Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 12^th July. A link to the show can be found here:

Riot Jazz Brass Band hail from the grimy protoplasm of Manchester’s prolific creative scene. Since 2008, they have been spreading unconditional love and irresistible energy across the nation and continent.

The 9-strong troupe is comprised of three trumpets, three trombones, drums, sousaphone, and fronted by the prodigious MC Chunky. The sheer enjoyment and passion which emanates from these musicians as they party on stage is as infectious as it is inspiring.

Be prepared for a unique, genre-bending exhibition of exhilarating music fit for any occasion, guaranteed to have even the most stoic audience member on their feet and dancing like no-one is watching.

Their original material knows no bounds; drawing from jazz, hip-hop, drum’n’bass, Balkan, trap, grime, dubstep, Latin, classical, they write and play whatever their collectively large heart desires. And the same goes for covers, which range from Britney to Bon Jovi, Shaggy to Blink 182.

This astonishing versatility and insatiable hunger to explore all corners of the musical spectrum has led to collaborations with a wide variety of artists, such as London Elektricity, Swindle, Plan B, and Skinnyman.

Highlights from their career so far include Glastonbury West Holts, WOMAD, Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, Love Supreme, and Canary Wharf Jazz Festival.

Website: http://www.riotjazz.com/

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 5^th July. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 28^th June 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Oakland, California music legends Tower of Power - the most dynamic and distinctive band of survivors in Soul Music – is roaring into its unprecedented 50th anniversary with a dynamic new disc of all new material that finds them as energized and inspired as ever. A labor of love, definitively titled Soul Side of Town, this package is charged with 14 filler-free songs. In the spirit of their enduring theme song “Oakland Stroke” – the bookending intro and outro “East Bay” shine a light on elemental instrumental ingredients within the band’s signature sound. This astounding and historical release (available June 1, 2018 in digital, vinyl, streaming & CD configurations) inaugurates Tower of Power’s fresh affiliation with Mack Avenue Records, a Detroit-based company renowned for its award-winning dedication to top-tier Jazz that is now extending its support to Soul and Funk giants, Tower of Power: a band so one-of-a-kind, it’s an institution.

As always, the songs on Tower of Power’s Soul Side of Town were primarily composed by the hitmaking team of founding members Emilio Castillo (Detroit-born on 2nd tenor sax) and Stephen “Doc” Kupka (Los Angeles-born on baritone sax) who also hold down the world famous 5-man Tower of Power Horns. For the special occasion of Tower of Power’s 50th anniversary, leader Emilio Castillo brought in a most-astute choice in co-producer, Joe Vannelli: an all-around production/engineering/keyboard master best known for the jazz-tinged Soul-Rock Grammy-winning work he performed behind the scenes with his international superstar brother, Gino Vannelli. Also insuring that the sound blasts powerful and clear from your speakers is the presence of mastering engineer Bernie Grundman in the mix. Along with the legendary rhythm section drums and bass lock of David Garibaldi and Francis Rocco Prestia, respectively, these decorated veterans have custom-crafted a hair-raising audio experience that longtime fans, music connoisseurs and a new generation of listeners will groove to for years to come.

In keeping with Tower of Power’s golden canon of classics, the new material picks up the torch in all of the time-tested styles fans respect and love. In line with hiply intricate, cranial-crushing funk classics such as “Down to the Nightclub” and “Soul Vaccination” are new jams “Do You Like That” and “On the Soul Side of Town.” In the tradition of heart-stopping balladry like their biggest chart hits “You’re Still a Young Man” and “So Very Hard to Go” are new love songs like “Let it Go” (Bruno Mars will want to cover this one) and “Can’t Stop Thinking About You.” Along the firing-on-all-cylinders line of instrumental anomalies such as “Squib Cakes,” “Walking Up Hip Street” and “Ebony Jam” are burnin’ offerings “Butter-Fried” and “After Hours.” Following up positivity primers such as “Knock Yourself Out,” “You’ve Got to Funkifize” and “Credit” are new spirit lifters “Selah,” “Love Must Be Patient and Kind” and “Do it With Soul,” along with T.O.P.’s singular approach to Pop-Rock on “When Love Takes Control.”

Along with veteran members Castillo, Kupka, Garibaldi and Prestia, T.O.P. consists of guitarist Jerry Cortez, Hammond B3 organist/keyboardist Roger Smith, 1st tenor saxophonist Tom Politzer, and trumpeters Adolfo Acosta and Sal Cracchiolo. Soul Side of Town is also blessed with not one but two lead singers: outgoing Ray Greene (now in Santana) and incoming Marcus Scott (boldly introduced on several selections, including “Hanging with My Baby”). The 10-piece Tower of Power band is prepared to throw down next year with a celebratory tour that will include sweet spots around the globe.

