July 16th, 2010 Smooth Jazz Network
John Legend is heading back to the 60s and 70s for his next project. The singer will release Wake Up! on September 21, a collection of cover songs from a more socially-conscious era.
Legend says he handpicked 10 songs from artists including Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. The first single, “Wake Up, Everybody” is his rendition of the 1975 hit by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. ”These songs sound so relevant now,” Legend said in a statement. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ had four verses — the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.”
The project is a collaboration between Legend and The Roots and will include one original track, “Shine.”
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July 16th, 2010 Smooth Jazz Network
Earl Klugh is among the dozens of virtuosos who took part in Eric Clapton’s annual Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago on June 26, but don’t fret if you missed it: on July 27, NCM Fathom and Rhino Entertainment release a theatrical version, Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010, in more than 475 movie theaters nationwide.
The Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist joined artists from a range of genres, including Keb’ Mo, BB King, Jeff Beck, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and Vince Gill. During the festival, he spoke with a reporter about being one of the few jazz players there: “I’m an acoustic guitar player pretty much exclusively, so performing in an event that includes so many different styles I just think it’s a wonderful thing. It’s a wonderful way to get to know people and share music and tear down boundaries of music….basically me being a jazz player, I’m kinda far and away from a lot of the players. I got an opportunity to sit in with Vince Gill who is a big hero of mine, so I enjoy doing things that are different than what I usually do.”
The annual festival benefits Clapton’s Crossroads Center rehab facility in Antigua. Asked what causes he supports, Klugh said, “I do a lot of things around the country with music in the schools, because when I was a kid, music was a given in school. That, to me, singly is what’s shrinking everything about music…there’s a reliance on the artificial making of music just by sampling and this type of thing. The whole thing of learning an instrument and having that connection isn’t completely lost, but it’s not the way it was when I was young. So I try at every opportunity to go to different schools.”
Klugh added that he’s begun work on his next album, a follow-up to his Grammy-nominated The Spice of Life. You can hear him currently on Brian Culbertson’s new single, “That’s Life.”
Find more about Eric Clapton Crossroads 2010 here:
http://www.fathomevents.com/concertsandmusic/event/ericclaptoncrossroad.aspx
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