Category: Articles

Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro has taken the four-string, two-octave

instrument to places no one has gone before, performing awesome music that

ranges from jazz, blues, and rock to bluegrass, classical, and folk. His live

concerts are an out-of-the-box blend of stunning virtuosity, deep musicality and a

natural entertainer’s flair.

Jake got his start at age four, when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson.

Fascinated by the instrument, he eventually began playing regularly at a local

caf?, where his talent and reputation blossomed. Fast-forward several years and

Jake now has his own record label, and tours extensively in the U.S. and Japan.

Jake has completely rewritten the book on the possibilities of the ukulele — and is

adding new chapters with every CD he records.Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro has taken the four-string, two-octave

instrument to places no one has gone before, performing awesome music that

ranges from jazz, blues, and rock to bluegrass, classical, and folk. His live

concerts are an out-of-the-box blend of stunning virtuosity, deep musicality and a

natural entertainer’s flair.

Jake got his start at age four, when his mother gave him his first ukulele lesson.

Fascinated by the instrument, he eventually began playing regularly at a local

caf?, where his talent and reputation blossomed. Fast-forward several years and

Jake now has his own record label, and tours extensively in the U.S. and Japan.

Jake has completely rewritten the book on the possibilities of the ukulele — and is

adding new chapters with every CD he records.

15 years ago in his hometown of Portland, Oregon, Thomas Lauderdale was working in politics, thinking that one day he would run for mayor. Like other eager beaver politicians-in-training, he went to every political fundraiser under the sun … but was dismayed to find the music at these events underwhelming, lackluster, loud and un-neighborly. Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop – and hoping to appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, he founded the “little orchestra”Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers for progressive causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment, libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks.

“Pink Martini draws inspiration from the romantic Hollywood musicals of the 1940s or ‘50s … with a more global perspective. We write a lot of songs … but we also champion songs like Ernesto Lecuona’s “Andalucia”or “Amado mio”from the Rita Hayworth film “Gilda”or “Kikuchiyo to mohshimasu (My name is Kikuchiyo)”made famous in the 1960s by the great Japanese group Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars. In that sense we’re a bit like musical archeologists, digging through recordings and scores of years past and rediscovering beautiful songs.”

Lauderdale met China Forbes, Pink Martini’s “Diva Next Door” lead vocalist, at Harvard. He was studying history and literature while she was studying English literature and painting. Actually neither of them really studied, they socialized … and late at night, they would break into the lower common room in their college dormitory and sing arias by Puccini and Verdi – and the occasional campy Barbara Streisand cover –thus sealing their creative collaboration. Three years after graduating, Lauderdale called Forbes who was living in New York City, where she’d been writing songs and playing guitar in hew own folk-rock project, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together for the band. Their first song “Sympathique”– with the chorus “Je ne veux pas travailler”(”I don’t want to work”) – became an overnight sensation in France, and was even nominated for “Song of the Year”at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards.

“Both China Forbes and I come from multicultural families,”says Lauderdale. “All of us in Pink Martini have studied different languages as well as different styles of music from different parts of the world. So inevitably, because everyone has participated at some point in the writing or arranging of songs, our repertoire is wildly diverse. At one moment, you feel like you’re in the middle of a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro, and in the next moment, you’re in a French music hall of the 1930s or a palazzo in Napoli. It’s a bit like an urban musical travelogue. We’re very much an American band, but we spend a lot of time abroad … and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to represent – through our repertoire and our concerts – a broader, more inclusive America … the America which remains the most heterogeneously populated country in the world … comprised of people of every country, every language, every religion.”

Pink Martini has twelve musicians (and sometimes travels with string sections), and performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia and New Zealand and North America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with over 25 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London. Other appearances include the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve 2003, 2004 & 2008; two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in NYC; the Governor’s Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; and the opening of the 2008 Sydney Festival in Australia.

