with R.J. Bianchino
your weekly guide to "all things jazz"
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with R.J. Bianchino your weekly guide to "all things jazz" |
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jazz news | calendar | jazz chart | birthdays | new releases | feature | clubs | beyond the neon | biography | blues news | live reviews
| January 23-29, 2006 The Jazz
By 1968, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 scored three Top 20-pop hits, including two Top Ten smashes, The Look of Love (# 4), The Fool On The Hill (# 6) as well as Scarborough Fair, which peaked at #16. Taken from the standpoint of record sales, Sergio and Brasil '66 stand alone as the biggest international Brazilian act ever. Matching the success of its hit singles, Brasil '66 was rolling at retail as well, with the 1968 released Look Around and Fool On The Hill both striking gold. The albums reached the Top Five of the U.S. pop chart. And though Brasil '66 previously had notched gold records for both Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 and Equinox, it was not until 1968 that Brasil '66 and Brazilian music had finally garnered the attention and admiration of a broad crossection of audiences. Sergio and Brasil '66 were quickly lined up as an opening act for Herb Alpert's white-hot Tijuana Brass. The two acts toured nationally and internationally whereby Sergio and his band emerged as household names in the United States and Europe. Sergio even opened twice for one of Brazilian music's biggest fans, Frank Sinatra. He also performed at the White House during the Reagan administration. Also in the late '60s and early '70s, Sergio and crew routinely appeared on the top American programs headlined by Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Jerry Lewis and Danny Kaye. Official proof of Brasil '66s popularity back in 1968 came in the form of industry nominations. The Look of Love, featured in the film Casino Royale, was nominated for an Academy Award for best original song. Sergio and Brasil '66 also snared a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Pop Performance by a Vocal Group. Sergio nabbed a Grammy Award in 1993 when his 1992 hybrid of Brazilian grooves and hip-hop Brasileiro earned him a kudo in the world of music category. In 1972 Sergio Mendes and his latest configuration Brasil '77, cut Primal Roots, a fresh tribute to indigenous Brazilian music that was critically hailed but commercially ignored. It was so far ahead of time. Only in the late 1980s and early 1990s would international pop stars such as Linda Ronstadt and Gloria Estefan explore their musical heritage in its native tongue. Concert Dates: Fri-Sun, Jan 27-29 Showtime: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 8pm $44-$71.50 For tickets and information call 702-636-7075 or toll free 877-636-7111. Box Office Hours: Daily 10am - 9pm. The Suncoast Showroom is located inside the Suncoast Hotel & Casino at 9090 Alta Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89145 Jazz Will.I.Am Releasing Albums From Sergio Mendes, Macy Gray And Fergie
While older music fans may remember Brazilian composer/musician Sergio Mendes from his Latin-influenced light jazz hits in the '60s and '70s, Black Eyed Peas founder Will.I.Am wants to introduce him to a younger generation. "For those who don't know, he's like the ambassador of Brazilian samba, bossa nova music," Will.I.Am told MTV News following a recent Black Eyed Peas show. Will.I.Am. has signed Mendes to his I.Am.Music label and is producing his Timeless album, which will be released on February 7. Taking a cue from the career rejuvenation that Carlos Santana found through his Supernatural album and its two successors, Timeless will be loaded with big name contributors, including Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Q-Tip, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, India.Arie, The Roots, Chali 2na from Jurassic 5 and Mr. Vegas. "It's the make love slow record," Will.I.Am says of the disc, which he describes as beautiful, melodic and relaxing. Will.I.Am has also signed Macy Gray, who appeared on the Peas' 1998 Behind The Front album. He's hoping to help her recapture the magic from earlier in her career when her On How Life Is album was multi-platinum and her "I Try" single was one of the most played songs on the radio. Outkast and Sleepy Brown are contributing to Gray's new album, which should be released sometime next year. Will.I.Am is even more familiar with the other I.Am.Music record he's producing: the solo debut by Peas singer Fergie. To give a listen to a Timeless selection, and for more info, go to SergioMendesTimeless.com or visit www.myspace.com/sergiomendes
