Andy Riley hand-punched the Soft Cell song “Tainted Love” onto a card and fed it through a hand-cranked music reader. It’s one of those songs you’ll know in a few seconds.
I hand-punched Tainted Love into this strip of card because lockdown. pic.twitter.com/u6mCjc0L8A
— Luminous J (@AndyRileyish) January 20, 2021
Canadian funk legends Crack of Dawn touch on that unmistakable, indescribable feeling of being in love with this, their funk-tastic, swanky new single, “Gotta Find A Way.”
Featuring the same signature velvet-funk tones that have made them Canada’s most celebrated soul act for 40 years and running, this latest delivery from Crack of Dawn teems with that craft so finely tuned, it still has audiences moving the seat of their pants.
In a tribute to history’s trademark funk-pop hallmarks, the lyrics of the 4:03 piece are about connecting with the heart of a desired woman. Soulfully delivered by Michael Dunston, the track’s engineering (Dennis Nieves, who also co-wrote the song), makes a brilliant stand for a composition method that’s now a rarity, where all of the musicians of the ensemble, collaboratively, are actually involved as arrangers to the track.
Nieves succeeded at creating a finished product of a rare balance and clarity, and a track that just hits the mark in the feelgood, move that body subgenre that just never goes out of style. It’s easy to recognize that signature ‘Crack of Dawn’ guitar work, the subtle and tasteful horn arrangements that support a strong melody, backed by a thick brick wall of a groove.
Originally discovered and signed to CBS records by Otis Redding’s producer, Crack of Dawn has developed a signature sound and groove that stands alone in a crowd of flavors of the month’s — a long lasting value, that presents both the finest elements of 70’s and 80’s era funky grooves and brassy vibes, but also the finest of what modern production can offer.
This proves it once and for all: the funk and the groove is in your soul, not in the tech you’re using to make it go round.
And “Gotta Find A Way” is yet another example.
Reeling from a litany of hard knocks is a truth The Divorcees know all too well; and now the five New Brunswick-based country outlaws are letting it all hang out on this, their latest single, “Must Be Nice” — available now.
Never shying away from what’s real, and how to pen it, this old-school country group have done it again: speaking tough, unabashed honesty from lives lived to an audience who are right there with them. “Must Be Nice” is a song with grit and groove, simmering in thinly-veiled anger towards big banker profits in the midst of working-class misery, and it’s this genuineness that members Alex Madsen, Jason Haywood, Denis “Turtle” Arsenault, Shawn Thomas, and Kevin Macintyre have yet to shy from doing for nearly twenty years, and keeping fans with them every step of the way.
“’Must Be Nice’ is for every single hard-working person out there who gets out of a 12-hr shift from a job they’ve done for years,” the band shares. “It’s for people who work for multi-billion-dollar companies for minimum wage — with no health plans and needing food stamps to get by. It’s for the ones who flip on the news to hear their company got sold out from under them.
“It’s for everyone who’s watched people make millions off other people’s pain without a care in the world. It’s for the guy on the bus getting cut off by a guy in a BMW and whispers under his breath, ‘Must Be Nice’.”
A tried-and-true testament to the art of authentic country songcraft, the band understands all too well the reality of struggling to get through another day and survive into the next. “’Must Be Nice’ is a song of frustration,” they say. “It’s something every single guy in The Divorcees has lived.
“Here in New Brunswick, no one’s got it easy. We’re a poor province. Believe me when I say we’ve had our share of hard knocks.
“And when we see the richest of the rich living the good life while we’re picking which bills to pay — and they don’t even seem to care at all?
“Well, you get my drift.”
“Must Be Nice” is the newest single from The Divorcees’ most recent full-length, 2021’s Drop of Blood — out now; in addition to the 11-track LP, The Divorcees are releasing a documentary of the same name to complement the offering.
While Drop of Blood is a very nuanced trad-country effort, “Must Be Nice” is a bonafide heavy hitter on the roster, packing heat every time it goes up to bat. True country fans will enjoy the funky yet twangy musicianship of the group — a tune that fits seamlessly in the regular playlists of your favorite roadhouse or out-of-the-way dive. From the ingenious twin guitar licks to the earthy Wurlitzer sitting comfortably in the pocket, the juxtaposition of the tune is a perfect blend of sarcasm and groove with a gentlemanly nod to their outlaw heroes.
As with many well-loved country songs, it’s a dose of bitter reality cut with sly, self-deprecating humor — the kind that goes well with a tallboy and a Jack after a hard day on the job. The Divorcees manage to both tell a relatable story, while masterfully compelling you to dance; that’s what they do best.
