New York, NY. (Top40 Charts/ Jill Newman Productions) - Jill Newman Productions, renowned across the nation for high-quality, diverse music productions, announces an exciting calendar of events, including the United States premiere of the triumphant return of Sly & The Family Stone, Jimmy Scott, Bilal, Derrick Hodge and others.
Calendar of Events:
World Premiere of Derrick Hodge Project featuring Derrick Hodge, bass; Chris Dave, drums; Marcus Strickland, soprano & tenor saxophones; Aaron Parks, piano & synthesizer; and Federico Pena, keyboards.
October 31, 2007 - 8:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
Blue Note
131 West Third Street - New York, NY
(212) 475-8592 - www.bluenotejazz.com
Tickets: $10.00/Bar; $15.00/Tables
Hodge has performed and/or recorded with Terell Stafford, Donald Byrd, Bootsie Barnes, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee and the New Life Community Choir, Kenny Lattimore, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Timbaland, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Gerald Levert, Common, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Sade, Terence Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller, Clark Terry, and others. Aside from Hodge's performing side, he has always had a passion for music composition. Being granted the opportunities to write for artists in the past has enabled him to be identified as a writer in various genres of music ranging from Jazz and Orchestral Chamber music to Pop and R&B. For his premiere, he will be introducing his ideas and concepts in a more intimate, small group setting. The beginning of a new venture for him, Hodge considers this project at the Blue Note to be the starting point for a lifelong quest to keep music honest, relevant to the people, and uninhibited by genre.
United States premiere of the triumphant return of Sly & The Family Stone featuring Sly Stone, Rose Stone, Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson and Pat Rizzo
December 7, 2007 - 8:00 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.
B. B. King Blues Club & Grill
237 West 42nd Street - New York, NY
(212) 997-4144 - www.bbkingblues.com
Tickets: $86.00 (Special Internet-only pre-sale tickets available now; use Code Word FRESH to purchase tickets on ticketmaster.com. Box Office sales begin November 1 at 10:00 a.m. Advance purchase highly recommended!)
The First Family of Funk returns to the Big Apple for their first time in 32 years! In the late '60s, Sly and the Family Stone fused R & B rhythms and a psychedelic sensibility into a new pop/soul/rock hybrid that drew a diverse audience from around the world. The Family Stone's music pre-dated disco and inspired the many Black self-contained bands that emerged in the '70s. Along with James Brown, the Family Stone virtually invented '70s funk, and their impact has proven lasting and widespread.
Bilal featuring The Robert Glasper Trio
November 27 - 28, 2007 - 8:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m.
Yoshi's
510 Embarcadero West - Oakland, CA
(510) 238-9200 - www.yoshis.com
Tickets: $28.00
Making his debut at Yoshi's, Philadelphia born Bilal is surely one of the most significant artists of our changing times. His falsettos recall the energy of Joe Cocker at Woodstock and he approaches swing and scat with the same expansion and technique as Ella Fitzgerald. Most audiences were first made aware of Bilal courtesy of his breathtaking backing vocals on Common's Like Water for Chocolate, most notably on the track "Funky for You. Like Nina Simone, Bilal is classically trained in jazz and big band arrangements and opera voice (he reportedly is proficient in seven languages). He also writes his music, lyric and note and has performed with well-known neo-soul artists Erykah Badu, Jill Scott and John Legend. It's that scope, and Bilal's willingness to push around within soul music, that's gotten him the nod from everyone from straight-up R&B fans to new-school soul jazz heads.
Jimmy Scott In Lincoln Center's American Songbook
February 22, 2008 - 8:30 p.m.
The Allen Room
6th Floor - Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th Street
(212) 721-6500 - www.lincolncenter.org
Tickets: $35.00, 45.00, 60.00, 75.00
American Songbook returns to Lincoln Center for its 10th season, celebrating the diversity of American popular song, and the incomparable Jimmy Scott takes the stage on February 22. The history of jazz singing can be heard in the voice of the great Jimmy Scott, now in his 82nd year. First famous in the late 1940s singing with the Lionel Hampton Band, Scott's early career was dodged with personal and professional misfortune with his tender vocals going uncredited on recordings and bad contracts keeping his records off the shelves. Scott sank into obscurity by the 1960s, only to be rediscovered in 1991 when he sang at the funeral of record industry great Doc Pomus. Now performing all over the world, Scott brings pathos to every note he sings. His distinctive, other-worldly sound can also be heard on 21 albums to date.
Jena 6 Benefit featuring Mos Def, Stokley Williams, Gary Bartz, Heavy & Others TBA
Date TBA
Highline Ballroom
431 W 16th St - New York, NY
(212) 414-5994 - www.highlineballroom.com
George Cables Benefit
Date TBA
Common
October 27, 2007 - Private Event
St. John's University
