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Tokyo Blue
''Tokyo Blue'' is Najee's third album, released by Capitol Records in 1990. Critical reception Jonathan Widran of AllMusic writes, "Immensely pleasurable, a fun listen from beginning to end." ''Smooth Jazz Therapy'' writes of ''Tokyo Blue'', "The way it blended jazz with R & B, placed him right at the top of his urban jazz game and his judicious use of featured vocalists was starting a trend in smooth jazz which has endured to this day." Yumi L. Wilson of ''AP News'' reports that, "Najee won best jazz album for his ''Tokyo Blue'' at the 1991 ''Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album#1990s, Soul Train Music Awards''. *See original reviews for full articles. Links can be found in the references section of this article. Charts Top Contemporary Jazz Albums No. 1 Billboard 200 No. 63 Track listing All track information and credits taken from the CD liner notes.Najee. ''Tokyo Blue''. Capitol. 1990. References External linksNajee Official Site [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Najee
Jerome Najee Rasheed (born November 4, 1957, New York City), known professionally as Najee, is an American Jazz-Smooth jazz, Smooth Jazz saxophonist and flautist. Early life Najee was born in the lower west side of Manhattan in New York City and lived his teenage years in Queens, New York. His father died at a young age, and Najee and siblings were raised by his mother Mary Richards. His mother was an important figure and supporter throughout his life and musical career. Najee's musical pursuits began in grade school at age eight, where he began playing the clarinet, but he had a deep desire to play saxophone. He was influenced at this age by listening to his mother's recordings of Miles Davis and other legendary American jazz artists. A pivotal moment in his life came when he made the decision to become a professional jazz musician. In high school, Najee began to study jazz as a student at the Jazzmobile program (co-founded by Billy Taylor, Dr. Billy Taylor) where he honed his s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation. Jazz has roots in European harmony and African rhythmic rituals. As jazz spread around the world, it drew on national, regional, and local musical cultures, which gave rise to different styles. New Orleans jazz began in the early 1910s, combining earlier brass band marches, French quadrilles, biguine, ragtime and blues with collective polyphonic improvisation. But jazz did not begin as a single musical tradition in New Orleans or elsewhere. In the 1930s, arranged dance-oriented swing big bands, Kansas City jazz (a hard-swinging, bluesy, improvisationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs. Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012, and was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both distributed by UMG. The label's circular headquarters building is a recognized landmark of Hollywood, California. Both the label itself and its famous building are sometimes referred to as "The House That Nat Built." This refers to one of Capitol's most famous artists, Nat King Cole. Capitol is also well known as the U.S. record label of the Beatles, especially during the years of Beatlemania in America from 1964 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the database was first made available on the Internet in 1994. AllMusic is owned by RhythmOne. History AllMusic was launched as ''All Music Guide'' by Michael Erlewine, a "compulsive archivist, noted astrologer, Buddhist scholar and musician". He became interested in using computers for his astrological work in the mid-1970s and founded a software company, Matrix, in 1977. In the early 1990s, as CDs replaced LPs as the dominant format for recorded music, Erlewine purchased what he thought was a CD of early recordings by Little Richard. After buying it he discovered it was a "flaccid latter-day rehash". Frustrated with the labeling, he researched using metadata to create a music guide. In 1990, in Big Rapids, Michigan, he founded ''All Music Guide' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soul Train Music Award For Best Jazz Album
This page lists the winners and nominees for the Soul Train Music Award The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ... for Best Jazz Album. The award was first given during the 1989 ceremony, after the categories honoring solo albums and group albums were combined. The category was retired after the 1999 ceremony. Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold. 1980s 1990s See also * Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album – Group, Band or Duo * Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Album – Solo References {{DEFAULTSORT:Soul Train Music Award For Best Jazz Album Soul Train Music Awards Jazz awards Album awards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morris Pleasure
Morris "Mo" Joseph Pleasure (born July 12, 1962) is an American composer, singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Pleasure is a former member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire and he's the current musical director of Bette Midler. Pleasure has also collaborated with artists such as Ray Charles, Najee, George Duke, Marion Meadows, Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Peter Cetera and David Foster. History Pleasure was born in Hartford, Connecticut. His parents Robert and Evelyn Pleasure were originally from Louisiana, but moved to Hartford so Robert could attend Yale Divinity School from which he graduated in 1961. The family then moved to Guilford, Connecticut when young Pleasure was 7 years old. Pleasure began playing piano at age four and studied piano under Carol Wright from age seven to 17. Frequent trips to Louisiana to visit family gave Pleasure a deep exposure to and appreciation for Gospel music as many of his relatives were active in church ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Bugnon
Alex Bugnon (born October 10, 1958) is a jazz pianist and composer from Montreux, Switzerland. He is a nephew of Donald Byrd. Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory and the Mozart Academy in Salzburg. At age nineteen, he moved to the U.S. and attended the Berklee School of Music. His recording career began with his 1988 debut studio album ''Love Season'' for Orpheus Records, which reached the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and the top 40 of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, as did his follow-up ''Head Over Heels''. Discography References External linksOfficial website at Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including c ...
