique Marianni, an instructor at the Braille Institute to share her insight on Braille music notation and she joins Jeffrey Kahane on Sunday, October 20 at Royce Hall. For the concert prelude, David Simpson, also from the Braille Institute, will speak about Braille musical notation in more depth for the Saturday, October 19 concert prelude.  

Whether one believes that Giuseppe Verdi was born on October 9 or 10 in 1813, the uncertainty makes for a convenient excuse to spread his bicentennial celebrations across the world for several days, the whole month, or in the case of the BBC, for an entire year with a series featuring documentaries and broadcasts of all of his operas. Crossover Media is celebrating with 3 new Verdi recordings out now by Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann & Placido Domingo. READ THE NPR: Morning Edition ARTICLE & LISTEN TO THE PIECE READ THE London Telegraph ARTICLE

The 14th Classic BRIT Awards 2013 with MasterCard took place tonight at London's Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Classic FM's Myleene Klass. Presented by The BPI, the UK's recorded music association, the spectacular and emotional gala night featured nine stunning performances and the presentation of nine Classic BRIT Awards. The awards will be broadcast on ITV, TONIGHT!!! Sunday 6 October at 10:20pm UK TIME. The backdrop of the Royal Albert Hall played host to brilliant new and established performers, climaxing with an emotional tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, whose posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to his widow Nicoletta Mantovani by one of the remaining Three Tenors, José Carreras. The show features spectacular performances from Lang Lang, Nicola Benedetti, Gareth Malone, Einaudi and Joseph Calleja.  Nine BRIT Awards are presented throughout the evening, including this year's Lifetime Achievement in Music, awarded to Hans Zimmer with a musical performance featuring some of his finest works including, The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of The Caribbean and Inception.  Classic Brits 2013 winners list includes 3 Crossover Media Artists(in bold) Composer of the Year - Hans Zimmer ‘The Dark Knight Rises OST', Man Of Steel OST' – Sony Classical Male Artist of the Year - Daniel Barenboim ‘Beethoven For All', ‘Elgar/Carter Cello Concertos' – Decca Female Artist of the Year - Nicola Benedetti ‘The Silver Violin' – Decca International Artist of the Year - Lang Lang MasterCard's Breakthrough Artist of the Year - Amy Dickson ‘Dusk & Dawn' – Sony Classical Critics' Award - Jonas Kaufmann ‘Wagner' – Decca Classic FM Album of the Year in association with MasterCard - André Rieu ‘Magic of The Movies' – Decca Outstanding Contribution to Music - Hans Zimmer Lifetime Achievement - Luciano Pavarotti (collected by widow Nicoletta Mantovani)

The Classic BRIT Awards nominations for 2013 have been announced with several Crossover artists making the list. Some scoring double nominations. The awards ceremony hosted by Classic FM's Myleene Klass, will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on October 2nd.

Pianist Lang Lang, who has already confirmed that he will be performing at the Classic BRITs ceremony itself, is nominated in both the Male Artist and Classic FM Album of the Year categories. Jonas Kaufmann is also nominated for two awards. Film composer Hans Zimmer, who will be performing on the night, has already been announced as this year's recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Music award, but he will also be duking it out in the coveted Composer category alongside Einaudi and Arvo Pärt. Here is the full list of nominees. Crossover Media Artists are in italics.   Female Artist of the Year Alison Balsom Sound The Trumpet (Warner Classics)   Joyce DiDonato Drama Queens (Erato)   Nicola Benedetti The Silver Violin (Decca)   Male Artist of the Year Daniel Barenboim Beethoven For All, Elgar/Carter Cello Concertos (Decca)   Jonas Kaufmann Kaufmann Wagner (Decca)   Lang Lang The Chopin Album (Sony Classical)   MasterCard's Breakthrough Artist of the Year Amy Dickson Dusk & Dawn (Sony Classical)   Alisa Weilerstein Elgar: Cello Concerto; Carter: Cello Concerto  (Decca)   Joseph Calleja Be My Love – A Tribute to Mario Lanza (Decca)   Tine Thing Helseth Tine (Warner Classics)   Composer Arvo P?rt Adam's Lament (ECM New Series)   Hans Zimmer The Dark Knight Rises OST, Man Of Steel OST (Sony Classical)   Ludovico Einaudi In A Time Lapse (Decca)   Critics' award Boris Giltburg Prokofiev: War Sonatas Orchid Classics   Hall? Orchestra, Choir & Youth Choir/ Elder Elgar: The Apostles  (Hall?)   John Wilson Orchestra/ Wilson Rodgers & Hammerstein at the Movies (Warner Classics)   Jonas Kaufmann Wagner (Decca)   Outstanding Contribution to Music (in association with Raymond Weil) Hans Zimmer Sony/Warner/UniversaL
  Classic FM Album of the Year (in association with MasterCard) Andrea Bocelli Opera (Decca)   Andre Rieu Magic of The Movies (Decca)   Friar Alessandro Voice From Assisi (Decca)   John Rutter/Catrin Finch Blessing (Deutsche Grammophon)   Joseph Calleja Be My Love - A Tribute To Mario Lanza (Decca)   Katherine Jenkins This Is Christmas (Warner Music Entertainment)   Lang Lang The Chopin Album (Sony Classical)   Ludovico Einaudi In A Time Lapse (Decca)   Nicola Benedetti The Silver Violin (Decca)   Richard Clayderman Romantique (Decca) READ THE FULL Classic FM ARTICLE

