Jimi Hendrix News

Multi-award winning writer-director John Ridley (American Crime) has signed on to direct the first episode of the EPIX® original series, Godfather of Harlem, created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, starring and executive produced by Oscar® winner Forest Whitaker.

I like entertaining. Since I was eight years old and the best sight-reader at school, responsible for playing hymns at chapel services and carols at Christmas time, I loved to see the faces of my schoolmates light up when I surreptitiously improvised and made the hymns "hoppier" and happier.

Legendary blues guitarist and singer Buddy Guy will play the Peace Center on Friday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m.

When The Jazz Singer was released to theaters in 1927, the world of motion pictures, as we've come to know it, began.  From that date through the mid-1980s, nothing was more popular across this nation than the movies. From Saturday morning kids' runs of cartoons and sci-fi low-budget films (The Brain That Wouldn't Die) to such classics as Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane and The Wizard of Oz, Americans were passionate about the movies. 

BRON Studios has come on as a producer of Oscar® winner John Ridley's NEEDLE IN A TIMESTACK.  Zanne Devine, David Thwaites and BRON'S Aaron L. Gilbert are producing and today announced that Tony and Grammy Award winner Leslie Odom Jr., BAFTA nominee Freida Pinto, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo, and SAG award winner Orlando Bloom will star.  Ridley will direct and is adapting from a short story by Robert Silverberg where a couple work to hold their marriage together in a world where time travel is possible, and the past and present are ever fluctuating.

Songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, composers of some of the greatest blues, jazz, R&B, and rock and roll hits of all time, will be inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame in Kansas City, MO today, June 2.  Their names will be embedded in a bronze medallion on the sidewalk near the Jazz Museum. 

Imagine salsa dancing under the stars.or joining in on a poetry slam.or bringing your family out for a free movie.or taking a break from your work day to enjoy a reggae band. Free events such as these are part of MPAC's exciting new initiative entitled 'Arts in the Community.'

Songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, whose classic song 'Stand By Me' just received worldwide acclaim for its climactic performance at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will be inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame in Kansas City, MO on Saturday, June 2. Their names will be embedded in a bronze medallion on the sidewalk near the Jazz Museum. Their 1952 song classic '(Going to) Kansas City' is now considered to be the city's anthem.

Julien's Auctions, the world record-breaking auction house, held its highly anticipated music auction, PROPERTY FROM THE LIFE AND CAREER OF PRINCE May 18, 2018 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York in front of a packed crowd of music collectors and the Purple One's super fans bidding live on the floor, online and on the phone across the globe. Top selling items was Prince's custom made played yellow Cloud guitar which sold for an astounding $225,000 (pictured above right) well over its original $60,000-$80,000 estimate.

Han Solo's BlasTech DL-44 blaster, Ewok Axe and Imperial Scout Trooper Weapon from The James L. Schoppe Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Production Archive Plus Superman III Full Costume and Marilyn Monroe Items Featured

Scott D. Rosenbaum's Sidemen: Long Road To Glory is a heartfelt, intimate look at the lives and legacies of three legendary bluesmen; piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolfsidemen. The film captures some of their last interviews and final live performances, before their deaths in 2011. Historic live shows accompany personal insights from many of the blues and rock stars these legendary musicians inspired. Variety called SIDEMEN “an exceptionally entertaining and captivating tribute,” while the NY Times wrote “their stories are inseparable from that of the blues itself.”

On June 29, Charles Lloyd & The Marvels will release Vanished Gardens (Blue Note), a transcendent new album that presents the fascinating collaboration between NEA Jazz Master saxophonist and composer Charles Lloyd and acclaimed GRAMMY-winning singer and songwriter Lucinda Williams. Together they weave several threads of American music (Jazz, Blues, Americana, Country, and Rock) into a thrilling and uplifting new musical hybrid. The first single “We've Come Too Far To Turn Around,” a new gospel-informed song written by Williams, is available today to stream or download. The Marvels are Bill Frisell on guitar, Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar and dobro, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Vanished Gardens was produced by Lloyd, Dorothy Darr, and Don Was.

Songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, composers of some of the greatest blues, jazz, R&B, and rock and roll hits of all time, will be inducted into the American Jazz Walk of Fame in Kansas City, MO on Saturday, June 2.  Their names will be embedded in a bronze medallion on the sidewalk near the Jazz Museum. 

Ovens Auditorium will host HousingFest 2018: A Concert to End Homelessness in Charlotte featuring Buddy Guy & Mavis Staples on Today, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Bojangles' Coliseum Box Office located at 2700 E. Independence Blvd. Tickets cost between $51.50 and $76.50 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change.  

11th Hour Theatre Company is set to heat up June with the World Premiere of the emotional new musical Big Red Sun.   This World Premiere musical, which the company helped develop is set to run May 31-June 17. Written by John Jiler & Georgia Stitt this it opens June 4 at 7 p.m. It is directed by 11th Hour co-founder and Resident Director Megan Nicole O'Brien with Music Direction by 11th Hour regular Dan Kazemi. All Shows will be at Christ Church Neighborhood House, 20 N. American Street. 

Today, Haitian-American roots/blues musician Paul Beaubrun released 'Rise Up,' the second single from his new album Ayibobo (out May 11th via Ropeadope). Culture Collide premiered the song alongside Paul's travel guide of Port-au-Prince, check out the feature HERE.

After a successful debut launch, The Saturday Social Club is getting ready for its second installation featuring Fokofpolisiekar (or Polisiekar for the less-controversial),Sweet Resistance and Six String Stories on June 9 at the Red Roman Shed, Emperors Palace.

It's a month of legends at Blue Note Hawaii with the Godfather of British Blues John Mayall, one of the most celebrated vocalists of our time, Dionne Warwick, and the band of reggae legend Bob Marley, The Wailers, all gracing the stage this May at Blue Note Hawaii. Local favorite Leipono kick us off on May Day, followed by Kuana Torres Kahele in his tribute to the island of Maui featuring Amy Hanaiali'i. Mike Lewis & Friends promise to bring the house down in a tribute to the music of Prince featuring sultry songstress Ginai. There's a night of Hawaii Jazz All Stars with Josh Kaye and Mike Lewis, welcoming some of the island's best jazz musicians. The Island 98.5 Rocksteady Reggae Series continues this month with the formidable Wailing Souls and The Wailers. Celebrate Mother's Day weekend with ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro, and the incomparable Willie K returns to the stage. Musical tributes this month from Mike Lewis & Friends include Thelonious Monk, Chuck Mangione, Chet Baker and Sade and Josh Kaye & Friends will pay homage to the great Aretha Franklin featuring vocalist Sherry Graham. The Honolulu Jazz Quartet will present a tribute to Broadway Classics with a jazz twist

It's a month of legends at Blue Note Hawaii with the Godfather of British Blues John Mayall, one of the most celebrated vocalists of our time, Dionne Warwick, and the band of reggae legend Bob Marley, The Wailers, all gracing the stage this May at Blue Note Hawaii.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash hit School of Rock - The Musical, now in its third year on Broadway, announced today that the show celebrates its 1,000th Broadway performance on Saturday, April 28, 2018, with the release of photos from the show's recent alumni reunion at the Winter Garden Theatre.