Their fifth studio release, Drop of Blood follows From Labour To Refreshment (2016), Four Chapters (2012), Last Of The Free Men (2009), and their 2006 breakthrough debut, You Ain’t Gettin’ My Country. With high praise from the likes of SavingCountryMusic(dot)com and Exclaim! The Divorcees’ music has been featured in a wide variety of media and formats, including the film The Phantoms and the Heartland series, on CBC, multiple music videos on CMT, as well as airplay on radio stations nationwide and around the world.
They’re two-time winners of East Coast Music Association’s Country Album of the Year — plus several more from Music New Brunswick for good measure — with national touring, well over 120,000+ streams, and five studio albums to their credit.
Award-nominated Indigenous country artist Conrad Bigknife is embracing the sweet side of living solo with this, his new single, “Nothing But Me” — available now.
The latest to land following the Saskatchewan-based artist’s fourth newly minted album, the self-titled Conrad Bigknife, and heart-wrenching lead single, “I Miss You,” “Nothing But Me” isn’t another ode to a “high lonesome” kind of life…
Instead, audiences will find a celebration of the peace and contentment that can be found in solitude, even when your heart may yearn for another from time to time.
“Now, I understand it’s me, all alone
Doesn’t mean my rambling heart is set in stone
I feel it beat. I’m here and I am free
Living on my own I’m meant to be – nothing but me”
From its honky tonk-ified opening riff, to its closing twang and echo, “Nothing But Me” straightforwardly acknowledges that happiness is most often a do-it-yourself project. At a time when isolation has been acute for so many, Bigknife brings on a heartfelt, Haggard-esque reminder that being alone does not necessarily equate to being lonely.
The 2019 Saskatchewan Music Awards Indigenous Artist of the Year nominee is more than proficiently DIY when it comes to his sound; for his new album, released April 2, Bigknife wrote, sung, recorded, mixed and mastered the songs himself, adding a layer of precise skills to raw talent. Additionally, he’s proud to have collaborated with a host of multi-talented instrumentalists to bring the 12 studio and two live performance tracks on this contemporarily themed, classic sounding collection to life.
“I work with great people who put their hearts into these songs, and I’m so grateful because I think these songs show who we are at this point in time,” reflects Bigknife. “We love making music and I hope that shines.”
Bigknife’s can-do confidence was instilled while growing up in a close-knit family of ten on the Starblanket First Nation near Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. He remembers his father as the ultimate “jack of all trades” — a snowplow driver, carpenter, and cattle rancher, all at the same time. His mother also balanced raising a family simultaneously with being a school bus driver.
Bigknife’s big love for classic country and its heroes like Johnny Cash, Freddy Fender, George Strait, and Conway Twitty was also cemented in childhood and his family’s record collection. His reverence for the greats combined with a “conscious decision to throw away any self-imposed guidelines I had adopted along the way of what makes up “real” country music” has resulted in a new single and album that both pay tribute and push the thematic envelope.
“There’s a song for a friend who lost a child, there’s songs that take light jabs at the sometimes silliness of love and there’s a couple of memories of honky-tonk nights.” Bigknife explains. “What makes it a country album more than anything, I think anyway, is the instruments and feel.”
The new single “Nothing But Me” and album, Conrad Bigknife, are available now.
Nobody knew, not even Frank Zappa, as he led his 11-strong band through a celebratory version of “America The Beautiful” to close out his show at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY on March 25, 1988, that it would be the last time he’d ever play in the United States. Days later, the ’88 band would trek to Europe for a multi-country tour, only to implode on the road before they could make it back to the States for another round of scheduled shows. Despite the growing tensions in the band, the ensemble was considered one of the best Zappa ever put together, a skilled mix of extremely talented musicians made up of both longtime members that had played with The Maestro from the early days alongside exciting new additions, bolstered by his favorite new instrument, the Synclavier. A well-oiled machine armed with an extensive 100-song repertoire, the adroit band were equally as adept at playing Zappa’s complex and challenging, genre-defying songs as they were performing classical compositions by the likes of Bartók, Ravel and Stravinsky.
Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show will be released digitally, on 2 CD or as a 4LP 180-gram vinyl box which will be available on both black vinyl or as a limited edition 180-gram purple vinyl variant, exclusively via the official Frank Zappa online store or uDiscover. Fully authorized by the Zappa Trust and produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, the recordings have been newly mixed by Craig Parker Adams in 2020 from the 48-track digital master tapes. The shows were recorded using two Sony 3324 DASH PCM 24 track tape recorders synced together using a Lynx Time Code Module, thus providing 48 track recording capabilities. The album is rounded out with detailed liner notes by Travers and Zappa ’88 drummer Chad Wackerman, who celebrated his 28th birthday on stage and is serenaded by Zappa and the crowd, as well as photos from the tour by Peder Andersson.
Pre-order for all configurations is available now and will come with a download of the first single, the previously unreleased performance of “I Ain’t Got No Heart,” available to stream now. First appearing in 1966 on Zappa’s Mothers of Invention debut album, Freak Out!, then later in 1981 with an updated faster arrangement on Tinsel Town Rebellion, the ‘88 version takes the song to another level with the addition of a 5-piece horn section.
Stream “I Ain’t Got No Heart”
Pre-order Zappa ’88: The Last US Show
As Travers writes in the liner notes, “Start with the fulcrum of the 1981-1984 touring bands (Robert, Scott & Chad), bring back Ike Willis, add the Synclavier digital workstation, a 5-piece horn section with multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally and you have what FZ famously described as “The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life.” While saying “never heard” might have been a bit of hyperbole, it wasn’t far off as the short-lived band (four months of rehearsal in 1987/1988, followed by a tour from February through June 1988) only played a few dozen shows on the East Coast and Europe before disbanding. Nonetheless, the shows they did play together were electrifying and a masterclass in musicianship.
With Zappa on lead guitar, vocals, and wielding his new obsession the Synclavier, he led the proceedings through a career-spanning set, backed by a stellar cast of veteran band members and newly added members: Mike Keneally (guitar, synth, vocals), Scott Thunes (electric bass, Minimoog), Ike Willis (rhythm guitar, synth, vocals), Chad Wackerman (drums, electronic percussion), Ed Mann (vibes, marimba, electronic percussion), Robert Martin (keyboards, vocals) and the cracking horn section of Walt Fowler (trumpet, flugel horn, synth), Bruce Fowler (trombone), Paul Carman (alto, soprano and baritone sax), Albert Wing (tenor sax) and Kurt McGettrick (baritone and bass sax, contrabass clarinet). The band prepped nearly 100 songs and the sets were wide ranging, spanning tunes from the first Mothers of Invention albums, but with characteristically updated and often times ever-evolving arrangements (“I Ain’t Got No Heart,” “Love Of My Life,” “Who Needs The Peace Corps?”), to new compositions created for the ‘88 tour (“Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk” and “When The Lie’s So Big”) as well as classical compositions (Bartók, Ravel, Stravinsky) that Zappa liked to play to expose his audiences to music he appreciated. In addition to the inclusion of the 5-piece horn section and it being Keneally’s only tour, the concerts also included extensive use of sampling through the then current machine, the Synclavier, which Zappa took on the road for the first time, as well as percussionists Mann and Wackerman’s use of electronic sounds in their set ups.
Zappa ’88: The Last U.S. Show includes all of this and many more highlights such as fan favorites, “Peaches In Regalia,” “The Black Page” “Inca Roads,” “Sharleena” “Sofa #1” and “Pound For A Brown.” It also includes a horn-laden cover of The Beatles’ “I Am The Walrus,” and the first official release of the highly sought after “The Beatles Medley,” which features the band performing the music of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” with the lyrics completely changed to reflect the then-recent sex scandal of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. The bawdy lyrics poke fun at the hypocritical minister and was part of Zappa’s agenda to demystify televangelists.
Just how Zappa felt it was important to rail against toxically prude self-appointed culture protectors and whatever hypocrisy or hypocrite rankled him that day, he was also a motivator of positive action, passionate about causes, especially voting rights, making it his mission to get his audiences to register to vote. With a presidential election looming, Zappa offered voter registration on the tour, aided by The League of Women Voters. Fans were encouraged to vote before the show or during a special 20-minute intermission in the middle of the two-hour plus concert, which would start with Zappa triggering the Synclavier to play a piece of music. In Uniondale it was “One Man, One Vote.” Notably, the version here is a different mix than the studio version released on Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention. Zappa 88: The Last U.S. Show kicks off with Zappa extolling the importance of voting and encouraging the unregistered to sign up at the show by registering someone live on stage. It was followed by a representative from Governor Mario Cuomo’s office reading a message congratulating “Mr. Zappa for the important work you are doing encouraging your audiences and others to register and vote.”
