Happy birthday today (December 20) to saxophonist Jessy J, whose most recent song “Tropical Rain,” the title track to her sophomore release, was No. 1 on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 for a phenomenal three months. Will Jessy’s song be No. for 2009? You can find out this weekend on the show as host Allen Kepler counts down the biggest songs of the year.
Born Jessica Arrelano in Portland, OR, Jessy is a USC graduate who was raised by her Mexican-American parents in Southern California, where she now lives. Jessy J, who is bilingual, tells us which language she learned first. “Actually, Spanish was my first language and I didn’t speak English until I started going to kindergarten. And even then I protested just a little bit because I was so used to speaking Spanish that I didn’t want to have to speak English. But I’m really glad that I did learn Spanish first because I feel like I’ll never forget it.”
In addition to her solo shows, Jessy also frequently tours with Michael Bolton and Mexican superstar Gloria Trevi. She’s also performed recently with Seal, the Temptations and the Four Tops.
It was veteran producer and guitarist Paul Brown who produced Jessy’s debut CD, “Tequila Moon,” which featured the No. 1 single of the same name.
Jessy will be performing on her birthday today as she’s in Bend, OR, as part of a special, star-studded holiday show called On a Clear Winter’s Smooth Jazz Christmas with Jeff Kashiwa, Gregg Karukas, Joyce Cooling, Richard Smith and Greg Adams.
On her recent appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Norah Jones helped host Jimmy Kimmel with a new edition of the classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” It was all in good fun, of course, and Jones and Kimmel selected a major online time-waster to base their version on.
“YouTube videos are really the happiest memories of all,” Kimmel said. “We should sing about it.” So they did. With Jones playing the guitar and Kimmel handling vocals, they used popular YouTube videos as the backdrop of their new tune. They included a toilet-flushing cat, a lady falling in hole, smoking monkeys, chomping Charlies and laughing babies.
On the program, Jones also sang her Smooth Jazz Top 20 hit single “Chasing Pirates.” Her next TV appearance comes Monday (December 21) on E!’s Chelsea Lately program
Vocalist and keyboardist Michael McDonald is just the latest entertainer helping transform the once-laughable ukulele into a national phenomenon. McDonald will be performing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” today (December 18) on his uke during on a special performance on the Dr. Phil show. To see the video of Michael playing the song, go to Dr. Phil’s website.
McDonald, who recently played the ukulele on The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien, also plays the ukulele on his latest CD, This Christmas, and can be seen playing it on PBS stations during the current showing of Michael McDonald – This Christmas: A Soundstage Special Event.
Future TV appearances for McDonald include this Tuesday (December 22) on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
Happy birthday to guitarist Norman Brown, who today (December 18th) is celebrating his 47th birthday. Brown, who was born and raised in Kansas City, first started playing the guitar at the age of 8 while listening to songs by Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers. A few years later his father, Roy, encouraged young Norman to listen to such jazz guitarists as Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and especially Wes Montgomery.
Norman and his wife Kimberly now live in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley and have six children: Norman Jr., Lanika, Keesha, Rochelle, Roy and Quincy. Brown is also a grandfather.
Brown, who is a weekend host on the Smooth Jazz Network, has seven solo CDs to his name, including his Grammy Award-winning Just Chillin’. His latest CD, Stay With Me, features the smooth jazz hits “Let’s Take A Ride” and “Pop’s Cool Groove,” the latter dedicated to his late father.
Several years ago, Brown was touring with Chris Botti and Alex Bugnon during Art Good’s JazzTrax holiday show. Brown says he’ll never forget what happened when the tour stopped in Albuquerque: “It happened to be my birthday that day, but I didn’t know everybody knew that. But they stopped the whole thing and made a big old birthday toast for me and had a cake prepared. These little kids had made some hats. It was a whole big planned thing for my birthday. It blew me away. To hear the audience singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me was incredible.”
Smooth jazz guitarist Nils has been selected to compose music for the 25th anniversary of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. The awards are for independent filmmakers and presented by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.
The awards show, which Nils has composed music for in the past, has typically been held inside a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, CA, on the day before the Academy Awards. This time, however, it will be held on March 5 (the Oscars are February 22) at the L.A. Live campus. It was be show live and uncut on the Independent Film Channel. The 2010 show will air on March 5 at 11 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. PT.
Nils has four smooth jazz CDs, and it was his Pacific Coast Highway release that featured the No. 1 song of the same name. His current release is Up Close and Personal. He’s also been busy producing three CDs for various artists in the past two months.
The guitarist currently has a holiday special on his website, where he is offering any of his CDs for $9.95. He’s also offering two books for $12.95 each – The Nils Songbook and How To Make Your Guitar Talk.
