The Music Lounge: Big Mike

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Big Mike - R&B Jumpoff

1. Trey Songz-Door Bell2. Lloyd2. Usher-Pay Me3. Usher Feat Jay Z Hot Toddie4. Trey Songz We Can't Be Friends5. Jazmine Sullivan Feat Lloyd Bank S& Fat Joe Circles6. Neyo Feat Rick Ross Champagne Life Remix7. Ciara Pretty Girl Swag8. Ciara Hard In The Paint9. Trey Songz&Nicki Minaj Bottoms Up10. Trey Songz Mojo11. Marsha Ambrosious I Hope She Cheats12. Chris Brown Your Love13. Usher Feat Bun B Get In My Car14. The Dream F.U.15. Usher Feat Gucci Mane O.M.G. Remix16. Pure Let Ya Body Talk17. Ciara-Gimme That18. Usher Feat Pitbull Dj Got Us Fallin In Love19. Jay Sean Feat Nicki Minaj 201020. Bobbiebrackens Feat Ray J 14321. Monica Love All Over Me22. Lyfe Jennings Statistics23. The Dream Panties To The Side

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Smooth Jazz News:

Cover Story: Marcus Miller
By: Melanie Maxwell

When Michael Lazaroff was searching for a jazz star to host his 2007 North Sea Jazz Cruisehe wanted someone who was not only popular in the United States, but also highly regarded by the European jazz community as well. “I must have consulted with six to 10 different people, and Marcus Miller was the only name on each and every list,” said Lazaroff, executive director of Jazz Cruises, LLC. Miller, however, wasn’t thrilled about the idea. “I didn’t want to subject my musician friends to playing background music on 'The Love Boat!'” said the two-time GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist. “I was a little skeptical when they first approached me,” Miller admitted. “The only cruise I had ever been on was when I was 10. My mom and dad took us on a family cruise to Bermuda. It was corny and boring. “It’s not like that any more. It’s really cool,” Miller said, changing his tune after accepting Lazaroff’s invitation to go on two other cruises Jazz Cruises, LLC produces; Dave Koz & Friends at Sea and the smooth jazz-themed cruise hosted by Wayman Tisdale. His childhood opinions of “corny” cruises and “Love Boat” images were quickly shattered, and the award-winning bass player’s eyes opened wide to all kinds of exotic new horizons. Once he agreed to host the cruise, Miller had the challenge of getting all the musicians he invited––the jazz elite––onboard with this concept. “They were all initially wary, like ‘Oh man, I don’t know if I’m going to enjoy this.’ But by the third day, they were all rushing up to me saying, ‘Sign me up for the next one, now!’” said Miller of the 12-day North Sea Jazz Cruise, which sailed from Copenhagen, visited ports of call at Oslo, Stockholm, Bremen and Rotterdam, and included attendance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands last July. “It was a really beautiful experience. We had Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove and a bunch of different people there. We enjoyed it, but a lot of Americans couldn’t make it because we had to fly over to Europe,” Miller said during an interview backstage at the Hollywood Bowl before his performance with Hancock at the 30th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival in June. This year, Jazz Cruises, LLC is teaming up with the Playboy Jazz Festival for the first-ever Playboy Jazz Cruise. This seven-day, full-ship charter aboard Holland America’s ms Westerdam is scheduled to sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2009. Ports of call include San Juan, Nevis, St. Barth’s and Half Moon Cay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas. Miller did such a great job in 2007 that Lazaroff invited him back to host the Playboy Jazz Cruise. “Not only was Marcus a great music director and producer on the cruise, but his energy towards the passengers was fantastic. He met every passenger, learned many of their names and was just a wonderful, wonderful host,” Lazaroff said from his St. Louis, Missouri-based headquarters. “It’s fantastic that Playboy is involved because they have such a huge reputation in jazz. They have all these people who love music who they can get in touch with and let them know about the cruise. Since we leave out of Fort Lauderdale, it will be a lot easier for people to get to. And we’ve got Herbie (Hancock) and Roy Hargrove on the cruise again,” Miller said. “The people who come on these kinds of cruises love music; they’re so crazy about music. Those people are beautiful. The environment is beautiful. We love it! We’re jammin’ all night after the official shows are over,” said Miller. In addition to Miller, Hancock and Hargrove, the lineup includes Dianne Reeves, Keb’ Mo’, Poncho Sanchez, James Moody, James Carter, Eldar, Roberta Gambarini and the New Birth Brass Band. While these cruises offer fans intimate and unique involvement with the artists––autograph sessions, poolside lounging, late-night jam sessions, shore excursions, dining together and opportunites to mingle in casual settings throughout the ship––it also gives the artists very special interactions with their fans. “That’s the most important thing. Because usually, like when you play here (the Hollywood Bowl), there’s not a whole lot of interaction going on. On these cruises, after you play, you’re talking with people and it becomes a family,” said Miller, who says his own family hasn’t been on any of the cruises yet. The day I interviewed Miller, a father of four, was Father’s Day and also the day after his 49th birthday...

