 Born in Osaka, Japan, Eri Yamamoto began playing classical piano at age three, and within five years was composing her own pieces. Throughout her education she continued to study piano, as well as viola, voice, and composition, but when she came to the U.S. for the first time in 1995 and by chance saw jazz pianist Tommy Flanagan play, she knew she had found the kind of music she truly wanted to pursue. Later that year she enrolled in the New School's Jazz and Contemporary Music program, although she had never studied anything but classical music before. In 2000, she began playing regularly with a trio at Arthur's Tavern in Greenwich Village. In 2006, her fourth album as a bandleader, Cobalt Blue, with longtime players Dave Ambrosia (bass) and Ikuo Takeuchi (drums) behind her, came out on Thirsty Ear. More Info |
 Andreus--a.k.a. Deandrias Abdullah, a native of the South Side ghetto--hasalready gained European acclaim for his hip-hop-soul symphony, "StreetTroubadour" (Dialogue Group). It was released overseas as essentially a homedemo in 2002, then domestically re-released a few months ago with a handful of new tracks and spiffier production. It merges inner-city blues laments aboutdrugs, gangs and wayward youth with wah-wah guitars, keyboard funk andshimmering string orchestrations. It's consciousness-raising art in many respects: musically, lyrically,spiritually. And it took Andreus most of his 33 years to get there. "Where would I be if I hadn't discovered music? I wouldn't be talking to you right now,that's for sure," Andreus says in an interview. "I was on the streets doingwrong. My mother was supportive, but she had to work and raise my two younger sisters, and she didn't have time to watch me every second of the day. Iwouldn't be living now if it weren't for music. I ran with gangs, I got locked up a couple of times, I had a lot of stumbling blocks along the way. If themusic hadn't gone over, I'd be a statistic." Andreus' first musical love was hip-hop. "At age 7, hearing the first rap tunes coming out of the East, it took over the 'hood--it was like an A-Bomb that blew up our culture," says Andreus, who performs Jan. 24 at Nevin's Live. "I started writing lyrics and battle-rhyming on the street corners. We were children ofVietnam veterans looking for some music to call our own, and this was it." While devising rap lyrics, Andreus taught himself to write about the grittyreality around him. But he didn't see music as a way out of his waywardlifestyle until his mother remarried and moved the family to Evanston. There, he got into more trouble and was awaiting a bond hearing at a Cook County lockup when he began singing. A couple of his cellmates took notice."These two older white guys were in there, real Charles Manson-type dudes with tattoos, and they were like, `What are you doing here, young blood? You've got a gift. With a voice like that you should be out there becoming the next Michael Jackson,'" Andreus recalls. "That really stuck with me. Be the next MichaelJackson? That was the real turning point. Nobody had told me anything like that before." The young singer ended up in a recording studio before his 18th birthday,recording vocals on a local house record. The record didn't do much, but theexperience dazzled him. Bit by bit Andreus began assembling his own homerecording studio and taught himself to play various instruments--guitar, bass,keyboards. He struggled through most of the '90s, fatally obsessed with finding the correctformula for "making it." "I was watching videos, trying to emulate what was hot, obsessed with getting a deal," he says. "I did demo tapes, but I was struggling. It wasn't until about two years ago that I decided I am not going to keep trying to do what everyone else is doing. The music began to change, and the soul came back. I let me be me." Many of the songs on "Street Troubadour" were improvised in front of themicrophone, Andreus pouring out a lifetime of observations about streethustlers, prostitutes, gang bangers and drug dealers. His songs were underpinned by subtle moralizing, a sense of having lived and learned about what youngunderprivileged ghetto denizens will do "For the Love of Money," as one songsays. "I'm not doing anything new," Andreus says. "I'm picking up where CurtisMayfield, Marvin Gaye and people like that left off. This music was always there in my life, because my mother was a record connoisseur. I realized that this is music that could make a difference, because it made a difference in my life." Though a social consciousness has never left popular music, it's taken a backseat lately to bling-bling odes about acquisition, wealth and sexual conquest. "Music is a cultural weapon," Andreus says. "It's about feelings and emotions, and politics and life. It's about what's going on. But I haven't listened to the radio in 15 years, because music isn't saying anything. Even hip-hop has been transformed into this pop illusion. But bling-bling is not what life is about. Not for the people I speak to and for--blacks, Latinos, Asians, underprivileged whites. I wanted to make a record that said, `This is what we're thinking.Listen to us.' The stories on this album aren't just my stories, but the stories of everyone who has ever lived in a ghetto." More Info |
