Category: Newswire

Alfred Music Publishing, the leader in educational music publishing since 1922, is proud to partner with National Guitar Workshop to release The Improv Series for guitar, featuring two new instructional books: <em>Pentatonic Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em>, by Erik Halbig, and <em>Modal Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em>, by Jody Fisher.

<em>Pentatonic Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em> takes the most common improvisational tool, the pentatonic scale, and shows you its almost limitless possibilities. It begins with standard major and minor pentatonic scales in the five basic positions and quickly moves into challenging pentatonic variations for string skipping and sweep picking. The book culminates with a series of substitution scales, including the rootless 9th, the half-diminished, and the whole-tone augmented pentatonic scales. A CD demonstrating all the examples in the book is included.

<em>Modal Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em> is a comprehensive, multi-faceted study of the seven major-scale modes. Start applying and understanding the modes through sample licks, extended solos, and play-along tracks. In addition, you’ll play each mode in all 12 keys, learn different types of fingerings, and even discover the formula for each mode and its relationship to the diatonic chord. Soon, you’ll be harmonizing the modes and deriving them by altering other scales. A CD with play-along tracks and demonstrations of all the examples in the book is included.

<em>Pentatonic Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em> and <em>Modal Soloing Strategies for Guitar</em> are now available for $19.99 each. Pick up your copies at a local music retail store, or buy them today at alfred.com.

Dark Horse Records announced today the October 19th release of a limited edition deluxe box set entitled <em>RAVI SHANKAR GEORGE HARRISON COLLABORATIONS</em>. The release honors the sitar master’s 90th birthday.

<em>Collaborations</em> is a 3 CD and 1 DVD uniquely numbered limited edition box set. All compositions were composed by Ravi Shankar and produced by George Harrison over a period of 20 years.

The DVD is a rare concert performance of <em>Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India </em>recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1974. The albums include the acclaimed <em>Chants Of India (1997), <em>The Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India </em> (studio version 1976) and <em>Shankar Family &amp; Friends </em> (1974). The 56-page book includes a foreword by Philip Glass, a history of George and Ravi "in their own words" and rare photographs from both family archives.

"The personal and musical friendship between Ravi Shankar and George Harrison has been known and well documented for decades now. It was a friendship that was powerful enough to make an impact on the large, musical life of the late nineteen sixties and it reverberates, as clearly, even today" – from the Foreword by Philip Glass

In 1973 George Harrison signed Ravi Shankar to his Dark Horse Records label. The first joint recording project between George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, <em>Shankar Family &amp; Friends</em> brought together renown Indian classical musicians such as Ustad Alla Rakha, Lakshmi Shankar, and Shivkumar Sharma alongside Western jazz and rock musicians including George, Ringo Starr, Tom Scott, Klaus Voormann, Jim Keltner and Billy Preston. One half of the album comprises instrumentals and songs, while the second half is a thematic ballet to a yet un-staged performance.

<em>Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India (live from the Royal Albert Hall) </em>was the first artistic event organized and sponsored by George Harrison’s Material World Charitable Foundation; bringing together a 17-piece Indian classical ensemble as well as a solo sitar performance by Ravi Shankar accompanied on tabla by Alla Rakha.

In 1997 George Harrison and Ravi Shankar again collaborated on an album. This time Ravi created music for ancient Sanskrit chants with the challenge of maintaining the authenticity of the ancient verses. Released in 1997, <em>Chants Of India</em> are timeless, Vedic verses chanted for the well being of man and mankind.

<em>Collaborations </em>is available on Dark Horse Records and distributed by Rhino Entertainment.

Alfred Music Publishing is set to release <em>Playing Guitar in Jazz Band</em>, a practical guide for students and teachers of jazz guitar, by David Sinclair. <em>Playing Guitar in Jazz Band</em> is for beginning or intermediate guitar students interested in joining a jazz band and the ideal companion for music teachers who want to better understand the role of the guitar in their ensemble.

Playing jazz guitar can be challenging, as the chord changes are often complex, yet the guitar parts should remain simple enough to avoid detracting from the overall sound of the band. This book breaks down that process by substituting difficult chord shapes with more flexible voicings that are designed to sound good on the guitar. The method also teaches a wide variety of rhythmic patterns and uses authentic chord charts that are exactly like the ones you will encounter in real-life situations. A CD demonstrating the examples in the book is included.

<em>Playing Guitar in Jazz Band</em> is now available as a book and CD set. Pick up your copy at a local music retail store, or buy it today at alfred.com.

"Recording guitar and playing guitar live are as different as night and day," states author Jon Chappell in the introduction to the new fully revised and updated edition of <em>The Recording Guitarist</em>. It is a fact anyone who has every tried to lay down tracks will attest to-when it comes to getting the right sound down on tape (or hard drive as is increasingly the case) there is a whole different ethos than on stage or in the rehearsal studio. So arm yourself with the essentials before you hit the record button at your next session.