For more information on Miller, including his complete tour schedule, visit www.marcusmiller.com.
Marcus Miller ON TOUR AT SEAJan. 25-Feb. 1, 2009Playboy Jazz Cruise (host)Full-ship charter to the Caribbeanaboard Holland America’s ms WesterdamEmbarkation/debarkation: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaPorts of Call: San Juan, Nevis, St. Barth’s and Half Moon CayBooking: www.playboyjazzcruise.com, (888) 852-9987

Cover Story: Paul Taylor
By: Preston Turegano

Far from being Undercover, the distinctive Paul Taylor has many irons in the fire, from his own sax line to an animation project. His latest disc, Ladies’ Choice, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart

Las Vegas-based saxophonist Paul Taylor wants smooth jazz devotees to know he’s alive and well and that his career has not been sidetracked, contrary to gossip and perceptions about the 47-year-old artist."I’ve been aware some people have been saying I got sidetracked, but I disagree," Taylor said ebulliently during a telephone interview from his home––his third Q&A with a writer that day. "I think the reason they said that is because after my first couple of records there was like a three-year gap between two of them. Then, I had to go to a new record label. After that, I started playing with the Rippingtons, but I still had the Undercover CD simultaneously with that. I thought I was kind of keeping things going."Taylor is absolutely on the go. In its debut, Taylor’s latest album, Ladies’ Choice, made it to the No. 1 spot in Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz chart the first week of June. That same week, he came to San Diego to sign copies of Ladies’ Choice at the Mission Valley Borders Books and Music. In July, Taylor headlined at the 12th Annual JazzFest West (formerly the Old Pasadena JazzFest) in San Dimas’ Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park. On Sept. 23, Taylor appears at the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater for Smooth Jazz 98.1’s Jazz at the Beach concert series.Joining Taylor on tour this summer will be band members K.T. Tyler (bass), Ray Mouton (guitar), Boy Katindig (keyboard) and Tarell Martin (drums).If Taylor’s schedule isn’t busy or on-track enough for skeptics, consider this: Taylor is working with a Taiwanese company on the production of "The Paul Taylor Alto Sax"––his own signed line of saxophones."I’m excited about that," Taylor said. "Each is hand-made. I want to do it the right way so people can have a really good horn."Taylor’s other project in the works is animation he’s creating on a laptop computer. His inspiration has been a friend who created animation that goes with each song on rapper Snoop Dogg’s latest CD. Taylor is hoping to incorporate his own lifelong love of comic book heroes (evident in his collection of Marvel and DC comic books and action figures that go back to the late ‘50s and early ‘60s) into his animation...

Cover Story: NORMAN BROWN
By Brian Soergel

Three years into his annual Summer Storm tour, Norman Brown says the multi-artist ensemble he created is a big hit with both fans and promoters. “Promoters buying packages like this because it gives them more bang for the buck,” the Grammy award-winning guitarist said. “Some of my hardcore fans say they're not seeing enough of myself, but it really is a good package because it gives people an opportunity to see artists they might not normally see. It's a dynamite tour.”This year's version includes stops this month at the Fifth Annual BB Jazz Festival in Huntington Beach, California (Sept. 8), the 31st annual Russian River Jazz Festival in Guerneville, California (Sept. 9), and the Margarita Scottsdale Music Fest in Scottsdale, Arizona (Sept. 22).In addition to Brown, of course, Summer Storm will offer vocalist Peabo Bryson, who appeared with the guitarist on the first version of the tour in 2005. Making their debuts this year will be saxophonist Marion Meadows and keyboardist Jeff Lorber. Brown said he feels fortunate to nab both Meadows and Lorber for the summer because package tours are also proving to be increasingly popular with artists as well.Meadows, with his sexy sax style, is a perfect fit. And Brown said he especially wanted Lorber on stage since, in addition to being one of the top keyboardists around, he is also experienced as a musical director on tours such as Groovin' for Grover.“I always want to give the fans a little bit more,” said the Kansas City, Kansas, native, who now lives in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. “And it gives me a chance to work with artists who I really admire. This combination you won't really get in one solo show. So the fans get to see us doing our own thing and also performing together.”Brown himself will have plenty of new material to offer his fans, as he released his seventh solo album, Stay With Me, in April. This Peak Records release is his first for the record label co-founded by Russ Freeman of the Rippingtons and it also became Brown's first CD to make it to the top of Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart. Not only that, but it debuted at No. 1, which speaks to the guitarist's large fan base and increasing popularity with each project. The CD already has spawned a No. 1 smooth jazz hit, “Let's Take a Ride.”...

