Music & Music Artists

New CD from Guitarist and Oudist Blends Jazz and Middle Eastern Influences Guitar and oud player Amos Hoffman, who has been performing and recording as a member of Avishai Cohen's band for more than two decades, will release Evolution, his debut CD on Cohen's Razdaz Recordz, on March 25. Since relocating to his native Israel in 1999 after years on the New York jazz scene, Hoffman has spent the time since the release of his last CD (2006's Na'ama, on the Israeli label Magda) further pursuing his passion for combining jazz with Middle Eastern music. The result of this multi-cultural fusion is Evolution, a ten track exploration of melodies and rhythms that incorporates compositional and improvisational elements common to both musical genres. "I tried to achieve a unique sound that combined some African rhythmic influence played by percussion and contrabass, with Middle Eastern melodies played by the oud and flute," explains Hoffman. "The most important thing for me was that the positive vibe and round, warm groove would continue throughout the record...

Stanford, CA, February 29, 2008--Stanford Lively Arts presents jazz pianist/composer Uri Caine, one of the great musical innovators of our time, in a program of solo piano reinterpretations of Gustav Mahler's deeply emotional songs and monumental symphonic works in Dinkelspiel Auditorium on Wednesday, March 19 at 8:00 p.m. Playing repertoire based on his 1997 award-winning Mahler "remixed" recording "Urlicht/Primal Light," Caine recontextualizes musical genres and introduces improvisation where it is not ordinarily found...

Graphic designer, Jack Frisch, has developed a new website for jazz guitarist Dom Minasi...

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, now celebrating its 40th year as America's premier summer arts day camp, is adding several new programs for 2008: among them will be Vocal Jazz, an addition to Usdan's acclaimed instrumental Jazz Department. The Jazz Department was created and directed, beginning in 1986, by Dr. Billy Taylor, and jazz figures such as Jimmy Heath, Marian McPartland and Clark Terry have taught workshops. Among the alumni of Usdan Center is jazz star Jane Monheit, who has returned to the Center to perform and teach...

Legendary journalist Steve Dunleavy, Editorial Columnist of the New York Post, and of Fox Tv's A Current Affair fame, hits the radio waves immediately in a series of spots for Catman Records Recording Artist, artist Mike Catalano's new Cd A Manhattan Affair to "help Mike keep New York Smooth Jazz on the map said Dunleavy referring also to the recent loss of the format on CD in New York. These spots are in conjunction with the Liner Notes, Dunleavy wrote for Catalano's CD, A Manhattan Affair. The 30 second and 60 second spots, are making their debut immediately on WNUA in Chicago, WJJZ in Philidelphia, The Wave in Los Angeles, and on WNWV, KYOT, WSMJ, WSJT, KWJZ, and various other stations in the coming weeks and months, throughout the country and will be running continuously on the Catman Records Homepage...