Stevie Wonder News

'Motown: The Musical' is, plain and simply, Berry Gordy's revenge on 'Dreamgirls.' After getting displayed in a negative fashion in that show, Gordy decided to create his own version of his career, painting himself in noble colors.

Ronnie's latest recording 'Heal' with 'Band Burrage' blends fusion, hard bop, rock and pop elements in a diverse, contemporary fashion. There are sections featuring unison playing and Afro-Latin rhythms, then periods with free, skittering passages as drummer/keyboardist Ronnie Burrage, EWI/saxophonist Rick Tate, guitarist Eric Slaughter, bassist Nimrod Speaks and vocalist Shenel Johns take turns offering frenetic, exuberant solos. Influenced by groups like Wayne Shorter, U.K., Milton Nascimento, Weather Report, Miles Davis, Radio Head, Kendrick Lamar, Yes, Tribe Called Quest, Funkadelics, Sly & The Family Stone, Alan Holdsworth, Stevie Wonder to name a few.

The Recordings and Musical Editions Company (known by its Spanish acronym EGREM) and Sony/ATV Music Publishing have signed a global licensing agreement, the largest-scale international agreement with a Cuban music publisher in history.

Artists Series Concerts of Sarasota presents the genre-bending trio Take 3 in The Beatles to Broadway, Sunday, January 28, 3:00 p.m., at Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 Indian Avenue, Venice. Lindsay Deutsch, violin, Susan Boettger, piano, and Lila Yang, cello, perform a multifaceted program that includes tangos, music from the movies, Broadway and familiar classics presented with a flair for the wild and unexpected. The program features works by Gershwin, Prokofiev, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and more. Tickets are $30-$45 and are available online at www.artistseriesconcerts.org or by calling 941-306-1202. $10 Student tickets are available with current student ID at the door.

Known for his stellar guitar playing and soulful voice, Grammy Award-winning Jonny Lang has created his own distinctive sound, blending blues, Gospel, and rock through deep guitar tones, strong melodies, and bluesy rhythms. At the young age of 36, Lang has been performing for more than two decades, and is now touring in support of his new album, Signs (September 2017), a guitar-driven collection that includes several songs inspired by minimalist recordings of blues greats Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.

Raphael Saadiq received his first Academy Award nomination for co-writing the song Mighty River from Mudbound today.

An Evening of Classic Broadway will be back on Monday, February 12th at 8PM (doors 6:30) at Rockwell Table and Stage, LA's most popular live music venue on Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz. BroadwayWorld.com says, the singers are incredibly talented the 90-minute show could have gone on another hour. Music Director/Master of Ceremonies Brad Ellis (Glee, Forbidden Broadway) and (producer/Cabaret artist) Dianne Fraser present a different line-up of singers with each performance of Fraser Entertainment Group's long-running concert series.

Mikaela Bennett with NYFOS; photo by Karli Cadel On February 27 at 8:00 p.m., New York Festival of Song and Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center present a new program devised by Steven Blier, entitled, simply, PROTEST. A cast of young, diverse and brilliant singers that includes Mikaela Bennett who just wowed the world in Michael Gordon's opera Acquanetta at the Protoype Festival performs songs by a panorama of composers, from Marc Blitzstein and Joni Mitchell to Randy Newman and Mohammed Fairouz. (View the complete program below.)

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has extended its worldwide deal with multi-Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff who has scored No. 1 hits over the past year with Taylor Swift, Lorde and Pink.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour opening at the Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre on 11 October 2018 where it will play until 3 November 2018 before visiting Leeds Grand Theatre (6 17 November 2018), Edinburgh Playhouse (20 November 8 December 2018), Bristol Hippodrome (10 January 2 February 2019), Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin (5 - 23 February 2019), Manchester Opera House (26 February 23 March 2019) and Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (26-March - 6 April 2019). Further dates and casting to be announced soon.

Motown the Musical will embark on a major UK and Ireland tour opening at the Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre on 11 October 2018 where it will play until 3 November 2018 before touring the UK and Ireland.

On Monday, January 15th, the hosts of THE REAL celebrate Martin Luther King Day by talking about their favorite influencers who have worked to continue Martin Luther King Jr's legacy.

One of the most prolific artists on the RareNoise roster, pianist Jamie Saft has appeared on recordings by such groups as Metallic Taste of Blood, Slobber Pup, Plymouth, Red Hill, The Spanish Donkey and Berserk! as well as on collaborations with Steve Swallow and Bobby Previte (New Standard / Loneliness Road), which also featured Iggy Pop, Bill Brovold (Serenity Knolls), Roswell Rudd (Strength & Power) and his own New Zion album (Sunshine Seas). His sprawling discography, which includes prodigious sideman work with John Zorn, numbers over 160 albums. And yet, over all those sessions he has never recorded a solo piano album. 'I've incorporated some solo piano pieces into other records of mine before, but this is something unique for me,' says the ubiquitous keyboardist. 'This is my first proper full length solo piano album in 25 years of making records.'

Work Light Productions and the FSCJ Artist Series are proud to announce that single tickets for MOTOWN THE MUSICAL are on sale now. Tickets are available online, by phone and through our box office. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will play at the Times-Union Center March 10-11, 2018 for three performances only! Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling (904) 632-5050.

Acclaimed saxophonist Dave Koz is known around the world for his chart-topping contemporary jazz music. Koz has received many accolades, including nine no. 1 albums on Billboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, and he has been nominated for nine Grammy awards throughout his 25-year career. Koz has collaborated with a long list of celebrated musicians, including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Burt Bacharach and many others. He is also a philanthropist, an entrepreneur and a well-known radio host.

Straight No Chaser Returns To MPAC This April, Tickets On Sale Today

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Gospel Shows: The Rebel, The Soul & The Saint Tour - an evening of inspirational, feel-good music featuring gospel powerhouse Kirk Franklin, sultry soulstress Ledisi and Special Guest PJ Morton on Sunday, November 26, 2017 at 7pm. And GRAMMY Award winners Mary Mary and Tasha Cobbs join forces for NJPAC's annual celebration of the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Today, January 12, 2018 8:00 PM.

Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and multi-platinum producer has sold over 15 million albums worldwide, with over 12 #1 hits reaching both gold and platinum status. A Christian Music Icon whose music reaches people from all walks of life. Chance the Rapper recently released a remake of Fred Hammond's song 'Are You Ready' and Jamie Foxx sang his song 'No Weapon' during his NAACP awards acceptance speech. He's worked with and admired by several well-known artists including Stevie Wonder, Snoop Dogg, 2017's 'The Voice' winner Chris Blue, 'American Idol Winners Reuben Studdard & Fantasia Barrino, Boyz II Men, and Jodeci to name a few.