“The overarching goal is to create a cohesive body of beautiful songs with beautiful melodies. And then it all just extends outward from there. Because the interests of the band are so diverse – two percussionists who spend a lot of time in Brasil; another percussionist who grew up in Peru; a German speaking trombone player who studied with all the brass section of the Chicago Symphony and likes Miles Davis; a singer who studied French and Italian and sings in 15 different languages; a cellist who speaks Mandarin – because of this diversity inside the band, there are endless ideas. On a bad day it can just seem all too dizzying. But hopefully in the larger picture, it is a more accurate representation of America in 2009.”

“Pink Martini represents all that Toronto aspires to – sophistication, cosmopolitanism, and a type of delight that sometimes involves dressing up and carousing … with its heterogeneous tastes and facility in languages, the pop orchestra might have sprung from our own diverse metropolis, but hails instead from Portland, Oregon.”

– Toronto Star, March 2008

The band has collaborated and performed with Jimmy Scott, Carol Channing, Henri Salvador, Jane Powell, Chavela Vargas, Georges Moustaki, Michael Feinstein, DJ Dimitri from Paris, clarinetist and conductor Norman Leyden, Hiroshi Wada, DJ Johnny Dynell and several drag queens from New York City, among others.

Most recently, the band collaborated with the 234th Army Band of the Oregon National Guard and 12 performers (including Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts) to stage Oregon! Oregon! A Sesquicentennial Fable in IV Acts by Stan Freberg (with the 4th act co-written by Lauderdale, the First Lady of Oregon Mary Oberst, Chariots of Fire conductor Harry Rabinowitz and 12 others-) around the state of Oregon in August/September 2009 to celebrate the state’s 150th anniversary.

“Pink Martini definitely is an original force in contemporary music even as it basks in eclectic nostalgia. It also bridges, better than any band in recent memory, the high-brow/pop culture divide.”– The Washington Times, June 29, 2005

Pink Martini’s debut album Sympathique was released independently in 1997 on the band’s own label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’s dog), and quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group nominations for “Song of the Year”and “Best New Artist”in France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2000. Pink Martini released Hang On Little Tomato in 2004 and Hey Eugene! in 2007. All three albums have gone gold in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey, and have sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. In partnership with Public Broadcasting, the band filmed and released a concert dvd entitled Discover The World. Sympathique and Hey Eugene! have also been released on vinyl.

In May 2009, the band recorded three concerts with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos for the band’s fifth album … a symphonic record which is slated for a Spring 2010 release.

“A defining moment in a group’s career can arrive from the most unexpected of places. For Pink Martini, it came courtesy of the United Nations …. Last month Srgjan Kerim, the new president of the U.N’s General Assembly, ordered 30 copies of Pink Martini’s second album “Hang on Little Tomato”. The Macedonian was so smitten after catching a recent show in Vancouver B.C. that he intends to pass out the cd during his first official meeting.”– Los Angeles Times, 13 September 2007

“Americans don’t really sing together anymore … except for church … or maybe the shower. At the turn of the 20th century, every middle-class American household had a piano. And it was the focal point of the house … people would gather around it and sing together. Music was something everyone participated in. Everyone played an instrument or sang … whether it was an American folk song like “Oh My Darling Clementine”or “Home On The Range”or an Irving Berlin song like “What’ll I Do”or Gershwin’s “Someone To Watch Over Me”, everybody knew the songs, knew the words, and could participate. But then the radio came, and then the television … and soon it was all over. For me, Pink Martini is partially an attempt to rebuild a culture which sings and dances.”

Brian Culbertson: Brian began his quest in music at the age of 8 on piano, adding drums at 9, trombone at 10 then bass at 12. He grew up in Decatur, IL, loving genre-crossing jazz-pop artists such as Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Yellowjackets and Maynard Ferguson. So naturally gifted was Brian, his 7th grade piano recital consisted of all original tunes. Brian flourished in high school bands with his father, Jim Culbertson, as the school’s award-winning jazz band director, moved to Chicago to complete his studies at private DePaul University, then went on to compose jingles for clients such as United Airlines, Oldsmobile, Sears and McDonald’s in the bustling city’s highly competitive advertising community.