The NYC Opera has announced it must raise $7 million by the end of September or cancel the rest of this season and all of next. The announcement comes 9 days before the season opens with "Anna Nicole," the opera based on the life of the Playboy centerfold, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music later this month. The City Opera left its permanent home at Lincoln Center in 2011, which helped balance its budget, and has now embarked on a $20 million fundraising effort including a $1 million online campaign on Kickstarter. The 70-year-old institution that, unlike the Metropolitan Opera, is devoted to bringing opera to the masses.  READ THE FULL New York Daily News STORY

The Beethoven Festival: LOVE 2013 is in progress this week here in Chicago.  Sponsored by the International Beethoven Project, the September 7-15, 2013 event is the organization's third annual multidisciplinary festival inspired by the creativity and genius of Ludwig van Beethoven. Exploring themes of love, religion, suffering and the path of the true artist, as with the previous festivals, This year's LOVE 2013 Festival is their most diverse yet. The goal is to engage with contemporary culture, cutting-edge creators and artists, and a public thirsty for an exciting experience that allows rare and inspiring encounters with artists of all stripes in a relaxed social environment. 

An extraordinary lineup of performing artists from Chicago and the world are coming together to collaborate, inspire, and explore the meaning of Beethoven, art and love in 2013. Many living composers, rockers, jazz and electronica artists will perform their works for the first time. This festival is all about creative collaboration – and that is how we have chosen to express our love this year. Although it's a well-explored subject through the ages, LOVE does relate particularly well this year given how societal views are evolving on the concept of relationships, and it connects profoundly to Beethoven's own story – most vividly in his passionate and beautiful letters to the ‘Immortal Beloved'. Love fuels the creative fire that artists need, and in our third annual festival we're showcasing what drives artists to create and perform passionately at the highest level. The International Beethoven Project is growing a family of creatives who are committed in this way, and who feel as strongly as we do about making Chicago, and the world, a better place through the arts and culture.As one case in point, the festival commissioned 28 composers to write pieces based on Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Sounds like a marvelous musical adventure. You can check it out at the Merit School Of Music, 38 S. Peoria Street. A not-for-profit organization founded in 2009 the International Beethoven Project came from the outgrowth of a Paris project begun in early 2007 by concert pianist George Lepauw. In just a few short years the project has made an indelible mark on the international music and art scene with its performance projects and festivals. While the IBP was initially born with the single goal of giving the world premiere of Beethoven's H47, the public's and the press's huge enthusiasm for renewed attention to Beethoven in general inspired a grander vision with long-term implications for IBP's actions. The organization dug further into Beethoven's story and music and decided to develop a great plan for the gradual unveiling and planning of the global celebrations of Beethoven's 250th anniversary year in 2020, with the goal of turning it into the greatest year-long celebration for any composer in history. Hence was born the IBP Beethoven Festival, founded in 2011. The inaugural festival went for five whole days in September 2011 in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood (South side), and combined 25 concerts ranging from solo instruments to full orchestra along with jazz and rock shows. In parallel to the performance aspects of the festival, an exhibit of newly commissioned works of visual art surrounded the beautiful festival hall. Beethoven Festival 2011: Man and Muse, was called the "smash of the season" (Time Out Chicago) and "best new undertaking" (Chicago Tribune). Beethoven Festival: Revolution 2012 was an even greater success, held in September 2012 at its primary venue in Chicago's Uptown area (North side). The festival went for 9 days and included over 60 events, an art exhibit, a lecture series, theater, a performance of Beethoven's only ballet, "The Creatures of Prometheus", jazz, blues, a rock show of commissioned songs inspired by Beethoven, and an intensive master class series for budding musicians. It was called an "event of world-class importance" (Chicago Tribune).

Radio broadcaster Cumulus Media Inc., the second largest operator of radio stations in the United States, is close to acquiring one of the country's largest content syndicators: Dial Global Inc., for $260 million. The deal would allow Cumulus to better compete with larger players such as Clear Channel, Premiere and Walt Disney's ESPN Radio. To finance, Cumulus is selling 53 radio stations in 12 small markets to Townsquare Media LLC.    READ THE Reuters STORY

TODAY!!!  Edinburgh is hosting the first performance of Festival City - Europe's first symphony to be composed using crowdsourced sounds and arrangements suggested by the public via specially-created computer apps. This 12-minute piece is being premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival and will be played by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), led by music director Peter Oundjian. The two men previously worked on a similar project for Toronto. It is the creation of Tod Machover - a muscian and professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab whose team previously helped create computer games Guitar Hero and Rock Band, technologies used by Peter Gabriel, Prince and Yo-Yo Ma, and who has already completed an earlier version of the Festival City project called: A Toronto Symphony: Concerto for Composer and City. The BBC was given exclusive access to the rehearsals.