Comcast, the largest cable TV operator in the U.S., is offering a three-month, free on-demand telecast beginning this week of videos from more than 60 artists, including Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Sting, Maxwell and Josh Groban, as the foundation of a fundraiser for cancer research.
Stand Up To Cancer On Demand will run through March 14 in support of Stand Up To Cancer, which raises funds to accelerate research combating the disease. Celebrity participants are soliciting monetary donations, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting Stand Up to Cancer-sponsored research teams and projects.
Jones’ videos are “Come Away With Me,” “Don’t Know Why,” “Sunrise” and “What Am I To You.” Sting’s include “Desert Rose,” “Fields of Gold,” “Fragile,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” and “Every Breathe You Take,” the latter with the Police. Keys’ songs include “No One,” “Fallin’,” and “If I Ain’t Got You.”
“Comcast partnered with us on something that has never been done before,” said film producer Laura Ziskin of the on-demand initiative. Ziskin produced the Stand Up To Cancer telethon that ran simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC in September 2008. EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group are making content available for the endeavor. Celebrities including Renee Zellweger, Rob Lowe, Derek Fisher, Michael Strahan, Minka Kelly and Mandy Moore have also filmed public service announcements for the cause, while songwriter and musician Dave Stewart composed an anthem.
Numerous other personalities including Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Dr. Oz and Diane Kruger recently taped messages in support. Highlights from a 2008 network special, including clips from Meryl Streep, Keanu Reeves, Salma Hayek and the late Patrick Swayze, are also featured.
Ten years ago today (December 17), the world of music and smooth jazz in particular lost an icon with the passing of saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. Washington suffered a heart attack on December 17, 1999, after collapsing in his dressing room after taping a performance for the CBS Early Show. He was survived by his wife Christine and two children, Grover III and Shana, and is buried at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwd, PA.
The legendary saxophonist, considered by many the most popular saxophonist of all time, left the world with more than 25 albums and a legacy for other aspiring musicians to follow. A few of his most memorable hits included “Mr. Magic,” “East River Drive,” “Soulful Strut” and the Bill Withers collaboration “Just The Two Us.” Although born in Buffalo, NY, Washington spent most of his adult life in Philadelphia. In his honor, the City of Brotherly Love constructed a school named after him - the Grover Washington Jr. Middle School.
Saxophonist Paul Taylor, who has performed on the Groovin’ For Grover smooth jazz tour, says Washington did things on his instrument contemporary jazz musicians just didn’t do. “He was smooth jazz back then, more than 30 years ago. When ‘Mister Magic’ came on, he was like outlining the song with his horn. Most people didn’t really do that on a contemporary level, and he was so soulful doing it. That was his thing.”
Meanwhile, a brand-new CD by the late saxophonist titled Grover Live, capturing a show in June 1997 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY, will be released in March by G Man Productions. The CD, produced by Jason Miles (who produced the CDs To Grover With Love and the sequel 2 Grover With Love), captures the consummate pro in concert and at the peak of his powers, blowing with unbridled conviction and a sense of risk-taking on a collection of his tunes spanning three decades.
Washington’s band on the CD are Adam Holzman and Donald Robinson on keyboards and synthesizers, Gerald Veasley on electric bass, Richard Lee on guitar, Pablo Batista on percussion and Steven Wolf on drums.
“Grover could go on stage and play jazz, and he could also go on stage and play soulful stuff and everything,” says Miles. “Grover honed his craft as he was becoming himself. And Grover had great individual character to his sound, and also such a natural flow to it. It seems like that everybody sounds like everybody else. Grover, I could tell him two feet away. I mean, I could tell Grover 50 feet away.”
Beginning today (December 16), saxophonist and Smooth Jazz Network daily afternoon host Dave Koz is helping to bring some holiday cheer to U.S. troops. The Pentagon Channel online has debuted a new Holiday Special video that’s part of its Command Performance entertainment section. The video includes music performed live for the troops by various artists, including Aaron Lewis, Flyleaf, Kellie Pickler, Orla Fallon, Papa Roach, Saving Abel, Straight No Chaser and Switchfoot. Koz can be send seen shortly after the 26th minute of the 28-minute video playing “Let It Snow” as participating musicians give holiday wishes to the troops.
Koz says he was honored to provide music for this special. “Especially at holiday time, our minds and hearts go out to the men and women of our armed services, dedicating their lives selflessly so that we may enjoy the comforts and safety of home.”
Koz isn’t the first smooth jazz star to appear on the online channel, as trumpeter Chris Botti was the guest in March.
To view the new Command Performance Holiday Special, you can go to the Pentagon Channel and navigate to the Command Performance link, which includes the Holiday Special.
Meanwhile, Koz is still performing on his 12th annual Christmas tour, this time with guitarist Peter White, vocalist Brenda Russell, trumpeter Rick Braun and pianist David Benoit. The tour visits El Paso, Texas, on Thursday (December 17).
