Phil Collins has revised the schedule for his upcoming series of shows at Roseland Ballroom in New York City due to scheduling and production difficulties. The first show, originally set for June 22, has been canceled. The remaining concerts are still on for June 23-25.
Tickets for the June 22 show either can be refunded or will be good for one of the other shows, according to a press release. Those seeking refunds or exchanges should go to their point of purchase or call 800-745-3000.
The Roseland concerts mark the upcoming release of Collins’ new CD, Going Back, to be set released in September. The CD of Motown and soul music is Collins’ first new studio album since Testify in 2002. Collins had a huge pop hit in 1982 with a cover of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.”
The New York shows, billed as Up Close & Personal: Phil Collins Plays 60’s Motown & Soul, will be exclusively devoted to the music from Going Back and other R&B and pop songs. The concerts will be presented in “old school”-style as standing-room-only dance concert. Collins’ shows will feature the Grammy-winner backed by an 18-piece ensemble of musicians and vocalists including members of Motown’s legendary session players the Funk Brothers.
Those who sign up for Collins’ new mailing list will receive a free digital download of “Too Many Fish in the Sea,” popularized by the Marvelettes.
Going Back track list
Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)
Going Back
Uptight (Everything’s Alright)
Blame It On The Sun
Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer
(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave
In My Lonely Room
Jimmy Mack
Standing In The Shadows Of Love
Something About You
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
The lineup to set sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2012 was announced today (April 30) by Jazz Cruises, LLC. Motown legend Smokey Robinson will make his debut on cruise that will be hosted by David Sanborn and Marcus Miller, along with special event hosts Jonathan Butler and Gerald Albright. Reservations are now being accepted for the week-long cruise scheduled to depart January 15-22 and January 22-29, 2012.
Other stars that will perform aboard the Holland America M/S Westerdam to Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Barths and the private island of Half Moon Clay are Boney James, Rick Braun, Candy Dulfer, Eric Darius, Jeff Golub, Rahsaan Patterson, Patrice Rushen, Joe Sample, Brian Simpson, Peter White and DW3, the official party band of the Smooth Jazz Cruise. Comedian Alonzo Bodden will be on board, and Pat Prescott and Dane Butcher will serve as event hosts and emcees.
“It is a very special lineup because we asked our guests who they’d most like to see perform on the Smooth Jazz Cruise and that’s who we booked,” said the Smooth Jazz Cruise’s executive director Michael Lazaroff. “In addition to the impressive array of instrumental and vocal talent that will sail with us, we’re thrilled about including a living legend, Mr. Smokey Robinson, in our cruise experience.”
The cruise attracts repeat business: nearly sixty-percent of the guests return to sail aboard the Smooth Jazz Cruise again. In recognition of this loyalty, for the first time, a special rate will be offered for the 2012 cruise for guests who have sailed with the program four or more times. Due to popular demand, the Smooth Jazz Cruise 2011 marks the first time two sailings are offered: January 16-23 and January 23-30. Both excursions are almost sold-out nine months ahead of the departure dates.
Reservations can be made from the U.S. and Canada by calling toll-free 888.8JAZZ.US (888.852.9987) and internationally by calling toll-free 800-8JAZZ.USA (800.852.99872). Additional information is available at thesmoothjazzcruise.com.
Today (April 30th), smooth Jazz flutist Alexander Zonjic is 59. Zonjic was born and still lives in Windsor, Ontario.
Zonjic actually played guitar in a rock band during his youth before picking up a flute for the first time at age 21. Today, Zonjic, a two-time Detroit Music Awards winner, has performed with many smooth jazz stars, including most notably Bob James and Earl Klugh, and has released several solo CDs.
Zonjic’s latest CD, Doin’ the D, features saxophonist Kenny G, trumpeter Rick Braun, guitarists Chieli Minucci and Ken Navarro, vocalist Maysa, bassist Brian Bromberg, and keyboardists James and Jeff Lorber.
On April 23 at the sixth annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, Doin’ the D was named best album, and he was named broadcaster of the year.
On Thursday (May 6), Zonjic will have a Mother’s Day show with guest vocalist Maysa at the Old Mill Inn and Spa in Toronto. On May 8, his 14th annual Mother’s Day Concert will be held at the Downtown Mission in Windsor.
Today (April 30), smooth jazz saxophonist Paul Taylor is 50. He was born and raised in Denver and later moved to Las Vegas, where he graduated from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He still lives there with his wife, Laronda.
After college, Taylor joined Jeff Lorber’s band and eventually caught the eye of pianist Keiko Matsui. He was a member of Matsui’s band through 1995, the same year he released his debut solo album On The Horn.
Taylor has now released seven albums, including his latest called Burnin’, which features the smooth jazz hit single of the same name.