Although Culbertson has a wide spectrum of musical style, much of his music is funk based. Culbertson has released twelve albums so far. The first,”Long Night Out” 1994 was self-produced at age 20. Culbertson always brings his very best – and the very best out of others – in all of his broad-ranging musical endeavors

David Sanborn: One of the most commercially successful American saxophonists to earn prominence since the 1980s, David Sanborn has released 24 albums, won six Grammy Awards, and has had eight Gold albums and one Platinum album. Having inspired countless other musicians, Dave has worked in many genres which typically blend instrumental pop, R&B and lately, more and more traditional jazz. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school when he was inspired by the great Chicago blues artists near his hometown of St. Louis.

Having contracted polio at the age of three, Dave was introduced to the saxophone as part of his treatment therapy. By the age of 14, he was able to play with legends such as Albert King and Little Milton. Dave went on to study music at Northwestern University before transferring to the University of Iowa where he played and studied with the great saxophonist JR Monterose. Sanborn has performed on both radio and television broadcasts; he has also acted as a host and continues to be the most highly active musician of his genre. Since the late 1980s he has been a regular guest member of Paul Shaffer’s band on Late Night with David Letterman.

Even in a city that doesn’t play by the rules, New Orleans’ Bonerama is something different. They can evoke vintage funk, classic rock and free improvisation in the same set; maybe even the same song. Bonerama has been repeatedly recognized by Rolling Stone, hailed as “the ultimate in brass balls” (2005) and praised for their “…crushing ensemble riffing, human-feedback shrieks and wah-wah growls” (2007). Bonerama carries the brass-band concept to places unknown; what other brass band could snag an honor for “Best Rock Band” (Big Easy Awards 2007 and 2010)? As co-founder Mark Mullins puts it, “We thought we could expand what a New Orleans brass band could do. Bands like Dirty Dozen started the “anything goes” concept, bringing in the guitars and the drum kit and using the sousaphone like a bass guitar. We thought we could push things a little further.”

Great music begins with great songs, and great songs are what the Honey Island Swamp Band is all about. The band came together after 4 friends were marooned in San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Amidst the chaos, they formed a band, got some gigs, and their “Bayou Americana” sound was born, reminiscent of forefathers and influences such as Little Feat, The Band, Taj Mahal, Earl King, Jerry Garcia, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Gram Parsons and Jimmy Reed. Their eponymous EP was recorded in 2006 at famed studio The Plant in Sausalito, CA, and was received so well that they all decided to continue the band upon moving back home to New Orleans in 2007.

Wishing Well, the band’s first full length album (produced by Tom Drummond of Better Than Ezra) won “Best Blues Album” of 2009 from OffBeat Magazine, which has also honored Honey Island Swamp Band as “Best Emerging Artist” of 2009 and “Best Roots Rock Artist” of 2010. HISB’s newest offering – Good To You – was nominated by OffBeat as “Best Roots Rock Album” of 2010, and has become a staple of most DJs on the Crescent City’s legendary radio station WWOZ, as well as on Sirius/XM satellite radio’s Bluesville and traditional stations from coast?to?coast. Featuring the southern strut of songs such as “Country Girl”, “300 Pounds” and the album’s first single “Chocolate Cake”, Good To You illuminates the mix of country?inflected rock and New Orleans funky blues that makes Honey Island Swamp Band’s music so familiar and unique at the same time.

While they have long been considered one of the greatest horn sections in the business, and although they have (collectively and individually) recorded as sidemen for Elton John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, David Sanborn, Michelle Shocked and Aaron Neville amongst many others, Tower Of Power’s sum is truly greater than its parts. Tower’s rhythm section lays down a groove like no other band. The band’s horn driven sound is unique, and the way they approach everything, from writing and arranging to mixing and performing, is totally their own. Combine all of that with an outstanding lead vocalist and you have one of the most dynamic groups of musicians to ever hit the stage.

