We’re Off To The Grammys!

Motéma is proud and excited to announce that two of our albums have received nominations for the 54th Annual Grammy® Awards, and two artists are on compilation albums that are also nominated! A big congratulations to Roseanna Vitro: Best Jazz Vocal Album nominee for The Music Of Randy Newman and Monty Alexander: Best Reggae Album nominee for Harlem-Kingston Express Live!

Geri Allen collaborated on Terri Lynne Carrington’s Mosaic Project, Best Jazz Vocal Nominee [Concord Jazz] and Oran Etkin has selections on the children’s compilation, All About Bullies…Big And Small, Best Children’s Album Nominee [Cool Beans Music & East Coast Recording Company]. Congrats to both of them for being a part of these wonderful and inspiring projects. Please visit the links above to learn more.

It’s been another amazing year of music, with impressive releases all across the board. We’re proud of the achievements of everyone on the Motéma roster, and are thrilled to see the Grammys® recognizing the talent of these artists.

ROSEANNA VITRO’S THE RANDY NEWMAN PROJECT BEST JAZZ VOCAL NOMINEE

Purchase The Music of Randy Newman

With the Grammy® nominated The Music Of Randy Newman, Roseanna Vitro explored groundbreaking new territory, as the first jazz vocalist to explore the richly melodic, sharply observant Randy Newman songbook. Her fearlessness paid off, earning her a Best Jazz Vocal Album nomination. Many took notice of Vitro’s fresh arrangements and orchestrations of these classic songs, who worked closely with her manager, Jeff Levenson to bring to light. Randy Newman himself was compelled to rave, “Roseanna is a great artist.”

The critics agree: DownBeat rated the album 4 1/2 stars while Jazz Times declared Vitro “..one of the most compelling vocal stylists around.”

Other nominees in this category include:
Karrin Allyson, ‘Round Midnight [Concord Jazz]
Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists, The Mosaic Project, [Concord Jazz]
Kurt Elling, The Gate, [Concord Jazz]
Tierney Sutton (Band), American Road, [BFM Jazz]

View Roseanna Vitro tour schedule

MONTY ALEXANDER’S HARLEM-KINGSTON EXPRESS LIVE! BEST REGGAE ALBUM NOMINEE

Purchase Harlem-Kingston Express Live!

Monty Alexander celebrated his 50th year of phenomenal musicianship by releasing two outstanding recordings: the now Grammy® nominated Harlem-Kingston Express Live! and Uplift (via Jazz Legacy Productions). Co-Produced by Jana Herzen, Katherine Miller, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola’s Todd Barkan (who introduced Motéma and Monty to each other), the Best Reggae Album nomination is truly a fantastic accomplishment in what has been a hugely successful year for the pianist. Upon its release, Harlem-Kingston Express Live! dominated the airwaves, reaching #1 on both Jazzweek’s Jazz and World radio charts, while press buzzed over the album’s Jamaican influences, which include elements of mento, ska as well as R&B.

Jazziz heralded the project a “joyous recording,” and NY Daily News labeled it a “honeymoon of musical bliss.”

Monty Alexander is nominated alongside:
Israel Vibration, Reggae Knights [Mediacom/VPAL]
Stephen Marley, Revelation Pt. 1: The Root Of Life
[Tuff Gong/Universal Republic]
Ziggy Marley, Wild And Free, [Tuff Gong Worldwide]
Shaggy, Summer In Kingston, [Ranch Entertainment]

View Monty Alexander tour schedule

With the passing of Halloween, the holidays are now just around the corner. To get your mouth watering over the approaching Thanksgiving feast, singer René Marie (who just released Black Lace Freudian Slip, the follow-up to her acclaimed Voice Of My Beautiful Country) shares a special recipe that has long been a holiday staple in her family.

“When I was still living at home, my mom used to make this oyster stew all the time when the family came home for Thanksgiving.
If you can, have a loved one that you haven’t seen lately help you in the kitchen. It makes the soup taste better…”
- Rene Marie

Read the rest of this entry »

René Marie follows up her much publicized Motéma debut Voice of my Beautiful Country, with the release of Black Lace Freudian Slip, her second album on Motéma and her 10^th release overall, available now. This time around the singer ups the ante with this emotionally gripping, all original set, revealing herself not only as one of the most exciting vocalists in jazz but also as one of today’s most relevant song writers. Here René talks about the new album, and some of her favorite things.