“Sadly after the European run was over,” as Travers pens in the liners, “Frank Zappa chose to disband the group and cancel the rest of the tour, reportedly forfeiting $400,000.00 in revenue and depriving additional audiences the opportunity to witness how special this group really was. With all of the time and money spent to prepare and promote the tour, not to mention the potential within the talented band and crew, now in 2021, it’s an even more historic loss considering FZ was to never tour again.”
Fortunately, Zappa’s final U.S. show, like so many others of his, was documented and can now be experienced in its glory more than three decades later.
FRANK ZAPPA – ZAPPA ’88: THE LAST U.S. SHOW TRACKLISTING
2CD/DIGITAL
DISC 1
“We Are Doing Voter Registration Here”
The Black Page (New Age Version)
I Ain’t Got No Heart
Love Of My Life
Inca Roads
Sharleena
Who Needs The Peace Corps?
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Dickie’s Such An Asshole
When The Lie’s So Big
Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk
Sofa #1
One Man, One Vote
Happy Birthday, Chad!
Packard Goose Pt. 1
Royal March From “L’Histoire Du Soldat”
Theme From The Bartok Piano Concerto #3
Packard Goose Pt. II
The Torture Never Stops Pt. I
Theme From “Bonanza”
DISC 2
Lonesome Cowboy Burt
The Torture Never Stops Pt. II
City Of Tiny Lites
Pound For A Brown
The Beatles Medley
Peaches En Regalia
Stairway To Heaven
I Am The Walrus
Whipping Post
Bolero
America The Beautiful
4LP VINYL
LP1
SIDE 1
“We Are Doing Voter Registration Here”
The Black Page (New Age Version)
I Ain’t Got No Heart
Love Of My Life
SIDE 2
Inca Roads
Sharleena
Who Needs The Peace Corps?
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
LP2
SIDE 3
Dickie’s Such An Asshole
When The Lie’s So Big
Jesus Thinks You’re A Jerk
Sofa #1
One Man, One Vote
LP2
SIDE 4
Happy Birthday, Chad!
Packard Goose Pt. I
Royal March From “L’Histoire Du Soldat”
Theme From The Bartok Piano Concerto #3
Packard Goose Pt. II
The Torture Never Stops Pt. I
Theme From “Bonanza”
Lonesome Cowboy Burt
LP3
SIDE 5
The Torture Never Stops Pt. II
City Of Tiny Lites
Pound For A Brown PT. I
LP3
SIDE 6
Pound For A Brown PT. II
The Beatles Medley (Lennon/McCartney)
Peaches En Regalia
LP4
SIDE 7
Stairway To Heaven
I Am The Walrus
LP4
SIDE 8
Whipping Post
Bolero
America The Beautiful
In honor of May’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher will feature a range of programming across music, entertainment, politics and sports that celebrates the rich AAPI culture, traditions and history, while spotlighting leaders and change-makers within the community.
SiriusXM’s 88rising Radio (ch.305), the first all-Asian, multi-genre music radio channel available across the U.S. launched last year as a collaboration between SiriusXM and 88rising, the pioneering Asian-focused music and media company. During AAPIHM, the channel will continue to elevate the conversation around the Asian-American experience, explore Asian culture and amplify Asian-American artists, celebrities and members of the community. New specialty programming for the month of May on 88rising Radio includes:
For more information on 88rising Radio, please visit HERE.
Pandora will also launch a complimentary mixtape, 88rising Radio on Pandora. For the month of May, the mixtape will feature Asian American artists curated by the trailblazing Asian music label as well as exclusive artist audio messages from Hojean, spill tab, Stephanie Poetri, Jai Wolf and more. Following on from May, the mixtape will expand to showcase music from Asian artists from around the world. Listeners will be able to go behind the scenes of the best music from all across Asia, from K-Pop, Asian RnB, Hip Hop, and more.
On SiriusXM, Steve Aoki’s Remix Radio (ch. 735) will feature a vast array of genre-bending DJ mixes from well-respected, globally known electronic artists from the AAPI community including Steve Aoki, ZHU, Autograf, BEAUZ, DRUU, Elephante, Florian Picasso, Henry Fong, LICK, Qrion, Wax Motif, JVNA, with more guest artists announced soon. For more information on the channel and broadcast times each artist please visit HERE.
Disney Hits (ch. 302) will feature a special edition of The Extra Magic Hour on the week of May 17 to highlight AAPI month. The special themed hour airing daily at 12:00 p.m. ET and PT for the entire week, will feature songs from Moana, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch and more.