Since its formation in Oakland, California in 1968, Tower of Power has forged a reputation as a crack band of high achieving musicians fluent in all realms of Soul, Rock and Pop music with a sophistication and punch like that of a Jazz big band. From their first album East Bay Grease (1970) on Rock impresario Bill Graham’s San Francisco Records label (distributed by Atlantic), the interracial band became pillars and signatures of The Bay Area Music Scene that included pioneering like-minded bands such as Sly & The Family Stone, Cold Blood, Graham Central Station, The Pointer Sisters and The Sons of Champlin plus rock-oriented outfits such as Santana, Betty Davis and Journey. Beginning with their sophomore release, Tower of Power came to prominence with a string of acclaimed albums on Warner Bros. Records: Bump City (1972), Tower of Power (1973), Back to Oakland (1974), Urban Renewal (1974), In the Slot (1975) and Live and in Living Color (1976). A move to Columbia Records resulted in three more major label releases and their last top-charting hit, “You Ought To Be Havin’ Fun.” Including all studio albums, live albums and rarities anthologies, T.O.P. has 24 previous releases in its burgeoning catalog.

Along with T.O.P.’s classic recordings, the 5-piece Tower of Power Horns – known for its power packed punch and fullness with two trumpets, two tenor saxophones plus a baritone sax on the bottom – became much in demand for studio sessions and live gigs. Among the hundreds of artists they have blessed with their presence are Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Graham Central Station, Elton John, Little Feat, Billy Preston, John Lee Hooker, Coke Escovedo, Jose Feliciano, Al Kooper, Sammy Hagar, Rod Stewart, Peter Frampton, Jermaine Jackson, Harvey Mason, Lenny White, The Brothers Johnson, The Meters, Lee Oskar, Dionne Warwick, Melissa Manchester, Bobby Caldwell, Heart, Rick James, Santana, Smokey Robinson, Huey Lewis & The News, Toto, Paul Shaffer, Bonnie Raitt, Aaron Neville, Spyro Gyra, Terence Trent D’Arby, Luther Vandross, Candy Dulfer, Aerosmith, Phish, John Hiatt, Neil Diamond, P.Diddy, Bill Wyman, Eiko Shuri…and TV’s The Simpsons (Sing The Blues).

Most importantly, when almost all other R&B bands abandoned their horn sections as the sound of Soul music morphed into more stripped-down techno and synthesizer strains in the `80s, Tower of Power near single-handedly carried the torch for full-on 10-piece bands, often even including a conguero/percussionist. Faithful fans flocked to their concerts and purchased their new albums that kept the real soul vibe alive for decades. Indeed, the horn section is so pivotal to Tower of Power that unlike most band stage setups that have horns in the back, T.O.P.’s renowned and respected horn section is right up-front with the lead singer.

Soul Side of Town is the centerpiece of a celebratory 50th Anniversary campaign for Tower of Power that will also see the re-release via Mack Avenue Records of four hard to find independent productions: The East Bay Archive Vol. 1 (a 1973 live recording from Boston), Oakland Zone (a 2008 release celebrated for the return of drummer David Garibaldi after several years away), Great American Soulbook (an all-star affair of soul classics featuring guests such as Joss Stone, Tom Jones, Sam Moore and Huey Lewis), and 40th Anniversary: Live at The Fillmore in San Francisco (a deluxe multi-disc CD/DVD collector’s item loaded with great new live renditions of hits plus interviews with alumni past and present).

Anticipation is so high for Tower of Power’s 50th Anniversary milestone that the first show on their home turf of Oakland swiftly sold out with a second one right on its heels, and an appearance at this year’s Playboy Jazz Festival also has tongues wagging!

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 21^st June 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 14^th June 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 7^th June 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Kari Ikonen – piano  //  Olli Rantala – bass // Markku Ounaskari – drums

”Kari Ikonen Trio achieve an ensemble sound that is fresh, subtle, and tickled by gentle surprises.” -Joe Woodard, DownBeat (USA)

“Kari Ikonen shows a sparkle and gently questing spirit that engages the listener (…) an aesthetically satisfying album”  (****)  -Stuart Nicholson, Jazzwise (UK)

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 24th May 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 3^rd May 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 26^th April 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Corcoran Holt, a son of Washington, DC, began playing djembe and other West African percussion at the age of 4 as a member of Wose Dance Company under the tutelage of Baba Aidoo Holmes & Mahiri Edwards.