Purchase Black Lace Freudian Slip

What was the inspiration behind Black Lace Freudian Slip?
Inspiration? I think the inspiration for all my albums has been a sense of desperation, but none more so than Black Lace Freudian Slip. I mean, don’t we all have that little black lace freudian slip somewhere in our closet that we’re just dying to wear? Seriously, though, as a rule, these songs build up in me and in our group in general, gaining momentum and intensity each time we play, it seems, until I can’t take having all this unreleased music inside me! I’m desperate for it to be released to make room for the next batch. It’s like the aroma of a homemade pound cake baking in the oven; the closer it gets to being done, with that glorious vanilla aroma wafting through the air, the more desperate I am to satisfy my longing and just eat the damn thing.

Some tracks on BLFS I’d been too afraid to release because of how different the music is from anything else I’ve ever done. The title track is one example, “Falling Off A Log” is another. The desperation to express this side of myself compelled me to finally record it. With some other tracks I used fear as a source of energy, forcing myself to record them because I had let the “who-do-you-think-you-are” phenomenon overpower me for so long. “Gosh, Look At The Time” is an example of this particular peculiarity. I wrote that tune 10 years ago! Desperation drove me to finally record it…

What’s your favorite song to perform live?
Y’know that song? That one song that, when I’m singing it and everyone on stage is moving individually and in tandem and then I catch the eye of someone – it only has to be one person – in the audience with that look on their face that indicates they are being deeply touched? Touched right there, in that emotional G-spot that’s lain dormant for so long?  The look on their face at that moment brings me to my knees at the realization that something we did caused expression on one person’s face…whichever song is doing that in any given moment, THAT’S my favorite song to perform live.

Who would you love to collaborate with?
Bobby McFerrin.  Bonnie Raitt.  Darius Rucker.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about being in the music industry?
Honestly?  My least favorite thing about being in the “music industry” someone somewhere thought it appropriate to put those two words together. In the context of a “music industry,” I cannot think of one single thing that could be considered a ‘favorite thing.’ However, because i do not wish to be thought of as grumpy, I have made a list of some of my favorite things.

Favorite song of all time: Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero”

Favorite piece of jewelry that I own: My grandmother’s wedding ring

Favorite season: Autumn

Favorite joke: Q. What did the grape say when the elephant stepped on it?

A. Nothing, it just let out a little whine (wine)

Favorite hobby: Gardening/landscaping

Favorite car: Jaguar XJ6, silver

Favorite quote: “We simply must do the thing we think we cannot do” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Favorite movie: It’s A Wonderful Life

Favorite Miles Davis anecdote: Miles had just finished a concert that featured his latest work, “Bitches Brew,” right? A fan approached miles and the gist of what he said was, “Miles, I love the straight ahead tunes you used to do – they are fantastic! This new stuff you’re doing now?  I just can’t get into it, man.”  So Miles looks the fellow in the eye and, without missing a beat, says “So…I should wait on you, then?”

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played and why?
Any gig we play at a homeless shelter. Because homelessness has affected me and my family, it’s a social issue I choose to focus on, both personally and musically. Whenever we can, we like to do community outreach concerts at homeless shelters in whatever city we’re playing. What I love about these concerts is the up close and personal vibe between us and the audience.  In a homeless shelter, ain’t no pretense or bullshit. It is what it is. It’s that and a lot of personal dignity and compassion. You can’t go in there and NOT be touched by the humanity of everyone you meet – whether they work there or not. when we finish our concerts there, it feels like I’ve been given a gift.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

10/14 Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR

10/16 Murry’s We Always Swing Jazz Series, Columbia, MO

10/20 Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque, NM

10/22-10/23 Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge, Denver, CO

10/25-10/26 Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA

11/10 Jefferson Center for the Performing Arts, Roanoke, VA

See more dates here.