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bob Weinstock, founder of the renowned jazz label Prestige, died January 14 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 77. The New York-born entrepreneur was 16 when he entered the music business with a mail-order operation wholesaling jazz reissues to various stores in New York. He first worked from his family's apartment and then rented retail space for his booming business at the Jazz Record Corner on West 47th Street. In 1949, the 20-year-old Weinstock established his initial imprint, which he called New Jazz. Shortly thereafter he launched Prestige. Weinstock operated the label until May 1971, when he sold the company to Fantasy Records. (Prestige is now part of the Concord Music Group.) Under Weinstock's guidance, Prestige recorded many of the giants of jazz. The label developed an important catalog of jazz classics, including works by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. In the 1960s, Weinstock updated Prestige with the addition of soul jazz artists such as Brother Jack McDuff, Richard "Groove" Holmes and Charles Earland. The label also scored R&B and pop hits with recordings like King Pleasure's "Moody's Mood for Love" and Etta Jones' "Don't Go to Strangers." After selling the company, Weinstock moved to Florida. He is survived by his companion, Roberta Ross; three sons; and three grandchildren. -- Reuters/Billboard 
Jazz Birthdays This week's jazz artists birthdays include: Jan 23 Benny Waters (clarinet, sax), 1902-1998 Julius Hemphill CD and artist biography brief: Fat Man & The Hard Blues The real treat on this recording is the remake of "The Hard Blues" which appeared on an earlier Hemphill release (recently re-released under the title "Reflections"). It's the blues - joyful, soulful, but occasionally complicated." -- Douglas T Martin, Amazon.com This week's new jazz releases: Click on any album cover to purchase CDs
Jazz 'Round Las Vegas M o n d a y, January 23 Caesars Palcce (Galleria Bar)
Dehner Franks (piano) T u e s d a y, January 24 Caesars Palace (Galleria Bar) Dehner Franks (piano) W e d n e s d a y, January 25 Capo's Italian Restaurant 7-11pm Peppe Merolla (drums, vocals) T h u r s d a y, January 26 Bootlegger Bistro 9:30-11pm Ruth Brown or Moody Scott F r i d a y, January 27 Capo's Italian Restaurant 7-11pm Peppe Merolla (drums, vocals) S a t u r d a y, January 28 Capo's Italian Restaurant 7-11pm Peppe Merolla (drums, vocals) S u n d a y, January 29 Artisan Hotel 11am-3pm The Gents of Swing featuring 'Nuff Said Now it's your turn. If you have any information you would like to see in this JazzBeat column send an e-mail to info@jazzinternet.com. We especially welcome club listings. Telephone numbers are supplied for all venues. Please Call to verify events. Keep on jazzin' in Las Vegas and beyond. -- Bion Jazz Beyond the Neon
More than anything else, Poncho Sanchez is a storyteller. And, as leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today, it’s his congas and seasoned ensemble that do the talking. Live in concert or on recordings, they spin vivacious tales that pay homage to the glories of a half-century tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. One-on-one, the Chicano conguero is equally expressive, recounting in vivid detail the encounters, friendships, and passions that have contributed to his remarkable career as a bandleader and recording artist. Behind the choice of every song, album title and guest artist, there’s a story Poncho Sanchez delights in telling. -- Source: PonchoSanchez.com Friday, January 27 This Latin jazz legend will appear for one night only. La Ve Lee Jazz Club is located at 12514 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 Tel: 818-980-8158
Some Background on Sergio Mendes