 1951–1979: Early life and career[edit source | editbeta] Luther Ronzoni Vandross was born on April 20, 1951 at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, United States.[4] He was the fourth child and second son of Mary Ida Vandross and Luther Vandross, Sr.[4][5] Vandross was raised on Manhattan's Lower East Side in the NYCHA Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development and began playing the piano at age three. He grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was thirteen. His sister, Patricia Vandross, sang with the vocal group The Crests, who had a number two hit in 1958/59 with "16 Candles", although she left the group before the song was recorded.[citation needed] Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. In high school, Vandross performed in a group, Shades of Jade, that once played at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. He was also a member of a theater workshop, "Listen My Brother", which released the singles "Only Love Can Make a Better World" and "Listen My Brother". He also appeared in the second and fifth episodes of Sesame Street in November 1969.[citation needed] Vandross attended Western Michigan University for a year before dropping out to continue pursuing a career in music.[citation needed] His next hit credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972.[which?][citation needed] Vandross founded the first-ever Patti LaBelle fan club.[citation needed][when?] Luther also sang on Delores Hall's Hall-Mark album (1973). He sang with her on the song "Who's Gonna Make It Easier for Me", which he wrote, and he contributed another song, "In This Lonely Hour".[citation needed] Having co-written "Fascination" (1974) for David Bowie's Young Americans (1975), he went on to tour with him as a back-up vocalist in September 1974.[citation needed] Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice" for the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz and appeared as a choir member in the movie.[citation needed] Vandross also sang backing vocals for artists including Roberta Flack, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, and Donna Summer, and for the bands Chic andTodd Rundgren's Utopia.[citation needed] Before his breakthrough, Vandross was part of a singing quintet in the late '70s named Luther, consisting of former Shades of Jade members Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler, as well as Theresa V. Reed, and Christine Wiltshire, signed to Cotillion Records. Although the singles "It's Good for the Soul", "Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)", and "The Second Time Around" were relatively successful, their two albums, the self-titled Luther (1976) and This Close to You (1977), didn't sell enough to make the charts. Vandross bought back the rights to those albums after Cotillion dropped the group, preventing their later re-release.[citation needed] Vandross also wrote and sang commercial jingles during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continued his successful career as a popular session singer during the late 1970s.[citation needed] In 1978, Vandross sang lead vocals for a disco band called Greg Diamond's Bionic Boogie on the song titled "Hot Butterfly".[citation needed] Also in 1978, he appeared on Quincy Jones'sSounds...and Stuff Like That!!, most notably on the song "I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning" along with Patti Austin. Luther also sang with the band Soirée and was the lead vocalist on the track "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"; he also contributed background vocals to the album along with Jocelyn Brown and Sharon Redd, each of whom also saw solo success. Additionally, he sang the lead vocals on the group Mascara LP title song "See You in L.A." released in 1979. Vandross also appeared on the group Charme's 1979 album Let It In, most notably on a remake ofToto's hit single "Georgy Porgy".[citation needed] More Info |
 The Joyous concept has always been enigmatic to a lot of people because of its format. We have been referred to as a Gospel group or Gospel Choir. We prefer to be referred to as a Gospel Project or a Gospel Concept. The reason being that, the crew changes at least every two years. The concept is basically created in such a way that performers are selected through an intense auditioning process, after which they attend music workshops. During these workshops they learn skills such as songwriting to performance. We then rehearse a repertoire for about two months. After that the crew is on the road for the whole year. Performers always sign a 1 year contract to be in the Project, although there will be some performers that will be with Joyous celebration for more than a year.The past ten years have been a long and winding road. We have received tremendous support across the country and God’s Mercy and Grace over the years is the reason we are where we are today, TEN YEARS LATER. The Joyous concept has always been enigmatic to a lot of people because of its format. We have been referred to as a Gospel group or Gospel Choir. We prefer to be referred to as a Gospel Project or a Gospel Concept. More Info |
 A variety of performers from the contemporary Bay Area jazz scene join keyboardist Phil Klein on Cruise Control, a collection primarily composed of silky ballads. More Info |
