Bass Legend Stanley Clarke Starts New Record Company

Stanley Clarke has announced the first releases on his new Roxboro Entertainment Group label from Lloyd Gregory and Kennard Ramsey. The guitarist Gregory’s eponymous album and multi-instrumentalist Ramsey’s album "Somos" are available now on iTunes and Amazon.com. The albums will be made available on CD later in December.

“When you are starting a record company, diversity plays a major role,” says Clarke. "All of Roxboro’s artists come from different locations in the world and offer remarkable cultural differences.” 

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Femme Fatale Friday: Pianist Hiromi

✺Good morning✺

As my knowledge and curiosity grew about jazz, I began to explore the world of the jazz pianist. The piano is one of my favorite instruments (the other faves are trumpet and the drums).

Early on, I discovered Hiromi via YouTube. Her boundless energy and virtuosity made me say, "Whoa!"  Hiromi also has a habit of throwing everything but "the kitchen sink" into her compositions (her influences run the gamut from Bach and Debussy to Parliament Funkadelic and King Crimson). I find that intriguing.

"She is nothing short of amazing," says jazz legend Ahmad Jamal. "Her music, together with her overwhelming charm and spirit, causes her to soar to unimaginable musical heights."

Hiromi Uehara is one of my favorite musicians these days. I hope that you enjoy her creativity as much as I do.

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JAM 2010: 156 Artists for a New Jazz Experience (Part V)

Good morning! I didn't know if I'd be able to pull this post together today because of some offline sadness but here it is.

This is Part V of my contribution to honor JAM (Jazz Appreciation Month) 2010. You'll find out a little background information about musicians such as Enoch Smith Jr, Eric Mingus, Etienne Charles, Frøy Aagre, Geri Allen, Hiromi Uehara, Ingrid Jensen, Jacky Terrasson and Esperanza Spalding.

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