Thursday, September 29, 2011

7 Walkers Announce Fall Tour Dates

Self Titled Debut Album Featuring Robert Hunter Out Now

7 Walkers photo by Jay Blakesberg


7 Walkers, the revered band featuring legendary drummer and Grateful Dead co-founder Bill Kreutzmann, guitarist Papa Mali, multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson, Fastball) and legendary New Orleans bass man George Porter Jr. (The Meters, Funky Meters) today announce a run of fall tour dates that bring them to U.S. points south and west.

Included along the tour are stops in hometowns of New Orleans and San Francisco, where very special local guest musicians are expected to sit in with the band. With George Porter Jr. also on a reunion tour with The Meters this fall, look for the 7 Walkers Fall Tour to alternate bass players between shows, with select performances to feature Dirty Dozen Brass Band founder and sousaphone player Kirk Joseph Jr., and Tea Leaf Green's bassist Reed Mathis (who also appears on the 7 Walkers' album).

Co-written by Papa Mali, 7 Walkers, and longtime Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the band's 2010 self-titled debut earned high praise from critics and fans alike. No Depression called it "The best album by any member of the Grateful Dead since American Beauty." Blurt Online raved “both assertive and alluring,” while Daily News proclaimed: “as tasty as any dish ever served up by Kreutzmann's higher-profile collaborators."

Current confirmed 7 Walkers tour dates are as follows:

October 14 ^ Harvest Music Fest Ozark, AR
October 15 ^ Kenny Dorham's Backyard Austin, TX
October 18 ^ Tipitina's New Orleans, LA (tickets)
October 20 ^ MagnoliaFest Live Oak, FL
October 22 ^ LEAF Festival Black Mnt., NC
October 23 ^ Carolina Theatre Durham, NC
October 25-26 *** The Abbey at Hopmonk Tavern Sebastopol, CA
October 27 *** Napa Valley Opera House Napa, CA
October 29 ^ Hangtown Halloween Ball Placerville, CA
October 30 *** Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
October 31 *** Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
January 9-14 ^ JamCruise with Steve Kimock Ft. Lauderdale, FL

^ Featuring George Porter Jr. (The Meters, Funky Meters) on bass

* Featuring Kirk Joseph (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band) on sousaphone

*** Featuring Reed Mathis (Tea Leaf Green)

Additional dates to be announced.

- www.7walkers.com

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues - Full Album Listening Party

Full Album Listening Party:
Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play The Blues
Live From Jazz At Lincoln Center

01. "Ice Cream" (Louis Armstrong)
02. "Forty-Four" (Howlin' Wolf)
03. "Joe Turner's Blues" (W.C. Handy)
04. "The Last Time" (Louis Armstrong)
05. "Careless Love" (Bessie Smith)
06. "Kidman Blues" ("Big Maceo" Merriweather)
07. "Layla" (Eric Clapton)
08. "Joliet Bound" ("Kansas Joe" McCoy/"Memphis Minnie" McCoy)
09. "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" (ft. Taj Mahal) [Traditional]
10. "Corrine, Corrina" (ft. Taj Mahal) [Bo Chatmon/Mitchell Parish]

Full Album Audio:
- QuickTime
- Windows Media

Video Clips (Music w/ Interview):
- "Just A Closer Walk With Thee"
- "Corrine, Corrina"
- "Ice Cream"

MARSALIS AND CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES
LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER


Reprise Records Presents Highlights From The Duo's Unprecedented, Sold-Out Jazz at Lincoln Center Performances; Also Features Special Guest Appearance By Taj Mahal


Available September 13 On CD And CD/DVD


Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton photo by Julie Skarratt


New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues last April when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and arranged by Marsalis.

Reprise Records captures the magic of these unprecedented shows from earlier this year on CD and as a CD/DVD combo that both feature selections taken from the two public concerts (April 8-9), as well a special performance for Jazz at Lincoln Center's annual gala (April 7). WYNTON MARSALIS & ERIC CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES - LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER will be available September 13 at physical and digital retail outlets for suggested list prices of $18.98 (CD), $24.98 (CD/DVD) and $9.99 (digital; audio only). The DVD will also feature a bonus performance of the classic "Stagger Lee" from legendary bluesman Taj Mahal's opening solo set for these special shows.

Order now at iTunes and Amazon ( CD - CD/DVD Combo - MP3 ).
 
Marsalis, Artistic Director  of Jazz at Lincoln Center and nine-time Grammy® Award winner, writes about his collaboration with Clapton, a 19-time Grammy recipient, in the album's liner notes: "...we wanted these concerts to sound like people playing music they know and love, not like a project."

To help them achieve that level of devotion, Marsalis and Clapton were joined on stage by Dan Nimmer (piano), Carlos Henriquez (bass), Ali Jackson (drums), Marcus Printup (trumpet), Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw (trombone, vocals), Don Vappie (banjo) and Clapton's longtime keyboardist/sideman Chris Stainton. Marsalis says the group combined the sound of an early blues jump-band with the sound of New Orleans jazz to accommodate the integration of guitar/trumpet lead, a combination that gave the musicians the latitude to play different grooves, from the Delta to the Caribbean and beyond.

