Monday, June 7, 2021

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: Allan Harris Presents "Kate's Soulfood" This Summer

Allan Harris Set To Tour Critically Acclaimed New Album Kate’s Soulfood This Summer 

The acclaimed vocalist and guitarist will perform in New York, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia in July, plus Maine and Michigan in August

Critically acclaimed soulful crooner Allan Harris will be bringing his hit album Kate’s Soulfood on the road this summer! As a recipient of a prestigious SouthArts Jazz Road touring grant, Harris will utilize these funds to take his Harlem-inspired studio recording down the East Coast. A collection of vignettes from his Sundays spent traveling from Brooklyn to Harlem as a child, Kate’s Soulfood is an expressive showcasing of Allan Harris’ proficiency in songwriting and love for a strong and lively community. Harris is thrilled to present this music to live audiences throughout the month of July, with additional dates in June and August. 

The main leg of the tour will kick off from July 8-10 with five performances at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York City with an expanded band, followed by a streamed event in Pompano Beach, FL on July 17 and an outdoor house party in Pittsburgh, PA on July 21. The following day, Harris will perform at the MCG Jazz Summer Series. Next up, Harris will travel to Virginia Beach, VA, where he will perform at Zeider’s American Dream Theater, followed by a hit at the Sunrise Theater in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and another house party in Hilton Head, South Carolina the following day. On July 29th, Harris will perform for WUCF Radio in Orlando Florida, followed by an intimate performance at Heidi’s Jazz Club located in Cocoa Beach. The July leg will end with a special performance on July 31st at South Miami Dade & Cultural Arts Center. On August 7th and 12th, Harris will perform at the Blue Llama in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Vinegar Hill Music Theater in Maine, respectively. 
Joining Harris is his long-standing, tight knit ensemble of contemporary musical greats including Arcoiris Sandoval on piano and keys, Marty Kenney on bass,  Norman Edwards on drums and saxophonist Irwin Hall.

Kate’s Soulfood is an homage to Harris' Aunt Kate, who owned a luncheonette behind the Apollo Theater in Harlem called Kate’s Home Cooking. While visiting, Harris would witness parts of the Civil Rights Movement and relish the embrace of a vibrant musical community. In composing the music featured on Kate’s Soulfood, Harris drew from these moments, and in doing so, has produced a wide-ranging sonic tapestry of his beloved neighborhood. 

With the help of GRAMMY Award-winning producer Kamau Kenyatta, Harris’ 14th release as a leader was brought to life. The sounds and voices on Kate’s Soulfood have an infectious spirit synonymous with Harlem. Since it’s release on February 12, Kate’s Soulfood has been celebrated for the sensation that it is:

"Kate’s Soulfood is a delicious taste of Harlem revisited, spiked soul sprinkled with a message to the people, Harris’ ballads dipped in his original smoky honey croon sauce and a searing anthem to keep the truth in sight." - Ron Scott, Amsterdam News

"Begun before and completed during the coronavirus crisis, Allan Harris’ Kate’s Soulfood (Love Productions) celebrates the post-Renaissance Harlem of the guitarist/singer’s youth. These 10 tracks reverberate with gospel-infused inspiration." - Suzanne Lorge, New York City Jazz Record

“Quarantine inspired wanderlust might be fine for some, but not for Allan Harris whose Kate’s Soulfood is a valentine to his beloved Harlem." - John Chacona, Let’s Call This
With his commencing tour performance less than a month away, Harris is ready to share his powerful memories live, at what will be the first live performance for many concert-goers in over a year. As the world re-opens and live music resumes, Harris will be a revitalizing sonic force this summer. 

He shares his excitement on his upcoming tour: "Hallelujah is the term that describes what I’ve been feeling for the past few weeks! The road beckons to me once again and like a troubadour who's been exiled to a foreign land I cannot wait to finally embrace and share those many smiles and hearts that have been awaiting my return. But I hope that my friends, fans and loved ones are prepared for the onslaught of music and joy that they will be receiving from me when I climb, no jump, back onto the stage. So to coin the title of that rousing tune by the Temptations, “Get Ready 'Cause Here I Come”!" 

Jazz Road is a national initiative of South Arts, which is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. An artist-centric touring program that supports small tours for emerging and mid-career artists, Jazz Road grants promote deeper engagement between jazz musicians, presenters, and communities, often those located in areas traditionally underserved by the genre.