Taylor performs May 8 at the Jazz on the Vine festival in Elkhart Lake, WI. On May 14, he’s with the Gentlemen of the Night tour in Newport Beach, CA. The tour also features saxophonists Marion Meadows and Michael Lington.
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Natalie Cole has been named a national spokesperson for the United Kidney Research Organization, a nonprofit group supporting medical research into the prevention, treatment and elimination of kidney disease.
Cole’s role will include raising public awareness of the various forms of kidney disease along with supporting the organization’s fundraising efforts. Cole, the daughter of singer Nat King Cole, received a kidney transplant in May 2009 after almost 10 months on kidney dialysis.
“As someone who has been affected by a form of kidney disease,” says Cole, “I recognize that I survived kidney failure and am alive and healthy today because of the availability of improved treatments, procedures and medications devised from decades of medical research. Through my involvement, I hope to bring greater recognition to the UKRO’s fundraising efforts for kidney research.”
More than 26 million people in the United States alone are believed to suffer from some type of kidney disease, and millions of others are at increased risk, according to the National Kidney Foundation.
Cole’s latest CD is the Grammy-winning Still Unforgettable. Her hits include “Unforgettable,” “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” “Inseparable,” “Our Love,” “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” “Pink Cadillac,” and “Miss You Like Crazy.”
Natalie Cole tour schedule
05/09/10 Prior Lake, MN Mystic Lake Casino
06/24/10 Vienna, VA Filene Center At Wolf Trap
06/27/10 Syracuse, NY Onondaga Community College (Syracuse Jazz Fest)
09/04/10 Curacao, Netherlands Antilles Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival
09/17/10 Puyallup, WA Western Washington Fairgrounds
The Canadian smooth jazz group Four80East, featuring Rob DeBoer and recent Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards winner Tony Grace, has reclaimed the rights to their first three recordings. They have now repressed The Album, Nocturnal and Round Three, all of which are now available on amazon.com.
Four80East, which is nominated in the international group category for October’s American Smooth Jazz Awards, begins a U.S. tour on May 8 at Thornton Winery in Temecula, Calif.
In the early 1990s, Grace, a drummer who also plays percussion, founded the band along with Rob DeBoer, who plays piano, guitar and bass. After recording as The Boomtang Boys, Grace and DeBoer debuted Four80East in 1998 with The Album. The CD featured the smooth jazz smash single called “Eastside.” Their fifth CD and latest CD is titled Roll On.
Four80East tour schedule
May 8: Temecula, Calif., Thornton Winery
May 15: Rochester, NY, Radisson Riverside
June 12: Sacramento, CA TBA
June 25-26: Copper Mountain, Colo., Genuine Jazz Fest
June 27: San Diego, CA Anthology (With Matt Marshak and Marcus Anderson)
June 28: Seattle, Wash., Jazz Alley (With Matt Marshak and Marcus Anderson)
July 28: Melbourne, FL, WGRV Concert Series at Crowne Plaza (free)
July 30: Balcones Heights, TX, Amphitheater at Wonderland of the Americas (free)
Aug. 8: Winnipeg, MB, TBA
Oct. 16: Rehoboth Beach, FL., Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival
Oct. 29: Michigan City, IN, Blue Chip Resort and Casino (American Smooth Jazz Awards)
Norah Jones, who has a Smooth Jazz Top 20 hit with “Chasing Pirates,” has been announced as a mainstage performer at the 2010 Montreux Jazz Festival, it was announced today (April 29).
Among other performers are Diana Krall with her husband, Elvis Costello; Pat Metheny; Lyle Mays; Simply Red; Roxy Music; Keith Jarrett; Chick Corea; Kenny Garrett; Christian McBride; Quincy Jones; and Massive Attack.
In addition, Herbie Hancock will be making a record 26th Montreux appearance.
Phil Collins will play an exclusive pre-festival concert on July 1, the day before the festival begins. The former Genesis singer and drummer will perform 1960s Motown and soul before hundreds of musicians from the worlds of pop, rock, blues, and jazz come together in the lakeside town in Switzerland from July 2 to 17 for the 44th version of one of Europe’s most prestigious summer music events.
The lineup for the 31st Detroit International Jazz Festival has been announced, and it includes smooth jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum. He will be joined by Lalah Hathaway and Robert Randolph as he plays the music from his upcoming tribute CD of music by Donny Hathaway. Lalah Hathaway is the daughter of the late singer. The CD, titled Everything Is Everything, will be released in September.
The Detroit festival will be held Sept. 3 through Sept. 6 in downtown Detroit.