During the last weekend in May, Progress (ch. 127) will continue their “Pass the Mic” series. Inspired by the #sharethemicnow movement that took over Instagram last summer where prominent figures handed over their accounts to young and inspiring individuals, SiriusXM Progress will “pass the mic,” giving over an hour of programming to underrepresented AAPI voices.
Throughout the month, Raw Dog Comedy (ch. 99), Comedy Central Radio (ch.95) and Laugh USA (ch. 98) will feature comedy blocks with favorite AAPI comedians, including Ronny Chieng, Jo Koy, Aparna Nancherla, Russell Peters, and more.
Doctor Radio (ch.110) will also feature AAPI health coverage throughout the month with shows focused on dermatology, nutrition, health, and more. As anti-Asian attacks across the country continue, the need for mental health resources is greater than ever and SiriusXM and NYU Langone Health remain dedicated in the fight against anti-Asian racism. A new show, “Health Equity Now” is focused on addressing the health needs of minority populations and will air an AAPI special on Monday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Several of SiriusXM’s sports talk channels will air feature segments and vignette spotlights throughout the month highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of the AAPI community to the world of sports.
Stitcher’s Earwolf comedy network welcomes comedian Jenny Yang (May 11) and Top Chef‘s Katsuji Tanabe (May 25) on their beloved show Spanish Aqui Presents.
Listeners can explore podcast content on the SiriusXM, Pandora and Stitcher apps that highlights leaders in the AAPI community and elevates the national conversation around recent issues and beyond.
Subscribers can listen to SiriusXM channels on SiriusXM radios, online, on-the-go with the SiriusXM app, and with Amazon Alexa, the Google Assistant or however they stream at home. Go to www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.
A selection of the world’s top music artists are turning bike designers to create one-of-a-kind bikes from Brompton, the London-based manufacturer of the iconic Brompton folding bike, to be offered through Greenhouse Auctions to raise money for Crew Nation, a global relief fund launched by Live Nation to support music crews affected by the near-total pause on concerts during COVID-19.
The all-star line-up also includes: Khruangbin, Nathan East, Dinosaur Jr, Oh Wonder, Underworld, Sub Pop and Neko Case.
Each group added their own unique design to the bikes, which will be offered for live bidding May 28 through June 12, 2021, by Greenhouse Auctions, an online auction platform designed to empower artists and promote diversity. Ninety five percent of proceeds will benefit Crew Nation, and five percent will benefit Historically Black Colleges and Universities through Greenhouse Action’s give-back program.
The campaign released details of the Radiohead, Oh Wonder, Rise Against, Dinosaur Jr. and Khruangbin Brompton designs at www.brompton.com/crewnation, with the rest of the bike line-up being revealed at @bromptonbicycle on Instagram and Facebook in the weeks leading up to the auction.
Make Music Day, the annual global celebration of music held on the summer solstice, returns this year on June 21 with an exciting, creative and diverse lineup of both virtual and in-person music-making events that will immerse and enthrall participants while spotlighting music’s power to connect, comfort, unite and uplift. Over 90 U.S. cities and the entire states of Connecticut, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and Wisconsin will take part in the live, free daylong celebration, encompassing over 5,000 concerts, performances, music lessons, jam sessions and other musical events nationwide. Safety protocols will be in place following local requirements, including mask-wearing, social distancing and limited capacities and group sizes.
Completely different from a traditional music festival, Make Music Day celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in all of us, regardless of age, ethnicity, background or skill level. Make Music Day is an open invitation for everyone to make, enjoy, perform, teach, learn and experience music on the longest day of the year. Due to the pandemic, last year’s celebration was largely virtual, but many in-person events will return in 2021.
Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day has become an international phenomenon, celebrated by hundreds of millions of people in over 1,000 cities in 120 countries. Make Music Day is presented in the U.S. by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance.
One global highlight of Make Music Day 2021 is a musical memorial to the pandemic’s devastation called This Moment in Time. Working with musicians and cultural partners worldwide, massive groups will appear in public spaces on June 21. At noon local time, a celebrated local musician will play the gong for one uninterrupted hour, marking the incalculable loss of the past year. Along with being free and open to a live audience, these performances will be live streamed to makemusicday.org. Afterwards, in many locations the public will be invited to play the gong themselves, hearing the unfathomable mystery of the sound, experiencing the cathartic feeling of hitting something massive, and feeling the deep therapeutic vibrations in their bodies.
