LOS ANGELES (RazorEdge Records/ www.rayfordgriffin.com) - RazorEdge Records announced the worldwide re-release of Rayford Griffin's debut album, "Rebirth of the Cool" through iTunes. The jazzy nine-song CD is available for downloading at $8.91 for the full album or .99 per song from the iTunes website, according to RazorEdge Records general manager
Myron Bernard. iTunes is licensed for reproduction of non-copyrighted materials or materials the user is legally permitted to reproduce.
Purchases from the iTunes
Music Store – the No1 music download store according to Nielsen SoundScan – are available in the United States, France, Germany and United Kingdom.
In producing this recording, Griffin himself has been reborn…as the leader of his own group, as a composer, as an arranger, and as a singer. Widely known as one of today's top jazz drummers, Griffin has toured and recorded with a long list of legendary artists, including Anita Baker, Patrice Rushen, Dave Koz and James Ingram. This Year Griffin has shared the stage with BWB, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, and been on tour with the 'Groovin' for Glover' benefit concerts.
"Rebirth of the Cool" contains nine original tracks, featuring guest appearances by more of his legendary cohorts – Branford Marsalis, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, and Dwight Sills, to name a few. The music is best described as 'Neo-classic' radio-friendly jazz, with commercial appeal that spans the contemporary and smooth jazz markets. It is an innovative return to solid grooving old-school jazz with inventive musical artistry and strong performances all captured in a live studio setting. For additional information, go to www.RayfordGriffin.com.
"Rebirth of the Cool" was released for worldwide through Lightyear Entertainment, the New York based music and video label and label group distributed in the U.S. by WEA. Following the successful U.S. WEA Distribution release in July 2003, the album was also released in Canada by Koch, Japan by JVC, Germany by inakustik, the UK by Revolver, and in Spain by Maui Music.
Lightyear Entertainment President and CEO Arnie Holland, who served with both Capitol and RCA prior to Lightyear's establishment in 1987, said: 'Rayford has a distinctive, percussive attack on the drums that immediately impresses you. This album goes way beyond his musicianship – he has composed, arranged, produced and shows off his talent as a singer on this album, and the result is an extraordinary and memorable CD that made me sit up straight and smile the first time I heard it.'
Myron Bernard, General Manager, RazorEdge Records and Griffin's manager added, 'Rayford is a seasoned musician with a proven track record. The re-release through iTunes demonstrates the diversity needed in this emerging marketplace to impact a wide range of jazz formats – from traditional to contemporary smooth jazz. iTunes is the best digital jukebox I've seen, with the #1 music download store inside. They have the largest legal download catalog, with over 1 million tracks from all the major and more than 600 leading independent labels. I couldn't have dreamed of better place for the re-release of Rebirth of The Cool.'
RazorEdge Records, a division of Griffco Entertainment, Inc., was created and developed in August 2002 by world-class drummer Rayford Griffin and Grammy-nominated producer/arranger Reginald Griffin. Combined, the founders of the label have over 40 years of professional experience in the music industry as composers, arrangers, producers, musicians, and artists.
The label's goal is to produce and sell quality contemporary jazz and R&B recordings, utilizing the talents of musicians, singers, writers and arrangers in a predominantly live studio recording setting. The label's target demographic includes the adult contemporary, R&B, jazz and smooth jazz consumer.