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Rachel Z
Rachel Carmel Hakim ( née Nicolazzo), better known as Rachel Z, is a jazz and rock pianist and keyboardist. She has recorded 10 solo albums as a jazz musician. Her musical style, especially her improvisation, has been described as adjacent to Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner". Career In 1988, she co-wrote the Grammy Award-winning and certified Gold Record "Tokyo Blue" with saxophonist Najee. From 1988 to 1996, she played keyboards and piano with fusion band Steps Ahead. In 1995, she worked with Wayne Shorter on his album '' High Life'', which won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 1997. While signed to Columbia Records by Dr. George Butler, she released ''Trust the Universe'' which featured a straight-ahead jazz A-side with Charnett Moffett and Al Foster and an electric jazz B-side with Lenny White and Victor Bailey. In 199, she recorded her next solo CD, ''Room of One's Own – A Tribute to Women Artists.'' It won four stars in DownBeat and extensive cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve George (keyboardist)
Steve George (born May 20, 1955) is an American keyboard player, saxophone player and singer who is perhaps best known as the keyboardist and (for the most part) background vocalist for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote all of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend, Mr. Mister frontman Richard Page, with whom he also played in Pages prior to forming Mr. Mister. In the 1980s and 1990s he was a sought-after songwriter, studio musician and singer in the Los Angeles session scene. As a songwriter, he has co-written hits for artists such as Al Jarreau, The Pointer Sisters, Patti Labelle and Meatloaf. He has sung backup for various artists including: * Peter Allen on the ''Bi-Coastal'' album * Al Jarreau, various albums * Cher, various albums * Amy Grant, various albums * Barry Manilow on ''Oh Julie'' (EP) and his 1982 album * Kenny Loggins, various albums (on which he also played keyboards and co-wrote). * Marc Jordan, on his ''Hole in the Wall'' (1983) an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Page (musician)
Richard James Page (born May 16, 1953) is an American musician who is best known as the lead singer and bassist of 1980s band Mr. Mister. The band's hits include "Broken Wings (Mr. Mister song), Broken Wings" and "Kyrie (song), Kyrie". Page has also sung in other bands, been a solo artist, written songs for other artists, and worked as a background singer for other artists. Early life Page graduated from Central High School (Phoenix, Arizona), Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother worked as the Assistant Director of the Phoenix Boys Choir, while his father was a musical director at a Phoenix church. During high school, Page performed in school musicals such as ''Oliver!'' Page cited that his musical influences at this stage included The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Immediately following his high school graduation, he moved to Hollywood. Career In Los Angeles, Page and Steve George (keyboardist), Steve George, a friend from Phoenix, “knocked around the LA music sce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" is a 1972 soul track by Stevie Wonder. It was the second track on Wonder's ''Music of My Mind'' album, and was also released as the first single. The song reached a peak of number 33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Background In essence a two-part song, there is a coherence in that it tells a story of the singer's relationship with "Mary". The first part covers her desire to be a star, and to leave behind her old life to become a movie star. The second part covers the narrator's wondering why she had not come back as soon as he had hoped. The second part of the song is also a reworking of the song "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" from the 1971 album ''Where I'm Coming From''. The song, both in its sound and length, was a change of pace for Wonder, who was trying to establish his own identity outside of the Motown sound. Besides its floaty ambience, it featured the singer as a virtual one-man band. '' Cash Box'' said of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, Gospel music, gospel, funk, and jazz. A virtual one-man band, Wonder's use of synthesizers and other electronic musical instruments during the 1970s reshaped the conventions of Contemporary R&B, R&B. He also helped drive such genres into the album era, crafting his LP record, LPs as cohesive and consistent, in addition to socially conscious statements with complex compositions. Visual impairment, Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy who signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11, where he was given the professional name Little Stevie Wonder. Wonder's single "Fingertips" was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1963, at the age of 13, making him the List o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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