Brian Culbertson Opening for Barry Manilow

Back in September, vocalist Barry Manilow called on Smooth Jazz keyboardist Brian Culbertson to open two high-profile shows in Philadelphia and Boston. Manilow must have been impressed, because he has now invited Culbertson to join him on an 11-city tour that begins Jan. 11 in St. Paul, Minn., and concludes Feb. 24 in Miami.

Culbertson will be opening for Manilow on his An Evening of Music and Passion arena tour, which marks Manilow’s final shows before he begins another extended stay at the Las Vegas Hilton, where he began performing in 2005. Culbertson's opening gig will give the keyboardist tremendous exposure, as Manilow has sold 70 million albums worldwide in his long career and has had 31 platinum recordings. In addition, Manilow's concert tour for 2007 ranked at #19 for the year.

Meanwhile, Culbertson says his next Smooth Jazz CD will be finished by the end of this month and features musical contributes by Gerald Albright, Bootsy Collins, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild and Larry Graham, among others.

Boney, Jarreau and Austin Are Legends

A new superstar tour has been announced in conjunction with pianist Ramsey Lewis Legends of Jazz TV series. The Legends of Jazz tour, which is scheduled to run from Sept. 5 to Oct. 21, in addition to Lewis will feature saxophonist Boney James and vocalists Al Jarreau and Patti Austin.

Specific cities on the tour are expected to be announced soon. Jarreau was featured on the first season of Legends of Jazz, which ran on PBS in 2006, as were numerous other Smooth Jazz and traditional jazz performers. An an announcement is also expected soon on the second season on Legends of Jazz on national television.

Dave Koz Finishes Movie Soundtrack CD

Saxophonist Dave Koz has completed his highly anticipated, fully orchestrated CD titled At the Movies, which he says he created to help show the crucial role music plays in film. A late addition to Koz’s eighth studio album was ‘70s disco diva Donna Summer, who sings “A Whole New World” from the Disney animated motion picture Aladdin. In addition, a sample from the late Judy Garland leads off the album and Koz’s version of “Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.

Other guest artists include India Arie (“It Might Be You” from Tootsie), Anita Baker (“Somewhere” from West Side Story), Barry Manilow (“Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Johnny Mathis and Chris Botti (“Shadow Of Your Smile” from the Love Theme From The Sandpiper) and Vanessa Williams (“The Way We Were” from the film of the same name).

The CD also includes instrumentals of the themes from Casablanca, Schindler’s List, Cinema Paradiso, Pink Panther and Summer of ’42.

Koz currently has a Top 30 smooth jazz hit with the instrumental version of “It Might Be You” that features guitarist Peter White. The song is from Tootsie.

At the Movies

1. Over The Rainbow (With Judy Garland sample)
2. Moonriver (With Barry Manilow)
3. As Time Goes By
4. Somewhere (With Anita Baker)
5. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Love Theme from The Sandpiper) (With Johnny Mathis and Chris Botti)
6. The Pink Panther
7. The Way We Were (With Vanessa Williams)
8. The Summer Knows (Theme from the Summer of 42)
9. It Might Be You (With India Arie)
10. Cinema Paradiso Suite
11. A Whole New World (With Donna Summer)
12. Schindler’s List
13. It Might Be You (With Peter White)
14. The Shadow Of Your Smile [Love Theme from The Sandpiper] (With Chris Botti)

Dave Koz Will Duet With Anita Baker On TV Special

Saxophonist Dave Koz, who has just announced that his upcoming CD called At the Movies will be released on Jan. 30, will debut the live performance of one of the album’s songs on national television. The song, “Somewhere” from the Academy Award-winning motion picture West Side Story, is a duet with vocalist Anita Baker. The song will be performed by Koz and Baker on Christmas Day during the annual Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice on NBC.

Koz and Baker are the musical guests on the show, being taped on Oct. 20 at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Koz will also perform “Let It Snow,” “Sleigh Ride” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” on the show, and Baker will offer three selections from her 2005 holiday CD Christmas Fantasy. The Christmas special will also feature skating from such well-known names as two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan, Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva, six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge and three-time U.S. champion Michael Weiss.

Capital One Holiday Celebration on Ice will air on NBC on Dec. 25^th at 4 p.m. ET.