Beginnings

As a keeper of the rhythm, Corcoran began his study of upright bass at the age of 10 with the renowned DC Youth Orchestra (DCYOP). Soon he learned that his great- grandfather, with whom he shares a birthday, was a bass player who grew up in High Point, NC and lived next door to a very young John Coltrane. Legend has it that he gave Trane music lessons. Corcoran feels called to the bass and his work is about honoring the ancestors.

Training Grounds

While continuing his classical training at DCYOP, Corcoran attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC from 1996 to 2000, where he studied classical bass with Carolyn Kellock and jazz music with educators Davey Yarborough, the late great Keter Betts and Steve Novasel. During these high school years, Corcoran realized his affinity for the jazz and honed his performance skills by working frequently on the Washington DC jazz scene.

Always performing, he completed a Bachelors of Arts in Jazz Studies from Shenandoah Conservatory in 2004, where he studied bass with Michael Bowie. He received his Masters degree in Jazz Studies from Queens College in New York City in 2006 under the tutelage of Buster Williams, Michael Phillip Mossman, and Antonio Hart.

Career Blessings

Corcoran feels blessed and gives thanks to the many jazz legends and greats he has worked with which include:

  

Trombonists: Curtis Fuller who gave him his first real break, Slide Hampton, Benny Powell, Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Robin Eubanks, Fred Wesely, Delfayo Marsalis, amongst others

  

Saxophonists: Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Kenny Garrett, the late Frank Morgan, Red Holloway, Billy Harper, Bobby Watson, Azar Lawrence, Charles Davis, David Murray, Joe Ford, Tim Warfield, Javon Jackson, Renee McLean, Antonio Hart, Steve Wilson, Vincent Herring, Greg Osby, Donald Harrison, Hamiet Bluiett, amongst others

  

Trumpeters: Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Terell Stafford, Randy Brecker, Wallace Roney, Marcus Printup, Jeremy Pelt, Freddie Hendrix, Josh Evans, Duane Eubanks, Michael Phillip Mossman, amongst others

  

Guitarists: Bucky Pizzarelli, Russell Malone, Ed Cherry, amongst others

  

Pianists: the late John Hicks, the late Hilton Ruiz, Ronnie Mathews, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller, Eric Reed, Benny Green, amongst others

Drummers: Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, Louis Hayes, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Billy Hart, Carl Allen, Winard Harper, Billy Drummond, amongst others

Flutist: Dave Valentine, Brother Ah (Robert Northern), and others

  

Vocalists: Carmen Lundy, Vanessa Rubin, Diane Shur, Kevin Mahogany, and others

Corcoran performs regularly at many of the top music festivals and venues around the world. Some have included The North Sea Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, The Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola to name a few. Corcoran has performed through North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. In 2009, he toured the Middle East as a Jazz Ambassador representing the United States, under the US State Department with Alvin Atkinson & the Sound Merchants. In September 2010, he traveled part of The Rhythm Roads tour with Nasar Abadey and Supernova to East Africa, a collaboration between the U.S. State Department and Jazz at the Lincoln Center.

Corcoran was semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk Bass Competition in 2009 and recorded on Jamison Ross' “Jamison”, Concord Records 2015, which was Grammy Nominated Best Jazz Vocal.

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Currently, Corcoran leads his own group and is the regular bassist in the Kenny Garrett Quintet, which received a Grammy nomination for the 2013 recording “Pushing the World Away” recorded on Mac Avenue Records.

Corcoran also works with numerous bands throughout the world and he is based in NYC and also serves as a djembe drummer/music therapist at Greater Harlem Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he plays for his elders.

Charismatic and dynamic saxophonist/bandleader Lakecia Benjamin's electric stage presence and fiery sax work, has shared stages with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, The Roots, Macy Gray and many others, brings the soul and funk up to a fever pitch in a show that's guaranteed to keep crowds dancing day or night. Though her own music with her band Lakecia Benjamin and Soul Squad is immersed in the vintage sounds of James Brown, Maceo Parker, Sly and the Family Stone and the Meters as well as classic jazz, Benjamin's soaring, dance floor-friendly grooves take the classic vibe to a whole new level. The constant throughout it all is Benjamin's summery, sultry alto saxophone, adding something special on every cut - be it a smoldering late-night ambience, an erudite, forceful jazz intensity or the tight funk multi-horn harmony sections that pepper the proceedings throughout.

