Eliza Neals is a dynamic front woman, multi-talented musician plus the
voice of the 'new blues' for a younger generation. Eliza is a 2013
Detroit Music Award winner for "Messin with a Fool" which received
"Outstanding Blues/R&B Recording (album)" and "Rock Songwriter!" In
2012 Eliza won "Outstanding Blues Songwriter" at theDMAs.National press and radio says "Eliza has such power in her voice that
she can take on a big song and do it real justice" DJ Phill Penny Radio
Trent UK. "Eliza Neals hits you right between the eyes…" Blues Blast
Magazine. “Eliza Neals “The Detroit Diva" is the name: This Diva has
claws and sharp teeth..." Wasser Prawda German Magazine. "This album of
“Stiletto Blues” first came out in January 2012, but it keeps finding
itself back in the news and for a very good reason… " The DirtyLowDown
"Neals' style is incendiary and unabashed." Real Detroit Weekly.Touring this year in Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit
and New York to name a few stops Eliza Neals is "in her own lane with
the pedal to the metal!" The award winning sultry and powerful blues
rock vocalist, recording artist, performer and producer is being
compared to greats like Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Ricki Lee
Jones among others. This is a night for old and new fans to enjoy
something classic and cool from Detroit the city that drives your soul."Eliza Neals’s 'Messin’ with a Fool' is the record that people who have
seen Neals live will have been hoping she would release. Neals, for the
uninitiated is the sultry swingin’, croonin’ jazz Queen of the D. She’s
like Amy Winehouse without the obvious addiction issues or the hair. The
songs are certainly in place...." METROTIMES Jan 2012 ELIZA NEALS
“We’re in-betweeners, living along the musical hyphen lines,” says the
creative Ethiopian- born Meklit (Muh-Kleet) of her relationship with her
new record label. As both are open- minded and based in the Bay Area,
the partnership seemed natural to this emerging singer-songwriter. The
compatibility is evident as Meklit canvases a wide range of sounds on
her most inventive album to date, We Are Alive (Six Degrees Records).After being named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, Meklit cut her teeth on
her 2010 debut, On A Day Like This… Folk and jazz strains served as a
foundation for her elegant songwriting, setting her off onto a world
tour before settling back into her San Francisco home for a number of
collaborations. First she crooned sweet harmonies behind hip-hop project
Copperwire’s Earthbound, and then returned to her more soulful roots
alongside Oakland artist Quinn DeVeaux on 2012’s Meklit & Quinn. The
latter included ingenious covers of such artists as Arcade Fire, Stevie
Wonder, Talking Heads, MGMT, Lou Reed and Sam Cooke.Constant exposure to outside influences often causes musicians to evolve
quickly. It was in this frame of mind that Meklit re-entered the studio
to throw a world of flavors into a new cauldron.A few special guests emerge: famed author Walter Mosley penned the
album’s liner notes. Meklit met him while speaking together on the radio
show West Coast Live in 2010, and they forged a quick friendship.
Ethiopian piano sensation Samuel Yirga—a Real World Records artist whose
debut, Guza, garnered much international critical acclaim— adds a
beautiful solo on ‘Kemekem. MEKLIT
After fifteen years of writing, producing, and performing some of the
most influential sounds in the Los Angeles underground funky soul-jazz
scene, Miles “Music Man” Tackett is releasing his most personal album
yet, the soulful, guitar-centric The Fool Who Wonders, on July 8th.Miles Tackett is best known around the world as the creative mind behind Breakestra, a funk, soul-jazz band whose first record
the Live Mix Part 2 (Stones Throw Records) & live shows harken back
to the pre-sampling era of Bronx DJ performances in the 1970’s.
Breakestra has toured the globe on its reputation of restoring authentic
funk breaks from the sampled backgrounds of hip hop tracks to the
foreground of the live experience, while still paying tribute to those
same hip hop pioneers whose musical precision has always been an
influence. Breakestra quickly evolved to writing and performing original
funky soul-jazz compositions, releasing two LPs: 2005’s Hit the Floor
on Ubiquity, and Dusk Till Dawn released in 2009 on Strut Records.“Music Man Miles,” as he is known in the
underground DJ scene, also helms the longest-running funky soul party
in Los Angeles, FUNKY SOLE, spinning a globe spanning, all-vinyl set
every Saturday night. Influenced through his immersion in the
underground hip hop scene at L.A. club The Root Down, collaborations
with Mixmaster Wolf of Breakestra and renowned DJs like DJ Dusk, Cut
Chemist and DJ Egon, Miles was inspired to build a collection of some of
the finest deep funk, afro-latin, soul-jazz vinyl around & start
djing as well.Tackett’s musical reputation extends
well beyond the underground clubs of Los Angeles. He has performed and
collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Macy Gray, Blind
Melon, B.B. King, Little Feat, and legendary soul singer Syl Johnson.