 Benjamin "BeBe" Winans (born 17 September 1962) is a gospel and R&B singer. He is a member of the noted Winans family, most members of which are also gospel artists He released several albums, first with his sister CeCe Winans, and later as a solo artist. Jim Bakker's television show The PTL Club took interest in BeBe and his sister CeCe as background vocalists for the show. After going to North Carolina to audition they were accepted. BeBe and CeCe moved to the PTL campus in North Carolina, and were on the show for about five years. During their time on PTL, BeBe and CeCe recorded "Lord Lift Us Up" on PTL's label after popular demand on the show. Eventually the success warranted another effort: a full length album. The album did well on the charts. BeBe and CeCe left PTL to pursue their singing career and recorded five albums together including self-titled BeBe & CeCe Winans, Heaven, Different Lifestyles, First Christmas and Relationships. In 1995, BeBe and CeCe split up to pursue solo careers. But in 2009 they did the album "Still" together. On it was the song "Close to You," which won a Dove award in 2010 in the category of Urban Recorded Song In 1989, BeBe won His First Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Male for his contribution to "Abundant Life", a track on his brother Ronald's Family & Friends Choir. BeBe signed with Atlantic records and delivered a self-titled solo debut in 1997. The album featured the singles "In Harms' Way", "Thank You", and the international crossover hit "I Wanna Be the Only One" featuring British soul trio Eternal. The next album released was the fruit of a new deal with Motown Records. Love & Freedom was released in 2000 and featured production from Warryn Campbell, Brian McKnight, Masters At Work and others. The lead single "Coming Back Home" was a slow swinging ballad featuring R&B luminaries Brian McKnight and Joe. Another single was BeBe's remake of the Stevie Wonderclassic "Jesus Children of America" featuring his older brother Marvin (The Winans, Winans family) and Stevie Wonder himself.[1] Two years later, a live album Live & Up Close followed. The album was recorded live at BET studios and featured guests such as his sister Debra Winans-Lowe and Stephanie Mills. The set was released on both CD & DVD. The CD included the studio version of "Do You Know Him?" which served as the album's first single.[2] By 2003, BeBe had started his own record label, The Movement Group, and partnered with Still Waters, an inspirational and gospel imprint of Hidden Beach Recordings.[3] The first album under this deal was 2004's largely orchestral holiday album entitled My Christmas Prayer which first appeared exclusively for sale at Starbucks coffee shops nationwide.[4] Between releases, BeBe made his film debut with a small role in the 2004 remake (featuring Denzel Washington) of The Manchurian Candidate. Early the next year, BeBe released his third proper solo album Dream featuring the single "I Have A Dream".[5] The song featured samples of the historic speech by Martin Luther King, and was released to several radio stations to coincide with King's birthday celebrations.[6] The cover of the album features a hand painted portrait of BeBe standing in front of a Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. street sign. Also "Miracle Of Love," a duet with Angie Stone included on the album, also appeared on a soundtrack of songs inspired by the film The Passion Of The Christ.[7] Winans performed a duet with Eden Espinosa on the 2008 Alma Awards which was broadcast on ABC on September 12. 2008. WInans and Espinosa sang "I Don't Know Much" as a tribute to honoree Linda Ronstadt. Bebe performed "Born for This" on the Obama/Biden Inauguration tribute Change is Now CD+DVD set. BeBe & CeCe Winans have confirmed a reunion album scheduled for early 2009. Winans hosts his own nationally syndicated radio program, The BeBe Winans Radio Show. BeBe Winans has starred in Broadway'sThe Color Purple as Harpo as of January 9, 2008. He is starring alongside Chaka Khan who is playing his wife, Sofia. Winans was one of the judges for a gospel music competition show on BET called Sunday Best, along with gospel duo Mary Mary. He was invited to participate in the remake of "We Are The World" to benefit Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Bebe together with Cece and Mary Mary featuring the West Angeles Choir performed onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno. [8] More Info |
 Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was among the earliest tenor players to adapt the bebop musical language of people such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the instrument. His studio and live performance career spanned over 40 years. Gordon's height was 6 feet 6 inches (198 cm), so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" and "Sophisticated Giant". He played a Conn 10m ladyface until 1964. He lost the instrument in a Paris hotel. He then switched over to a Selmer Mark VI. His saxophone was fitted with an Otto Link metal mouthpiece, which can be seen in various photos. Dexter Gordon was named a member and officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters in 1986 by the Ministry of Culture in France. His performance in Round Midnight (Warner Bros, 1986) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Leading Role and he won a Grammy for Best Soundtrack. Dexter Gordon died on April 25, 1990, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More Info |