It was those Sergio classics that won the heart and mind of evolving musical legend will.i.am, chief producer and songwriter of the Black Eyed Peas. One of the most successful rap acts of this decade, the band’s 2005 album, Monkey Business, is the urban pop crossover phenomenon of the year. Will collaborates with Sergio on the iconic pianist’s upcoming Concord Records/Starbucks Hear Music album, Timeless, Mendes’ first new release in eight years. For Will (who claims Mendes’ “Slow Hot Wind,” reworked on Timeless as “That Heat,” is the first song he ever sampled while still an East L.A. teen), working with Sergio Mendes has been a dream come true. As Will states: “This album has been fourteen years in the making.” Things began rolling when Will invited Sergio to play piano on the cut “Sexy” from the Peas’ multi-platinum Elephunk album. Much to his amazement, Will discovered A&M Record’s President could arrange a meeting with his idol. The seed was planted. And the rest, as they say, is history. “He came to my house with a lot of old vinyl that I recorded many years ago,” remembers Sergio. “And I was so surprised. It was like, ‘Wow!’ He knew every song. He knows every Brazilian riff. I could just feel his passion for the music. We talked and I said, ‘You know what? You love Brazilian music. Why don’t we bring the Brazilian music and melodies to the hip-hop urban world and put them together? I think we can make something really different.’” “It turned into a wonderful marriage of rhythms,” Sergio continues, “because it’s all African rhythms and haunting melodies. It’s all about the same beats that we inherited from Africa. It’s that same common denominator that brought the samba to Brazil and brought jazz to America. We had a ball.” “Hip-hop is urban to America,” adds Will, “but samba and bossa nova are urban to Brazil. It’s two urban cultures clashing and fusing together beautifully, because they all share a lot of the same qualities.” Putting together the project, Will and Sergio, of course, brought in the Black Eyed Peas. They also recruited some of the biggest urban-pop artists of the last several decades, each a Sergio fan, to contribute to various tracks. Featured artists include Erykah Badu, Justin Timberlake, India.Arie, Q-Tip, John Legend, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, and members of The Roots and Jurassic 5. The involvement of Wonder (Mendes wrote Portuguese lyrics to one of Wonder’s songs many years ago) was fortuitous. “Perfect timing,” says Will. “Me and Sergio had just finished in the studio at the Record Plant. Sergio left, and I was working on stuff until four o’clock in the morning. Then Venus, my partner, says ‘Hey, Stevie Wonder’s in the next hallway!’ So we went over and I said, ‘Mr. Wonder, I’m working on the new Sergio Mendes project.’ Oh, I love Sergio!’ he says. ‘I haven’t seen Sergio in about 15 or 20 years.’ So I was like, ‘we’d love, love to have you play harmonica or sing on one of the songs.’ He said, ‘Let me hear what you guys got cooking up.’ So we walked over to the room, played him ‘Consolacao.’ He says, ‘Let me get a copy of that so I can take it home and learn the melody.’ And, then he came by two days later...” “And it was magic,” interjects Sergio. “Pure magic!” agrees Will. It’s hardly surprising, though, that Mendes should also attract the affection of younger superstars as well. You see, over the last decade, despite his absence from the recording studio, Sergio Mendes has recently become hip all over again. DJs have been sampling his classic tracks in clubs. Japanese group Pizzicato Five have consistently named him a major influence; same with Chicago hipsters, the Aluminum Group. But perhaps a little history is in order. Sergio Mendes has been recording since 1961, and he was playing the legendary NYC jazz club, Birdland, with his band by 1962. After signing to A&M Records in 1966, he immediately became the biggest Brazilian artist of the decade—which is really saying something when you consider that it was also the decade of the bossa nova and the huge hit, “Girl From Ipanema,” both phenomenons. Sort of a Brazilian counterpart to A&M label head Herb Alpert’s own Tijuana Brass, Mendes’ Brasil ‘66?featuring two of the sexiest, most beautiful female vocalist of the era, including Lain Hall (who later married Herb Alpert)—reached the top of the Billboard singles charts with smashes like “The Look of Love” (which immediately became a perennial standard upon release), covers of “Scarborough Fair,” and “The Fool on the Hill,” and, probably their signature song, “Mas Que Nada.” Mendes’ albums kept charting throughout the ‘70s. In 1983, he scored one of the biggest hits of his career with the amazing “Never Going to Let You Go,” which reached the top of the AC, Pop and Black Singles charts. In 1993 Mendes won a GRAMMY® Award for his album Brasileiro. Mendes’ music is so representative of his native Brazil, in fact, that the aforementioned “Mas Que Nada,” his first hit, has become synonymous with the country throughout the world. You’d almost have to be a hermit to have never heard the track...and to not immediately think of Brazil when you do. So it’s only fitting that a new version of the song should be the song Sergio and Will agreed upon to kickoff Timeless. “From the beginning, Will and I decided to revisit many of the classics of the Brazilian songbook which I had recorded in the past,” says Sergio. “The combination of those great melodies and Will’s urban vision inspired me to bring those classics to a new dimension and to the streets of the world. It was very challenging, and I had a lot of fun with it.” Among the album’s 15 tracks—which were recorded both in Brazil and at House of Blues Studios in Encino, CA—is another rerecording of a classic Mendes track, “The Frog,” featuring rapper Q-Tip. Will notes that he had sampled jazzy, Latin samba rhythms as far back as the early ‘90s on albums like Midnight Marauder, “so we thought it would be a perfect match to hook him up with Sergio.” Romantic R&B crooner John Legend contributed vocals to a new song, “Please Baby Don’t,” which Sergio recorded in Manhattan with a band of New York-based Brazilian musicians, offering the same type of classic melody here (and elsewhere throughout the entire album) that made the pianist famous decades ago. “It’s good for young people—and also for musicians—to hear Sergio Mendes,” notes Will. “Because a lot of young music today, it’s like there’s no melody. There is a big old beat, which is cool. But at the end of the day, it makes me look at my generation and think it’s sad because we’re really not taking time to create beautiful melodies that will last forever. You know? Because a beat’s a beat. But a melody lasts for decades. I’m melody driven and it’s been refreshing to work with someone who is a master at it. When you get to the Sergio Mendes’ level, it’s like you can create these simple, haunting melodies that just, boom, make you melt. And it’s an inspiration for me to try to get to that level. Because that is dope.” The respect, however, is mutual on both sides. “For me, it was like a learning process all the way through,” says Sergio. “Because he’s not only melodic, but Will has wonderful rhythmic instincts and ideas as well. And the way he organized the beats with the organic Brazilian instruments, and integrated the Protools beats with it all, was just fascinating because I’ve never done it before. And it just sounds great. The other thing I found fascinating was his structuring of the song. Will would get to the meat of the song, the essence of the song, getting rid of things that were unnecessary.” In many ways, the guest vocalists’ involvement seemed to snowball as the project evolved. “I kept wondering how I was going to get someone like Justin Timberlake to like Brazilian music as much as I do,” explains Will. “But then, lo and behold, all the things started to fall together. We were making music and towards the end, Justin heard the India.Arie song (which, incidentally, happened to be the album’s title track). From that point on, he was like. ‘Yo! You gotta put me on that Sergio Mendes project. That India.Arie track is just crazy!’ And he ended up writing a song for Sergio and me. So it just happened like, Woosh!’ That’s how a lot of it actually came together.” The young with the legendary. Latin and African polyrhythms merged with American urban music. More than 20 years after his last phenomenal hit, Sergio Mendes has returned with an album that promises to be just as phenomenal but even more revolutionary than his past smash accomplishments. Will explains: “In the ‘60s, there was hippie music and, you know, soul music and rock, blues, jazz. And, then here comes Sergio Mendes saying, ‘Hey, have you heard Brazilian music?’ And he brought it to America. He imported it. You know what I mean? I’ve worked with James Brown, and he’s the one who brought funk to America. And now I’ve worked with Sergio Mendes, and he’s also responsible for bringing a whole genre of music to the United States. It’s like, you know, Earth, Wind & Fire wouldn’t be Earth, Wind & Fire if Sergio Mendes hadn’t brought samba and bossa nova to America.” “But the only reason that you can call Timeless a ‘Brazilian record’ is because of Sergio Mendes’ blood. He comes from Brazil so therefore it’s a Brazilian record,” he adds. “And most of the melodies are Brazilian,” says Sergio. “The melodies are of Brazilian descent,” agrees Will. “But this album is a universal album.” “The melody is always there,” says Sergio. “It comes in and makes you dream. You can dance. And it’s a romantic thing. I think people are going to find melodies to take home, to remember, to get romantic to, to dance to, to drive to, and to dream to. “But, overall, yes, this is very universal.” And, of course, timeless. Jazz n' Blues Reviews Sergio Mendes Live at The Suncoast
