Alligator Records News Briefs - April 16, 2014

JAMES COTTON RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FROM MISSISSIPPI ARTS COMMISSION Conjure up a list of all-time great blues harmonica players, and high up on it you'll see the name James Cotton. --NPR The Mississippi Arts Commission presented blues music icon (and Tunica, Mississippi native) James Cotton with the coveted Governor's Award For Excellence In The Arts in a ceremony held February 20, 2014 at Belhaven University in Clarion, Mississippi. The Governor's Arts Awards are presented annually to outstanding writers, artists, performers, craftsmen and educators who have made significant and lasting contributions through their work as well as to corporations or organizations on the basis of their dedication to arts advancement. Previous winners include B.B. King, Little Milton Campbell, and Bo Diddley. Video of the presentation and live performance is here: http://www.alligator.com/artists/James-Cotton/. Cotton is currently celebrating his 70th year as a professional entertainer. His Grammy-nominated 2013 CD, Cotton Mouth Man, is an upbeat, warm blues album boasting fine musicianship and Cotton's undeniable spirit. Living Blues says, "James Cotton is one of the great harmonica innovators of his generation. Cotton Mouth Man is a star-studded affair that makes James Cotton's best recording for Alligator. It is an autobiographical narrative of Cotton's eventful life and soul-deep relationship with the blues. He plays with an authority and energy that belies his age." JOE LOUIS WALKER TO PARTICIPATE IN MONK INSTITUTE'S INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY IN OSAKA Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker will take part in the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz's International Jazz Day in Osaka, Japan on April 30, 2014. Many other artists will also perform, including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and John Scofield. According to the Monk Institute, "The designation of International Jazz Day is intended to bring together communities, schools and other groups the world over to celebrate and learn more about the art of jazz, its roots and its impact. Ultimately, it seeks to foster intercultural dialogue and raise public awareness about the role of jazz music. As a language of freedom across the board, jazz promotes social inclusion, enhancing understanding, tolerance and nurturing creativity." From its base in Washington, DC, the Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz identifies jazz music's new voices, honoring its present and past masters, making the jazz aesthetic available and comprehensible in concert halls and classrooms around the world. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day. Walker's latest album, Hornet's Nest, has been hailed as a true blues tour-de-force. USA Today says it is "tough and resilient." Living Blues added, "Few contemporary blues artists blend aggression, deep feeling and eclecticism with the panache and ferocity of Joe Louis Walker." SONGS FROM ALLIGATOR ARTISTS APPEAR ON NATIONAL TELEVISION Alligator Records recordings from Professor Longhair, Corey Harris and Anders Osborne have and continue to appear on network television programs. Professor Longhair's Whole Lotta Lovin' (from his Crawfish Fiesta album) is the opening theme song for My Big Redneck Family, airing weekly on the CMT network. Corey Harris' Moosemilk Blues (from his Fish Ain't Bitin' CD) and Anders Osborne's On The Road To Charlie Parker (from his American Patchwork CD) both appeared in the April 1 episode of CBS Television's NCIS.