Brian Pace of The Pace Report was on site at the Detroit Jazz Festival in downtown Detroit, Michigan this year covering all of the exciting action. In his extended video, Pace features some of the festival’s show highlights including Jeff “Tain” Watts, Soul Rebels Brass Band, and none other than Motema’s Geri Allen (see around minute 9). Allen talks to Pace about the “Sing the Truth!” program in which she plays piano alongside a large music ensemble including vocalists Lizz Wright, Angelique Kidjo, and Dianne Reeves, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist James Genus, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, and guitarist Romero Lamambo. They’ve been touring all over the globe this year, but Allen was particularly excited to play the festival, located right in her hometown. See more in the video.

Geri Allen releases her first Christmas album, A Child Is Born, on October 11th. The LP features 14 tracks including traditional and original Christmas music. Get in the holiday spirit early and pre-order your copy here!

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Sept 30 – Oct 3: Geri Allen & Timeline at Jarasum International Jazz Festival, South Korea
Oct 22: Geri Allen’s Sing the Truth at Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA.
Nov 11: The Kennedy Center Tribute to Dr. Billy Taylor at Eisenhower Theater, Washington D.C.

Taiwan-based A Moving Sound’s Mia Hsieh and Scott Prairie discuss their self-titled release and Motema debut, A Moving Sound, and what inspires them musically and culturally.  Drawing on the rich culture of Taiwan, AMS captures the way these ancient traditions jostle with the open, sophisticated, and avant-garde styles of the present. Tom Pryor of National Geographic World Music calls A Moving Sound, “One of the most original outfits working in the world music arena today.”

Purchase A Moving Sound

What was the inspiration behind your self-titled album A Moving Sound?

The inspiration came from being dropped into an entirely new culture. Really as a composer it was quite stimulating, like a painter discovering a whole new set of colors.

Actually I had two inspirations:

First the beautiful textures and tones of the music found in Taiwan and the Chinese instruments on which it is played. Second is the totally unique quality of my wife Mia’s voice (AMS vocalist)
From the time we met, her voice and completely fresh creative style has been continuously pointing me in new directions for making music.

What’s your favorite song to perform live?

Silk Road. It always goes to a higher place

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Brian Eno

Who are you listening to right now?
Scott: Stimmhorn

Mia: Iva Bitova, Huun Huur Tu, Traditional Taiwanese songs

What goal or dream do you have for your career that you are working on?

Two Goals:

To introduce more of the world to the hidden gem that is Taiwan. Most people have no conception of what Taiwan is like except maybe the out dated “Made In Taiwan” stamp that was on many products in years past. Now of course they say “Made in China”, but that’s another story. Taiwan is a special place, and a lot of that is because of the people there who are: curious, intelligent, hard working, open to new ideas and friendly. Rarely do you find all of these qualities in one place….it makes for a very fertile environment for new ideas to take root and grow. “Fertile” is the one word I use to describe Taiwan, and since it’s mostly tropical the land is fertile too.

The other goal is a spiritual one. Both my wife and I have a very committed spiritual practice, and this energy is in the music. Our hope is that the listener could be stimulated or even beckoned towards some kind of creative energy. If our music could help in some small way to awaken a spiritual sense in people then that would be the best possible result of making the music

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played and why?

One of our favorite shows was at the Ollin kan festival in Mexico. We played three shows there. The first two were kind of chaotic, but the last one in front of 10,000 wonderfully warm and enthusiastic people made it all worth it. All week long the people we saw everywhere were hugging each other…and you can’t go wrong with that.

You can get more of Mia’s perspective when you see the wonderful stories about the songs and life in Taiwan that she wrote in our CD package!

A Moving Sound On Tour:

9/17 – Towson University, Towson, MD

9/19 – Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, NJ

9/23 – Drom, New York, NY

9/24 – Small World Music Festival, Toronto, Canada

10/3 – Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA

10/5 – CSU Monterey Bay – World Theatre, Seaside, CA

10/6  Wild Horse Pass, Chandler, AZ

For more on A Moving Sound visit www.motema.com and www.amovingsound.com

Jazz, soul singer Gregory Porter’s politically-charged “1960 What?” comes to life in his latest music video, shot on location in Detroit, Michigan. Taken from Porter’s GRAMMY nominated debut album Water, the video captures the history and beauty of both the city and the song. Inspired in part by Kamau Kenyatta’s stories of life in Detroit and by the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as by Porter’s own experiences growing up in California, the powerful song is given added visual weight with this striking new video.