Another new international program highlights an exquisite musical instrument that is hidden in plain sight: the leaf. Leaf Music, where a humble tree leaf is blown to create a simple reed instrument, has a long history in China, Cambodia, Australia, Brazil, Japan and Nepal. Leaf Music programs on June 21 will include an International Leaf Symposium over Zoom, a Track Meet where leaf musicians will collaborate sequentially with other musicians to produce new musical tracks, and instructional videos to help anyone turn their local greenery into a symphony of sound.
Other national highlights of Make Music Day 2021 in the U.S. will include:
City-specific highlights around the U.S. will include:
In the virtual realm, Make Music Day is partnering with Bramble to create interactive spaces where participants can (virtually) walk around and interact with each other freely for concerts, talks, workshops, and social gatherings. And on the makemusicday.org website on June 21, a 12-hour Global Livestream will show highlights of Make Music Day programs as they unfold around the world.
All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or to host musical events, may register at www.makemusicday.org. A full schedule of virtual and in-person events will be posted on the website in early June.
Verve/UMe’s acclaimed audiophile-grade all-analog vinyl reissue series Acoustic Sounds will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Impulse! Records and its incomparable and influential catalog this year with a series of high-end vinyl releases of some of the orange-and-black label’s most essential titles. The Impulse! 60 series will kick off on May 14 with two of the four releases that launched the label known as The House That Trane Built, in 1961: Ray Charles’ singular and long-out-of-print Genius + Soul = Jazz and Gil Evans Orchestra’s superb Out of the Cool. Charles’ album will also be made available digitally for the first time in years.
The LPs will be mastered in stereo from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, except for Charles which has been mastered by Kevin Gray. All albums will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets, replicating the original Impulse packaging. Like all Acoustic Sounds titles, the releases will be supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world’s largest source for audiophile recordings, and will utilize the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings.
Throughout the year, the Acoustic Sounds series will feature on average two releases a month of some of the best jazz records ever made, highlighting Impulse’s notable ’60s era recordings as well as key titles from Verve’s vaunted catalog. Following the May releases, the Impulse titles will include Oliver Nelson’s post-bop classic, The Blues And The Abstract Truth (1961) and Sonny Rollins’ first of three albums recorded for Impulse, the electrifying On Impulse! (1965) on June 25 followed by Charles Mingus’ back-to-back masterpieces, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) and Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1964) on August 20.
John Coltrane will be well represented with four titles: the legendary “Live” At The Village Vanguard (1962) and the epic, meditative Crescent (1964) on October 22, followed by his sublime collaborations with big band legend Duke Ellington and singer Johnny Hartman, on the albums Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963) and John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, respectively, on December 10. Roy Haynes’ adventurous Out Of The Afternoon (1962) will also release that day. Additionally Ellington’s impeccable pairing with Coleman Hawkins on the aptly titled Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (1963) will come on November 19.
The Verve titles will include Bill Evans’ excellent duo of trio platters, Trio 64 (1964) and Trio 65 (1965) on July 30 followed by his elegant live album, At Town Hall, Volume 1 on October 22. Ella Fitzgerald’s enduring Christmas classic Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas will bow on September 10 in time to get folks ready for the holidays and will be succeeded a couple weeks later by her immortal duets albums with Louis Armstrong, Ella & Louis (1956) and Ella & Louis Again (1957) on September 24. Oscar Peterson’s blues and R&B-laden Night Train (1963) and his final Verve effort, We Get Requests (1964), featuring inspired interpretations of some of the era’s popular songs, will hit on November 19, concluding 2021’s Acoustic Sounds series offerings.
Launched in 2020 to provide definitive, audiophile-grade pressings of Verve’s unmatched catalog of classic jazz albums, the Acoustic Sounds series first year of releases, which included Stan Getz and João Gilberto’s Getz/Gilberto, Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson’s Meets Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Ballads, Nina Simone’s I Put a Spell on You and Pastel Blues, Sarah Vaughan’s Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown and Max Roach’s A Study In Brown, George Russell’s New York, NY and Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee, has been celebrated by music fans and the press alike for exceeding expectations. Of the Nina Simone LPs, vinyl authority Analog Planet exclaimed, “The sound of both of these records is the best that’s been produced from these tapes and both records are well worth owning. Regarding the Coltrane LPs, they raved: “A 100% top to bottom success and is easy to recommend, adding, “everything about these two Coltrane releases from the Stoughton press laminated tip-on jackets to the outstanding mastering and pressing exudes the highest quality experience offered by all-analog records.” Paste meanwhile declared, “the mastering engineers at AS have achieved some astonishing results. The Armstrong/Peterson collaboration is spotless, with a presence that makes it feel like drummer Louis Bellson is playing in the same room, and a clarity that lets little details and noises from these 60+ year old sessions float to the surface. The groundbreaking collaboration between saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist/vocalist João Gilberto is perhaps even better. The spell that this album of cool bossa nova casts feels as heady and intoxicating as ever, with guest vocalist Astrud Gilberto popping up throughout to curl around every note like a rich green vine. These are, without question, the definitive pressings of these albums.”
