Gerald Albright turns 53 yesterday [Aug. 30]. He grew up in Los Angeles, starting piano lessons at a young age, but was drawn to the saxophone after eyeing one belonging to his piano teacher. While developing his musical chops, Albright got a B.S. degree in business management from the University of Redlands. Soon after graduating, he found himself in demand as a session musician for artists including Anita Baker, the Temptations and Olivia Newton-John.
He also spent many years on the road backing Phil Collins. As skilled on bass as he is the saxophone, Albright has appeared on TV shows including Melrose Place, A Different World and numerous BET jazz segments. His latest album is Pushing The Envelope.
Anita Baker is giving fans a preview of her upcoming album, 21st Century Love, out in November. The songstress tells Billboard.com that the title is inspired by her experience as a single woman after her 2008 divorce.
"I'm out here and it's almost impossible to connect," Baker explains, "and people are saying, 'You need to get online. You need to get a dating service.' I'm like, 'Are you serious?' I mean, I don't even have voice mail, and people get all out of shape about that. But, you know what, I don't want to transcribe your message; I want to talk to you.” Baker worked on the project in both Nashville and L.A. with several producers, including Harvey Mason, Jr. and Nathan East of Fourplay.
Among the ten tracks is a collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg, which has been generating a lot of interest. The two covered Curtis Mayfield’s “Give Me Your Love” and Baker says the experience was incredible. "He came back with this dialogue that just shook us. It just talks about being a grown man with a grown woman, and it was beautiful and poetic and a really special moment." The Grammy-winner has a few live dates over the next week, but plans to “shut down” and spend the fall concentrating on promoting the album.
After a health scare earlier this summer, Al Jarreau is feelin’ good and sharing details of what sidelined him during his European tour. The singer told Jazz Times magazine that he sought medical attention when he found himself short of breath right before a show near Marseille.
He was diagnosed with a relatively common condition of heart arrhythmia, and hospitalized for a few days, forcing the cancellation of a few shows. Dramatic reports of him collapsing on stage were greatly exaggerated, but went viral before he could issue an official statement. “I never cancel a show but I was short of breath and thought I should err on the side of caution,” he said. “While I was [at the hospital], I got a new Ten Commandments from the doctors…
I need to be more conscious of salt intake and other healthy heart things.” The Grammy-winner says he’s feeling a little humbled after the incident, but all in all, “I’m doing pretty okay here.” Jarreau is back touring with his old friend George Duke. He heads to the Tokoyo Jazz Festival next month.
Legendary keyboardist George Duke goes back to the future with the release on Aug. 10 of Deja Vu [Heads Up International]. The album is an extension of his 2008 work, Dukey Treats, in which he revisited some of the funkier sounds from his past.
In a statement, Duke said, “The whole idea behind Déjà Vu was to take a look back at some of the stuff I used to do that was a little more musically challenging. In some way or another, whatever happened before always comes around again. It may be a little different, but it will resurface. That’s kind of what this album is – a resurfacing of some ideas I had back in the ‘70s when I recorded albums with a lot of synthesizers, like Feel and The Aura Will Prevail.”
The artist added that he used some vintage analog synthesizers for the album, along with more current digital technology. Guest players include saxophonists Everette Harp and Bob Sheppard, flutist Hubert Laws and trumpeter Nicholas Payton.
Duke is scheduled to perform this weekend [Aug. 15] at the Long Beach Jazz Festival with longtime collaborator Al Jarreau.
Grammy-winning songstress Anita Baker has announced November 9 as the target date for the release of her next project.
21st Century Love [Blue Note] is the followup to her 2004 release, My Everything, and Baker’s 7th album. It will feature 10 tracks, including some surprising collaborations. Snoop Dogg raps on the first single, a cover of Curtis Mayfield’s, “Give Me Your Love.”
Baker is currently performing a handful of dates, including one in her hometown of Detroit on Aug. 28.
News 
Anita Baker is giving fans a preview of her upcoming album, 21st Century Love, out in November. The songstress tells Billboard.com that the title is inspired by her experience as a single woman after her 2008 divorce. 
After a health scare earlier this summer, Al Jarreau is feelin’ good and sharing details of what sidelined him during his European tour. The singer told Jazz Times magazine that he sought medical attention when he found himself short of breath right before a show near Marseille. 
Winamp/iTunes
Windows Media Player
Real Player
Firewall blocking you? Listen on port 80