Watch “1960 What?”

For free Gregory Porter downloads, exclusive offers and more visit: www.motema.com/gregoryeffect

WBGO’s Gary Walker recently sat down with GRAMMY nominated jazz/soul singer Gregory Porter for this in-depth interview. Listen to all 4 parts below. Thanks to Gary and WBGO!

“It’s a great honor to have musicians of this quality devote themselves to doing these really great versions of some of my songs. I feel about it much the way I did when Harry Nilsson did an album of my songs. Roseanna is a great artist.”- Randy Newman

Coming this fall Roseanna Vitro makes her debut playing the Iridium Jazz Club, NYC on September 1st. Join the jazz singer and storyteller for a night of re-imagined Randy Newman compositions off her acclaimed release The Music of Randy Newman. Joined by the Randy Newman Band the set will feature the arrangements of Mark Soskin, with Sara Caswell on violin, Dean Johnson on bass and Tim Horner on drums (and guitar sweetening by Steve Cardenas & percussion and four drum tracks by Jamey Haddad).



The true character of Vitro as a musician shines through in this months All About Jazz, in a compelling six-page article titled “Following Her Muse.” Dan Bilawsky heralds, “Vitro’s vocals are a conduit to the very core of American music—from blues and rock to soul and jazz—and her recorded output over the past three decades speaks to her talents and wide-ranging abilities in all of these arenas. Some vocalists who have been dubbed “jazz singers” are afraid to move outside of the borders of tradition, but Vitro embraces all that she encounters, allowing every experience to enrich and deepen her own artistry.” Read the full article.

See Vitro’s artistry first hand at the Iridium, September 1st (the show will also feature a ‘live’ webcast stream).

Upcoming dates:

Sept 1 – The RNP Band debut’s at The Iridium Jazz Club: Shows 8:00 & 10:00 pm

Sept 18 – The Jazz School, Berkeley, CA : Show 6:00 pm

Sept 20 – Jazz 88.3 live broadcast, San Diego, CA : Show 8:00pm

JC Stylles’ Motema debut, Exhilaration And Other States, is out today! Featuring B3 maestro Pat Bianchi and dazzling drummer Laurence Leathers, Exhilaration pushes the guitar/organ trio legacy into new territories. JC Stylles delivers exciting, red-blooded jazz guitar originals and surprising covers including Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It,” R. Kelly’s “It Seems Likely You’re Ready,” as well as other tunes never before recorded in an organ trio setting.

Stylles talks the inspiration for his latest release and his most most memorable performance.

What was the inspiration behind the album?
The album was inspired after the trio had played a weekly residency for nearly 2 years in a Harlem Club, and I knew the communication level had reached a high enough point to be ready to capture.

We played a very late gig the night before going into the studio, so when we got there the next day, we were actually a little flat and tired. As the sun started to set, we had recorded several tunes, but I didn’t feel we had really captured the essence of what we are able to deliver live in terms of energy or communication. The producer told me to take a break and grab a coffee which I did, and then in a last ditch effort to try and find some inspiration, I went outside and did about 50 jumping jacks which left me with a certain sense of exhilaration. We immediately went back in the studio and recorded track after track of mostly first takes, and the end result was mostly energetic, hence the inspiration for the title Exhilaration And Other States – I suppose in jest I could have also called it “Jumping jacks and other tricks”

What was the biggest challenge in making the record?
There were several challenges to overcome to get the end result. Firstly for some reason the amplifier I usually use and wanted to use wasn’t being very compatible with the recording equipment, and was coming out a little noisy. So I had to use an amplifier I had never played through before, and try and find a setting that I was somewhat comfortable with in terms of the sound. When you have a sound in your head you are expecting to capture, and then that changes at the last moment, little things like that can be enough to distract you from getting into the zone completely. Also, as I mentioned before, we had worked late the night before, so we were all a little tired and probably a little tight also after playing hard just a few hours prior to the recording, with no chance to be fully fresh as I would have preferred. Having to put these negatives aside was a conscious decision I know I had to make in order to get the end result.