Since 1968, Tower of Power has delivered their unique brand of music to their fans, appearing before sold out crowds as they tour the world each year. Tower’s sound can be hard to categorize, but the band’s leader and founding member, Emilio Castillo, has labeled their sound as “Urban Soul Music.”

For Fans Of: R&B/Funk Music, James Brown, Bloodstone, Average White Band

“The relaxed charisma of Mr. James’ tone, especially on alto and tenor, is one reason his approach works…. Another reason is his sturdy sense of phrase. Like Grover Washington, Jr., a pioneer in this field, he sounds at ease but alert, and he’s capable of striking an imploring tone without an overdose of saccharine.”

— New York Times

After four gold albums, three Grammy nominations and sales totaling more than 3 million records, chart-topping saxophonist Boney James embodies the phrase “horn of plenty.”

“I’m always thinking about making music,” he says. “It’s still my consuming passion.”

That passion reverberates throughout James’ latest project, The Beat. The April 9 release marks his 14th album as well as his return to former label Concord Records. It’s a penetrating fusion of R&B, jazz and Latin rhythms given voice by James’ emotive saxophone and such guests as trumpet hitman Rick Braun, R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn and spoken word phenom The Floacist.

“There was no sense that this had to be a certain thing,” recalls James, who was between labels when he began recording the album. “I was recording for fun, experimenting with this hybrid R&B and Latin sound, two genres I love. So my playing on this album has a different energy. I think it’s one of the best records I’ve ever done.”

Sergio Mendes’ “Batucada (The Beat)” provided the initial inspiration for the genre mash-up. Re-imagining the Brazilian tune with a percolating funk backbeat, James reunites with longtime colleague Braun—a combustible teaming he describes as possessing a “certain edge that creates a really cool vibe.”

That natural, organic vibe courses throughout the rest of the 10-track album produced by James, who also wrote/co-wrote eight songs. Those tunes include lead single “Maker of Love,” a sexy flamethrower sparked by the soulful Raheem DeVaughn. A longtime fan of the R&B singer, James says their collaboration came to fruition after they began following each other on Twitter. “I sent him the track, and he came back with an incredible lyric and finished vocal that he’d done in one night,” recalls James.

Equally as mesmerizing is the seductive “The Midas (This Is Why)” featuring U.K. poet/musician The Floacist, best known as one-half of the Grammy-winning neo-soul duo Floetry. “I just wanted a spoken word thing,” says James of The Floacist’s laid-back flow. “Between its R&B groove, the shekere and conga percussion plus her Euro coffeehouse feel, the track adds to the album’s world music flavor.”

James opens the album with an illuminating take on Stevie Wonder’s R&B/Latin mid-tempo classic “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” From there, “The Beat” saunters into the easygoing groove of “Sunset Boulevard” then segues into the sophisticated bossa nova samba of “Mari’s Song.” After kicking into high energy on the percussion-driven “Powerhouse,” the versatile musician downshifts effortlessly into first gear on the subtly elegant “Acalento (Lullaby).” Notes James, “I’m just trying to stretch a little here. There’s no agenda. It’s just music that came out of me.”

The music has been flowing ever since he took up the clarinet at the age of eight. Switching to the saxophone, he began playing in dance bands at 14. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts and raised in New Rochelle, NY, James counts Wonder, legendary musician/songwriter/producer Quincy Jones Earth, Wind & Fire and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. as major influences. James later honed his R&B chops while touring and doing session work for such marquee names as the Isley Brothers, Randy Crawford and Ray Parker Jr.

Conversant on the tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, James debuted as a solo artist in 1992 with Trust. Cited as virtually creating the urban jazz genre—melding contemporary jazz with hip-hop sensibilities—the crossover virtuoso has racked up nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and two top 10 entries on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally. A three-time Grammy nominee and an NAACP Image Award nominee, James has earned several other honors, including four RIAA-certified gold albums and a Soul Train Award for Best Jazz Album.

