Inspired by mid-sixties Miles Davis and John Coltrane Groups, Aaron Comess Sets Straight Ahead, high-energy jazz quintet CD for March 2015

Drummer Aaron Comess has delivered by far his most straight ahead, purely-jazz album to-date, a high energy collection of originals and seminal covers inspired by an era that changed the course of his musical life: the Miles Davis Group from 1964 to 1968 (with Tony Williams, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter,) as well as by the John Coltrane Group (featuring Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Garrison,) between 1962 and 1965. Comess’ new CD, entitled ‘Aaron Comess Quintet’ and set for March 2015 release, aims to evoke the joyful intensity he felt when exposed to this music. He comments: “The music made by these two groups changed my whole way of thinking -- and to this day are as inspiring as when I first heard them.”
 
This is a traditional jazz project, recorded live on-stage over the course of three sets and featuring Keith Loftis on sax (Roy Hargrove, Michael Carvin,) Barney McAll on piano (Gary Bartz, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Cobb,) Richard Hammond on upright bass (Patti Austin, Angelique Kidjo,) Teddy Kumpel on guitar (Martha Redbone) and Comess on drums. Listen to samples: https://soundcloud.com/aaron-comess/sets/aaron-comess-quintet <https://soundcloud.com/aaron-comess/sets/aaron-comess-quintet>

The upcoming album is a combination of original compositions by Comess and one by Loftis, as well as covers of ‘Resolution’ by John Coltrane, ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’ by Eddie Harris and made famous by Davis…and more. The collection is highlighted by its contrasting tracks -- ‘Africa’ is intense, melodic and truly memorable, and then ‘Catskills Last Waltz’ shifts to a completely different vibe, humorous, witty, nostalgic...’Intangible’ is smoky and kinda sexy, and ‘Resolution’ soars...

‘Aaron Comess Quintet’ marks Comess’ fourth solo instrumental release and his first to be described as “pure jazz instrumental”. His 2013 ‘Blues For Use’ had more of an overt rock vibe, and 2011’s ‘Beautiful Mistake’ was somewhere in between. ‘Aaron Comess Quintet’ was recorded live, in front of an audience, at Smoke Jazz in NYC. Comess adds, “The time felt right for me to make a record like this, as this music has always been a huge part of my musical makeup."

A CD release concert is in the works for Spring 2015, with venue and details to be announced after the New Year.

Comess’ headlining appearances have previously been previewed in The New York Times, Time Out NY, Modern Drummer and elsewhere, and he has long ties to jazz and Blues. Aaron has played with such greats as Roy Hargrove, Brad Meldau, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Roswell Rudd, Arnie Lawrence, Deanna Kirk and more.  Nate Chinen has shown support for Comess’ shows over the years, saying “Comess has long been a jazz adept.” As a member of the group New York Electric Piano (for the past 12 years,) Comess and band-mates scored a Top 10 jazz album with their most recent CD. Comess is currently studying with legendary drum master Michael Carvin.

More background info:
Comess recently appeared on legendary jazz trombonist’s Roswell Rudd’s record...and played a sold-out concert with him at le poisson rouge  (other noted musicians on the record and show were John Medeski, Steven Bernstein, Bob Dorough and Fay Victor).

Aaron Comess also happens to be the drummer and a founding member of the multi-platinum-selling SPIN DOCTORS. The band recently released an acclaimed album of original Blues music, ‘If the River Was Whiskey,’ which earned the best reviews of their career and was featured in such A-level outlets as CONAN (TBS-TV), USA Today, Elmore Magazine, M Music & Musicians Magazine, RELIX Magazine, NY Observer, Time Out NY and much more.