Now, after years of focusing on a purist funk style and sound with
Breakestra, Tackett has finally taken some time to reflect, write new
songs and return to his first love, the electric guitar. With an array
of influences that draw from vintage soul, rhythm and blues,
psychedelia, and blues/jazz influenced folk and rock, The Fool Who
Wonders’ new vintage sounds bring Tackett’s varied musical travels back
to where it all began. MILES TACKETT
Mixing equal parts blues, soul, and talent, with a dash of retro style,
The MacKenzie Blues Band has quickly proved to be a force to be reckoned
with on major festival stages and in clubs throughout Canada and the
US.Recognition for their hard working attitude has been paying off as they
are recent Winners of the 2014 Maple Blues Awards for Best new Artist/
Group, and 2x semi Finalists at the International Blues Competition in
Memphis Tenn.Their debut CD release Back Road Revelation was voted best Canadian
Blues Release of 2012, by the Blind Lemon Blues Radio poll and garnered
considerable airplay and positive reviews across North America, Europe
and Africa. It has been featured CBC radio 1′s Bandwidth program,
Crossroads Blues Program, BBC Blues, RTÉ to name a few.
In the time they’ve been performing together, The MacKenzie Blues
Band has rapidly – and deservedly – gained the attention of Canada’s
blues scene, performed at numerous club gigs and notable festivals,
including Mariposa Folk Festival, Summerfolk Festival, Orangeville Blues
Festival, Lighthouse Blues Festival and many more.A classically trained vocalist, Tara MacKenzie has been compared to Ann
Wilson, Katie Webster and Janiva Magness. Her powerful 3.5 octave vocal
range is paired perfectly with her unapologetic, ballsy, yet sultry
stage presence. Guitarist Trevor MacKenzie has been called “One of the
most dangerous guitar players in Canada” (Timmins Press). His versatile
playing easily shifts gears from style to style, while maintaining his
fretting hand firmly rooted in the blues genre. The rhythm section is
the glue that binds The MacKenzie Blues Band together, with snappy,
funky, pulsing grooves from bassist Joel Dawson and drummer Mike Weir.With a fresh take on modern blues and adding rock ‘n’ roots elements,
The MacKenzie Blues Band’s live performances put out the energy of a
small supernova- encouraging the audience to let loose, have fun and
enjoy wild electric rockin’ blues,taking the audience to a place where
positivity and joy are on the menu.
Their Sophmore Album “Slam! Bam!” is to be released in the Spring of 2014, parts recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. THE MACKENZIE BLUES BAND
Every blues fan knows you have listen to the “old” to find something
“new”. It is a precious rarity when the opposite is true and such is the
case with Toots Lorraine and The Traffic. The band delivers a focused
blend of classic vibe that will drench your soul with the vintage sounds
of West Coast Jump Blues and Swing as you board the train for
destination “way back” where everything is “Easy”. Toots and her sultry
voice will take your ticket, let you on board and, as you roll down the
tracks, the band will keep your glass filled with just the right
measures of hollow body guitars, reverb tanks, upright basses,
harmonicas, pianos and organs. And, you will swear to yourself, “I ain’t
getting off this train”.This husband and wife team share the purest of love for the preservation of the blues. In their brand new album, Make It Easy,
a phenomenal follow-up to their first, Toots Lorraine expertly layers
her powerful yet velvety voice amongst the band’s vintage
instrumentation and gut bucket grooves. Along with classic blues covers
of Big Mama Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf and Big Joe Turner, you’ll also find
gripping new originals with a huge story to tell. Always rooted in the
blues, Toots Lorraine and the Traffic deliver a solid, energetic and
scintillating performance.Toots brings with her a background of dance, theater and jazz
to the rich yet simplistic purity of the blues, creating a vocal
presence of powerful elegance. Her singing style is influenced by
artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Cassidy, Big Mama Thornton and many
more. Whether singing original material or drawing from a large
repertoire of classic blues and jazz standards, the charming and
vivacious Toots tells her story with every note, satisfying listeners,
dancers and good times.TOOTS LORRAINE
Manchester based, DJ, bandleader and trumpeter Matthew Halsall is one of
the UK’s brightest talents. A gifted trumpeter with a beautiful,
expressive tone, his music draws on his love of the transcendental,
spiritual and modal jazz of Alice and John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders,
as well as the glories of ‘60s British jazz. His albums ‘Sending My
Love’, ‘Colour Yes’, 'On The Go', 'Fletcher Moss Park' and 'When The
World Was One' released on his own Gondwana label have won him a legion
of fans across the world and acclaim from the likes of Gilles Peterson,
Jamie Cullum and Radio 3’s Late Junction, MOJO, BBC Music Magazine and
even BBC 6 Music.Your album personnel: Matthew Halsall (trumpet), Nat Birchall (tenor sax), Lisa Mallett (flute), Keiko Kitamura (koto), Rachael Gladwin (harp), Taz Modi (piano), Gavin Barras (bass), and Luke Flowers (drums). Mr Halsall never fails to impress. This is a tour de force of
understated but expressive brass work. Gondwana has all the hallmarks of
the spiritual jazz label for the now generation.