Revised and updated with a heavy focus on the modern digital-recording techniques and processes now so prevalent everywhere from desktop home setups to top recording studios, author Jon Chappell provides an invaluable reference guide that should always be in arms reach of any six-string slinger or studio engineer! Chappell’s decades of experience as musician, arranger, and journalist make <em>The Recording Guitarist</em> is the most comprehensive course available on guitar recording and perfect for both home, studio, and classroom use.

Chappell takes readers through every step of the recording process; from selecting the right guitar to amps and speakers, micing techniques, doubling tracks, adding effects, tracking vs. mixing, a glossary of important audio and recording terms, and a detailed synopsis on how to dial in the sounds of 14 classic guitarists from Dimebag Darrell, Eddie Van Halen, and Kirk Hammett to Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Morse, and Sonny Landreth. Beyond that, advice from recording industry pros such as Carl Verheyen, Al Di Meola, Alex Lifeson, and Phil Ramone explain dozens of studio tips and tricks-digital delay cascade effects, capoing, setting up a guitar for slide, using multieffects processors inline and more-for players and engineers alike to keep in their arsenal. Hundreds of diagrams and pictures throughout leave no question unanswered.

Buckcherry’s fifth studio album, <em>All Night Long</em>, their first since the band’s move back to Top Independent Rock label Eleven Seven Music, has debuted at #10 on the Top Billboard Top 200 Album chart and was the #1 Rock debut. <em>All Night Long</em> is winning rave reviews.

The band continues its Top 10 success worldwide as they debuted at #7 on the overall chart in Canada (their highest chart position to date there) and scored their first Top 10 chart positions in the UK at #6 on the Independent Albums and #5 on the Rock and Metal charts, respectively.

Fans can catch a live performance of the album’s raucous title track on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" this Thursday (August 12) on ABC at 12:05 a.m., ET/PT. The single has just broken in to the Top 10 of the Mainstream Rock radio chart, landing at #9 and is currently the #10 Rock song on iTunes.

Buckcherry is currently on the road playing select tour dates and will gear up for an extensive North American tour supporting Nickelback beginning September 14 in Nashville. Learn more at buckcherry.com.

This month, the Smithsonian Channel will broadcast "Electrified: The Guitar Revolution." Airing August 15, this 60 minute high-wattage history lesson salutes the inventors, pioneers and gods of the electric guitar. The electric guitar was invented to be heard among the brass instruments of the big band era, but it soon took on a sound and life of its own. How did this assemblage of wood, wire and metal go on to ignite a new era of music, transform background musicians into guitar heroes and become a symbol of freedom and rebellion? From the early days of the Model U and the Frying Pan to the guitar wars of Fender and Gibson, experience its evolution through vintage footage, interviews with rock historians and rousing live performances. Virtuosos like G.E. Smith of the "Saturday Night Live Band" go through the decades of sound innovations of the electric guitar.

Smithsonian Channel will also debut a series called "Inside the Music," a series of specials that tell stories about the music and musicians that have had an enormous impact on some of the most listened to sounds spanning generations. From the creative genius who designed the album cover of The Beatles’ "Revolver," to a history lesson on the instrument that changed the look, sound and volume of music forever, "Inside the Music" has something that everyone can listen to.

The featured "Inside the Music, premiere, "All You Need is Klaus," airing August 22 at 8pm ET/PT, is a journey into the incredible life of Klaus Voormann. Voormann is best known for his association with the most popular and most influential band in rock ‘n roll history, The Beatles. "All You Need is Klaus" also features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Carly Simon, and Randy Newman, Joe Walsh and Simon are also interviewed in the 90 minute film with Simon recounting Voormann’s influence on her biggest hit, "You’re So Vain."

In 1960, Klaus Voormann met The Beatles, who at the time were completely unknown, in Hamburg, Germany, where he was an art student. Three years later, when Klaus moved to London and lived with George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their apartment, The Beatles had already become the embodiment of a new youth culture. In 1965, Voormann, who was working as a graphic designer at the time, was asked by John Lennon to create the album cover for their latest album. The highly influential piece of cover art for "Revolver," earned Klaus a Grammy Award. That same year, he became the bassist for the Manfred Mann Band and, in 1969 for John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. Klaus Voormann was on the frontlines of the pop era’s meteoric rise and played on all the Beatles’ solo albums. Learn more at smithsonianchannel.com.

Guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins died August 6 after a long battle with cancer. He was 66.

Collins grew up in Cincinnati with his brother and bandmate Bootsy Collins. In 1968, the brothers played together in the Pacemakers until James Brown hired them to join his band in 1969. Collins played a role in the recording of songs including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "Soul Power," and "Super Bad."