What’s your favorite song to perform live?
It is hard for me to pick just one favorite tune off the album that I love to perform live. I really enjoy playing the Michael Jackson/Stevie Wonder tune “I Can’t Help It” because I know it hasn’t been treated like that before, and today’s audiences recognize it. On the other hand, I love playing the chestnut “Love for Sale” the way we do it, because I love trading with Pat Bianchi and setting up some back and forth dialogue.

If I am in a really good mood I love to do “Samba Steps” because it makes me want to dance, and if it’s midnight and I’m playing a club in Harlem, I love to play “Seems Like You’re Ready” just to see the reaction of younger patrons (who might not be familiar with the complete jazz Repertoire), and they can’t believe we are actually playing an R. Kelly song. It’s usually at that point the girls in the audience start singing too!

Download “Samba Steps”

Who would you love to collaborate with?
I have always been a big Bobby Hutcherson fan, because he gets into such a special musical and spiritual space when he performs both live and in the studio. I remember when I first saw him live in about 1992 at Fat Tuesdays, that he seemed to leave the stage during his solo’s, and when he finished, he would open his eyes, and you could see in his eyes like he had actually been away visiting another galaxy for that brief time. There was no mathematics on display in his playing, or trying to show how much harmony he had studied, just pure unadulterated musical spirit flowing through him in every possible way like a conduit. To be able for myself or anyone to collaborate with a performer of such incredible mastery would be a very rare opportunity I would think.

From an organ point of view, I would love to collaborate more with Dr Lonnie Smith or Joey Defrancesco, because they are both so amazing in what they do with their instruments in their own ways.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?

The best gig I have ever played was probably not what you might expect. It was playing for two weeks for the International Olympic Committee (or The “IOC” as it’s known) at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. We were in the private headquarters overlooking Sydney Harbour (and fireworks) nightly. They flew in several chefs from around the world, so we ate the best food and drank the best wine for two weeks while having fun playing to a quality crowd of officials who seemed intent on really enjoying themselves. As I was standing on the balcony at the headquarters on the closing ceremony on the last night, there was a gentleman standing next to me with a glass of wine in his hand just shaking his head. I asked him what was wrong and didn’t he like what he was experiencing? He said no that wasn’t it, he said he was with the Greek committee who is responsible for putting on the next Olympics in 2004, and he just didn’t know how they were going to be able to do it, because Sydney had raised the bar so high, and was just announced as putting on the greatest games ever. I told him to have another glass of wine and enjoy it anyway, and I’m sure it will be fine. That was one of the last of the great perfect moments in time, before 9/11 changed the tempo of social corporate situations from being relaxed pleasurable experiences, to ones of over-the-top security.

The check from that gig was enough for a deposit on a house I bought, that doubled in price in two years, which I was able to sell at the height of the market and return to New York City, which enabled me to eventually bring you my current recording Exhilaration And Other States. So all things considered, yes it was the best gig so far – I’d like another one like that!

For more on JC Stylles and his latest release visit www.motema.com

Results are in for the 59th Annual Downbeat Critics Poll

Randy Weston scored mentions for: Hall of Fame, Jazz Artist of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year and Composer while Gregory Porter made the list for Rising Star Male Vocalist.

Best of year lists also feature:

Piano – Geri Allen

Rising Star Electronic Keyboard – Marc Cary

Rising Star Guitar – Roni Ben-Hur

Bass – Charnett Moffett

Rising Star Female Vocalist – René Marie

Rising Star Composer – Ari Hoenig (Pilc Moutin Hoenig trio)

Rising Star Arranger – David Weiss

Bass and Rising Star Bass – Francois Moutin (Pilc Moutin Hoenig trio)

Congratulations to everyone mentioned and to all the winners! See the full list of winners here. Check out motema.com for more information and news about all our artists.