Fattburger's Hollis Gentry Dies

Saxophonist Hollis Gentry, who helped form the San Diego-based Smooth Jazz group Fattburger more than 20 years ago, has died at age 51. It was two years ago that Gentry was involved in a serious automobile accident in San Diego. He had been through rehabilitation, but entered a hospice a few weeks ago after his health began to worsen. He died on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at his home.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in music composition and a master’s in music technology, Gentry and childhood friend and keyboardist Carl Evans founded Fattburger, which garnered a huge local following in San Diego and eventually became well-known in the U.S. and overseas, especially in Japan. In addition, Gentry was a teacher who counted Kirk Whalum among his students, and he also toured with such superstars as Al Jarreau, Larry Carlton and Joe Sample.

Evans recalls that a benefit concert for Gentry – held after his 2004 accident and featuring Fattburger and Hollis’ childhood friend Nathan East – meant a lot to the saxophonist:

"He was really pleased to see some footage on the news about the benefit concert for him," Evans said. "And he was just really touched. Just really surprised and really overwhelmed. "

Funeral services will be held Sept. 15 in San Diego.

Eliane Elias : Brazilian Cool Redefined

Pianist and vocalist Eliane Elias in the past was known as an amazing jazz pianist who frequently paid homage to her Brazilian heritage. She still is, but Elias, who is now based in New York and has performed on albums by guitarist Earl Klugh and vocalist Michael Franks, has remade herself on a brand-new CD called Around the City that no doubt owes much to the success of Bebel Gilberto.

Gilberto is a favorite among the chill-crowd, who remake her songs with a downtempo bent. They could do the same with Elias' latest, a sublime mix of pop and jazz that features both English and Portuguese vocals. In fact, the two languages are combine on the CD's opening track, "Running," quite possibly the smoothest and best vocal tune of the year. It's impossible to get out of your head.

Making appearances on the CD are trumpeter Randy Brecker (her former husband), bassist Marc Johnson (her current husband), flutist Dave Valentin, percussionist Paulino da Costa and others. Her 18^th album, released by the Bluebird record label, has covers of such well-known tunes as Bob Marley’s “Jammin’” and Santana’s “Oye Como Va.” Original tunes include “We’re So Good,” “Slide Show” and “Save Your Love For Me.”

Elias will be making appearances in the U.S. in September in Philadelphia, New York, Seattle and Los Angeles. If you live in or near any of those cities, you deserve a night out to hear this exquisite musician.

Stax Academy Names Kirk Whalum Artist In Residence

The Stax Music Academy in Memphis, which opened three years ago, has chosen saxophonist Kirk Whalum as its first artist in residence. Whalum, who grew up in Memphis but moved away at age 18, will begin his duties on Sept. 5.

Whalum will be much closer to the museum soon, as he recently announced that he is moving back to his hometown early next year and that he and wife, Ruby, are looking for a place downtown. Since leaving Memphis, Whalum has lived in Paris, Southern California and, for the past 10 years, in Nashville. Besides sharing his many musical experiences, Kirk will perform with academy students in public concerts as well as conduct public and private master classes. He’ll also record public service announcements for the Stax Music Academy and adjacent Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

It was in 2003 that Whalum recorded a CD in Memphis called Into My Soul, giving praise to Soulville's Stax Records and the sound of Memphis music. The one-time Memphis based record label was one of the most popular soul-music labels ever, second only to Motown. Whalum grew up listening to the Stax Recording artists such as Al Green, Otis Redding and John Lee Hooker, among others.

Japanese Pop Star Will Be Mrs. Captain Fingers

Guitarist Lee Ritenour, who just released a fantastic new CD called “Smoke n’ Mirrors,” is engaged to be married to Japanese pop singer Anri, whose music he has been producing since her 2000 CD called Smooth Jam – Quiet Storm.

Anri, who is 45 on Aug. 31, made her debut in 1979 and sang the theme song for the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998. Among those who have performed on her Japanese pop albums, in addition to Ritenour, are guitarists Larry Carlton and Paul Jackson Jr., bassist Nathan East and drummer Ricky Lawson.

Ritenour, whose nickname is Captain Fingers, produced her latest CD, Sol, which was released in Japan in November. Ritenour, 54, has a son named Wesley from his first marriage and has frequently made trips to Japan during his career to perform and produce music.

"She’s quite a well-known singer in Japan," says Ritenour. "I mean very famous over there. We’ve know each other for years as friends and colleagues. We've had a longtime friendship."

New Details on George Benson, Al Jarreau CD

George Benson and Al Jarreau have an all-star cast for their highly anticipated duets album, Givin' It Up. The 13-song CD is a mix of cover songs and originals. Trumpeter Chris Botti and vocalist Patti Austin are featured on a song written by Jarreau called “Let it Rain,” while Mr. Beatle himself, Paul McCartney, joins Benson and Jarreau on a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me.”