The Red Hot Organization and Entertainment One Music establish a new partnership to produce Red Hot + Rio 2 out June 28, 2011. Red Hot + Rio 2 is a modern tribute to late 60's Brazilian Tropicália movement. The album will shed new light to the songs of this influential, politically charged era, which changed the culture of the country forever. Red Hot + Rio 2 is the latest entry in the series of tribute albums produced by the Red Hot Organization to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Please see tracklist on back).
  The compilation features over 33 original collaborations between Brazil's legendary musicians and today's international indie artists including John Legend, Os Mutantes, Devendra Banhart, Caetano Veloso, Seu Jorge, Beck, Bebel Gilberto, Jose Gonzales, Beirut, Tom Ze, Javelin, Of Montreal, Marisa Monte, Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello, DJ Dolores, Aloe Blacc, Angelique Kidjo, Rita Lee, Madlib, Money Mark, Ceu, Apollo Nove, Mayra Andrade, Trio Mocoto, Tha Boogie, Alice Smith, Carlinhos Brown, Los Van Van, Brazilian Girls, Marcos Valle, Forró In The Dark, Mia Doi Todd, Phenomenonal Handclap Band, N.A.S,A, Moreno Veloso, Otto, Superhuman Happiness, Cults and many more. 
  Red Hot + Rio 2 is the natural successor to the 1996 original Bossa Nova inspired Red Hot + Rio, which Vogue called the album "the latest and the hippest" while Entertainment Weekly said it was "an inspiring and modern sounding tribute. As with all Red Hot projects, proceeds from Rio 2 will benefit HIV/AIDS related charities. The first Red Hot + Rio raised over $1 million dollars as did the organization's most recent album, Dark Was The Night (featuring 2011 Grammy winner for best album, Arcade Fire, The National, Feist, Grizzly Bear and Bon Iver among others). To date Red Hot has donated over $10 million dollars to fight AIDS. The Red Hot organization is a not-for-profit production company that has produced over 16 albums and dedicates money to worthy organizations, causes and projects around the world. Its mission is to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/ HIV and related health and social issues. To date the Red Hot organization has sold more than three million albums and has co-produced performances at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park Summer Stage and more. 

Prolific studio guitarist Hugh McCracken died on Friday in Manhattan. He was 70. In great demand during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, as the story goes, he was so busy during 1971 that he had to turn down Paul McCartney's invitation to join Wings. Based in New York City, McCracken was also an arranger and producer. Recordings Include:  Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Jimmy Rushing, Billy Joel, Roland Kirk, Roberta Flack, B. B. King, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, The Monkees, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Idris Muhammad, James Taylor, Phoebe Snow, Bob Dylan, Linda McCartney, Graham Parker, Yoko Ono, Eric Carmen, Loudon Wainwright III, Lou Donaldson, Aretha Franklin, Van Morrison, The Four Seasons, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Hank Crawford, Jerry Jemmott and Gary Wright. READ THE New York Times STORY.

Here's the list 1. 'Best Folk Album' & 'Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical'
The Goat Rodeo Sessions
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile
[Sony Classical] 2. 'Best Musical Theater Album'
Newsies
(Alan Menken, composer; Jack Feldman, lyricist)
[Ghostlight Records/ Razor & Tie] 3. Once: A New Musical
(Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, compo/lyricists)
[Masterworks] 4. 'Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media'
The Descendants (Various Artists)
[Sony Classical/Fox Music] 5. 'Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media'
The Adventures Of Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn
John Williams, composer
[Sony Classical] 6. The Artist
Ludovic Bource, composer
[Sony Classical] 7. 'Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance' & 'Best Surround Sound Album'
Rupa-Khandha
Los Angeles Percussion Quartet)
Daniel Shores, surround mix & mastering engineer
[Sono Luminus] 9. 'Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance' & 'Best Engineered Album, Classical'
Americana
Modern Mandolin Quartet
Daniel Shores, surround mix & mastering engineer
[Sono Luminus] 10. 'Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance' 
Mind Meld
ZOFO Duet
Daniel Shores, surround mix & mastering engineer
[Sono Luminus] 11. 'Best Classical Instrumental Solo'
The Complete Harpsichord Works Of Rameau
Jory Vinikour
[Sono Luminus]

Silver Wave Records is proud to release the most anticipated collection of Native American Music this year. SACRED GROUND - A Tribute to Mother Earth, an inspiring collection of ALL NEW RECORDINGS by GRAMMY winners Bill Miller and Primeaux & Mike, Joanne Shenandoah, Robert Mirabal, Star Nayea, Walela, and Little Wolf Band. Producer Jim Wilson (Robbie Robertson, Walela, Little Wolf Band) has joined forces with the top stars of Native American music to create all new recordings of soul stirring songs that honor our Mother Earth. With traditional spirit and contemporary style these powerful voices call out for us to acknowledge and care for the Sacred Ground on which we live.