George “Funky” Brown, the drummer, founding member and one of the main songwriters of pop-r&b group Kool & The Gang, died in Los Angeles last night following a battle with lung cancer. He was 74.
Brown, along with Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on tenor and lead vocalist James “J.T.” Taylor, was one of the songwriters in a band with such hits as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Celebration,” and “Get Down on It.”
His death was reported by TMZ.
According to an official biography of the drummer-songwriter posted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Jersey City, N.J., native had developed an early affinity for jazz drummers Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Jack DeJohnette when he met neighbor and future Kool & The Gang keyboardist Ricky West. West introduced Brown to the band’s future saxophonist and musical director Ronald Bell and future trumpeter Robert Mickens,...
Brown, along with Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on tenor and lead vocalist James “J.T.” Taylor, was one of the songwriters in a band with such hits as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Celebration,” and “Get Down on It.”
His death was reported by TMZ.
According to an official biography of the drummer-songwriter posted by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Jersey City, N.J., native had developed an early affinity for jazz drummers Elvin Jones, Art Blakey and Jack DeJohnette when he met neighbor and future Kool & The Gang keyboardist Ricky West. West introduced Brown to the band’s future saxophonist and musical director Ronald Bell and future trumpeter Robert Mickens,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Legendary jazz musician Chick Corea died in February 2021 at age 79, a month before that year’s Grammys were held. He won both of his nominations at that event, though voting ended before his death so the awards weren’t influenced by that. This year he received four more nominations posthumously, and he ended up winning two of them. That gives the late artist a total of 27 awards in his career, which ties him for fourth place on the list of the all-time biggest winners in Grammy history. Check out the gallery above for the other artists who have won the most awards in history.
This year Corea won Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)” and Best Latin Jazz Album for “Mirror Mirror.” He was also nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for “Akoustic Band Live,” but that award went to “Skyline” by Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
This year Corea won Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)” and Best Latin Jazz Album for “Mirror Mirror.” He was also nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for “Akoustic Band Live,” but that award went to “Skyline” by Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.
- 4/4/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The 2022 Grammy Awards on April 3 crowned an eclectic crop of winners. Jon Batiste, who was nominated in 11 categories, ended up winning five awards, including album of the year. Silk Sonic - the R&b superduo featuring Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak - took home all four awards they were nominated for, including record and song of the year.
Meanwhile, Doja Cat and Sza won best pop duo/group performance for their song "Kiss Me More," and Olivia Rodrigo won three awards, including best new artist. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett also won best traditional pop vocal album for their album "Love For Sale."
The award ceremony, held for the first time in Las Vegas and hosted by Trevor Noah, kicked off with a performance by Silk Sonic. Though BTS didn't win, they wowed the crowd with their "Butter" performance. Rodrigo emotionally sang her hit "Drivers License," Nas performed a medley of his hits,...
Meanwhile, Doja Cat and Sza won best pop duo/group performance for their song "Kiss Me More," and Olivia Rodrigo won three awards, including best new artist. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett also won best traditional pop vocal album for their album "Love For Sale."
The award ceremony, held for the first time in Las Vegas and hosted by Trevor Noah, kicked off with a performance by Silk Sonic. Though BTS didn't win, they wowed the crowd with their "Butter" performance. Rodrigo emotionally sang her hit "Drivers License," Nas performed a medley of his hits,...
- 4/4/2022
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, and Angelique Kidjo’s Remain in Light are among the artists set to perform the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival, which takes place at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island July 29 through July 31.
The lineup also includes the Fearless Flyers, Terence Blanchard, Pj Morton, the Ron Carter Quartet, BadBadNotGood, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Lettuce, and Cory Wong, among many others.
Christian McBride, who serves as the Newport Jazz Artistic Director, will also play his annual Jawn Jam featuring Makaya McCraven, Chris Potter, Vijay Iyer, and Brandee Younger & Mike Stern.
The lineup also includes the Fearless Flyers, Terence Blanchard, Pj Morton, the Ron Carter Quartet, BadBadNotGood, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Lettuce, and Cory Wong, among many others.
Christian McBride, who serves as the Newport Jazz Artistic Director, will also play his annual Jawn Jam featuring Makaya McCraven, Chris Potter, Vijay Iyer, and Brandee Younger & Mike Stern.