Subtitled Flame Keepers – Carrying the Torch for Modern Jazz, the festival will feature a veritable dean’s list of alumni who passed through the schools of Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Betty Carter, Ray Brown, Miles Davis and Gil Evans. “2010 artists Mulgrew Miller, Bobby Watson, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Randy Brecker and Benny Green were all in Blakey’s band at one time or another,” says festival director Terri Pontremoli. “These musicians went on to develop their own bands, explore new territory and nurture a new generation of flame keepers.”
Other artists include pianist Danilo Perez, Manhattan Transfer, Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Tierney Sutton, Tia Fuller, the Freddy Cole Trio, Scott Kinsey Quartet, Poogie Bell Band with Victor Bailey, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Roy Haynes will appear with his Fountain of Youth band, and drummer Matt Wilson will present Trio M with pianist Myra Melford and bassist Mark Dresser.
As the 2010 artist in residence, pianist Mulgrew Miller will be featured on several stages throughout the weekend. On opening night, his trio will be joined by Take 6, and his other appearances include a duo piano session with Kenny Barron, a performance with his own band Wingspan, and a project with Detroit-based artists Karriem Riggins and Bob Hurst.
This week, smooth jazz guitarist and former Yankees great Bernie Williams and current Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur were on hand to christen two water taxis. They give fans another option in getting to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens.
Delta, the official airline sponsor of the Mets and the Yankees, is teaming up with New York Water Taxi to provide complimentary transportation from Pier 11 in Manhattan to all games at both stadiums through the rest of the 2010 season.
Williams got a little wet when he did his christening. “I was such a rookie. I got soaked,” Williams told Mlb.com. “That’s the first time I’ve ever done something like that.”
“It’s perfect for the fans. I saw the inside of the boats; it’s great,” added Williams, who was once again proud to represent his former franchise. The five-time All-Star also threw out the first pitch at the Yankees’ home opener two weeks ago.
Williams current hit on the Smooth Jazz Top 20 is “Ritmo de Otono,” which features saxophonist Dave Koz. It follows his Top 5 hit “Go For It.” Both are from his sophomore CD, the Latin Grammy-nominated Moving Forward.
In November of 1970, James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, Taylor, King and members of their renowned original band The Section (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue’s 50th anniversary.
Those historic shows are documented in Live at the Troubadour, a special 2-disc CD/DVD available on Tuesday (May 4) from Hear Music/Concord Music Group. This recording, culled from these string of shows, features 15 songs and 75 minutes of video and audio including performances of the pair’s best-known hits by both Taylor and CKing.
You can now pre-order one of the specially-priced packages of Live at the Troubadour CD/DVD before the official release. Those who pre-order will receive an instant, high-quality MP3 digital download of the complete live album plus a live performance video of “You’ve Got a Friend.”
Taylor and King are now on tour and perform next month on the West Coast.
Phil Collins has revised the schedule for his upcoming series of shows at Roseland Ballroom in New York City due to scheduling and production difficulties. The first show, originally set for June 22, has been canceled. The remaining concerts are still on for June 23-25.
The lineup to set sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2012 was announced today (April 30) by Jazz Cruises, LLC. Motown legend Smokey Robinson will make his debut on cruise that will be hosted by David Sanborn and Marcus Miller, along with special event hosts Jonathan Butler and Gerald Albright. Reservations are now being accepted for the week-long cruise scheduled to depart January 15-22 and January 22-29, 2012.
Today (April 30th), smooth Jazz flutist Alexander Zonjic is 59. Zonjic was born and still lives in Windsor, Ontario.
Today (April 30), smooth jazz saxophonist Paul Taylor is 50. He was born and raised in Denver and later moved to Las Vegas, where he graduated from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He still lives there with his wife, Laronda.
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Natalie Cole has been named a national spokesperson for the United Kidney Research Organization, a nonprofit group supporting medical research into the prevention, treatment and elimination of kidney disease.
The Canadian smooth jazz group Four80East, featuring Rob DeBoer and recent Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards winner Tony Grace, has reclaimed the rights to their first three recordings. They have now repressed The Album, Nocturnal and Round Three, all of which are now available on 
Norah Jones, who has a 
The lineup for the 31st Detroit International Jazz Festival has been announced, and it includes smooth jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum. He will be joined by Lalah Hathaway and Robert Randolph as he plays the music from his upcoming tribute CD of music by Donny Hathaway. Lalah Hathaway is the daughter of the late singer. The CD, titled Everything Is Everything, will be released in September.
This week, smooth jazz guitarist and former Yankees great Bernie Williams and current Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur were on hand to christen two water taxis. They give fans another option in getting to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and Citi Field in Queens.
In November of 1970, James Taylor and Carole King first performed together at the Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif. Thirty-six years later, in November 2007, Taylor, King and members of their renowned original band The Section (featuring guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russell Kunkel) returned to the Troubadour for a three-night, six-show run to celebrate the venue’s 50th anniversary.