MATTHEW HALSALL THE GONDWANA ORCHESTRA
Grady Champion is an electrifying blues singer and harmonica virtuoso.
He has been compared to Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Lionel
Ritchei, and Smokie Robinson. In 5 years folks will be comparing other
artists to Grady. His unique style and amazing voice leave audiences
stunned! Right now you can hear him everywhere. His new album “Dreamin’”
is making a lot of noise on Blues, R&B, Soul, and Roots charts
across America, in Europe, China, and Japan. In fact in August it was
the #1 album on Sirius XM's Bluesville. Grady has been nominated for two 2012 Blues Music Awards - Best Soul
Blues Album for "Dreamin'" and Song of the Year for "Thank You For
Giving Me The Blues". Grady has won the 2011 Best Down Home Blues Song for "Make That Monkey
Jump" by Blues Critic and was runnerup to Bobby Rush for Best Soul Blues
Album for "Dreamin'"The 2010 International Blues Challenge winner is accompanied by one of
the best young blues bands in America. Grady and the band have had the
pleasure of playing on the Legendary Blues Cruise, the Portland
Waterfront Blues Festival, and in the Chicago Blues Festival 3 times.
His powerful, soulful and raspy voice is simply soul stirring. He is a
master of mood and emotions and connects with his audience like no one
else. In the world of great musicians, Grady singles himself out as an
ENTERTAINER who is already a legendary musician. Walking out amongst the
fans during solo sections with a wireless yet nostalgic microphone and a
dozen harmonicas belted to him, Grady delivers a shock to folks that
makes them jump on their feet, stand on their seats, and shake their
money makers! Grady is the youngest of 28 children. He was raised on a little country
farm outside of Canton Mississippi. His life is a picture of hard work;
first as a fighter, then as a rapper, then a producer, and now knocking
out around 180 shows a year, Grady is no stranger to living the BLUES.
Being fueled by faith, a loving family, integrity, clean living, talent,
and an undying love for Blues music – Grady Champion and his band are
poised to be the torchbearers for the Blues for decades to come. GRADY CHAMPION
The composer, singer and flutist Tamara Obrovac is one of the most
impressive artists on the Croatian music scene.
Her unique musical expression which blends contemporary jazz with
particular musical and dialectal tradition from her homeland
Istria, North Adriatic peninsula, brought here international
recognition.
She published 7 author CD-s and through her albums, Tamara
profiles her own auctorial approach and creates a unique artistic form;
her music, completely original and autochthonous, goes beyond
time and geographical boundaries, thus becoming a universal artistic
message, establishing Tamara Obrovac as an exceptional artist who
managed to create her own unique musical expression. In addition to her international concert activities she composes music
for theater and film, and she has received many awards for her work;
among the others 9 Porin awards (Croatian's Grammy), and she was
nominated for BBC Radio 3 World Music awards (European music and
Audience Award).
With her distinctive musical expression, excellent bands and passionate
live performances suffused with spontaneity, inventive improvisation,
freedom, humor and the ability to communicate with the audience, she has
become increasingly more present and recognized on the International
musical stage.
She writes here own lyrics and sings on endangered Slavic and
Romanic Istrian dialects, and her passionate voice is equally impressive
both when she sings lyrics and performs a vocalize, thus turning it
into an additional instrument.