The band nimbly navigated a diverse set list that touched on different styles, from the four-on-the-floor swing of Louis Armstrong's "Ice Cream" and the southern slow-drag of W.C. Handy's "Joe Turner's Blues" to the traveling blues of "Joliet Bound" and the boogie-woogie jump of "Kidman Blues." After opening the shows with his solo set, Mahal returned to join the band on "Corrine, Corrina" and the New Orleans funeral standard "Just A Closer Walk With Thee."

The one song not selected by Clapton for the show was his own "Layla," which was requested by bassist Henriquez and arranged as a Crescent City dirge to tremendous results. On his review of the performance, David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote: "In the [song's] instrumental break, Clapton hit a series of stabbing licks lightly crusted with distortion, followed by Marsalis' slow parade of clean hurting peals – a moving dialogue in lovesickness and blues routes."

WYNTON MARSALIS & ERIC CLAPTON PLAY THE BLUES
LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER
CD and DVD Track Listing
01. "Ice Cream" (Louis Armstrong)
02. "Forty-Four" (Howlin' Wolf)
03. "Joe Turner's Blues" (W.C. Handy)
04. "The Last Time" (Louis Armstrong)
05. "Careless Love" (Bessie Smith)
06. "Kidman Blues" ("Big Maceo" Merriweather)
07. "Layla" (Eric Clapton)
08. "Joliet Bound" ("Kansas Joe" McCoy/"Memphis Minnie" McCoy)
09. "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" (ft. Taj Mahal) [Traditional]
10. "Corrine, Corrina" (ft. Taj Mahal) [Bo Chatmon/Mitchell Parish]

Bonus Track on DVD-only: "Stagger Lee" by Taj Mahal

Musicians:
Wynton Marsalis - Trumpet
Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals
Dan Nimmer - Piano
Carlos Henriquez - Bass
Ali Jackson - Drums
Marcus Printup - Trumpet
Victor Goines - Clarinet
Chris Crenshaw - Trombone, Vocals
Don Vappie - Banjo
Chris Stainton – Keyboards

Produced by Eric Clapton, Wynton Marsalis and Ashley Schiff Ramos

Friday, September 23, 2011

Trombone Shorty's "For True" Debuts At #1 On Jazz Chart

Trombone Shorty's Whirlwind Week Of Television Appearances and Concerts Pays Off with the Top Spot on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart

"... intoxicating brew of R&B, rock, funk, hip-hop and jazz never fails to satisfy." - USA Today (4/4 stars)

Trombone Shorty's talent and intense work pace has been rewarded with a No. 1 album debut on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. Released September 13, 2011, 'For True,' also debuted at No. 72 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Shorty not only occupies the No.1 spot but his last CD 'Backatown' is currently No. 4 on the Contemporary Jazz chart after a full 74 weeks on the chart.

Trombone Shorty For True Album Cover Image


The high energy band kicked off their 'For True' album release week promotion with a jam packed hometown show at New Orleans' legendary Tipitina's on September 12. The show was webcast live with an onstage introduction by none other than New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and featured guests from the album joining the band onstage.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue were then off to New York City, where they played a special album release show to a packed sold out house. Just before the show, Troy sat in with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The next day, the band traveled to Boston to play two nights with Widespread Panic. After performing his own band's sets, Troy sat in with Widespread Panic for a few songs. Next stop was the Indy Jazz Fest in Indianapolis where the band closed the show following George Benson. Early the next morning, the band flew back to New York City to play directly preceding The Dave Matthews Band.

Immediately following their set, the band headed to the airport to catch a night flight to London where they taped the prestigious Later With Jools Holland TV show prior to a series of TV, Radio and live concerts in the UK, Germany, France and Spain before starting a full scale U.S. Tour in October.

For the full list of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue tour dates visit www.tromboneshorty.com.

"When the horns blow, it's all you need to know" - Rolling Stone, Will Hermes

"... the New Orleans native's intoxicating brew of R&B, rock, funk, hip-hop and jazz never fails to satisfy... They set a blistering pace on this guest-laden follow-up to last year's Grammy-nominated Backatown" - USA Today, Steve Jones' 4-star review of For True

"... guest contributions from Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Ledisi and many others, but Shorty doesn't need any help to bring the house down" - The New Yorker

"Trombone Shorty has an electric live show, an eclectic sound and a new album packed with super star guests... brass band, funk, rock and even some gospel-drenched soul music all play a part - and in many ways, he is a genre unto himself" - Billboard, Phil Gallo

"Shorty has become a leading light for the revival of New Orleans' music post-Katrina... 'For True' confirms Trombone Shorty's reputation as a youthful flag-bearer for America's unrivaled musical wellspring" - Washington Post, Elizabeth Nelson