KATE’S SOULFOOD TOUR SCHEDULE

July 8-10 Birdland Jazz Club, New York, NY    Indoors, reduced capacity
July 17 Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Pompano Beach, FL    Streaming event, limited audience
July 21 House Party - Pittsburgh, PA    Outdoor house party
July 22 MCG Jazz Summer Series - Pittsburgh Playhouse - Highmark Theater    Indoors
July 23 Zeider's American Dream Theater, Virginia Beach, VA    Reduced capacity seating (50%)
July 24 Sunrise Theater, Southern Pines, NC    Indoors
July 25 House Party - Hilton Head, SC    Outdoors, house party
July 29 WUCF Radio on air concert, Orlando    On-air performance 
July 30 Heidi's Jazz Club, Cocoa Beach, FL    Indoors, reduced capacity Jazz club
July 31 South Miami Dade & Cultural Arts Center, FL    Outdoors, spaced seating
August 7 Blue Llama, Ann Arbor, MI    Indoors, reduced capacity Jazz club
August 12 Vinegar Hill Music Theater, ME    Indoors, reduced capacity (50%)

Allan Harris: The Kate's Soulfood LP will be released in August 2021

The Kate's Soulfood LP will be released in August 2021. This LP will feature a bonus track of an unedited version of Run Through America only available here.

The vinyl version of Kate's Soulfood features an unedited bonus track Run Through America. This track was edited for radio on the CD, but on the vinyl version you will hear it the way it was originally recorded with the original lyrics. Run Through America is a protest song about the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and all the other black people killed by police in the US.

Ships out within 5 days
Edition of 100 

Konstantin Kostov Trio - MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition (June 14, 2021)

For a long time, I have been toying with the idea of arranging a classical piano cycle for a jazz trio. I chose Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, which has provoked many artists to create their own versions of this famous work. Doing something so crazy and at the same time responsible requires skill and artistic flair so you can immerse yourself deeply in the classical music. It also takes a lot of courage to translate it via your own emotionality and even more courage to improvise.

In the course of my work, I deliberately mentioned what I was doing to some friends of mine, classical musicians, and they all reacted identically, “Just don’t ruin them!”.

I have tried to make the entire cycle sound very different from the traditional performance. The most difficult part was to adapt it to my performance style, but I believe my objective to refresh it via my musical manner was achieved. My years of experience in the crossover music field has taught me to do it with enormous respect for the composer and the piece.

Of course, my music partners and friends Hristo Yotsov and Dimitar Karamfilov, without whom the album would not have been possible, played the most important role. These brilliant musicians and exceptional improvisers with a serious knowledge of the classics and jazz contributed greatly to the music acquiring the intended particular aesthetics, energy and personality.

We sincerely hope this music will entertain, inspire and even provoke you.

And if you are wondering what Mussorgsky had in common with jazz, the answer is – nothing...

Jazz is the most liberal of arts that finds common ground with everyone and everything.
1. Promenade I
2. Gnome
3. Promenade II
4. The Old Castle
5. Tuileries
6. Cattle
7. Ballet of Unhatched Chicks
8. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
9. Limoges the Market
10. Catacombs
11. With the Dead in a Dead Language
12. Baba Yaga
13. The Great Gate of Kiev

Konstantin Kostov - piano
Hristo Yotsov - drums
Dimitar Karamfilov - double bass

Aurelijus Užameckis - Signals (June 7, 2021 CRRNT Records)

Signals is a debut solo album from a Lithuanian bass player and composer Aurelijus Užameckis.

The record contains music written and performed by Aurelijus which has been recorded at the Brønshøj water tower in Copenhagen. This building holds a unique room ambience with reverb of approximately 13 seconds.

The music of the album is an ambiguous manifestation of existential considerations that are sonically expressed through minimalistic themes and improvisations.
1. SIGNALS
2. TAME YOUR THOUGHTS
3. APATHETIC / EMPATHETIC
4. TRUST THE MACHINE
5. YOUR THIRD COCKTAIL PERSONALITY
6. CALL
7. RECALL
8. SLOW BREATHER
9. NEBULOUS DREAM
10. THIS ISN'T HEAVEN
11. FINALE

ALL MUSIC BY AURELIJUS UŽAMECKIS

RECORDED IN THE BRØNSHØJ WATER TOWER, COPENHAGEN
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2020

RECORDED, MIXED BY SIMON MARIEGAARD, MIXED AND MASTERED BY SIMON MARIEGAARD