There are two new versions of Benson and Jarreau’s most famous songs. Jarreau wrote new lyrics for Benson’s “Breezin’,” while guitarist Benson returns the favor by performing an instrumental version of Jarreau’s “Morning.” The superstar pair also cover Seals & Crofts’ "Summer Breeze,” Paul Young's "Every Time You Go Away," John Legend's "Ordinary People," Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child” and Miles Davis' "Four" and "’Long Come Tutu." Original tunes include “All I Am,” “Givin’ It Up For Love” and “Don’t Start No Schtuff.”

Among the many musicians and co-writers on the CD are Marion Meadows, Rex Rideout, Freddie Ravel, Herbie Hancock, Jill ScottPatrice Rushen, Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke. Givin' It Up, a collaboration between Concord Records and Monster Music, will be released Oct. 24.

Givin’ It Up Track Listing

1. Breezin’ (Bobby Womack/Al Jarreau) - (5:40)
2. Morning (Al Jarreau/David Foster/Jay Graydon) - (5:02)
3. ‘Long Came Tutu (Marcus Miller/Al Jarreau) - (6:37)
4. God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday/Arthur Herzog Jr.) - (3:40)
5. Summer Breeze (Darrell Crofts/Jimmy Seals) - (5:01)
6. All I Am (Rex Rideout/Phillip Taj Jackson) - (3:23)
7. Ordinary People (John Legend/will.i.am) - (5:18)
8. Let It Rain (Al Jarreau/Barry Eastmond) - (4:54)
9. Givin’ It Up for Love (Al Jarreau/Freddie Ravel) - (3:57)
10. Every Time You Go Away (Darryl Hall) - (4:30)
11. Four (Miles Davis/Jon Hendricks) - (5:15)
12. Don’t Start No Schtuff (Al Jarreau/Joe Turano) - (4:44)
13. Bring It on Home to Me (Sam Cooke) - (4:25)

Chris Botti Records Song For Animated Film

Chris Botti has recorded a song called “Chicago” with vocalist Lyle Lovett at the famed Capitol Studios in Los Angeles that will soon be heard in an computer-animated motion picture that the late actor Christopher Reeve was working on at the time of his death.

The movie, Everyone’s Hero, is an adventure telling the story of a young boy's 1,000-mile journey to find a baseball bat stolen from famed New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth. The movie’s theme of perseverance against all odds was inspired by Reeve, its original director and executive producer, who was paralyzed after a horse riding accident and died in October of 2004. Among those lending their voice-over talents are Rob Reiner, William H. Macy, Raven, Dana Reeve and Whoopi Goldberg.

Everyone’s Hero is expected to be released in the U.S. on Sept. 15.

Boney James Has Five Vocalists On New CD

Saxophonist Boney James calls Shine, his 10^th CD and first for Concord Music Group, an upbeat and positive work that features many of his musical influences. The 12-song CD – with nine originals and three covers – has a guest performance by guitarist George Benson on the song “Hypnotic,” marking the first time the two smooth jazz powerhouses have collaborated together. Benson is also recording a album for Concord, a duets project with Al Jarreau.

Also guesting on Shine are pianist George Duke and five singers: R&B vocalists Dwele on a cover of the Dramatics’ “In the Rain”; Faith Evans; Phillip Bailey; gospel vocalist Ann Nesby, who sings on a cover of a song Chuck Mangione recorded in 1975 called “Soft”; and chill-influenced vocalist Esthero. James also adds an instrumental cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s bossa-nova classic “Aguas de Marco.”

Shine willl be released Sept. 26.

1. Shine (Boney James/Lily Mariye/Laren Evans) (With Esthero)
2. The Total Experience (Boney James/Johnny Britt) (With George Duke)
3. Aguas de Marco (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
4. Let It Go (Boney James/Rex Rideout)
5. In The Rain (The Dramatics) (With Dwele)
6. Gonna Get It (Boney James/Rahsaan Patterson) (With Faith Evans)
7. Breathe (Boney James/Phil Davis)
8. Love Song (Boney James/Eric Daniels/Johnny Britt) (With Phillip Bailey)
9. Hypnotic (Boney James) (With George Benson)
10. The Way She Walks (Boney James/Leon Bisquera)
11. Dedication (Boney James/Joe Wolfe/Gerald McCauley)
12. Soft (Chuck Mangione) (With Ann Nesby)

Jazzmasters V Leans Toward Instrumentals

Paul Hardcastle is returning to the familiar for his next CD but at the same time trying something new. He's once again reunited with vocalist Helen Rogers for Jazzmasters V, which he recently completed. Rogers has always been part of the Jazzmasters CDs, which alternate with the Hardcastle ones.

