Soul
The seeds for Jon Cleary’s sixth solo CD were sown when the acclaimed songwriter, pianist and singer was asked the hypothetical question, “Would you ever do a record of somebody else’s tunes?” The English-born Cleary, who has made New Orleans his home for more than three decades, provides his emphatic answer with the utterly captivating Occapella (released April 17 on the artist’s own FHQ Records).An exploration deep into the bountiful songbook of
Rock ’n’ roll may date back to Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88” in 1951 and perhaps further to blues/swing hybrids of the 1940s. But many would contend that Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” recorded at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in new Orleans in September 1955, was the first great rock ’n’ roll record.
Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia, but left town after a year and a half. Raised in 12 different states, he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11.Kottke's 1971 major-label debut, "Mudlark," positioned him somewhat uneasily in the singer/songwriter vein, despite his own wishes to remain an instrumental performer.
With the release of Ray Charles’ Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles, on November 15, 2011, Concord Records will make available for the first time the artist’s collection of ABC-Paramount singles during this prolific period (1960-1972).
Preeminent soul-funk trio Soulive, fresh off hosting their first ever festival The Royal Family Affair earlier this summer, have announced a full-on Royal Family Ball tour for Fall 2011. The run will see the return of Soulive to eight cities, including New York City, Chicago, Boston, Portland, Pittsburgh, Falls Church, Philadelphia and a two-night Halloween blowout in Burlington.