Comess is a musician’s musician, long respected as a collaborator who has played on, co-written and/or produced over two hundred albums with an acclaimed and diverse roster of artists including Osborne, Edie Brickell, Isaac Hayes, Marc Cohn, Bilal, Rachael Yamagata, James Maddock, and more. Other upcoming and/or recent work includes Phil Ramone, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Malcolm Burn and Natasha Bedingfield. Comess is active in the local NYC rock, jazz, experimental music scenes and singer songwriter circuits, and records and produces at his ‘His House Studio’ in Brooklyn. Comess has successfully navigated the tricky music industry for over 20 years, managing to keep his original band (Spin Doctors) together, build an active career as a sideman/session player/producer, and make his own records as a composer/leader. With his 2015 jazz album he shines as a songwriter and continues to distinguish himself and expand his repertoire.

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas! - Treasa Levasseur Presents New Christmas Single for 2014 Season

Just in Time for the Holidays:
Treasa Levasseur Presents New Single for 2014 Season

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas! available on iTunes, Airplay Direct, and Radio Submit

 

JUNO nominated Blues/Roots/Soul artist Treasa Levasseur presents an eclectic collection of yuletide tunes in her latest album All Kinds of Christmas, set for release in November and December 2015. The first single, Gee Whiz, It's Christmas! has been made available digitally for the 2014 season on iTunes, Airplay Direct and Radio Submit.

 

 

 

   
treasalevasseur.com 

   

Media Tools:
Treasa Levasseur is fluent in both official languages and is available for interviews and television performances.

 

A.V. CLUB VIDEO PREMIERE: Ha Ha Tonka - "Lessons"

HA HA TONKA

NEW MUSIC VIDEO: "LESSONS"

PREMIERE ON THE A.V. CLUB

NOW PLAYING ON YOUTUBE

FROM HA HA TONKA'S NEWEST BLOODSHOT ALBUM LESSONS                                                                                      

WATCH AND SHARE HA HA TONKA "LESSONS" VIDEO

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Season's greetings!!

After a highly successful year of touring the world and continuing to turn heads with their acclaimed and fully realized album Lessons, Ha Ha Tonka shares the brilliantly stark new music video for the album title track via a premiere on The A.V. Club. Directed by Brook Linder, who has directed videos for Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, A Place to Bury Strangers, and more, the video presents the band in an emotionally charged and visually stimulating performance setting, matching the somber but profound tone of the song. 

"A muted black and white clip full of silhouettes and vacant stares, the clip for “Lessons” is both soothing and jarring—just like Ha Ha Tonka’s tunes." - The A.V. Club

Ha Ha Tonka just finished up a year packed with months and months of touring globally with a final U.S. stint with founding drummer Lennon Bone. Bone's finale at Subterranean in Chicago was a fittingly celebratory career-spanning set in front of a packed house. The band is meanwhile beginning preliminary work on a new album. 

Welcome in 2015 (A Few Days Early!) with Blowin' Smoke at Harvelle's

      

                                                

 

WELCOME IN 2015 (A FEW DAYS EARLY!) WITH LARRY "FUZZY" KNIGHT'S BLOWIN' SMOKE RHYTHM & BLUES REVUE AT HARVELLE'S

 

              Saturday, December 27, 9:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.

 

 

Blowin' Smoke Are Getting Ready To Celebrate Twenty Big Years of Performing At Harvelle's/Santa Monica  -  More Details Soon!

                     

 

  (Santa Monica, CA)  - Want to get a jump on celebrating New Year's Eve 2015? Come on down and see/hear/enjoy L.A.'s premiere R&B/Blues/Soul Dance Party featuring Larry "Fuzzy" Knight's Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring The Fabulous Smokettes. The date?: Saturday, December 27. Time? 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Place? Harvelle's, 1432 S. 4th St. in downtown Santa Monica, only blocks from the beach. Price? a very reasobale $10. for what amounts to four big hours of some totally awesome original music! Info? (310) 395-1976 or https://www.facebook.com/blowinsmokeband.

 

   In other related news: Blowin' Smoke are getting ready to celebrate two big decades - yep, twenty amazing years - of performing to packed, appreciative crowds at Harvelle's. More details soon!