- 3/24/2022
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
In a different field, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea could have been rivals. Born just a year apart, the pianists both hit the New York jazz scene in the early Sixties, and by the end of the decade, they’d grown into two of the genre’s brightest young talents — and two of the musicians best equipped to lead the way into the plugged-in fusion era. But even after Corea replaced Hancock in Miles Davis’ live band in 1968, the pair developed a close working relationship — and equally strong friendship — that...
- 2/16/2021
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Bruce Hornsby and James Mercer teamed for a performance of their recent song, “My Resolve,” as part of The Late Show’s Play at Home series.
Adhering to social distancing guidelines, Hornsby and Mercer recorded the song separately, with the former laying down piano and lead vocals, and the Shins frontman providing harmonies and backing vocals. The song’s chorus grapples with defeat and determination, with Hornsby and Mercer singing together, “In my resolve I move the rock/Or maybe fall down trying/My ineptitude stares me down/In its face I cower.
Adhering to social distancing guidelines, Hornsby and Mercer recorded the song separately, with the former laying down piano and lead vocals, and the Shins frontman providing harmonies and backing vocals. The song’s chorus grapples with defeat and determination, with Hornsby and Mercer singing together, “In my resolve I move the rock/Or maybe fall down trying/My ineptitude stares me down/In its face I cower.
- 9/8/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
“What’s the name of that fantastic Netflix series about hip-hop?” Bruce Hornsby asks. “You’re going to have to make a plea for my inclusion!”
Hornsby is joking, of course, but this summer has brought another reminder of the keyboardist-singer’s unexpected impact on the genre. Nearly 35 years ago, Hornsby had an out-of-the-box hit with “The Way It Is,” which combined an elegantly hooky piano with lyrics confronting racism (“They passed a law in ’64/To give those who ain’t got a little more/But it only goes so...
Hornsby is joking, of course, but this summer has brought another reminder of the keyboardist-singer’s unexpected impact on the genre. Nearly 35 years ago, Hornsby had an out-of-the-box hit with “The Way It Is,” which combined an elegantly hooky piano with lyrics confronting racism (“They passed a law in ’64/To give those who ain’t got a little more/But it only goes so...
- 8/3/2020
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Not everyone in Knoxville, Tennessee, knows exactly what to make of Big Ears. “I’ll admit it. I’ve never heard of a single artist on this festival,” reads the top comment on last December’s lineup-announcement post on the city’s Reddit forum, a recurring sentiment among much of the city’s non-music-head contingent — from service-industry workers to cab drivers — over the past weekend. “There’s two reactions,” festival founder Ashley Capps told Rolling Stone. “One is completely mystified. The other is, ‘This is the festival of my dreams.
- 3/25/2019
- by Adam Gold and Charlie Zaillian
- Rollingstone.com
Bruce Hornsby invited Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon to join him in the studio for a serene new song, “Cast-Off,” that will appear on his upcoming album, Absolute Zero. The two artists trade off vocals about loving someone so much they’d be Ok with being someone’s castoff. “I’ll be your castoff,” they sing. “I’ll be your discarded toy/Be your rejection foil.”
The record, which also features contributions from yMusic, Blake Mills and Jack DeJohnette, among others, is due out April 12th.
“[‘Cast-Off’] is a song about...
The record, which also features contributions from yMusic, Blake Mills and Jack DeJohnette, among others, is due out April 12th.
“[‘Cast-Off’] is a song about...
- 3/21/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Simon adds lush orchestral layers to “Rene and Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After the War” in a new version of the 1983 track. New York chamber ensemble yMusic offers textural elegance to the rerecorded take, which appears on the singer-songwriter’s upcoming 14th LP, In the Blue Light.
The song, which appeared in its original form on 1983’s Hearts and Bones, opens and closes with flurries of strings and woodwinds. Simon quietly croons over the subtle orchestrations and a descending electric guitar pattern – a more atmospheric approach than the first version,...
The song, which appeared in its original form on 1983’s Hearts and Bones, opens and closes with flurries of strings and woodwinds. Simon quietly croons over the subtle orchestrations and a descending electric guitar pattern – a more atmospheric approach than the first version,...
- 8/29/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Simon offers a widescreen glow to “One Man’s Ceiling Is Another Man’s Floor” in his new re-recorded version of the track, which originally appeared on his 1973 LP, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.