“Impulse! Records has released some of the most important and influential jazz albums of all time. UMe continues to honor the artists and their legacy on Impulse! by expanding their reach to new audiences and continuing to curate this exceptional catalog,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO of UMe. “We are thrilled to celebrate six decades of this iconic American label with best-in-class pressings of some of the label’s most significant and beloved albums as part of our Acoustic Sounds series.”
“As we celebrate Impulse Records’ historic sixth decade in 2021, we wanted to take this opportunity to showcase some of the musical diversity of the label’s catalog through the Acoustic Sounds series, which has quickly become a trusted vinyl range,” said Jamie Krents, EVP of Verve/Impulse! “These titles have been carefully curated with our partners at UMe and Chad Kassem to reflect the variety and iconic nature of what lies in the Impulse canon. We wanted to honor Ray Charles’ Genius + Soul = Jazz, one of the inaugural Impulse releases, which has not been physically available for years, with its finest vinyl rendering ever. Along with flagship titles by cornerstone artists like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane, we also felt it was important to remind fans of Duke Ellington’s brilliant work for the label, and we would have been remiss in not including a classic recording by living Impulse! legend, Roy Haynes. We’re extremely proud to offer what we truly believe are the finest vinyl versions of these recordings to date.”
Chad Kassem, CEO of Analogue Productions: “After reissuing more than 1,000 releases, we’ve built a reputation for producing only the highest quality LPs. We’re proud that Verve selected us for their Acoustic Sounds series and to create these definitive Impulse! records. We started with the very best all-analog audio sources; worked with the top mastering engineers; best jacket manufacturer and used one of the world’s best pressing plants, Quality Record Pressings, resulting in the best pressings of these albums that you’ve ever heard. If you love Verve and Impulse!, as well as the seminal artists and albums the label produced, you’re going to want to add these records to your collection.”
Ryan K. Smith, senior mastering engineer at Sterling Sound: “It’s an honor to work on these iconic Verve and Impulse! albums, cutting each lacquer from analog tapes to produce albums that remain true to the artist’s original vision. I know fans will enjoy listening to these pressings as much as I enjoyed helping to create them.”
One of the albums that immediately thrust Impulse! Records into the limelight when it launched in February 1961, Ray Charles’ Genius + Soul = Jazz saw the legend performing jazz and soul with the backing of a full-scale orchestra made up of members from The Count Basie Band, including Billy Mitchell, Frank Wess, Freddie Green, Joe Newman, Thad Jones, and Sonny Payne, among others. Produced by Impulse impresario Creed Taylor and recorded at Van Gelder Studios, the album includes hard-blowing arrangements by Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns and features Charles eschewing piano for a churchy-sounding Hammond B3 organ. Mostly composed of instrumental pieces that showcase his virtuoso playing, including the rousing album opener “From The Heart,” Charles delivers his trademark soulful vocals on three tracks, “I’ve Got News For You,” “I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town” and “One Mint Julep,” which spawned Impulse’s first singles, catapulted the record to No. 4 on Billboard’s pop album chart and established Charles as a jazz musician of the highest caliber. As Dick Katz wrote in his original liner notes, “The combination here of rare talent plus uncommon craftsmanship has produced a record that showcases the timeless quality and innate taste that is uniquely that of Ray Charles.”