 In 1985 Benson and guitarist Chet Atkins went on the smooth jazz charts with their collaboration "Sunrise", one of two songs from the duo released on Atkins' disc Stay Tuned. In 1992, Benson appeared on Jack McDuff's Colour Me Blue album, his first appearance on a Concord album. Benson signed with Concord Records in 2005 and toured with Al Jarreau in America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to promote their 2006 multiple Grammy-winning album Givin' It Up. He played during the second Monsoon Cup in Terengganu in 2006 and also Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebration alongside Jarreau in 2007.[citation needed] In May 2008, for the first time Benson took part in the Mawazine Festival in Morocco.[citation needed] To commemorate the long-term relationship between Benson and Ibanez and to celebrate 30 years of collaboration on the GB Signature Models, Ibanez created the GB30TH, a very limited-edition model featuring a gold-foil finish inspired by the traditional Japanese Garahaku art form.[14] In 2009, Benson was recognized by the National Endowment of the Arts as a Jazz Master, the nation's highest honor in jazz.[15] Benson performed at the 49th issue of the Ohrid Summer Festival in Macedonia on July 25, 2009, and his tribute show to Nat King Cole An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole as part of the Istanbul International Jazz Festival in Turkey on July 27. In the fall of 2009, Benson finished recording a new album entitled Songs and Stories, with Marcus Miller, producer John Burk,[16] and session musicians David Paich and Steve Lukather.[17] As a part of the promotion for his recent Concord Music Group/Monster Music release Songs and Stories, Benson has appeared and/or performed on The Tavis Smiley Show,[18] Jimmy Kimmel Live![19] and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[20] Benson toured throughout 2010 in North America, Europe and the Pacific Rim, including an appearance at the Singapore Sun Festival.[21] He performed at the Java Jazz Festival March 4–6, 2011. In 2011, Benson released the album Guitar Man—revisiting his 1960s/early-1970s guitar-playing roots with a 12-song collection of covers of both jazz and pop standards overseen by producer John Burk.[22] In June 2013, Benson released his fourth album for Concord Records, Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole, which featured Wynton Marsalis, Idina Menzel, Till Brönner, and Judith Hill. More Info |
 Al Di Meola (born Al Laurence Dimeola, July 22, 1954 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin jazz guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin (from Cerreto Sannita). With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date. Albums such as Friday Night in San Francisco have earned him both artistic and commercial success[1] with a solid fan base throughout the world.[2] Di Meola grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and attended Bergenfield High School.[3] He is now a resident of Bergen County, New Jersey More Info |
 Known as the "King of 6/8 Rhythm," Brice Wassy has had a profound effect on the music of West Africa. The former bandleader for Manu Dibango and Salif Keita, Wassy has worked with both African artists such as Miriam Makeba, Mabi Thobejane, Madala Kunene, Toure Kunda, Doc Mthalane, Moses Molelekwa, and Busi Mhlongo, as well as non-African artists including French jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, Cuban percussionist Changuito, and Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira. While the late Fela Kuti claimed that Wassy "opened our minds with the militancy of his message and our hearts to the rhythms of Afrobeat," www.jazzafrica.fsnet.co.uk praised him for his "melodious, subtly constructed, compositions built on the solid foundation of African tradition." A member of the Bamileke people, Wassy was drawn to music from earliest memory. As a child, he spent hours banging on pots and pans to recordings of American soul and R&B performers including James Brown, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett. His uncle, Moussy, provided him with his first formal lessons on the drums. By the age of five, he had begun playing with a 15-piece school band. Moving to Paris in 1974 to live with his father, older brother, and younger sister, Wassy was deeply inspired by the playing of jazz fusion drummers including Tony Williams, Steve Gadd, and Billy Cobham. After briefly working with Wally Badarou, Wassy accepted an invitation to join Manu Dibango's band. He remained with the group for six years, rising to the position of music director. His innovative playing on Dibango's 1981 dance hit "Mangambolo" drew attention to his mastery of the 6/8 rhythm. Wassy moved to Salif Keita's post-Les Ambassaeursgroup in 1984. During the six years he played with the band, he toured throughout the world and helped record several groundbreaking albums. It was natural that Wassy be recruited when Jean-Luc Ponty decided to record an African-influenced album in 1990. In addition to helping Ponty assemble the best African musicians in France, he served as a co-producer on Ponty's album Tchokola. While touring in Lagos, Nigeria, with Miriam Makeba in 1992, Wassy was profoundly inspired by a visit to Keita's Shrine Club. Four years later, he recalled the experience when he entered Real World studios to record Shrine Dance with accompaniment by top-notch European and Latin-American jazz musicians including Changuito and Airto Moreira. Refocusing his attention on his homeland, Wassy recorded Belengu Village in 1999. The same year, he toured the United Kingdom with his African Rhythms Orchestra and French jazz musician Claude Deppa's band. Wassy is the author of an instructive method book, Rhythms Of Cameroon More Info |
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