Cover Story: JONATHAN BUTLER
By: Brian Soergel

A teen idol while growing up in South Africa, the guitarist nonetheless experienced firsthand the degrading effects of apartheid. The Los Angeles resident returned home for an uplifting concert and video segments now captured on a CD/DVD package.

Jonathan Butler is a much-loved player on the smooth jazz concert scene, his face more often than not sporting a grin as he strums his left-handed acoustic guitar. His killer app is his throaty vocals, which he puts to good use on both his smooth jazz and gospel CDs.Today, the 46-year-old Butler lives in sunny Southern California in a private, gated community called Bell Canyon. But to understand what made Butler the artist he is today, you must travel back to South Africa, where he managed to escape a dirt-poor childhood thanks to his prestigious musical talents. Part of Butler's story is told in Live in South Africa, a new CD and DVD package where he shares compelling stories of his youth lived under the oppressive cloak of apartheid––South Africa's formal policy of racial separation and economic discrimination finally dismantled in 1993.Butler was raised the youngest child of a large family in a house built with corrugated tin and cardboard in the “coloreds only” township of Athlone near Cape Town.“A lot has changed in Athlone,” said Butler, who returned to the area for Live in South Africa. “It was so touching for me to go back to Seventh Avenue, where I grew up, and to look around. When I was growing up, it was all shanties with outhouses. People had horses in their shanties, they sold fruit, fish and vegetables, and you could buy it all on credit. Most of the people I grew up with were poor, which was my family as well. Now there's so much development. Even the house I grew up in, somebody bought the lot and built a beautiful house. But here and there you still see shanty houses.”Butler's parents and relatives rarely mentioned the turmoil in their country, as they were more concerned about getting food in stomachs. Summers were hot and winters cold. During a traditional sing-a-long by a roaring outside fire, young Butler, at age 6, sang for the first time. Seeing his son's talent, Butler’s father built him a homemade guitar constructed out of a hollow floor-polish can and a tomato crate––and one gut-bucket string. “I learned one string at a time,” said Butler. “Then I played two strings, then three, and everything began to make sense after a while. I could hear melodies, hear where the harmony needed to be. There was always some sort of torn-up guitar in the house.” While learning to play, Butler was inspired and mentored by his late older brother Cecil, who also played guitar. Soon, Butler was performing in and around South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in bands fronted by older brothers and friends. He became a teen idol on par with Michael Jackson and was noticed by now-famed record label mogul Clive Calder, a Johannesburg native who formed Bullet Records and would go on to create Jive Records. At 12, Butler became a sensation with a Burt Bacharach song originally recorded by the Drifters called “Please Stay” that earned him the distinction of being the first black artist to be played on white-controlled radio in South Africa. It also picked up a Sarie Award, South Africa's version of the Grammys. It was while traveling and performing that Butler was exposed to the deep racial divide in his country. “Growing up as a kid in show business, I'd wake up every day to signs saying 'whites only,' 'coloreds only.' You grow up with this messed up notion of what life is about because in the middle of the day you'd hear sirens go off and you'd see black people running. I'd go, 'Where are they running to?' There were always illegals coming across the border to work, and the police would do random stops to check your papers,” Butler recalled. Butler found himself as the No. 1 artist in South Africa and joined one of Cape Town's best-known groups, Pacific Express. One of his favorite songs became Tom Jones' “Delilah.” For more information on Jonathan Butler, including his complete tour schedule, visit http://www.jonathanbutler.com/.