As uDiscover remarked in a recent retrospective piece, “If one album evokes the style, the ethos, and the vibe of Impulse! among these first four LPs it is Out of the Cool.” Produced once again by Creed Taylor and exquisitely recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in November 1960 and released in February 1961, the Gil Evans Orchestra’s Out Of The Cool was pianist, arranger and bandleader Gil Evans groundbreaking album, following his three classic recordings with Miles Davis, including Sketches Of Spain. Joined by the rhythm section of Charlie Persip and Elvin Jones, bassist Ron Carter and guitarist Ray Crawford and a masterful 10-piece horn section that included Budd Johnson, Jimmy Knepper and Johnny Coles, Evans created a big band masterpiece that saw him exploring greater freedom in his compositions and arrangements and showcased his ability to make a large orchestra sound and act like a much smaller and spontaneous jazz combo. Featuring some of Evan’s finest compositions, the album is bookended with the adventurous and cinematic 15-minute epic, “La Nevada,” and the noirish “Sunken Treasure,” aptly demonstrating his skills as a jazz orchestrator. Nestled in between is the standard, “Where Flamingos Fly,” which beautifully floats on Knepper’s melancholy trombone, the band’s progressive take on Bertolt Brech/Kurt Weill’s “Bilbao Song,” and George Russell‘s dramatic number, “Stratusphunk.” As The Absolute Sound enthused, “Out of the Cool, perhaps even more than his collaborations with Miles Davis, spotlights Gil Evans’ brilliance as a writer and arranger,” adding, “The results are lovely, sometimes cerebral jazz meditations, and the soundstage is expansive, with soloists firmly rooted within; the musicians unfurl ribbons of fabulously layered tone colors, and the recording captures the orchestra’s terrific dynamic range.”
Mastered from the original tapes and produced with the utmost care, the Acoustic Sounds pressings of these classic albums will allow listeners to hear this music better than ever.
Acoustic Sounds Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series:
May 14
June 25
July 30
August 20
September 10
September 24
October 22
November 19
December 10
Italian Serie A is one of the domestic soccer leagues with a considerable following. The league has some great football clubs that have been performing well in European competitions. Many fans have come to love the league because of such a club. In the past and even currently, some exceptional footballers have lit our screens. Read below about some of these greatest football players to have ever played in Serie A.
Paolo is one of the best defenders to have ever played the beautiful game. He started his footballing career at AC Milan and played for the club for over 24 years. His strength was in his high mental ability, and that’s why he was smart in the pitch and rarely making errors. Maldini was also integral for the Italian team in the world cup tournaments. Betting on him through judi bola during that period would have helped you win some cash.
The talented Baggio made him one of Italy’s most celebrated strikers. Due to his sharpness in front of the goal, he scored over 200 goals in Serie A. Baggio played for various Italian clubs, including Fiorentina, Brescia, Inter Milan, and Juventus. He was an all-around natural finisher who could score any goal such as free kicks and won the Ballon d’Or in 1993.
The late Diego was an instrumental player for Napoli. He single-handedly helped the club win some trophies during his playing days. Exceptionally gifted, Maradona transformed Napoli into a powerhouse while adorning his Iconic number 1o football shirt. Nicknamed “Elchapo,” the Argentine scored 115 goals out of 259 appearances for Napoli. He later transferred to Barcelona in Spain.
Buffon is undisputedly the most maximum goalkeeper to have ever played in Serie A. But starting his footballing career, he was an outfield player. He was later transformed into the goalkeeper that many came to love over the years. Buffon played for Parma and Juventus in the Serie A, where he showcased his skills in organizing and marshaling his defense, leading to few errors.
A skilled midfielder who played for Roma his entire football career, he began this profession in 1992 and finally retiring in 2017, having scored 307 goals from 785 games. This record is impressive, highlighting how good a midfielder he was.
The current Real Madrid FC coach joined Juventus after signing from Bordeaux in France. He won two league titles, with the club was instrumental in establishing Juventus as one of the most feared clubs. Zinedine stayed in Italy for five years and later transferred to Real Madrid for a record fee of 47 million pounds.
He was part of the iconic Ac Milan team of 1990. Marco being a part of a talented group of players helped make the San Siro one of the best teams of those times. Ac Milan had not won the Italian Serie A before his arrival. His goals later helped the team win three titles after that.
Piola scored an impressive 274 goals in Serie A during his 25 years career. He is still remembered as he was the top scorer with Lazio twice. In those seasons of 1936-37 and 1942-43, he scored 21 goals.
He was a British footballer who played for Juventus. He won three titles and was unique since he was mainly a striker but could also play in defense. John Charles played for both Juventus and Roma in Italy.
He moved from Real Madrid to Juventus for a record transfer fee. Although he has helped the club maintain its dominance in the Italian league, the owners brought him in to help win the champions league. However, this has been elusive so far. Some fans may dispute him appearing on this list, but his massive following has brought to Juventus warrants him a space with the best.
Knowing the greatest players to have ever played in a particular league helps with your judi bola. Strive to know all details related to soccer if you are a gambler.
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Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.
Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com
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