The Roy Ayers Project is first and foremost a documentary, produced by digital media professionals, telling the life, music, and philosophy of the great Roy Ayers. It is also art, talented artists who use their gifts to express themselves through canvas, murals, and other mediums capturing the spirit of Roy Ayers. It is also performance, bringing together Roy Ayers himself with talented musicians to perform live at venues across the country. The Roy Ayers Project is about sharing the essence and legacy of one of the greatest musicians ever to live. The trailers below are the first and second installments of the documentary, which features the legendary drummer from The Roots, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Hip Hop DJ, writer and entrepreneur Bobbito Garcia. Look for the full documentary to debut in the Spring of 2012. For current information about the Roy Ayers Project be sure to follow on Twitter, join on Facebook and visit the Website.
Because On The Verge Music is a huge fan of Blue Note records and a collector of classic Blue Note recordings, we really dig this totally swingin' animated reenactment of some of Blue Note's most iconic album covers. The video was created to promote an Italian pub (Buena Vista Socical Pub) in Italy and directed by Italian video designer Bante. Enjoy!
Bradd Marquis’ sophomore album AUTHENTIC is all about starting over. Marquis’ Debut Album, Finding My Way (2007 Bradd INC/Elam Records) was a concept album, not just an album full of singles as so many are these days. The same can be said of AUTHENTIC. Marquis goes from breaking up to finding a new love. He takes the listener on a journey that is intimate and definitely AUTHENTIC. I want to take the listener through the journey.
Starting with 'Don’t Belong Together,' Marquis immediately reminded me of Teddy Pendergrass. For those of you too young to remember Pendergrass, that is a definite compliment. The track features strong vocals including a surprising falsetto and a full sounding brass section.
'Slow Down' moves the listener along to meeting a new love but he isn’t quite ready to move on. The track features strong drums and a rich harmony.
On 'Trust Your Heart' Marquis seems to be truly sharing his experience at how hard it is to find true love
'I Want to Be In Love,' the first single off of his new album, starts with a sigh. That single sound drew me in. He is still in search of love and it is a truly heartfelt ballad. The track sounds “full” unlike many of today’s R&B singles. The song sounds as if it is backed by a full orchestra.
I must admit 'Good Man' is my favorite track. The song makes me want to set Marquis up with a good woman. As the refrain says, "No good man’s supposed to sleep alone.” This track not only speaks to the listener emotionally, but provides a background of music that compliments Marquis’ baritone and is also great to listen to alone. 'Gameface' provides a short interlude. Marquis gives us a break from a very personal and emotional album.
The rest of the album reflects so much of the current environment. 'Here We Go' is a hooking up song as is 'Hott Body' which is a straight dance song. Marquis lets us know that he has finally found love in 'You Got Me' which features a wide variety of instruments.
Marquis continues the album with 'All of Me,' a tightly arranged track with a soft, mellow feel that showcases his fine baritone, and 'Still Got Love' a reflective, uplifting song about life’s choices.
Marquis finishes the album with a re-mastered version of 'Radio' a song that originally brought him to the notice of New York listeners.
Bradd Marquis is a fine new voice in the soul music genre. AUTHENTIC debuted on April 12 and is available on iTunes and CDBaby. Learn more about Bradd Marquis at http://braddmarquis.com and view the video above for his first single 'I Want To Be In Love.'
Bassist Ben Williams, Winner of 2009 Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition,Releases His Debut Album, State of Art (Concord Jazz). Album Draws From Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B & Classical Music With Covers of Michael Jackson’s “Little Susie,” Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover,” Goapele’s “Things Don’t Exist” and The Bold Jazz/Hip-Hop Meeting, “The Lee Morgan Story” feat. John Robinson & Christian Scott. read more
One of jazz's most brilliant composers and influential musicians takes center stage in a docomeentary that shows Monk in performance and behind the scenes. Documentary about legendary jazz pianist/composer Thelonious Monk. Much of the film is centered around the six months of footage cinematographer Christian Blackwood shot of Monk in 1967-68. The footage reveals a lot about Monk's personality, including his dramatic mood swings, his eccentric behavior, as well as his sense of humor. The footage also shows Monk "behind the scenes" in the studio and on tour in Europe. Interviews, photos and many of Monk's songs round out this biography. Enjoy the full documentary above. Thanx to http://jazzpages.tumblr.com/ for posting this documentary on youtube and thanx to Donna M. over at http://twitter.com/elementsofjazz for the tweets.