Cover Story: WAYMAN TISDALE
By Brian Soergel

Life has a funny way of delivering setbacks. Sometimes they can be life-saving. In 2005, bassist and Oklahoma native Wayman Tisdale bought a home in Southern California. Although he also hung onto his farmhouse in Tulsa, his West Coast digs brought him closer to the heart of the smooth jazz industry to get more gigs and to take his career to the next level. Taking advantage of his new environment, the former pro basketball superstar played in celebrity basketball games and in the summer of 2006 performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” direct from Hollywood.Then, in February 2007, everything changed.
Tisdale had undergone outpatient Lap-Band surgery to take off at least 100 pounds, part of a plan to get healthier. During his pro basketball days, the six-foot-nine-inch Tisdale weighed 265 pounds, but as he entered the California Surgical Weight Loss Center at West Hills Hospital, his weight had ballooned to 365 pounds. The surgery was successful, but while recuperating at home Tisdale fell and broke his right leg. While being treated, doctors determined that a cyst in his knee had caused the fall. Tests showed the cyst was cancerous, and it was removed. Following a five-month regimen of chemotherapy, Tisdale underwent a grueling eight-hour knee-replacement surgical procedure.
Today, Tisdale says he's 100 percent cured and is looking forward to a full slate of shows in 2008 –– including this month at the 10th Annual Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida –– in addition to the upcoming release of his eighth CD, appropriately titled Rebound.
“At the end of the day, after breaking my leg and going through what I went through,” said Tisdale, “I thank God that I broke the leg and found out what was going on. It's still an ongoing process, but man, I'm encouraged and staying positive.”
Tisdale now lives exclusively in Oklahoma with his wife Regina and two of his four children, Wayman Jr. (affectionately known as Bubba) and Gabrielle.
“I'm taking care of things out here on my farm, just enjoying life in the slow lane,” he said. “L.A. just got to be a little too fast for me.”
Tisdale's oldest daughter, Danielle, graduated from the University of Oklahoma last year. He is also a grandfather for the first time after his daughter Tiffany, who is attending the University of Oklahoma, gave birth to a baby girl named Bailey. “It's the best feeling in world to have a granddaughter,” he said. “Having your own kids is great, of course, and having grandchildren escalates it to the next level.”
Tisdale is taking it easier, but not too easy. After his cancer diagnosis, he was forced to cancel more than 40 shows, but he made a triumphant return to the stage on Sept. 22 at Thornton Winery in Temecula, California. He then joined the Dave Koz & Friends Christmas tour and hosted Jazz Cruises, LLC’s smooth jazz-themed cruise in January (he'll also host the full-ship charter again in 2009). He said he was touched by enthusiastic responses from audiences during his comeback, where concertgoers saw him slightly hobbled, but sporting a new, sleek figure.
“It's important for me to maintain my weight now,” Tisdale said. “My health is very important to me, especially my weight. I don't want to battle that, and it's important I keep it under control.”
For the rest of 2008, Tisdale said he plans to tour solo for the most part, skipping the popular package tours. As part of every show, the bassist plans to talk about his story of recovery. When he hosts his cruise next January, expect to see a band that Tisdale himself will have nurtured. This past October in Tulsa, he held the first in a series of what he's calling Wayman's Challenge open auditions to help find an opening act for special performances and to possibly open for Tisdale on tour. The next round is coming up soon...
For more information on Tisdale, visit his website at http://www.waymantisdale.com/.

On tour: on land and at sea
April 19 Seabreeze 106.3 Jazz FestivalGulf Place Outdoor AmphitheaterIntersection of County Hwy. 30A and Hwy. 393Santa Rosa Beach, Floridawww.seabreezejazzfestival.com(800) 595-4849

May 17Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival1107 Jamboree RoadNewport Beach, Californiawww.summerjazzseries.com, www.jazzconcerts.com(949) 729-6400

Jan. 18-25, 2009Jazz Cruises, LLC, smooth jazz-themed cruise hosted by Wayman TisdaleFull-ship charter to the CaribbeanAboard Holland America’s ms WesterdamEmbarkation/Debarkation: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaPorts of Call: San Juan, Santa Barbara De Samana, Santo Domingo, Half Moon Caywww.jazzcruisesllc.com(877) 330-5299