 

....SOME WORDS FROM THE MEDIA ABOUT BLOWIN' SMOKE'S LIVE SHOW

 

 "The Blowin’ Smoke Rhythm and Blues Band with the Fabulous Smokettes packed the place with a crowd that was there to enjoy great music played the way it should be," writes Los Angeles Beat reviewer Ed Simon in a recent review. "Larry Knight has the kind of voice that is perfect for the blues, a little gritty but with excellent range. This is music played and sung the way it was meant to be and “Fuzzy” Knight knows how to get the best out of his musicians and singers," Simon concludes. Read the entire review here.

 

 

 

 

Here's Nine (Count 'Em, 9) Great Reasons Why You Should

Get Out To See Blowin' Smoke & The Fabulous Smokettes

 

 

"This is the real thing...great American rockin' blues from a killer group of players...bassist/bandleader Larry "Fuzzy" Knight has assembled a powerful cast of core players and singers. Great band, tremendous release."                               BLUES REVUE

 

"BEYOND THE BLUES HORIZON captures this band at its best...huge band with a lot of talent and some great material, making BEYOND...a CD that is custom-made to dance to, hug to, and hold your honey tight to."

                                                          MUSIC CONNECTION

 

"In the Blues category, it's going to be hard to top BLOWIN' SMOKE, whose recent performance at the House Of Blues was excellent."

                                        ROCK CITY NEWS

 

"R&B band BLOWIN' SMOKE perform songs like "I Put A Spell On You" and "Talk To Me Baby" with amazing vocals and explosive horns."

                                        DAILY BULLETIN

 

"Eleven-piece ensemble presents an extravaganza that regularly turns its audience into a big, groovin' family...led by singer/bass player Larry "Fuzzy" Knight, along with crackerjack horn players and a dedicated rhythm section, BLOWIN' SMOKE keeps the floor show ear- and eye-popping with the three "Fabulous Smokettes."

                                          L.A. WEEKLY

 

"The Catch in Anaheim will catch fire Saturday when a wild and wooly blues band called BLOWIN' SMOKE blows into town...tried to catch them last week at B.B. King's/Universal City Walk but couldn't get near the place. It was mobbed. I already have their CD, and I'm a huge fan."

                                  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

 

"Modeled after the great 1960s R&B bands of Ray Charles, James Brown and Ike Turner, Knight and his ensemble serve up hefty portions of blues, gospel, swing and soul."

                                                         LOS ANGELES TIMES

 

"Smokin' showcase of rhythm and blues music...this live set captures the heart and soul of this ensemble."

                                    KLOS 95.5 FM LOCAL LICKS

 

"BLOWIN' SMOKE is major record label material...so why hasn't one of the majors signed these guys?"

                     BLUES DELUXE (Nationally-Syndicated Radio Show)

 

 

 

"Cross Soul Train with American Bandstand and you get a good idea

of what a Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue show is like!"  

 

   For nearly two decades, Blues/R&B/Soul group Blowin' Smoke has been one of the most in-demand, successful bands on the Southern California live music circuit. Front and center in Blowin' Smoke is its creator, bandleader/bassist/vocalist, Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - whose impressive musical resume' includes a decade-plus stint as bassist for one of the great SoCal bands to emerge from the psychedelic era of the Sixties, Spirit.  Knight has also recently launched a new band project, Sky King, featuring some top-name musicians, all the while keeping Blowin' Smoke going strong. 

 

Blowin' Smoke CDs, Review Passes, & Band Interviews On Request.