With the release of her second CD „ULIKA" in 1998, named afterTamara’s
grandmother, quartet presented for the first time Tamara's fresh way of
thinking and composing which combines inspiration by the local Istrian
music and dialect with the universal jazz expression.
The reunion of the quartet at summer 2011 gave life to new/old
project (ULIKA revival”), establishing new creativity with
re-interpretations of old composition from a more mature artistic
prospective. The re-found joy of making music together, expressed through virtuoso
playing, unlimited freedom of expression, humor and improvisation,
characteristic of all members of the quartet, and their latest
performances proved again that music of Tamara Obrovac quartet reaches
further then the constricted borders of musical classification,
spreading the spirit and passion of the Mediterranean region over
geographic and musical boundaries.
The project started with successful Croatian/Slovenian concert tour in
February 2012. folowed by further concert promotion in Luneburg (DE)
Novi Sad (SRB) and Labin (CRO), Jazzahead Bremen, (DE) Jazz au Chellah
(MAR) and CD „ULIKA revival" will be released in June 2013. for Swiss
label “Unit records”.
International recognition came also through the nomination for the BBC Radio 3 World
musicAwards 2004 (European Music and Audience Award).TAMARA OBROVAC
With accomplished musicianship and a great sense of deep groove,
virtuoso drummer Patrick Charles music is both visual and cerebral. His
debut CD , Cite Soleil, present an artist of far-reaching vision and
versatility. Release on his soleil label, Cite soleil brings Patrick
Charles center stage as a composer, producer and band leader. Featuring a
stellar cast of LA studio players and world class jazz artist, such as
Everette Harp of George Duke and Anita Baker, Wayne Linsey of Miles
Davis. Kevin Toney a two time Grammy nominated pianist and composer and a
renown solo recording artist he has also performed with blackbyrds
Aretha Franklin and more , and MoJazz recording artist and Trumpeter
Johnny Britt .Cite Soleil showcases Patrick’s own original compositions
and retells hits from legendary artist like sting and seal through the
language of jazz . But it was upon hearing the news of his sister’s
passing that Patrick began to focus on the core material for the album.
”My siter was always an encouraging and supporting force in my life;’
Charlene,’ the last composition on the CD, is dedicated to her. Born in
Port-au-Prince Haiti and raised in East Orange New Jersey, Patrick
Charles owes his musical awakening during middle school to the trumpet.
But the drums quickly chose him, fueled by the love and respect for
all genres and styles of music and the emerging culture of Hip-Hop,
Music became Patrick’s calling card, Strangely enough, his first
encounter with jazz happened by chance.”I found a pile of jazz records
in an abandoned building in the neighborhood; in that pile was Miles
Davis Tutu,’ I was so taken by the album cover, I picked up the record,
I’ve been hooked ever since.” Patrick Charles started to gig
professionally during high school, during which time he became the
regular drummer at the famous Perpermint lounged in his hometown of East
Orange NJ, nightly guess artist appearances includes the legendary Lou
Rawls, Chaka kahn, Berry White, and now famed Hip Hop artist Naughty by
Nature and Queen Latifah. After high school, Patrick set his eyes on the
famed Berklee College of music in Boston, while attending Berklee,
Patrick Charles performed with esteem professor Carolyn Wilkins and her
group the spirit jazz Quartet regularly in the Boston and New York area,
in Los Angeles his work as a freelance drummer has brought him acclaim
from studio and live performances with such artist as blues legend Linda
Hopkins, funk and soul songstress Maxayn Lewis and Teena Marie, and
performance with his Group PCMG, in National and international venues
such as Kannai Hall for the Prestigious Yokohama Jazz festival,Tokyo
Sumida Jazz festival, the House of blues LA, Salt lake city jazz
festival, Currently a Los Angeles Arts commission Artist, Patrick has
performed for Nakaoka Jazz festival and the1st annual universal citywalk
jazz festival.The Namm Show, Viper Room LA, Blue note Kyoto Japan,
Cotton club Shanghai China, Commerce casino jazz&blues summer nights
festival series, Pachanga casino, The Roxy LA, Catalina Jazz club,and
MGM hotel Las Vegas to name a few, Patrick Charles television and movie
appearances have include hit television shows Boston legal, Melrose
Place, comedy central band, BET Jazz and Screen Media films "Crazy" the
life of famed Jazz guitarist Hank Garland,Patrick Charles is endorsed
by Exodus Cymbals. PATRICK CHARLES