But on the new CD, Rogers only sings on three songs, “Children of the Ghetto,” “Garden of Eden” and “Live for the Dream,” after appearing on six of the 13 songs on Jazzmasters 4. That obviously means the new CD is more of an instrumental project than previous Jazzmasters efforts.

The 11-song CD features titles such as the first single "Free As the Wind,” “Never Far Away” and “The Sun Says Goodbye.” Jazzmasters 5 will be available July 25.

Jeff Golub Offers Guitar Tabs

If you play the guitar and want to play songs from your favorite musicians and bands, the Internet is a great resource to find guitar tablature, which is a way of reading music. These tabs are posted by fans who figure out the songs and share them for all to see. But if you’ve wanted to play like your favorite smooth jazz guitarist you’ve pretty much been left out to dry as there haven’t been that many tabs available.

Smooth Jazz guitarist Jeff Golub has just changed all of that. Or at least in some small way - hopefully others will follow. On his newly designed Website, Golub offers tabs to eight of his most popular songs, including “Nitelife,” “Bobby’s Mood,” “Pick Up the Pieces” and “Gone But Not Forgotten.” In addition, Golub is also making available his original sheet music to “Cold Duck Time” and his No. 1 smooth jazz song called “No Two Ways About It,” which also featured the guitar work of good friend Peter White.

There is no charge to download the tabs or sheet music, although you must download a program to be able to read the tabs.

Golub's current CD is called Temptation and he's currently on a short break on this year’s version of Guitars & Saxes tour in the U.S. with Peter White and saxophonists Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright.

Mindi Abair Opening For Michael Bolton Summer Tour

Smooth Jazz saxophonist Mindi Abair will be playing to a whole-new audience this summer when she opens for vocalist Michael Bolton. One date has been set so far, July 25 in Costa Mesa, California, but many more are expected to be announced soon.

Although Abair is a headlining act in her own right, the saxophonist is not adverse to touring with stars in other genres to get her music heard. In 2004, she toured with pop and classical vocalist Josh Groban. Bolton, best known for songs such as “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” “When a Man Loves a Woman” and "Love Is a Wonderful Thing,” released a new CD on May 23 called Bolton Swings Sinatra.

Abair's new CD, Life Less Ordinary, includes the smooth jazz hit “True Blue.”

Rippingtons Finish 20th Anniversary CD

Guitarist Russ Freeman, leader of the Rippingtons, has finished recorded a special CD that marks the band’s 20^th anniversary. The 11-song CD, called The Rippingtons 20^th Anniversary, features nine new compositions written by Freeman and one, "Anything,” written and performed by Brian McKnight with Freeman's accompaniment on classical guitar.

The CD also features a nine-song medley of some of the band’s most popular songs called “20^th Anniversary Tribute,” with vocals by Jeffrey Osborne and solos by the original performers on the songs. The medley’s songs include “Moonlighting,” “Black Diamond,” “Weekend in Monaco,” “I’ll Be Around” and others.

Guest artists include those who have performed on Rippingtons CDs in the past, including David Benoit, Dave Koz, Steve Reid, Gregg Karukas, Brandon Fields, Kirk Whalum and Paul Taylor.

The CD will be released July 25 on Freeman's Peak Records.

The Rippingtons are now finalizing plans for a 20^th anniversary reunion tour this summer, with Reid and Jeff Kashiwa already on board.

The Rippingtons 20th Anniversary

City of Angels (Russ Freeman)
Celebrate (Russ Freeman)
Costa Del Sol (Russ Freeman/Yaredt Leon)
Bingo Jingo (Russ Freeman)
Eternity (Russ Freeman)
Six Four (Russ Freeman)
Rainbow (Russ Freeman)
Twenty (Russ Freeman)
Anything (Brian McKnight)
A Kiss Under the Moonlight (Russ Freeman)
20^th Anniversary Tribute: Moonlighting/Black Diamond/Weekend in Monaco/Welcome to the St. James Club/Morocco/Tourist in Paradise/I'll Be Around/Curves Ahead/Brave New World (Russ Freeman/Thomas Bell/Phil Hurtt)

Chieli MInucci Drops Solo Projects For Special EFX

There will be no more solo albums from guitarist Chieli Minucci. But there’s no reason to despair. Minucci and his record label, Shanachie, have simply decided that from now all of his music will be released under the moniker Chieli Minucci With Special EFX.

