George Duke News

The B.B. King Blues Band are thrilled to announce their new partnership with The B.B. King Estate. This joint venture now finds the two forces working together to bring the world The B.B. King Experience, the band's new working name. In addition to the upcoming world tour (dates listed below), the single 'Rock Me Baby' featuring George Benson, Tito Jackson and Claudette King will be released this summer.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, Grammy-nominated Americana artist Shawn Mullins, Queen of Percussion Sheila E., Mexican American rock musician Alejandro Escovedo and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Friday, January 17 at noon. Tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

Da Camera of Houston's 2019a?"20 season begins its jazz series with the long-awaited Da Camera debut of the John Scofield Quartet at the Cullen Theater, Wortham Theater Center on Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. A lauded powerhouse jazz guitarist and composer, Scofield will be joined in Houston by Bill Stewart, drums; Vicente Archer, bass; and George Colligan, piano and organ, subbing for Gerald Clayton

New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), is proud to continue its mission of educating and inspiring young musicians through its Orchestra, Jazz, Chamber Music, Composition, Musical Theater Composition, Apprenticeship Conducting, and First Music commissioning programs. This season includes seven world premieres of new works commissioned through the First Music program, composed for the Orchestra, Jazz, and Chamber Music ensembles. The season also features renowned and up-and-coming soloists including prodigy pianist Harmony Zhu, 2019 Sphinx Competition winner cellist Sterling Elliott, and leading young pianist Michelle Cann in the Carnegie Hall premiere of Florence Price's recently re-discovered Piano Concerto in One Movement with NYYS Orchestra, as well as in-demand drummer Matt Wilson, celebrated saxophonist Steve Wilson, and trombone virtuoso Wycliffe Gordon with NYYS Jazz. The complete NYYS 2019-2020 concert calendar follows at the end of this press release.

From Ella Fitzgerald's rapid fire scats, Sarah Vaughan's divine voice, Billie Holiday's fine and mellow artistry and Betty Carter's bebop, the Newport Jazz Festival has been Ground Zero for jazz vocalists for six decades. And, this year's 65thedition is no exception.

There is a definite relationship between rap and jazz. Musicians improvise with notes. Rappers improvise with words. Many of the great hip-hop recordings featured samples from some of the greatest jazz albums. So it should be no surprise that there are rappers who are not only comfortable in post-bop sonic settings, but can also deliver some swinging verses themselves. The result of this fusion of styles, motifs, and genres is a corps of instrumentalists who are influenced by rappers, who in turn, are influenced by musicians. 

Worthing Theatres have announced their latest Jazz Cafe season at the Pavilion Cafe Bar, which runs from 24 July to 18 December. Where customers can enjoy a Wednesday evening in the company of highly acclaimed jazz artists, whilst enjoying a range of drinks, and a selection of food ready to order from the menu, all accompanied with exquisite views overlooking Worthing seafront.

The McCallum Theatre and Jim "FITZ" Fitzgerald co-present Keiko Matsui on Saturday, February 23, at 8:00pm as part of the Fitz's Jazz Cafe at the McCallum series. A producer, contemporary jazz pianist and composer, Keiko Matsui's career spans three decades, over twenty CDs, and numerous continents receiving international acclaim. Her music transcends geographic, generational, and musical boundaries and her unique melting pot of musical influences have garnered her a devout international following. 'Music has no borders and it creates a oneness among people,' confides Matsui. 'There have been many occasions when I have felt like music saved me. There is a connection between my fans and I, and together in my music we are sharing harmony.'

The beloved Ft. Sam Houston Jazz Series now has a new home and a new name. The 2019 Alamo City Jazz Series, sponsored in part by San Antonio Parks Foundation, will be held at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre (226 N. St. Mary's St.) in San Antonio, TX. The series kicks off with Love, Jazz & Romance Featuring Jonathan Butler on February 14, 2019 at 8PM. Tickets are on sale now.

The "number one hit maker of the 1980s" (Radio and Records), Jeffrey Osborne brings his soulful sounds to Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre in Malibu on Saturday, January 12 at 8 p.m. 

Ovens Auditorium will host  Kirk Whalum's 7th Annual Chrismas Tour A Gospel According to Jazz Christmas on Friday, Nov. 23 at 8 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 range from $41 to $72 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change

Pianist-composer Daniel Szabo debuts a stunning set of new music in his Fuzzy Music album pre-release concert at Blue Whale, Friday, November 9 at 9:00pm.

The Hackensack Main Street Business Alliance and the City of Hackensack are excited to announce the latest group of musical artists to participate in second annual 'PAC the House' series at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC). Tickets for the performances range from $40 to $60.

Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts opens it's historic 90th Season on the Main Stage- and for one night only, Saturday, October 13 at 8PM, three jazz superstars come together on the Music Hall main stage; Icognito, Maysa, and Down to the Bone. Icognito is one of the great stories of UK music during the last four decades. Maysa has become one the greatest Soul-Jazz singer of her generation and the latest in a distinguished line of singers. And special guest, Down to the Bone is a group of talented musicians coming together on projects with good grooves. Join Music Hall for jazz and soul filled evening in the D.

The following acts are performing at City Winery Chicago (1200 W. Randolph St) throughout the month. All City Winery Chicago events are open to all ages and start at 8:00 p.m., unless noted.  Tickets can be purchased by calling 312-733-WINE (9463) or by visiting www.citywinery.com/chicago.

R&B and jazz singer-songwriter Jeffrey Osborne and The Meat Loaf Experience, featuring the Neverland Express and "American Idol" winner Caleb Johnson, will bring their top hits to Access Showroom in September. September entertainment will also feature performances by guest DJ Dela O, spinning fresh signature sounds at ETA Lounge throughout the month.

The following acts are performing at City Winery Chicago (1200 W. Randolph St) throughout the month.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, presents its 23rd season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's drama Richard III, directed by Steven Maler and starring Faran Tahir. Performances are free of charge, and will take place on the Boston Common, near the Parkman Bandstand.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler, presents its 23rd season of "Free Shakespeare on the Common:" William Shakespeare's drama Richard III, directed by Steven Maler and starring Faran Tahir. Performances are free of charge, and will take place on the Boston Common, near the Parkman Bandstand.

Coming on the heels of last month's vinyl release of his enigmatic Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Frank Zappa's stylistically diverse and subversive 1970 album Chunga's Revenge will be the next classic Zappa album to be reissued on vinyl as part of the Zappa Family Trust and UMe's ongoing initiative to restore the iconoclast's iconic catalog. The record will receive a 180-gram audiophile repressing on black vinyl on July 20 via Zappa Records/UMe. Supervised by the ZFT, the record was specially mastered for this release by Bernie Grundman with all analog production and cut directly from the original 1970 analog master tapes. Unavailable on vinyl for more than three decades, the last pressing was in 1986 for Zappa's rare Old Masters Box Two on his own Barking Pumpkin Records. The LP, which will be pressed at Pallas in Germany, will include meticulously reproduced original artwork. A limited-edition color vinyl version is also in the works to be released on the same date. Pre-order Chunga's Revenge on 180-gram black vinyl here: https://UMe.lnk.to/ZappaChunga