                            www.blowinsmokeband.com

              https://www.facebook.com/blowinsmokeband

 

Beyond The Blues Horizon - CD Review (BMans Blues Report)

Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - Interview (Orange County Blues Society)

Blowin' Smoke - Live Show Review (Music Connection)

Live Show Review - Los Angeles Beat

What People Are Saying About Markus James' New CD, "Head for the Hills"

Markus James - Head for the Hills "…primitive, raw, powerful and as real as it gets." - -Reflections in Blue full review “Creative ideas, boldness, and conviction…” - -Downbeat Magazine Full review -http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2015/DB1501/single_page_view/66.html “…one of those infectious infusions paradoxically wedding the old to the new and keeping the form fresh while familiar.” - FAME (Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange) Full review-http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p10084.htm “…this music is as soulful as it is deep, as it is profound, perhaps the penultimate blues experience-as terrifying as it is satisfying.” 5 STARS - Gonzo Online (CANADA) Full review - http://www.gonzoonline.ca/music/music-news/813-the-record-box-for-sunday-december-7th-2014.html "…destined to be judged one of the top blues releases of 2014 come year’s end." -Blurt Magazine –  full review "This record, which is mighty, mighty fine, would make a perfect score for an apocalyptic noir-western-thriller." - -The Flame Still Burns full review "…exciting and thought provoking." – Elmore Magazinefull review "…every track on the album is solid." - -Twangvillefull review "Every self-respecting blues aficionado should consider the primal majesty of this album." -The Rocktologistfull review "…will definitely lift your spirits and cleanse your soul!" -Nashville Blues Societyfull review "…an unusually cool blues release." - -Bman's Blues Report full review   The nationally syndicated radio program, "Elwood's Blues Hour" (formerly House of Blues Radio Hour), will feature Markus James (accompanied by Marlon Green) live-in-studio in early 2015. He will be performing selections from his new album, Head For The Hills, and a live interview. From Frederic Lamoureux, Montreal International Jazz Festival, about Markus and Marlon's performance at the 2014 Montreal Jazz Festival: "Really really good. Loved it. The crowd too. Thanks!" From Eric Funk, Mountain Chill Radio, about Markus and Marlon's performance at Telluride Blues and Brews festival 2014: "Exceptional."   Publicity Contact: Mark Pucci Media (770) 804-9555 / mpmedia@bellsouth.net

https://www.facebook.com/markusjamesmusic MARKUS JAMES: from "just say yes" 2 ratings 266 views Gourd Banjo and Hambone on a Mississippi Porch 66 ratings 4,457 views MARKUS JAMES: from "goin down south" no ratings yet 27 views

Bobby Rush garners second consecutive Grammy nomination plus Blues Music Award noms

BLUES LEGEND BOBBY RUSH GARNERS SECOND CONSECUTIVE BEST BLUES ALBUM GRAMMY NOMINATION   Rush’s Decisions, recorded with funk band Blinddog Smokin’ and special guest Dr. John, continues to grab accolades with four Blues Music Award nominations

