Tower of Power

Bandleader and saxophonist Emilio Castillo was only 17 years old when he met Kupka and started to assemble the band that would become Tower of Power. “I had no vision at all,” he recalls now. “I just loved playing soul music. My idols were a local band called The Spyders and they had gigged in Sacramento. I thought, ‘Man, if I could just get to Sacramento that would be it.’ That's literally how small my vision was.”The band has long since surpassed Castillo’s admittedly modest aspirations, traveling the world, enjoying hit singles on their own and backing some of the most legendary artists of the last 50 years – a list that includes Otis Redding, Elton John, Santana, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others. In the process they’ve defined an “Oakland soul” sound as instantly recognizable as those from Castillo’s hometown, Detroit, as well as inspirations like Memphis and Philadelphia. While the Bay Area music scene had become famous because of the Fillmore, across the Bay in San Francisco, ToP launched a whole new sound and wore its less glamorous origins proudly.    That sound is vividly represented throughout the nearly two hours of pulse-quickening funk that makes up 50 Years of Funk & Soul. Released as a 3-LP set, a 2-CD/DVD combo, a standalone DVD, as well as digitally, 50 Years of Funk & Soul is the next best thing to hearing these brilliant musicians in person. The setlist spans the band’s history, from classic hits “You’re Still a Young Man,” “So Very Hard to Go,” “What is Hip?” and “Don’t Change Horses” to newly-minted favorites like “Stop” and “Do You Like That?” from recent albums on Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, Soul Side of Town (2018) and Step Up (2020). The band shows off its taut precision on the intricately syncopated “On the Serious Side” and proves eerily prophetic by including “Soul Vaccination.”    This vigorous and dynamic live set should prove to be just that for fans around the world starved for the ToP groove over this past year. Count Castillo himself among their ranks – used to fronting the band for 200 dates a year, he’s only played a single gig since last March, joining Los Lobos for a drive-in concert at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. He’s looking forward to resuming that tireless schedule once the coronavirus is under control. Despite the band’s long and storied history, he has no plans for retirement.

A.J. Ghent

Ohio Players

Stacey Kent

Peter Asher

Pieces of a Dream

Kasey Chambers

Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers embarks on the U.S. leg of her international tour in support of her eleventh studio album Dragonfly. The album debuted in Australia at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart as well as being #1 on the ARIA Top 50 digital albums, Top 40 Country Albums, Top 20 Australian Artist Albums and Top 20 Australian Artist Country Albums. The album’s official U.S. release is set for later this spring. Dragonfly, her acclaimed double album and follow up to 2014’s Bittersweet, features special guests Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, Paul Kelly, Grizzlee Train, Harry Hookey, Vika and Linda Bull, and Foy Vance. The first disc of Dragonfly was produced by ARIA Hall of Famer Paul Kelly at The Sing Sing Sessions, while the second was produced by Chambers’ brother Nash Chambers at The Foggy Mountain Sessions.  Of the new recording, Chambers reflects, “Working with Paul Kelly as my producer on one side of the double album Dragonfly was a dream come true. Paul brought out a whole new side of me, but then I also got to enjoy the comforts of recording with the person who knows and has shaped my original sound better than anyone, my brother Nash, along with my live touring band who have become a huge part on my sound. This double album shows who I am as much as any piece of work I have ever done.” Acclaimed artist David Bromley created a portrait of Chambers for the album’s cover art. He explains, “In painting Kasey I first endeavored to find her, instead I found many different dimensions and aspects. This portrait combines them all because she is at once uncomplicated and also a mysterious individual—this combination is very alluring.” Chambers has received 11 ARIA Awards (Australia’s Grammy equivalent), 22 CMAA Golden Guitar Awards, 2 Americana Music Award Nominations and 10 APRA Awards to her name. She also holds the record for the most decorated solo APRA Songwriter in Australia (APRA is Australia’s ASCAP/BMI equivalent). Chambers has previously topped the ARIA Albums Chart with Barricades & Brickwalls (2002), Wayward Angel (2004), Carnival (2006) and Rattlin’ Bones, her 2008 collaboration with Shane Nicholson.   “…songwriting excellence and passion in performance that is so hard to find these days, except, perhaps…by her very few peers in this field, including Gillian Welch, Patty Griffin and, of course, the great Lucinda Williams.”—Huffington Post  “A towering songbook, wordy and resigned, Dragonfly is the opus of Australia’s foremost progenitor of, and innovator in, the country-roots fold. It’s the masterwork of a heart laid bare in song.”—Rolling Stone Australia  “…an epic tale.”—Melbourne Herald Sun  

Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman is one of the most acclaimed and charismatic jazz artists to have emerged in the decade of the 1990s.  Born in Berkley, California, he is the son of legendary saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer Renee Shedroff and an alumnus of the jazz studies program at Berkley High School.  After graduating from Harvard College, Redman was accepted by Yale Law  School in 1991, but postponed his entrance for one year to satisfy a growing desire to pursue music.  Four months later, Redman's instincts were validated when he was named the winner of the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition by a panel of judges comprised of Jimmy Heath, Branford Marsalis, Frank Wess, the late Benny Carter and the late Jackie McClean.Now fully committed to a career in the arts, Redman was quickly signed by Warner Bros. Records and issued his first, self-titled album in 1993, where he was featured on tenor saxophone.  That same year saw the release of Wish, where Redman was joined by an all-star supporting cast of Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and the late Billy Higgins.  His next recording,  MoodSwing, introduced his first permanent band, which included three other young artists who have gone on to make their mark in the jazz world: pianist Brad Mehldau,  bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade.  Over a series of celebrated recordings including Spirit of the Moment/Live at the Village Vanguard, Freedom in the Groove and Timeless Tales (for Changing Times), Redman established himself as one of the music's most consistent and successful bandleaders, and added soprano and alto saxophones to his instrumental arsenal.  His second acclaimed quartet, featuring pianist Aaron Goldberg, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, made its debut on Redman's 2000 album Beyond, and is also featured performing the saxophonist's first extended composition on the 2001 disc Passage of Time.A year later,  Redman channeled his jazz sensibilities through electric instrumentation and formed a new trio, the Joshua Redman Elastic Band, with keyboard player Sam Yahel and drummer Brian Blade, building on an ongoing collaboration with Yahel.  The trio debuted on the 2003 release, Elastic, which was met with widespread critical and popular acclaim, and released a second recording the same year under the moniker Yaya3.  In a subsequent Elastic Band recording, Momentum, released in 2005 to inaugurate his affiliation with Nonesuch Records,   Redman alternated Blade on drums with Jeff Ballard, and the recording also featured an array of guest artists as Redman continued his exploration into the arena of electric jazz.In addition to his own projects, Redman has been heard with an array of musicians including Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Lionel Hampton, Roy Haynes, Milt Jackson, Elvin Jones, Quincy Jones, Joe Lovano, Marcus Miller, Paul Motian, Dianne Reeves, McCoy Tyner and Cedar Walton.  He provided the music for the film Vanya on 42nd Street and is both seen and heard in the Robert Altman film Kansas City.  Redman will release a new Nonesuch album in January 2009 entitled Compass, with a newly-formed double trio of Brian Blade and Larry Grenadier on drums, and Gregory Hutchinson and Reuben Rogers on bass.

Three Dog Night

Legendary band, THREE DOG NIGHT, now in its 5th decade, claims some of the most astonishing statistics in popular music. In the years 1969 through 1974, no other group achieved more top 10 hits, moved more records or sold more concert tickets than THREE DOG NIGHT.   THREE DOG NIGHT hits weave through the fabric of pop culture today, whether on the radio where they are heard day in and day out, in TV commercials or in major motion pictures -- songs like “Mama Told Me (Not To Come)”, “Joy to the World”, “Black and White”, “Shambala” and “One” serve to heighten our emotions and crystallize THREE DOG NIGHT’s continuing popularity.   This Grammy-nominated band is not content resting on its legacy alone. Always working to expand its audience, THREE DOG NIGHT has embraced and been embraced by 21st century music technology. New and existing fans buy THREE DOG NIGHT’s music on iTunes as well as at record stores. In fact, releases from this decade alone have sold well over a million copies.   THREE DOG NIGHT also pushed boundaries by recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, giving fans new and old a chance to experience its dynamic performances of the hits as well as several new songs. The project, recorded at the famous Abbey Road studios in London and released to coincide with the band’s 35th Anniversary, added exciting new orchestral arrangements to THREE DOG NIGHT’s signature sound.   THREE DOG NIGHT maintains an aggressive, year-round touring schedule of over 90 dates a year, performing their hit filled concerts for generation-spanning audiences. The band’s now-famous name refers to native Australian hunters in the outback who huddled with their dogs for warmth on cold nights; the coldest being a “three dog night”.   Boasting chart and sales records that are virtually unmatched in popular music, THREE DOG NIGHT had 21 consecutive Top 40 hits, including 3 #1 singles, 11 Top 10’s, 18 straight Top 20’s, 7 million-selling singles and 12 straight RIAA Certified Gold LPs. The hits appeared on best selling charts in all genres (pop, rock and country). Its records continue to sell around the world, reaching beyond the borders of the U.S. into Japan, Canada, Holland, England, Germany, Spain and elsewhere. Tens of millions of THREE DOG NIGHT records have been sold through the years. Three Dog Night.   Created in 1968 by Danny Hutton, THREE DOG NIGHT recorded the music of the best (and mostly undiscovered) new songwriters of their time including Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Elton John, Laura Nyro, Paul Williams and Hoyt Axton among many others. The group’s eclectic taste, combined with their ability to recognize and record hits in a unique, distinctive and appealing style, resulted in THREE DOG NIGHT dominating the charts for years.   Marking over 50 years on the road, THREE DOG NIGHT continues to grow its fan base by keeping up a full schedule of concerts at theatres, performing arts centers, fairs, festivals, corporate events, and casinos. Since 1986, the band has performed over 2,500 shows including two Super Bowls.

The Milk Carton Kids

Completing their seventh studio album was a hard-won victory for The Milk Carton Kids, but I Only See the Moon was worth the effort for Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. What started as a three-week recording session in the fall of 2021, with Pattengale producing the contemporary folk duo himself for the first time, stretched into a months- long project that found the pair digging deeper into their craft than ever before. With a new studio of their own in Los Angeles and the realization that they were in no hurry, The Milk Carton Kids took the time they needed to be fully satisfied with I Only See the Moon. The three-time Grammy nominees sound refreshed on 10 new songs distilled to the essence of The Milk Carton Kids: two voices blended together in spellbinding harmony, accompanied by subtly perfect acoustic instrumentation. Turns out that's a tough sound to get just right, but I Only See the Moon shows just how much Pattengale and Ryan were willing to work for it.