This Sunday (December 20) will be a special day for smooth-jazz fans in the republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Superstar saxophonist Kenny G will be giving a rare performance in the capital city of Port of Spain in the Queens Park Oval, which seats 4,000 and is expected to sell out. Kenny will be playing Christmas songs as well as his many hits, including songs from his latest CD, Rhythm & Romance.
Kenny is a weekend host for the Smooth Jazz Network, whose Smooth Jazz Top 20 radio show hosted by Allen Kepler can be heard on Trinidad and Tobago’s smooth-jazz radio station WMJX. Kepler is president of Broadcast Architecture and the Smooth Jazz Network.
Also appearing at An Evening with Kenny G will be Trinidad and Tobago’s Raymond Edwards, along with Chantal Esdelle and Moyenne.
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Anita Baker will perform for the first time at next year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Marking its 41st year, the festival is scheduled for the weekends of April 23-25 and April 29-May 2 and features hundreds of acts in genres ranging from pop, rock and gospel to R&B, jazz and zydeco. Also performing will be Sax for Stax with Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and Jeff Lorber.
Among the many hundreds of other artists on hand at the festival will be Van Morrison, Marcus Miller, Aretha Franklin, Lionel Richie, Steve Martin, Gipsy Kings, B.B. King, Average White Band, Jose Feliciano, Stanley Clarke, Pearl Jam and Johnny Lang. Next year’s festival will include a tribute to one of the genre’s founders, the jazz singer, songwriter and trumpeter Louis Prima, who was born in 1910 and helped elevate jazz worldwide.
Though filled with major national acts, festival producer Quint Davis says its made up of more than 80 percent Louisiana artists such as the Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Pete Fountain, Dr. John, Juvenile, Trombone Shorty and Buckwheat Zydeco.
Besides music, the festival offers a host of food and craft booths, some that include the history and making of New Orleans pottery, jewelry, clothes and Mardi Gras.
Happy birthday today (December 20) to saxophonist Jessy J, whose most recent song “Tropical Rain,” the title track to her sophomore release, was No. 1 on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 for a phenomenal three months. Will Jessy’s song be No. for 2009? You can find out this weekend on the show as host Allen Kepler counts down the biggest songs of the year.
On her recent appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Norah Jones helped host Jimmy Kimmel with a new edition of the classic “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” It was all in good fun, of course, and Jones and Kimmel selected a major online time-waster to base their version on.
Vocalist and keyboardist Michael McDonald is just the latest entertainer helping transform the once-laughable ukulele into a national phenomenon. McDonald will be performing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” today (December 18) on his uke during on a special performance on the Dr. Phil show. To see the video of Michael playing the song, go to Dr. Phil’s 
Happy birthday to guitarist Norman Brown, who today (December 18th) is celebrating his 47th birthday. Brown, who was born and raised in Kansas City, first started playing the guitar at the age of 8 while listening to songs by Jimi Hendrix and the Isley Brothers. A few years later his father, Roy, encouraged young Norman to listen to such jazz guitarists as Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and especially Wes Montgomery.
Smooth jazz guitarist Nils has been selected to compose music for the 25th anniversary of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. The awards are for independent filmmakers and presented by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.
Ten years ago today (December 17), the world of music and smooth jazz in particular lost an icon with the passing of saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. Washington suffered a heart attack on December 17, 1999, after collapsing in his dressing room after taping a performance for the CBS Early Show. He was survived by his wife Christine and two children, Grover III and Shana, and is buried at the West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwd, PA.
Beginning today (December 16), saxophonist and Smooth Jazz Network daily afternoon host Dave Koz is helping to bring some holiday cheer to U.S. troops. The Pentagon Channel online has debuted a new Holiday Special video that’s part of its Command Performance entertainment section. The video includes music performed live for the troops by various artists, including Aaron Lewis, Flyleaf, Kellie Pickler, Orla Fallon, Papa Roach, Saving Abel, Straight No Chaser and Switchfoot. Koz can be send seen shortly after the 26th minute of the 28-minute video playing “Let It Snow” as participating musicians give holiday wishes to the troops.
This Sunday (December 20) will be a special day for smooth-jazz fans in the republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Superstar saxophonist Kenny G will be giving a rare performance in the capital city of Port of Spain in the Queens Park Oval, which seats 4,000 and is expected to sell out. Kenny will be playing Christmas songs as well as his many hits, including songs from his latest CD, Rhythm & Romance.
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Anita Baker will perform for the first time at next year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Marking its 41st year, the festival is scheduled for the weekends of April 23-25 and April 29-May 2 and features hundreds of acts in genres ranging from pop, rock and gospel to R&B, jazz and zydeco. Also performing will be Sax for Stax with Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and Jeff Lorber.