A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights, Lakecia Benjamin has become one of the most highly sought-after players in soul and funk music. She first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, after which she joined the renowned jazz program at New York's New School University. By that time, she was already playing with renowned jazz figures like Clark Terry and Reggie Workman, which led to gigs and tours with a wide array of artists such as Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, Vanessa Rubin and James "Blood" Ulmer. With her deep jazz roots, she was soon in demand as an arranger and horn section leader, landing stints with such acclaimed artists as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, the Roots, and Anita Baker.

Currently, Benjamin is a featured musician for Gregory Porter as well as a featured musician and arranger for comedy star Craig Robinson and the Nasty Delicious. (Robinson, best known for his work on TV's The Office as well as such popular films as Pineapple Express and Hot Tub Time Machine, tours regularly with the Nasty Delicious band serving as the main foil in his popular comedy act). Benjamin has also had the honor of performing at the White House at President Obama's inaugural ball. She's performed on four continents and her extensive recording credits include saxophone and arrangements for Santigold, Maurice Brown, the Clark Terry Big Band, Krystle Warren and TalibKweli, among others.

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 5^th April 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Crazeology Radio Show dated 31^ST March 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 29^th March 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Norwegian pianist and composer, Eyolf Dale (b.1985) is known from both his solo work, successful collaborations with a great number of jazz artists, and from renowned bands like  Eyolf Dale's Wolf Valley ,  Albatrosh ,  Daniel Herskedal ,  Hayden Powell Trio ,  Trondheim Jazz Orchestra , and more. He is active on the European jazz scene as a touring and frequently recorded artist, and since his solo debut in 2011, Dale has established himself as one of the leading pianists of his generation.

Both as a sideman and a solo performer, he has performed all over Europe, as well as tours in the USA, Japan and China. Dale's solo work shows the mature lyrical introspection that is often associated with Norwegian jazz, but equally there is an explorative curiosity and restless free elements that are becoming an emerging hallmark of the younger Nordic improvisers.

He was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy equivalent, the Game Man Prize both in 2013 and 2016 for his solo albums. With the duo Albatrosh, he was awarded "Young jazz musicians of the year 2008" in the prestigious JazzIntro, and the duo was also awarded "Best Band" in European Jazz Competition in 2010 (North Sea Jazz, Rotterdam)

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Dale currently releases his solo work exclusively on Edition Records.

Below is the track listing for the Crazeology Radio Show dated 24^th March 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

Below is the track listing for the Boogie Wonderland Show dated 22^nd March 2018. A link to the show can be found here:

"He reminds me of the young Django Bates, and the impression Django made on me in the 1980s – great improv chops, strong character as a player and a composer, evident love of the jazz tradition without wanting to repeat the past, very English sense of humor. He’s the kind of artist you always want to stay tuned in to, because you know he’s going to keep on coming up with surprises." - John Fordham (The Guardian)

Elliot Galvin is one of the rising stars of UK jazz. A superbly gifted composer and pianist, whose maverick imagination and magpie like ability to blend a disparate world of influences into his own unique musical vision has seen him compared to Django Bates although in truth he sounds like no one except himself. From de-constructing standards to creating his own mirco-tonal melodica, Galvin’s music is both playful and deadly serious, drawing on a wide range of influences from Keith Jarrett to Stravinsky, Ligeti, Deerhoof and the Beatles as well as the films of David Lynch, the Dada movement and the literature of James Joyce. He was a founding member of the Chaos Collective and a regular collaborator with Laura Jurd, he also plays in a free improve duo with Mark Sanders.

  

Elliot is a prolific composer and has been comissioned by a number of Ensembles, Dance Companies, Theatre Groups and Festivals including the London Sinfonietta, Ligeti String Quartet, St. John Smith’s Square, The London Jazz festival, The RESOLUTION! Dance Festival at The Place and the Theatre Company Cut Tongues. He works regularly with multi-media and in 2014 put on a multi-media installation piece at the Turner Contemporary Gallery, which consisted of live performance, interactive sound sculptures and film. He also runs a multi-disciplinary theatre-music ensemble called the Vanderbilts. But his main artistic vehicle is the Elliot Galvin Trio.

The Elliot Galvin Trio

  

In 2014 The Elliot Galvin Trio were announced as the winners of the European Young Jazz Artist of the Year Award in Germany. That same year they released their debut album ‘Dreamland’ to rave reviews, with the Guardian calling it “audaciously accomplished” ****, Jez Nelson (BBC Radio 3, Jazz on 3) saying it was “Perhaps one of the strongest debuts that I’ve heard from a UK artist in a long while… extremely bold and progressive” and The German Jazz Magazine ‘JazzThing’ naming it as one of it’s albums of the year.

Below is the track listing for the Crazeology Radio Show dated17th March 2018. A link to the show can be found here: