JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 81st anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s birth.
Category: Soul Music
Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Chaka Khan!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Chaka Khan’s 70th birthday.
New Audio: The Ironsides Share Soulful and Cinematic “The Web”
Led by Max Ramey (production, bass) and Joe Ramey (production, saxophone), and featuring members of Monophonics, as well as a collection of some of the best Bay Area-based players, The Ironsides specialize in a sound that meshes classic psych soul with sweeping orchestral arrangements in a way that recalls the soundtracks and library music of European composers during the ’60s and ’70s.
The Bay Area collective set out to create a collection of lush compositions that evoke a diverse arrange of feelings, emotions and memories. The band enlisted Louis Robert King, a New York-based maestro as a co-writer and arranger. King had previously created arrangements for Ramey on other projects. Once the material was finished, the Ramey Brothers started contacting a collection of local musicians, who would bring the material to life. “We hired a group of Bay Area working musicians,” Max Ramey explained. “Many of them play a range of music, from jazz to classical, in clubs and orchestras. Using these local musicians was really important to us.”
Slated for a May 19, 2023 release through Colemine Records, Changing Light was recorded at Transistor Sound Studios, the home base for The Ironsides, a growing list of Colemine Records artists, including Kelly Finnigan and Monophonics. While California is a major inspiration for the album’s material, it wasn’t the only geographical inspiration for the album: The Ramey Brothers can trace their heritage to Liguria, Italy — the birthplace of their maternal grandfather. Album track “Ligurian Dream” pays homage to their Italian heritage and the composers, who inspired the cinematic and instrumental direction of the album’s material.
Changing Light‘s material evokes the imagery of an open road, a breathtaking view and scenes of a vast landscape begging to be explored. So plug something into your GPS, play the album and just drive. “The songs are inspired by landscapes – each one could mean something to someone and create a completely different meaning for someone else,” The Ironsides Max Ramey says.
The album’s first single “The Web” is a soulful, lush and incredibly cinematic composition rooted in old-school craftsmanship featuring shimmering and soaring strings, a supple and propulsive rhythm section, a punchy horn section and a buzzing horn solo. Sonically recalling a slick and seamless synthesis of Issac Hayes‘ Hot Buttered Soul and Spaghetti Western soundtrack scores, “The Web” is the perfect mood-setting song for a road-trip playlist.
Since its founding back in 1981, the Blue Note Jazz Club is recognized as being one of the premiere venues in the world. The club strives to preserve the history of jazz while simultaneously encouraging and practicing innovation on a nightly basis. In addition to iconic appearances from the likes of Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, John Scofield, Ron Carter, Chris Botti, Joe Lovano and a lengthy list of others, the Blue Note regularly showcases up-and-coming jazz, soul. hip-hop, R&B and funk artists.
The Blue Note Entertainment Group is a multi-faceted entertainment company, which owns and operates New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, Sony Hall and Arthur’s Tavern, Washington, D.C.’s The Howard Theatre, and Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide (Milan, Honolulu, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan, Napa, CA, Rio de Janeiro and Sāo Paulo).
Subsidiaries of Blue Note Entertainment Group include the legendary, record label Blue Note Records, whose catalog includes over 50 titles recorded live at New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, as well as Blue Note Travel, Management Group and Media Group.
Established back in 2011, The Blue Note Jazz Festival has become the largest jazz festival in New York City — with performances at some of the city’s most beloved venues. The festival expanded to Napa Valley last year, presenting a three-day, multi-stage event that takes place in July. Blue Note also partners on the Oxbow RiverStage, an annual outdoor festival-style summer series in downtown Napa.
Now that I’ve got the background info out of the way, let’s get to the announcement portion of the post: Earlier today, Blue Note announced the lineup, dates and locations of their much-anticipated 12th Annual Blue Note Jazz Festival. Slated to take place between May 31, 2023 – July 2, 2023, the 12th Edition of the festival will feature a diverse lineup of iconic and beloved artists including Grace Jones (!), Pat Metheny, NxWories (Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge), Robert Glasper, BJ The Chicago Kid and Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, as well as a stop on the legendary Buddy Guy‘s Damn Right Farewell tour. Full lineup and dates are below — as always.
Shows will take place at a number of beloved venues across New York, including the Beacon Theatre, Sony Hall, The Town Hall, Central Park SummerStage, BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell, and of course, the Blue Note Jazz Club. The iconic and incomparable Grace Jones will be opening the festival at Hammerstein Ballroom on May 31, 2023.
“The Blue Note Jazz Festival is celebrating the pulse and culture of New York City, and there is no better way to do that than by experiencing iconic artists throughout iconic venues this summer,” Blue Note Director of Programming Alex Kurland says. “We’re proud to spotlight multi-generational, legendary artists who have had an extraordinary impact and influence on music and culture.”
BLUE NOTE JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP
May 31—Grace Jones—Hammerstein Ballroom
June 1—Ghost-Note—Blue Note
June 1—Mashina—Beacon Theatre
June 2—Ghost-Note—Blue Note
June 2—Ms. Lisa Fischer—Sony Hall
June 3—Ghost-Note—Blue Note
June 3—Avery Sunshine—Sony Hall
June 3—Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers + John Scofield, Kenny Garrett,
Christian McBride—Town Hall
June 4—Ghost-Note—Blue Note
June 4—Harlem Blues Project—Blue Note Brunch
June 5—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 6—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 7—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 8—Lettuce & Friends—Blue Note
June 9—Lettuce & Friends—Blue Note
June 9—Manhattan Transfer—Sony Hall
June 10—Lettuce & Friends—Blue Note
June 10—Cortex—Sony Hall
June 10—Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera—Town Hall
June 11—Lettuce & Friends—Blue Note
June 11—Harlem Gospel Choir—Blue Note Brunch
June 12—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 13—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 14—Talib Kweli and The Whiskey Boys—Blue Note
June 15—Soulive—Blue Note
June 16—Soulive—Blue Note
June 17— Soulive—Blue Note
June 18—Soulive—Blue Note
June 18—Buddy Guy—SummerStage
June 18—Harlem Gospel Choir—Blue Note Brunch
June 19—TAUK—Blue Note
June 20—The Motet—Blue Note
June 21—The Motet—Blue Note
June 21—Meshell Ndegeocello—Sony Hall
June 22—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 22—Omara Portuondo—Sony Hall
June 23—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 23—Sergio Mendes—Sony Hall
June 24—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 24—Pat Metheny Side-Eye—Beacon Theatre
June 24—NxWorries, Robert Glasper with Lalah Hathaway & Bilal, BJ The Chicago Kid—Celebrate Brooklyn
June 25—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 25—Harlem Gospel Choir—Blue Note Brunch
June 26—Julius Rodriquez—Blue Note
June 27—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 28—Ron Carter—Blue Note
June 28—Harlem Gospel Choir Sings Nina Simone—Sony Hall
June 29—Soulive—Blue Note
June 30—Soulive—Blue Note
July 1—Soulive—Blue Note
July 2—Soulive—Blue Note
Tickets and further festival information can be found here.
Throwback: Black History Month: James Brown
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms closes out Black History Month by paying tribute to the legendary Godfather of Soul, James Brown.
New Audio: Jonas Shares Slow-Burning and Yearning “Too Much To Mention”
Primarily Copenhagen-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jonas (born Jonas Rendbo) has been hailed by the international music press as the Godfather of Scandinavian soul. Throughout the course of his 20+ year career, the Danish artist has developed and maintained a reputation for being remarkably prolific, releasing copious amounts of original material, which he has supported touring with Omar, John Legend, Joss Stone, Lynden David Hall and Bilal among a lengthy and growing list of others. Adding to his accolades, Rendbo won Artist of the Year and Best Video at the 2016 Scandinavian Soul Music Awards.
Since 2004, Rendbo has split time between Copenhagen and London, where he met his wife and started a family. And while in London, he started collaborating with London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer The Scratch Professer, who coincidentally is Omar’s brother. Rendbo and The Scratch Professor had an instant musical simpatico and a couple of songs they wrote together wound up on Jonas’ sophomore album 2009’s W.A.I.T.T.
