New on ContemporaryJazz.com Radio – Late November Adds

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ContemporaryJazz.com Radio plays nu jazz, acid jazz, remixed jazz, jazzy house, dancefloor jazz, and other groove jazz styles. It’s online all the time and is free (with ads) or you can purchase a VIP package for commercial free listening and other benefits.

In the last three weeks, I added over two dozen new selections to the playlist. Among the tracks are cuts from the latest CDs by Maysa (with Global Noize), S.M.V. (Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten), and John Beasley (from his Letter to Herbie). The weather dropped to below freezing last week so I uploaded Diana Krall’s rendition of Michael Franks’ “Popsicle Toes” as well as Jimmy Smith’s “Jingle Bells.” Of course, there’s more of the acid jazz and nu jazz I love the best, like St. Germain, Praful, and Groove Collective.

News: Oscar Peterson Tribute, David Benoit, John Beasley Tribute To Herbie Hancock

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Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, and Nancy Wilson were among the musicians who paid tribute to the late Oscar Peterson on January 12 at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall. The event, titled “Oscar Peterson: Simply the Best” saw 2500 fans offering a final farewell to the legendary pianist. He died on December 23, at the age of 82, of kidney failure. Several good recaps of the emotional goodbye were written by J.D. Considine, John Stewart (for the Mississauga News), and Scott Anderson (for Reuters). An archive is available at the CBC site. Share your thoughts on Oscar Peterson in The Forum.

David Benoit counts Oscar Peterson as one of his influences. The contemporary jazz pianist is recording an album of compositions from his favorite artists, including Peterson, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, the Doors, the Beatles, and Elton John. It’s titled Heroes and will be out this year.

Also on the topic of tributes: John Beasley has been working on a tribute to Herbie Hancock. He’s joined by Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride and Jeff “Tain” Watts. The recording, expected in March, is the one of the first on a new label called Resonance Records. According to the press release, Resonance Records artists “benefit from an innovative revenue-sharing concept that not only offers greater economic return, but also allows them to produce their music without the typical studio time restrictions and their related expenses.”