During the course of his 21-year career, James has built a solid reputation as a compelling live performer who averages between 50-80 gigs a year. “Let’s make something perfectly clear: James is not a smooth jazz player,” declares a Boston Globe review. “His music is muscular and gritty … James swaggers across the stage like a blacktop hero draining treys on an overmatched opponent.”

However, between his two most recent albums—2009’s Send One Your Love (Concord) and 2011’s Contact (Verve)—James was wondering if he’d ever play the sax again. He was rear-ended by a drunk driver on a Los Angeles highway. His car totaled, James suffered a fractured jaw and lost two teeth as well as the ability to play for two months.

That period is now thankfully a dim memory as James returns to Concord, ready to step up his game with The Beat. “The music I’m making comes with different elements that need to be experienced, not pre-judged or categorized,” he says. “I just want to be fresh, not derivative.”

moe. is the preeminent progressive rock band on the music scene today. In a remarkable career that’s touched upon three decades and produced 17 albums, the quintet of Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey on guitars and vocals, Rob Derhak on bass and vocals, Jim Loughlin on percussion and vibes, and Vinnie Amico on Drums, continues to push the standard for performance art.

Critical acclaim and a solid national and international fan base has built a dedicated following that grows each year. Whether touring across the globe, headlining music festivals, or sharing the stage with such celebrated acts as the Allmans, The Who, or Robert Plant, among others, what keeps moe. at the forefront of the music scene is not only the energy and vitality of their music and songwriting, but the showmanship in which it is delivered.

One of the most celebrated country-folk performers of her day, singer/songwriter Iris Dement was born on January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, AR, the youngest of 14 children. At the age of three, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music; during her teenaged years, however, she was first exposed to country, folk, and R&B, drawing influence from Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. Upon graduating high school, she relocated to Kansas City to attend college.

After a series of jobs waitressing and typing, Dement first began composing songs at the age of 25. Honing her skills at open-mic nights, in 1988 she moved to Nashville, where she contacted producer Jim Rooney, who helped her land a record contract. Dement did not make her recording debut until 1992, when her independent label offering, Infamous Angel, won almost universal acclaim thanks to her pure, evocative vocal style and spare, heartfelt songcraft. Despite a complete lack of support from country radio, the record’s word-of-mouth praise earned her a deal with Warner Bros., which reissued Infamous Angel in 1993 as well as its follow-up, 1994’s stunning My Life. Her third LP, 1996’s eclectic The Way I Should, marked a dramatic change not only in its more rock-influenced sound but also in its subject matter; where Dement’s prior work was introspective and deeply personal, The Way I Should was fiercely political, tackling topics like sexual abuse, religion, government policy, and Vietnam. In 1999, she collaborated with country man John Prine on his album, In Spite of Ourselves. Dement recorded four duets with Prine that earned her a Grammy nod the following year.

Please join us for the 2nd annual pole fitness competition in Florida, the “Florida Pole Fitness Championship” on March 3rd, 2012 at The Plaza Live Theater in Orlando, Florida. It will be a spectacular alternative fitness and dance style show featuring the best Pole Athletes in the state of Florida! Special performances by 2012 USPDF Champion Michelle Stanek, 2011 American Male Pole Fitness Champion Derick Pierson, USPDF Miss Sexy Karol Helms and other surprise guest performers.

The Florida Pole Fitness Championship is a competition focusing and promoting the art and sport of Pole Fitness. The mission of the Florida Pole Fitness Championship is to showcase, promote and unite the Florida Pole Fitness community.

The event is open to all amateur and professional women 18 years and older who are currently Florida residents. All levels of pole fitness competitors are welcome to enter. The Men’s and Partner divisions are open to men and women who live within the 50 United States.

Competitors will be judged on their individual choreographed routines. Each contestant may only compete in “one” division, Amateur, Professional, Men’s or Partner. The Florida Pole Fitness Championship will consist of four Divisions:

Amateur Division

Professional Division

Men’s Division

Partner Division