That collaboration also managed to produce a handful of songs that Rendbo kept in the vault for the better part of a decade or os — until the four-song EP, 4ward Fast To Future, which was recorded, produced, mixed and mastered during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in April 2020. The EP, which featured “Pick Me Up” and “What’s Cooking” was a return to the warm, vibey neo-soul sound of his earliest work paired with Rendbo’s sultry and yearning falsetto and his uncanny knack for infectious hooks.
The EP was released to widespread praise across the blogosphere including SoulBounce.com, ScandinavianSoul.com and was a featured album on SoulTracks.com. Adding to a growing profile nationally and internationally, 4ward Fast To Future‘s material received airplay on soul music radio stations across the globe.
Building upon that momentum, the Danish singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist released the 4ward Fast to Future (Remixes) EP, an effort that features remixes of the EP’s material by friends and musical collaborators done in completely different styles.
“Too Much To Mention” is the first single from a forthcoming full-length album from the acclaimed Scandinavian soul artist. Featuring twinkling synths, a wobbling bass line, skittering beats and Rondo’s yearning delivery, the slow-burning “Too Much To Mention” is rooted in earnest, lived-in lyricism and Rendbo’s unerring knack for razor sharp hooks.
Throwback: Black History Month: Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.
Throwback: Black History Month: Al Green
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Al Green.
Throwback: Black History Month: The Supremes
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to The Supremes.
New Audio: Kay Young Shares Coquettish and Funky “The Way You Look At Me”
Kay Young is a rising London-based singer/songwriter, emcee, and producer. Back in 2019, Young caught the attention of Jay Electronica on Instagram. Jay Electronica passed some of her short beat videos to friend and collaborator Jay-Z. Before she knew it, she’d been flown out to Los Angeles and signed to Jay-Z’s management company Roc Nation. She has complete creative control of her work from songwriting to production while effortlessly moving between spitting fiery bars and soulful vocals. And throughout, her work is thoughtful, uplifting and playful while drawing from and exploring dance, jazz and soul.
Young’s debut EP, 2021’s This Here Feels Good was written during pandemic-related lockdown and features material that thematically explores familial legacy and cultural relations. The EP was released to critical applause and was supported with opening slots for Jay Electronica, Masgeo and Corrine Bailey Rae, as well as festival sets at The Great Escape and We Out Here. The rising London-based artist was featured on Blue Note’s compilation album Re:Imagined II, breathing new life into Marlena Shaw‘s “Feel Like Making Love.”
In her native UK, she has received airplay from BBC 6 Music personalities Chris Hawkins and BBC Radio 1‘s Huw Stephens, as well as BBC 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova, recording a live session at Maida Vale. She also performed a star-studded performance of “White Teeth on BBC 4’s Other Voices 20th Anniversary show.
The rising London-based artist starts off the year with “The Way You Look At Me,” the first bit of new material since the release of This Here Feels Good. Rooted in a Motown-era soul-inspired groove with a big brass section paired with Young’s coquettish and self-assured delivery (which sees her alternate between crooning and spitting bars) and an infectious hook, “The Way You Look At Me” tells a classic tale of falling in love with that pretty young thing on the dance floor — but with a modern twist. The song is just a fun, carefree and coquettish bop that captures exactly what young love feels like — new, exciting, hopeful and a little crazy.
Directed by Dylan Hayes, the accompanying video features the rising London-based artist and her backing band performing the song in late 60s-early 70s-styled garb and in front of psychedelic-tinged backgrounds. They all look like they’re about to perform on Soul Train back in about 1972 or so.
Young’s forthcoming, sophomore EP is slated for release later this year. Be on the lookout for more news.
Throwback: Black History Month: Marvin Gaye
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Marvin Gaye.
Throwback: Black History Month: Nina Simone
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and pays tribute to Nina Simone.
Throwback: Black History Month/Happy 80th Birthday, Maceo Parker!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month — and Maceo Parker’s 80th birthday.