Cover Story: Gerald Albright
By Melanie Maxwell

Throughout his 20 year career, Gerald Albright has sold more than 1 million albums. His life and career have been racing at full throttle since he became a recording artist in 1987 with his first record, Just Between Us, on Atlantic Records. This month, he releases his 12th CD, Sax for Stax, on Peak Records. Today, Albright’s popularity and successes (professional and personal) continue to soar as he juggles dozens of concerts as part of the 2008 Guitars & Sax ensemble with solo shows. He also has his own Gerald Albright Signature Saxophone line through Cannonball Musical Instruments. I caught up with Albright last month backstage at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Jazz Festival presented by Bank of the West after his Guitars & Sax performance––his fourth consecutive concert that week. He was quite excited about his new project, Sax for Stax, scheduled for release June 24, which features his daughter, Selena Albright, Will Downing, Ledis, Philip Bailey and Kirk Whalum. “It’s a well-rounded project. We have live strings on this one. It’s lush. I call it classic funk because it’s got a real sheen to it, but you feel that funk underneath it, that real R&B flavor, which that’s all I know, that’s what I live,” Albright said. This project, envisioned by Mark Wexler from Peak Records features covers from hit songs on the Stax Record label in the ‘60s, along with three original songs. Artists signed to Stax Records during that era included Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, the Staple Singers, Sam & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Isaac Hayes and the Dramatics. Reminiscing about those great songs sparked conversation about Albright’s career path in music. “The only nonmusical job I had was when I worked at Woolworth’s department store. I was an assistant manager trainee. This was in ‘79 and I was fresh out of college. I worked there for about eight months, and my job was to learn the whole lingo about being a manager. The boss liked my voice, so she had me do all the ‘We have four-ply polyester Wintuck yarn for 99 cents,’ announcements. I was that guy. I hated it. I was working 48 hours a week, making chump change. That’s when Patrice Rushen called me and said ‘Hey, I’m going on this tour, would you like to come?’ I said ‘Absolutely.’ Freddie Washington, who was her regular bass player on the tour, got this great big production gig and had to leave the tour and she needed a fill in. I auditioned at one of the sound checks and got the position on bass. I told my boss at Woolworth’s, ‘I can’t even give you two weeks' notice, I’ve got to go.’ “So I was on a tour bus going from city to city learning her show with my little headphones on and my guitar plugged in. I played both saxophone and bass on one of the tours. I went on the road with Patrice for about five years. That was when her big hit ‘Forget Me Nots’ was heavy on the charts. I did the sax solo on that single. Then after that run of the tours, my name started getting out there and I started working with different people like Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, folks like that. I got my record deal in 1987 on Atlantic. I did seven records for them. From that point on, things got pretty good and the rest is history,” Albright recalled. Albright is also a talented songwriter and composes most of the songs on his CDs. “I have a studio at the house. I’ll go down there and close the door and my family knows not to mess with me. Just slide the food under the door,” he said laughing. “Once I get in there, and it’s not all the time, I have to really be in the mood to write. It’s a seasonal thing for me. I have to really want to write it. I have to feel it. But when the creative juices do flow, I can be in the studio for two weeks straight if it feels good. Sometimes I don’t go into the studio for a month or two, just because I’m not feeling it at the time. If I’m feeling upbeat and everything is wonderful, I can write a nice, happy, funky tune. Or if I’m feeling a little melancholy, something else will come out. But, I don’t sit at the piano and try to devise this formula like saying ‘OK, I’m going to write a Latin tune today, or I’m going to write a hip hop tune today.’ I just put my hands on the keyboards or the bass or the sax and whatever comes out at that time, that’s what I write. That’s the most honest approach for me to do it that way. When we did the Sax for Stax project, it was a really good time for my creativity,” Albright said. Although Albright is still enjoying his third consecutive Guitars & Saxes tour, he’llbe taking his own band on the road in support of his new CD. His touring musicians include Tony Moore or JJ Williams on drums (depending on the region), Darlene Moreno on guitar, Dwayne “Smitty” Smith or Melvin Davis on bass, and Tracy Carter (who is also musical director) on keyboards. He’ll book these solo dates in markets that Guitars & Sax won’t be performing in. Albright describes touring with his Guitars & Sax co-headliners, Peter White, Jeff Golub and Jeff Lorber as ”Fun, a real unique experience.” **The complete story can be found in the June edition of Smooth Jazz News. For more information on Albright, visit http://www.geraldalbright.com/.

