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Rahsaan Patterson’s 7th: The Prophet Speaks of Love…and Black Power

Rahsaan Patterson Releases First Album in Eight Years – Heroes & Gods – A Richly Inspired Soul/Club Song Cycle Regarding the Arc of a Relationship
 
by A. Scott Galloway
 
As a singer, songwriter, producer and performer, Rahsaan Patterson has always gone his own way. It’s what has made his seven albums to date (including a great Christmas project) stand the test of time and he a true artist with which to always reckon. His brand new, long awaited album Heroes & Gods- his first for Shanachie Records – drips with seasoned mastery, confidence, style unbridled soul, deftly mixing danceable grooves with mental massage musings on the ticking time bomb of love relationships. A generous 13 songs deep, it will more than satisfy his fans while also hopefully reeling in passionate new converts. This writer loved the album from first listen – a rarity given so much “R&B” music today – and was eager to reunite with the artist I’ve been interviewing since album one.
 

Tony Cornelius Talks Soul Train Through The Tunnels of Time

Tony Cornelius: The Highs and Lows of the “American Soul” Dream

by A. Scott Galloway
February 1, 2019

 

One sweet surprise of being on the 2019 “Soul Train Cruise” was a sneak peek at the first installment of the 10-episode Don Cornelius/“Soul Train” mini-series “American Soul.” The teaser was so well received on the ship that two encore presentations were required. The fast-paced richly detailed show premiers on BET Tuesday, February 5th, starring Sinqua Walls as entrepreneurial impresario Don Cornelius with other characters played by Kelly Price, Kelly Rowland and more. Musical Director for the show is Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and the script was handled by Devon Gregory.

 

Ramsey Reminisces in Anticipation of Playboy Jazz Festival Appearance

Ramsey Lewis: Declaration of My Retirement Was Decidedly Premature
 
by A. Scott Galloway
June 7, 2018
 
Pianist Ramsey Lewis (83) is a Living Legend of Jazz. He is bringing his quintet to the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl this Sunday, June 10. In the chat that follows, Music Editor A. Scott Galloway rapped with “Ram” about flirting with retirement, his vast catalog, nightclubs in the `60s, Hugh Hefner, Maurice White, Jazz on television, his forthcoming album and so much more. Enjoy!
 

Najee: The 30th Anniversary Interview by A. Scott Galloway

Najee Celebrates 30th Anniversary With 14th Solo CD, Poetry In Motion
 
by A. Scott Galloway
August 27, 2017
 
When sax, flute and all-around reeds master Najee arrived in 1986, he brought an effervescent blend of R&B and Contemporary Jazz to the fore – an accessible sound with some studied acumen behind it that has consistently evolved over 14 albums as a leader. His latest offering, Poetry in Motion, finds him capsulizing everything that has made him beloved into one highly satisfying CD from top to bottom….
 

Legendary Duo Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. Talk Don Cornelius, Jimmy Webb, Cruising and Legacy

Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. Set To Bring Timeless Vintage Champagne Soul To Soul Train Cruise 2018
 
When the 2018 Soul Train Cruise sets sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to St. Maarten on January 27, 2018, legendary duo Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr – the very toast of Champagne Soul since their mid-`60s debut as members of the groundbreaking vocal group The 5th Dimension – will sparkle among a ship full of top name talents bringing star power to the proceedings, As evergreens of recording, stage and their own television show in the `70s, Marilyn & Billy are beloved as shining symbols of ageless music, marital fidelity and Christian faith. Though their biggest hit is the chart-topper that launched them as separate entity from the group, “You Don’t Have To Be Star (To Be In My Show),” they have been wowing audiences around the world with their interpretations of some of the greatest songs of all time with their most recent release, The Many Faces of Love. Together, they also authored a touching biography titled “Up Up And Away: How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage In The Entertainment World.” And they also perform as solo artists – Marilyn in the Pop and Contemporary Christian genres and Billy in Gospel.
 

Stokley Talks Departure From Mint Condition, Prince and Philando Castile

Introducing Stokley The Man…30 Years After The Band
 
Interview by A. Scott Galloway
 
June 25, 2017
 
In an industry overrun by egos and self-service, Stokley Williams stood as a stellar team player fronting the Minneapolis-based band Mint Condition for three tumultuous decades that swung from most successful signing of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’ short-lived Perspective Records company to grassroots independent artists – staunchly representing as one of the few (near only) Black bands on the mainstream playing field. On Friday, June 23, Stokley (first name only) – following his single “Level” – released his long awaited first solo project with the title Introducing Stokley (BluRaffe Entertainment Group/Concord Music Group) – for though we know a lot about him from his band works and collaborations to date, he peels away several revealing layers in the new music at hand.
 

Stokley

Lalah Hathaway Talks Playboy Jazz Festival Debut, New Album, 5 Grammys and Tour with Mary J Blige

Lalah Hathaway Makes Playboy Jazz Festival Debut This Sunday June 11
 
by A. Scott Galloway
 
Many fans might be surprised to learn that Lalah Hathaway – who has collaborated with numerous jazz artists from Marcus Miller to Joe Sample – has played most of the grandest jazz festivals around the world but never performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival. She’s never even been to one as a spectator! That’s all about to change when she takes the stage at Playboy Jazz Festival 2017 – Sunday, June 11 – with some nice surprises in store. She talks about a new album dropping this summer, how she is so NOT an overnight sensation, what her 5 Grammy wins mean to her, her upcoming tour with Mary J. Blige and more in the memory lane conversation below with A. Scott Galloway, a music journalist who has been writing about the lady and her music since her very first album in 1990.
 

Prepare to Dance to Kenny Garrett Sunday at Playboy Jazz Festival 2017

Sax Man Kenny Garrett Aims To Make The Crowd Move In “Do Your Dance” Collaboration with Dance Ensemble Jazz Antigua at Playboy Jazz Festival 2017
 
by A. Scott Galloway
 
Saxophonist/Composer Kenny Garrett is no stranger to the Playboy Jazz Festival both as a leader and featured sideman. This year on Sunday June 11, he is animating a special presentation of his most recent CD, Do Your Dance (Mack Avenue – 2016), by joining forces with the Jazz Antigua dance ensemble for a set that promises to be soulful, multi-cultural, highly contagious and irresistibly interactive! His band will include pianist Vernell Brown Jr. (an L.A. native whose family will be in the house), drummer Marcus Baylor, bassist Corcoran Holt and percussionist Rudy Bird. Garrett breaks down what we can expect in the quick chat that follows.
 

The Drums Will Speak of Legacy at Playboy Jazz Festival 2017

Drummer Carl Allen To Salute Elvin Jones and Art Blakey at Playboy Jazz Festival 2017
 
One of the true jazz highlights of this year’s Playboy jazz Festival will be drummer Carl Allen wearing his bandleader hat fronting a band that will pay tribute to jazz drumming immortals Art Blakey (leader of the legendary Jazz Messengers band- a school through which scores of then-young lions such as Horace Silver, Donald Byrd, Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan graduated with flying colors) and Elvin Jones (the mercurial titan most famous for being a member of John Coltrane’s classic quartet – including A Love Supreme – and as a leader in his own right).