Brazil 2003 took the stage and played while Sergio was introduced. "Pretty World" got the show underway. "Holografico" featured a fine guitar solo and a spot for the percussionists to play with the drummer for a drum trio. The classic "Girl From Ipanema" kept the show moving and a packed house happy. "One Note Samba" kept the Brazilian rhythms flowing from the stage. A trio of songs followed that flowed from one to the other leading into the percussion solo. The two percussionists played many different instruments, much to the enjoyment of the audience and themselves. The most interesting of these were a bow-like instrument called a berimbao. "The Look Of Love/Fool On The Hill" medley took the crowd back to their youth. "Mas Que Nada" and Tristeza" ended a wonderful performance. Mendes and his nine piece band returned for an encore. The song "Indiado" capped off a packed weekend at the Suncoast. Photo by Carol Michaud copyright © 2003-2006 Brown Ink BluesBeat Nevada
RESTON, Va. - Wilson Picket, the soul pioneer best known for the fiery hits "Mustang Sally" and "In The Midnight Hour," died of a heart attack Thursday, according to his management company. He was 64. Chris Tuthill of the management company Talent Source said Pickett had been suffering from health problems for the past year. read more For in depth coverage of the Las Vegas Blues scene, visit BluesBeat Nevada, your weekly guide to "all things blues." Antonio Carlos Jobim Biography
b. Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim, 25 January 1927, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, d. 8 December 1994, New York, USA. Jobim can rightfully claim to have started the bossa nova movement when, as director of Odeon Records, he gave his friend Joao Gilberto his own composition "Chega De Saudade". The influence of the resulting record soon spread to the USA, where Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd made his compositions hugely popular. Although Jobim did record, and performed at Carnegie Hall with Getz, Byrd, and Dizzy Gillespie in 1962, it is as a composer that his influence remains huge, with tunes including "Desafinado", "How Insensitive", "The Girl From Ipanema", "One Note Samba" and "Wave" still jazz standards. Before his untimely death in 1994, his praises were sung for many years by Frank Sinatra, and in recent times by Lee Ritenour. Discography: Compilations: Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989-2005 |
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jazz news | calendar | jazz chart | birthdays | new releases | feature | clubs | beyond the neon | biography | blues news | live reviews
Calendar
Sergio Mendes at Suncoast Showroom
News
Friday December 09, 2005 @ 05:30 PM
Jazz entrepreneur Bob Weinstock dies at 77
Poncho Sanchez has long qualified as one of the hardest-working men in Latin jazz. Born in Laredo, Texas as the youngest of 11 children, he grew up in Norwalk, California (where he still lives) and remembers hearing Afro-Cuban music while growing up. "As a kid in third or fourth grade, I would hear my sisters dancing while listening to Machito, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader and various bands from Cuba while my brothers listened to doo-wop music and early rhythm and blues." While in sixth grade, Sanchez bought a fifty- cent guitar in hopes of joining an r&b band that rehearsed across the street from his home. Although he practiced quite a bit, when he showed up for an audition, he knew immediately that he did not stand a chance. "But it turned out that they needed a singer and, although I had never sung, I gave it a try and became the lead vocalist in that band for five years. Then when I was in high school, the first chance I had to get behind a set of conga drums, I hit them and it felt quite natural." Soon Sanchez had saved up money from his singing jobs and was practicing congas as much as possible in his garage, playing to Machito, Tito Puente and Cal Tjader records. -- Source: DrummerWorld.com
Since his Brazil '66 album almost 40 years ago, Sergio Mendes has been delighting fans all over the world. A three night stand at the Suncoast showed his fans that Mendes can still cut it onstage after all these years.
Soul and R&B artist Wilson Picket dies