June 15 (with Guitars & Sax)Playboy Jazz FestivalHollywood Bowl2301 N. Highland Ave.Hollywood, Californiawww.playboyjazzfestival.com

Aug. 8 (with Guitars & Sax)The WAVE’s Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Summer Jazz Series1107 Jamboree RoadNewport Beach, Californiawww.summerjazzseries.com, www.jazzconcerts.com(949) 729-6400

Sept. 7 (with Guitars & Sax)Jazz on the RiverJohnson’s Beach on the Russian River16241 First St.Guerneville, Californiawww.omegaevents.com(949) 360-7800

Oct. 19 Catalina Island JazzTrax FestivalAvalon Casino Ballroom1 Casino WayAvalon, Californiawww.jazztrax.com(866) TRAX-TIX

Jan. 18-25, 2009Smooth jazz-themed cruise hosted by Wayman TisdaleFull-ship charter to the CaribbeanAboard Holland America’s ms WesterdamEmbarkation/Debarkation: Fort Lauderdale, FloridaPorts of Call: San Juan, Santa Barbara De Samana, Santo Domingo, Half Moon Caywww.jazzcruisesllc.com(877) 330-5299

Cover Story: Sheila E
By Melanie Maxwell

In 100-plus-degree heat, Sheila E. slammed her sticks wildly on cymbals and drum skins while her thin, muscular legs pounded the pedal of her bass drum. She then threw her sticks in the air at the end of her solo to thunderous applause. Despite the sweltering heat during her Saturday afternoon performance last month at Rhythm on the Vine Music & Wine Festival at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California, Sheila looked cool and composed. At one of her first family performances in a while, Sheila was accompanied by her father, legendary Latin jazz percussionist Pete Escovedo, brothers Juan and Peter Michael and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra for a concert benefitting the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Escovedos - who just completed their first family album, Love's All Around, scheduled for release early next year - are headlining JazzFest West (formerly the Old Pasadena JazzFest) in San Dimas, California, on July 19. "We just started playing together again because of the CD. We're playing the new songs from the record, which we've actually written, to see everyone's reaction. So far it's been extremely positive; everyone really loves the new songs. So we know we're on the right track to get the buzz going with the family," Sheila said from her office in Van Nuys, California.
Born into a musical family who still remain close, Sheila made her concert debut at the age of 5 in the former Sands Ballroom in Oakland, California, when her father (then bandleader of Azteca) invited her onstage to play a solo in front of an audience of 3,000."I thought all girls played drums till I got out of the house and realized that it was a rarity," said the multifaceted drummer, percussionist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and composer."The first time I played a real show with my dad, I knew this is what I wanted to do. That one show that I played when I was 15 changed my life and confirmed that this is what I'm supposed to do. I didn't know it until that moment. Before then I was running track, playing soccer, breaking all the records, wanting to be in the Olympics."
Since then, beginning at age 17, Sheila has recorded and toured extensively with artists such as Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Billy Cobham, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Ringo Starr, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Nicks, Patti LaBelle, Cyndi Lauper, Tito Puente, Don Was and Babyface, among others. In 1983, Prince changed Sheila Escovedo's name to Sheila E. and helped record her first solo album, The Glamorous Life. The title track received multiple GRAMMY and American Music Award nominations and won MTV's Best Video Award.
At 50, Sheila's career as both a solo artist and support to other top stars is as hot as our current weather patterns."When I was playing with Ringo last year, I actually got heat stroke and we were under a tent. I was playing so hard and it was so hot and humid that the paramedics had to pull me off the stage on the last two songs. I couldn't make it. I couldn't walk to the dressing room. This had never happened to me; that was a really scary moment. So with this kind of heat, even right now, it's like 109 today, I can't even walk outside. It's awful and dangerous. Even at the Temecula Festival, it took a lot for us being outside when it was that hot. And for me using both legs, both arms, singing, directing, I was exhausted. We do have to be careful because we have had some really close calls," said Sheila last month during a record heat wave.