The slowed-down, simmering track opens with chiming piano, brushed drums and finger snaps before settling into its familiar blues shuffle. Simon embellishes the arrangement with horns, psychedelic tremolo guitar, snaking tambourines and snares.
The song is available as a free download with pre-orders of Simon’s upcoming 14th LP, In the Blue Light, out September 7th.
The slowed-down, simmering track opens with chiming piano, brushed drums and finger snaps before settling into its familiar blues shuffle. Simon embellishes the arrangement with horns, psychedelic tremolo guitar, snaking tambourines and snares.
The song is available as a free download with pre-orders of Simon’s upcoming 14th LP, In the Blue Light, out September 7th.
- 8/8/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
To coincide with the final dates of his farewell tour, Paul Simon will release his 14th solo studio album — called “In the Blue Light” — on September 7, Legacy Recordings announced today. The album features new versions, or, as the announcement says, “fresh perspectives on 10 of the artist’s favorite (though perhaps less-familiar) songs” from across Simon’s solo career.
“This album consists of songs that I thought were almost right, or were odd enough to be overlooked the first time around,” Simon said in a statement. “Re-doing arrangements, harmonic structures, and lyrics that didn’t make their meaning clear, gave me time to clarify in my own head what I wanted to say, or realize what I was thinking and make it more easily understood.”
Musicians joining Simon for the re-interpretations include trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummers Jack DeJohnette and Steve Gadd, as well as the chamber ensemble sextet yMusic,...
“This album consists of songs that I thought were almost right, or were odd enough to be overlooked the first time around,” Simon said in a statement. “Re-doing arrangements, harmonic structures, and lyrics that didn’t make their meaning clear, gave me time to clarify in my own head what I wanted to say, or realize what I was thinking and make it more easily understood.”
Musicians joining Simon for the re-interpretations include trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummers Jack DeJohnette and Steve Gadd, as well as the chamber ensemble sextet yMusic,...
- 7/12/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
New York’s Hudson River valley has a long history as a haven for artists either fleeing the exhausting grind of New York City or seeking to the area’s natural beauty. It’s where Bob Dylan retreated for an extended retreat following his (possibly exaggerated) motorcycle crash in 1966, it’s where Van Morrison conceived of Moondance, and it’s currently home to — among others — jazz musicians Jack DeJohnette (drums), John Scofield (guitar), John Medeski (keyboards, of Medeski, Martin and Wood) and Larry Grenadier (bass), who formed the newly-organized collective Hudson. People is pleased to premiere their version of Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay,...
- 5/24/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
History is reductive. Music history — and especially jazz history — is perhaps more reductive. There’s a certain image we have of pianist Bill Evans: Lean, bespectacled, smoking, a faraway look in his eyes, head bowed low over the the keyboard. The sensitive genius whose chordal approach influenced Miles Davis’ approach to harmony in time for Kind of Blue; the intellectual whose liner notes for that album reference Japanese painting.
Evans’ history of drug addiction, relatively early death at age 51 and the introspective romanticism of his playing tend to reinforce that image, but it’s not a complete one. A...
Evans’ history of drug addiction, relatively early death at age 51 and the introspective romanticism of his playing tend to reinforce that image, but it’s not a complete one. A...
- 4/6/2017
- by Alex Heigl
- PEOPLE.com
Happy birthday to Pat Metheny (born August 12, 1954), one of the few jazz superstars of the past four decades to combine commercial success and critical plaudits. After paying his dues in Gary Burton's band (which he joined at age 19), Metheny put out his first album in 1976 and by the time of his third release two years later was gaining crossover radio play. Though the style of his eponymous band was smooth and tuneful, Metheny had a firm basis in jazz and straight-ahead guitarist gods such as Jim Hall (with whom he eventually recorded a fine duo album).
With success came the challenge of avoiding complacency, which Metheny has met masterfully with a wide-ranging series of albums in a variety of stylistic bags, from atonal skronk to mellow Brazilian, from thorny Ornette Coleman covers to mercurial bebop. Along the way he has lent his prestige to both respected elders (Hall, Burton, Coleman,...