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —Twenty years in the making, Decisions, the first collaboration between blues legend Bobby Rush and Southern California band Blinddog Smokin’, featuring six-time Grammy winner Dr. John, is being rewarded with end-of-the-year music industry honors including a recent Grammy nomination in the Best Blues Album category.  Also this week, Bobby Rush picked up four Blues Music Awards from the Blues Foundation, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year. Decisions secured a Best Soul Blues nod and Best Song nom for “Another Murder in New Orleans,” written by Carl Gustafson and Donald Markowitz, performed by Rush and Dr. John w/Blinddog Smokin’. Gustafson, the band leader, vocalist, and harmonica player of Blinddog Smokin,’ says, “I’d really like to see people in the United States take a look at [Bobby Rush and Dr. John] and see what they have before they’re gone, and feel their power, feel their love . . . Who knows how long Bobby or Mac are going to last? Now we have a chance. We have the two of them together for the first time in their careers, and they’re two of the rarest characters in American music culture.” “Just to be in the running and to be involved is meaningful,” says Rush on receiving his third Grammy nod. “It makes me feel like a winner already. I want to thank everyone in the category, the voters, and anyone that had anything to do with helping me get to where I am right now. I want to thank everyone from a fan standpoint and from a voter standpoint for everything they have done for Bobby Rush. I’m happy to be an old man but this makes me feel young again.” In October, Decisions won Best Soul Blues Album at the Blues Blast Music Awards, where Rush was also singled out with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Decisions is the first-ever teaming on record of three unlikely friends united by their love of the blues — Rush and Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack were both born in the same town of Homer, Louisiana.   Rush, 80 years old, continues his late-career emergence from the Chitlin’ Circuit underground to music mainstream. His crossover arguably began after achieving a Grammy nomination in 2000 for his album Hoochie Man, being featured in the “Road to Memphis” segment of the 2004 Martin Scorcese documentary The Blues, and last year’s Grammy-nominated record Down in Louisiana, which recently won Soul Blues Album of the Year at this year’s Blues Music Awards.  Rush performed in July on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with Dan Aykroyd and The Roots, as a part of the promo for the film Get On Up. Dan Aykroyd noted, “Okay, so like James Brown is gone, eh, and Richard Penniman a.k.a Little Richard … he’s not going to tour no more, and B.B. King is slowing down. Bobby Rush is the last one left of that generation.” In September the documentary Take Me to the River came out in theaters nationwide, with a soundtrack on Stax Records/Concord Music Group. The film is about the soul of American music and follows the recording of a new album featuring legends from Stax Records and Memphis, mentoring and passing on their musical magic to stars and artists of today. Rush co-stars alongside Terrence Howard, Snoop Dogg, the late Bobby “Blue” Bland, Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, among others. Rush, born Emmett Ellis, Jr., started playing music in his early teens, changing his name out of respect for his preacher father and fronting, for a time, a band that featured a young Elmore James on guitar. In his 20s, Rush landed in the booming Chicago blues scene where he bumped up against Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and, most notably, a back-alley neighbor, blues harmonica great Little Walter, whose example inspired Rush to master the instrument. In the ’80s Rush relocated to his current home of Jackson, Mississippi, where he embarked on the hard-touring career that has earned him the title of King of the Chitlin' Circuit. Meanwhile, about the time Rush was making his name in Chicago, Blinddog Smokin’ leader Carl Gustafson was learning the blues in, of all places, Laramie, Wyoming. He ran away from home at 16, making it as far as the railroad tracks and the Pic-A-Rib Café. Through the owner, Miss Peggy, and her son Ricky, Gustafson learned about African-American culture and through the establishment’s jukebox he discovered the sounds of American blues and R&B, an experience detailed in Gustafson’s 2010 memoir Ain’t Just Blues, It’s Showtime: Hard times, heartache, and glory along Blues Highway. In 1964, Gustafson started his first band, a James Brown-inspired 13-piece revue called Ali Baba & the Thieves. In 1993 he founded Blinddog Smokin’, which has become a force on the blues scene, playing 200-320 dates a year at juke joints, clubs, and festivals around the world, including the Snowy Range Music Festival (which Gustafson directs) in Laramie, and the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, where in 1995 he met Bobby Rush.  “Bobby was performing, and I was just mesmerized with his show,” Gustafson recalls. “I met him afterwards, and it’s a weird thing: we just had a connection and struck up a friendship. We started calling each other and checking in on each other, and over the years started touring together. One thing led to another, and we just got this strong bond between us.” Nineteen years later that friendship finally spilled over into the recording studio, with Gustafson and his band — including drummer “Chicago” Chuck Gullens, bassist Roland “Junior Bacon” Pritzker, keyboardist/vocalist Mo Beeks, guitarist Chalo Ortiz, and backing vocalists Chris White (nephew of folk singer Josh White) and Gustafson’s wife Linda — backing Rush on ten songs plus a bonus song on Decisions. The leadoff track, “Another Murder in New Orleans,” paired Rush with another longtime friend, New Orleans music legend Dr. John. Two of the most colorful figures in the blues, Rush and Dr. John — whose real name is Malcolm John “Mac” Rebennack Jr. — have known each other for more than 50 years, first meeting as young men in their 20s on the early 1960s R&B circuit and remaining good friends ever since. “When they’re telling stories it’s hilarious because they’re talking about bluesmen so ugly they had to turn their backs to the audience to play guitar,” says Gustafson, a mutual friend of both men. “And in some cases running from the same women.” Despite their decades-long relationship, Rush and Dr. John had never recorded together until “Another Murder in New Orleans.” Written by Gustafson and Decisions producer Donald Markowitz (an Oscar, Golden Globe, and Grammy winner for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack smash “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”), the song addresses in graphic terms the street violence that has ravaged that city post-Hurricane Katrina, offering a message for change. The track was cut in New Orleans in 2012 around Mardi Gras. The setting inspired Gustafson to ask if Rush’s old friend might want to guest on the song, which the 74-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer eagerly did. “We come up as kids together, man, but I never even thought about recording together before,” says Rush. “How great is it that this late in the game we can do something together while we can still talk about it and smile about it and laugh about it? It came to pass, and I’m so proud I did this with Dr. John.”  “Another Murder in New Orleans” and Rush’s morals-seeking title track “Decisions” are the rare serious notes on an otherwise light-hearted blues romp that is rooted in Rush and Gustafson’s friendship. Other songs include the autobiographical “Bobby Rush’s Bus,” about the singer’s constantly-moving tour vehicle, “Funky Old Man,” the rap-flavored “Dr. Rush,” the acoustic jam “Too Much Weekend,” and “Skinny Little Women,” which tackles an issue Rush has been preoccupied with for some time. “Little bitty woman why you always in the mirror talking ’bout how good you look/You ought to be doing like that fat woman in the kitchen seeing ’bout how good you cook,” sings Rush, who had one of his biggest successes in the ’90s with the album Lovin’ a Big Fat Woman. “It’s a joke-y thing. But if you notice that little skinny ladies all the time they look cute and good and smell good and look good. All that’s good but the big lady has got somebody, too. She needs some lovin’, too.” Bobby Rush continues to perform more than 200 concerts a year and into 2015 will do so in support of the latest Grammy nominated album Decisions, see his upcoming announced dates below. On the horizon, be on the lookout for a definitive anthology of Bobby Rush. BOBBY RUSH on tour December 19 – JACKSON, MS – Christmas Party December 20 – MEMPHIS, TN – Minglewood Hall December 23 – NEW ORLEANS, LA – Loyola University Hospital Holiday Party December 27 – LULA, MS – Isle of Capri Casino January 10 – TALLAHASSEE, FL - BCC January 17 – Robinsonville, MS – Sam’s Town Casino January 18 – 25 – Blues Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, FL March 13 – DETRTOIT, MI – Detroit Opera House March 14 – MERRILVILLE, IN (CHICAGO metro) – The Blues is Alright Tour April 17 – CHICAGO, IL – Buddy Guy’s Legends April 16 – JACKSON, MI – UAW Hall (7pm & 10pm) April 25 – SARASOTA, FL – SunCoast Blues Festival September 10-12 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender (specific date TBA) # # # Music video for "Another Murder in New Orleans" by Dr. John and Bobby Rush with Blinddog Smokin’ from the Grammy nominated album Decisions: http://youtu.be/UYOB5HW8gAc Watch Dan Aykroyd talk about Bobby Rush on The Tonight Show: http://youtu.be/AqZDI2iNQrE Watch Bobby Rush and Dan Aykroyd with The Roots perfrom on The Tonight Show: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21qgsa_hd-dan-aykroyd-i-ll-go-crazy-ft-bobby-rush-jimmy-fallon_people Watch the trailer for the film Take Me to the River with Bobby Rush: http://youtu.be/RFmULZOFaIM Watch Bobby Rush with Blinddog Smokin' live here: http://youtu.be/Iq2KsjaHads Bobby Rush and Blinddog Smokin’ on the Web: www.bobbyrushbluesman.com www.facebook.com/bobbyrushbluesman www.blinddogsmokin.com www.facebook.com/blinddogsmokin www.SilverTalonRecords.com