This heat factor is in tune with Sheila's look...hot. In fact, one of her solo records is appropriately titled Sex Cymbal."Back in the day it was just something to play off of words. When everyone was saying "You're a sex symbol,' you think to yourself ÔNo I'm not. I'm really not. This is just who I am.' To me, it's really not so much about being sexy as it is about being passionate about what I do. I really love what I do. It's been such a blessing to be able to play with so many people, perform and work with my family. It's a privilege. I want to give more, do more, keep playing and always try to give 150 percent," said Sheila, who ironically enjoys juggling as a hobby.
As a humanitarian, Sheila gives back to the community through her Elevate Hope Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization (which she co-founded and co-chairs) that assists abused and abandoned children through music therapy. "It really all stems from my dad. My parents would take us to facilities when we were younger. We grew up really poor, but Pops and Moms always said that there was always someone worse off than we were, Ôso let's go give back.' So we would take our percussion instruments in the car and go to a facility and play for the kids and get them involved in playing with us and try to give back like that. When he wasn't being tossed back and forth between his parents and grandparents in Mexico, my dad lived most of his childhood in St. Vincent Home for Boys, an orphanage in San Rafael, California. So he knows how it was for him to be in a place by himself," Sheila said.
Her foundation, which originally had three different beneficiaries, now donates everything they generate to Vista Del Mar Child & Family Services in Los Angeles, California. This facility is dedicated to the well-being and care of children and families in Southern California who suffer the emotional, physical, psychological and social consequences of abuse, neglect and abandonment. This agency's wide spectrum of services includes adoption, foster care, residential treatment, outpatient services, community outreach and the Vista School. "When we give money, the contract designates where it has to specifically go. We want to know it's going to music and arts programs for the kids," said Sheila, who also has designed her own line of percussion instruments.
"When I grew up I just happened to play on my dad's percussion because it was just sitting around the house. Some of the little percussion instruments we have for kids nowadays are more like toys; they're plastic and don't last as long. So I decided to partner with my company, TOCA Kaman Music, to help me design real drums for kids. We have the Sheila E. Player's Series bongos designed for kids starting at age 3, which is when I started banging on the drums, and it moves all the way up to pro level (Custom Series Class E line). We evenhave different colors of drums," said Sheila, who is also founder and president of Heaven Productions Music, a music production company that was hired to direct and arrange music for the ALMA Awards (1998 and 1999), the 1998 WOW Awards, 1998 Gospel Music Association's annual event and the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. Sheila has also co-hosted and/or appeared in many other awards shows, TV programs and movies, and in 2003 she wrote, recorded and taped a montage for the baseball World Series. As a woman musician working in a mostly man's world, all of her cumulative successes were met with some challenges and jealousies along the way.
"There were moments that happened, especially when I first started coming out to Los Angeles. We grew up in the Bay Area, but I was flying to Los Angeles as a professional musician at 17, 18 and 19 years old, doing sessions here with people like George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Billy Cobham and playing with people like that. It was unusual, which I didn't know. Male drummers, percussion players, whoever, with their egos would give me attitude like ÔWho are you? Where'd you come from? You're just here because blah-de-blah.' I was thinking, Ôhow can people be so rude?" she recalled. Eventually the touring musician's life fame took its toll. When that happened, Sheila's spiritual heart opened up to new possibilities...
Sheila E. is scheduled to perform with the Pete Escovedo Orchestra featuring Juan and Peter Michael Escovedo at JazzFest West (formerly the Old Pasadena JazzFest) on Saturday, July 19 at 8 p.m. JazzFest West will be held at Bonelli Park, 120 Via Verde, in San Dimas, California. For tickets or more information, call (949) 360-7800, or visit http://www.omegaevents.com/.