With success came the challenge of avoiding complacency, which Metheny has met masterfully with a wide-ranging series of albums in a variety of stylistic bags, from atonal skronk to mellow Brazilian, from thorny Ornette Coleman covers to mercurial bebop. Along the way he has lent his prestige to both respected elders (Hall, Burton, Coleman,...
- 8/12/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Yes, there's a big disparity in the lengths of these reviews. It's not intended to slight albums 2-4; they all gave me great joy, and, I am sure, will continue to. But the scope of the first box set here is vastly broader, and thus each ensemble featured on it requires explanation. And of course I assume you're familiar with the styles of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, and Keith Jarrett.
1. William Parker: Wood Flute Songs (Aum Fidelity)
Eight discs proving that Parker is not only the supreme bassist of the current avant jazz world, he is also a fine and prolific composer and leads some of the scene's greatest bands, most notably on these 2006-2012 concert recordings his quartet with alto saxophonist Rob Brown, trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes, and drummer Hamid Drake, who are at the core of every band featured here.
That quartet is captured at peak form...
1. William Parker: Wood Flute Songs (Aum Fidelity)
Eight discs proving that Parker is not only the supreme bassist of the current avant jazz world, he is also a fine and prolific composer and leads some of the scene's greatest bands, most notably on these 2006-2012 concert recordings his quartet with alto saxophonist Rob Brown, trumpeter Lewis "Flip" Barnes, and drummer Hamid Drake, who are at the core of every band featured here.
That quartet is captured at peak form...
- 1/17/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
I have already discussed seven new releases and one compilation in my article on the Jazz Artist of the Year, Matthew Shipp. Here are my other favorite new albums from the jazz world in 2013. Most surprising for me is the number of vocal albums, because I'm very particular about jazz singers and dislike most of them. So coming from me, the praise for the jazz singers listed here is really saying something.
1. Andy Bey: The World According to Andy Bey (High Note)
Andy Bey is my favorite living jazz singer, and he's not recorded nearly as often as his talents deserve. Now 74 years old, he has only recorded 11 albums in the course of a 50-year career (one a concert album I've never actually seen). In comparison, Kurt Elling, 46 and active for 18 years, has already made 10. It had been six years since Bey's previous album, and he's been living HIV-positive since 1994, so I was worried.
1. Andy Bey: The World According to Andy Bey (High Note)
Andy Bey is my favorite living jazz singer, and he's not recorded nearly as often as his talents deserve. Now 74 years old, he has only recorded 11 albums in the course of a 50-year career (one a concert album I've never actually seen). In comparison, Kurt Elling, 46 and active for 18 years, has already made 10. It had been six years since Bey's previous album, and he's been living HIV-positive since 1994, so I was worried.
- 1/15/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Sex Mob: Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti: Sex Mob Plays Fellini: The Music of Nino Rota (Royal Potato Family)
Call me crazy, but I feel a connection between Rota's themes for Fellini's films and the melodic styles of Albert Ayler and Ornette Coleman. Granted, what each did once past their respective themes became wildly different, with Rota never abandoning harmony, Ornette twisting it in new directions, and Ayler abandoning it altogether, but before that happens, their themes share an effulgent earthiness and overflowing humanity. And who better to bring out the jazz side of that earthy humanity than the great recontextualizer Steve Bernstein and his longstanding quartet with Briggan Krauss (alto and baritone saxes), Tony Scherr (electric bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums, gongs, log drum, waterphone, vibraphone).
Bernstein's slide trumpet in particular has the microtonal relationship with pitch that Ayler and Coleman each cherished to varying degrees, including a wide...
Call me crazy, but I feel a connection between Rota's themes for Fellini's films and the melodic styles of Albert Ayler and Ornette Coleman. Granted, what each did once past their respective themes became wildly different, with Rota never abandoning harmony, Ornette twisting it in new directions, and Ayler abandoning it altogether, but before that happens, their themes share an effulgent earthiness and overflowing humanity. And who better to bring out the jazz side of that earthy humanity than the great recontextualizer Steve Bernstein and his longstanding quartet with Briggan Krauss (alto and baritone saxes), Tony Scherr (electric bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums, gongs, log drum, waterphone, vibraphone).
Bernstein's slide trumpet in particular has the microtonal relationship with pitch that Ayler and Coleman each cherished to varying degrees, including a wide...
- 7/2/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.