Marina Del Rey, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Great Scott Productions) - The horn-powered heat wave of funk and contemporary jazz generated by trumpeter Rick Braun and saxman Richard Elliot registered a blistering hot No 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz album chart. R n R, the highly-anticipated collaboration between the soul-jazz luminaries that is certain to be the album event of the year in contemporary jazz, was released last week (August 28) by the ARTizen Music Group. This week, the title track captured the No 1 position on Radio & Records? smooth jazz radio singles chart. Braun and Elliot wrote and produced R n R's dozen original funk, R&B, contemporary jazz and pop songs. Grooves were gathered from sources such as Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout and Philippe Saisse and a talented collective consisting of Chris Standring, Dwight Sills, Gregg Karukas, Lenny Castro, Ricky Lawson and Nate Phillips backed the horn men in the studio. The music on the album is marked by spontaneity and is brimful of the dynamic energy of a live performance. To further spark the album launch at retail, Braun and Elliot were at jam-packed Borders stores in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC earlier this week to perform short sets and sign CDs. The duo tours regularly to play for fans. They co-headline the Jazz Attack concert tour with Jonathan Butler and Peter White when they aren?t out individually headlining shows with their own bands. Stars in their own right, Braun and Elliot have released 24 albums between them and have amassed a catalogue abundant with chart-topping hits. They are partners in the ARTizen Music Group along with their manager Steve Chapman and industry veteran Al Evers. Additional information is available at www.artizenmusic.com, www.rickbraun.com and www.richardelliot.com.
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