For more information on Sheila E., visit http://www.sheilae.com/. To make a donation to her foundation, visit http://www.elevatehope.org/.

Poetry Lounge

BLACK AND INTELLIGENT:

Being black and being intelligent can be deadly Not physically but emotionally. Often times I feel like I have to dumb myself down in order to keep From seeming stuck up or a MS. KNOW IT ALL. I often see my black brothers and sister who end up never amounting to anything, and that's not where I want to be. I am a young black girl who is happy being her. Happy being educated. Happy knowing that with a little bit of hard work, I can achieve the most high. My own kind looks down on me because of this. Because I want to rise above this chaos. Because I want to have a better life. I'm already left out because I appear to be too light. But what Does it matter if my skin is of a butterscotch hue? Am I less of a black person? Am I unworthy of being with my own kind? So you see, I have it the worst. Due to my skin and my well spoken intellect. At first I wanted to hide behind my ability to shift my swagger And blend in with the quote on quote "Black" crew. But now I've realized that I am no better or no less worthy to call myself black. I am no longer afraid to be intelligent. I am no longer willing to hide me true self to satisfy someone's ego. I am going to be myself. A young girl who is now able to accept the fact that she is BLACK AND INTELLIGENT

Written by Mania M.

Queens and Kings:

Once we were Queens and Kings Now we're just fiends. Enslaved to that almighty green Power and lust eats away at us. From the inside out slowly it devours us Like the virus AIDS It waits and it preys Knowing just when and where to lay its eggs. Playing us off one another Distracting us from the attack on our Holy Mother At the same time destroying our brothers Raping our Sisters blinding our children, Stealing their innocence the whole time claiming repentance Uninterested in the consequence Like vultures they ate away at our culture Leaving us with only the bare bones Generations of our people left feeling all alone The powers that be don't want you to See the truth about idolatry Got you worshiping a "Holy Trinity" There is but One and it is The ALL educate your self before you Fall through that hole that was once your Soul lost forever at the crossroads We tried to warn you before it was too late Now you can't get Into Heavens Gates Until such a time when you find that Divine Love for "self" and ALL mankind!

Written by Aye C

ENTRY TO HEAVEN:

You ask for entry Where is your book of dreams Where is your bag of accomplishments Your book is empty, save your desire to go to heaven Your bag has nothing What did you do? Did you not dream? Did you just stand at the crossroads and not move in one direction, or another? Did you not take chances? Did you love? Did you care? Tell me.
Go back Go back now! Fill that book with dreams Fill that bag with accomplishments Take some chances
I gave you the intellect to accomplish anything you wanted I gave you the cunning to make sound decisions I gave you the creativity to dream good dreams And you stood there and did nothing Loved nothing Cared about no one
Come back when you are ready And entry thru these gates will be guaranteed these pearly gates of heaven.

Written by Paul Alleyne

FORBES.COM

Hip-Hop's Cash Kings
2008Zack O'Malley Greenburg 08.18.08, 6:00 AM ET

It's been some year for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. In the past 12 months, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-born hip-hop demigod released a platinum album, signed a 10-year, $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation and tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles. Quite a record. But only good enough for a silver medal.
While Jay-Z topped Forbes.com's inaugural Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning people in the business last year, in 2008 he cedes the throne to Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who raked in $150 million over the past 12 months--almost twice what Jay-Z made.
In Pictures: The Year's 20 Cash Kings Of Hip-Hop
The new king of hip-hop wealth banked $100 million after taxes on one deal alone when his stake in VitaminWater's parent, Glacéau, was bought by Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) as part of a $4.1 billion deal. 50's portfolio also includes the popular G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and a slew of platinum albums, including last year's Curtis. Also in the works: a mining partnership with South African billionaire Partrice Motsepe (see "The 50 Cent Machine").
50 Cent isn't the only star in the growing firmament of "hip-hopreneurs." After years of violent rivalry marked by the murders of such icons as Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., rap's focus has shifted from beef to cake--making money, that is. Unlike most pop and rock musicians, who make the bulk of their earnings from record sales and tours, rappers have more diversified portfolios.
These impresarios have mastered the arts of branding and cross-promotion, with licensing deals for everything from booze to books. Others own record labels, clothing lines, bars and restaurants. As 50 Cent says of lesser entrepreneurs, "They're trying to buy some Gucci / I'm trying to buy the mall."
For the second year in a row, Sean "Diddy" Combs finished third on our list. The ageless Dapper Don of rap banked a cool $35 million from his revenue streams, including his clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy, premium vodka Ciroc and two reality-TV shows. Last year Diddy collaborated with fellow list-toppers Jay-Z and 50 Cent to release "I Get Money (The Forbes 1, 2, 3 Remix)" in honor of their success.
Kanye West clocks in at No. 4 with $30 million. The pink-polo-sporting rapper and producer released his third solo album, Graduation, last September. After handily outselling 50 Cent's Curtis in a head-to-head opening-week matchup, West's album went multiplatinum and won four Grammys. West has penned hits for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Diddy, among others. Earlier this month, he headlined the music festival Lollapalooza in his native Chicago.
Some hip-hop legends don't need to do anything to keep earning outrageous sums of money. Andre "Dr. Dre" Young banked $15 million even though he hasn't had a hit in years--he still gets rich on royalties from two decades of hits. A founder of the seminal rap group N.W.A he released his multiplatinum solo opus The Chronic in 1992 and has produced hits for the likes of Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem and Tupac Shakur.
Tupac himself pulled in a handsome sum this year--about $15 million--even though he's been dead for over 10 years. Tupac is probably having himself a last laugh from beyond the grave, knowing that his onetime friend Suge Knight isn't cashing in on the bonanza. Knight, the bodyguard-turned-president of Death Row Records, long rumored to have arranged Shakur's killing, filed for bankruptcy and put his Malibu, Calif., mansion up for sale last June.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Big Mike - R&B Jumpoff

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