The consolidation of names makes sense, Minucci says. When Special EFX was formed more than 20 years ago, it was a collaboration between Minucci and percussionist George Jinda, who died in January 2002. The duo broke up 10 years ago, but Minucci continued to release Special EFX CDs on his own in addition to his solo projects. Since that time, Minucci has basically followed a Special EFX with a solo project, even though Minucci has for the most part been the focus of the music.

It all got to be confusing, Minucci admits, and his solo concerts would often be booked as Special EFX shows.

"I have six solo CDs and Special EFX has 17," Minucci says. "We’ve been around doing stuff for awhile. But it kind of confused what we were doing with the recordings and the bookings, and it feels like now we’re reconciling everything. The live shows have been called Chieli Minucci With Special EFX for a while now. And now we’re going to do a record under the same name. The thing is, how much of a chameleon can you be, right? I mean, I try to make the Special EFX and the Chieli records sound different, but there’s always a few songs that sound like they could be the same record, you know. I couldn't do it anymore."

Brian Culbertson Recording Xmas CD, Creating Tour

Dave Koz may have cancelled his annual Christmas tour, but Brian Culbertson is happy to fill the void.

Culbertson has confirmed that he will indeed embark on the first-ever Brian Culbertson Christmas Concert Tour with Bobby Caldwell, Warren Hill, Eric Darius and Ray Parker, Jr.

The tour comes about because just last week Culbertson entered the studio to create holiday music for his first-ever Christmas CD that will be released by GRP on November 7. He has already recorded what he calls a funky arrangement of “Ruldoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with keyboarder and composer Jeff Lorber.

To add a warm feel, Culbertson says CD will have real musicians with real drums, bass, guitars, keyboards and horns instead of computerized music.

Culbertson's latest smooth jazz hit, “Let’s Get Started,” is currently in the Top 5 on Radio & Records' smooth jazz chart.

Lee Ritenour's New CD: Smoke n' Mirrors

Great news from guitarist Lee Ritenour.

He has just wrapped up production on a brand-new CD called Smoke n’ Mirrors, which will be his first released for Peak Records. The new CD is his first of all-new material since “Rit’s House” in 2002. Ritenour says the upcoming CD is influenced by World Music and has numerous featured musicians from Brazil and Africa.

Although most of the tunes will be instrumentals, Ritenour is featuring a 21-year-old female artist from South Africa named Zamajobe for one track. Other vocal songs have the female singer Joyce and 33-year-old Daniel Jobim, the grandson of the late Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was in 1997 that Ritenour released the first of his popular Twist Of CDs called A Twist of Jobim, that featured numerous smooth jazz stars.

Smoke n’ Mirrors will be available this summer.

Chris Standring CD Cover Banned By Retail Outlets

Guitarist Chris Standring wanted something hot and eye-catching on the cover of his fourth solo CD, Soul Express. Now it turns out that the cover was just too hot to handle.

Standring received word that some retail outlets, when getting a glimpse of what he had it mind, said they would not carry the CD unless it was redone. Why the fuss? Well, instead of putting just another image of himself on the cover, Standring decided on a provocative image of model Holly Weber with only a strategically placed hand and a slim belt between her and nudity.

Standring's record label, Trippin N Rhythm, has now cropped the CD cover photo to the satisfaction of retail. If you want to see what the current CD cover looks like, you can go to chrisstandring.com. There, you can also visit Standring's Backstage Area to see the full image that was rejected. The image is also pictured here.

Soul Express – which features the hot smooth jazz hit “I Can’t Help Myself,” will be available on May 9. Standring will be joining keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalist Jody Watley on the Soul Express tour this summer.

Chris Botti Dueting With, Um, Dean Martin

Trumpeter Chris Botti’s latest duet will be with the legendary Dean Martin, one of the famous group of singers known collectively as the Rat Pack. Yes, Martin died more than 10 years ago. But like Kenny G and Natalie Cole before him, Botti will be performing his instrument on the Lerner/Loewe standard called "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," which will then be edited into Martin’s vocals of the song, which he first recorded in 1957.

Botti just finished recording his part of the song at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. The CD, which is being engineered by Grammy Award-winner Al Schmitt and is expected to be released later this year, is taking original recordings of Martin’s vocals, deleting the instrumentation and putting different backing and soloists with them.