After playing with Brown, the brothers joined Parliament-Funkadelic. Collins played on the band’s <em>America Eats Its Young</em> and was a member of Bootsy’s Rubber Band. Collins left P-Funk in 1983, and more recently contributed the soundtrack for the film <em>Superbad</em>.

Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, longtime bass player of the Muddy Waters Blues Band, passed away August 9 of complications from lung cancer. He was 84.

Best known for touring as part of Muddy Waters’ band in the 1970s and ’80s, his bandmates at the time included Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, James Cotton, and others. Jones also played with Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, and Little Walter.

John Mellencamp and his band are set to embark on the first leg of the No Better Than This Tour in late October following the August 17 release of his Rounder Records debut album, <em>No Better Than This</em>. The tour, designed as a uniquely formatted "evening with," brings Mellencamp’s music to theater-sized venues, a rare opportunity to experience one of America’s most iconic songwriters and performers in an intimate setting, highlighting all phases of his artistry.

The tour, anticipated to continue through the spring of 2011, will kick off on October 29 in Bloomington, Indiana, where Mellencamp and his family make their home. It continues for four weeks bringing Mellencamp, his band and music to audiences in Nashville, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and three additional Indiana markets of South Bend, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis with further tour dates pending.

The tour will feature classic Mellencamp material associated with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee over the course of his 35 year long career as well as the new music from No Better Than This. The new album was produced by T Bone Burnett and recorded in three historic locations in the American South: Savannah’s First African Baptist Church, Sun Studio in Memphis and Room 414 of San Antonio’s Gunter Hotel where Robert Johnson recorded in 1936. The sessions were documented on a 55-year-old mono tape recorder using just one vintage microphone at each location. Rolling Stone’s review of the album noted, "Mellencamp has never sounded looser or easier on a record," suggesting the artist was "channeling spirits and stepping into period styles. They fit him perfectly."

As a reflection of the diversity of styles and material that have been a hallmark of Mellencamp’s eclectic career, the concerts are formatted into three segments. These showcase John Mellencamp in an acoustic context, fronting a small combo recalling blues/country and rockabilly roots and with his full rock band. Musicians backing Mellencamp include Michael Wanchic (guitar), Andy York (guitar), Miriam Sturm (violin), John Gunnell (electric and upright bass), Dane Clark (drums) and Troye Kinnett (accordion/keyboards).

Of special note is the fact that the tour’s "opening act," is a documentary film by Kurt Markus entitled It’s About You. Shot on Super8 film over the course of last year’s Bob Dylan-John Mellencamp-Willie Nelson tour of minor-league baseball stadiums, it chronicles the creation of <em>No Better Than This</em> while serving as a cinematic ‘think piece’ on the state of the country at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. Markus, whose still work has put him in the front ranks of contemporary American photographers, has been cited for his vision of his work documenting the American West and is the recipient of <em>Life</em> magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt Photography Award.

For more, visit mellencamp.com.

The second wave of releases in the 2010 Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project will be available October 19. Legacy’s next round of titles from the artist <em>Rolling Stone</em> magazine called the greatest guitarist of all time will include deluxe editions of <em>Jimi Hendrix Experience: BBC Sessions</em> and <em>Jimi Hendrix: Blues</em>, his legendary <em>Live At Woodstock</em> performance, and <em>Merry Christmas &amp; A Happy New Year</em>, the highly collectible Jimi Hendrix Christmas EP.

Originally released in 1994, the <em>Jimi Hendrix: Blues</em> album features 11 blues performances recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970 showcasing the guitarist’s mastery of the 12-bar form. The new deluxe Legacy edition comes packaged in a six-panel digipak with an expanded, 36 page booklet and includes a bonus DVD featuring an expanded, 30 minute version of "Jimi Hendrix and the Blues" from the Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues series. Directed and Produced by Alex Gibney, Janie Hendrix and John McDermott, the film features interviews and live performances not seen in the original PBS television broadcast. A double-disc 12" vinyl LP audiophile edition of Jimi Hendrix: Blues will also be available.

The Legacy edition of <em>Jimi Hendrix Experience: BBC Sessions</em> brings together recordings from Hendrix’s appearances on a variety of BBC radio and television broadcasts from 1967 through 1969. The two CD Jimi Hendrix Experience: BBC Sessions comes packaged in a six-panel digipak and includes a never before released 30 minute bonus DVD documentary. The film features the group’s famed January 1969 appearance on "Happening For Lulu" which featured Hendrix interrupting the live broadcast to perform a ferocious rendition of Cream’s "Sunshine Of Your Love" together with interviews with Jimi Hendrix Experience bandmates Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding as well as BBC staff producers Jeff Griffin and Bernie Andrews detailing the legendary sessions. The acclaimed two-CD set includes Hendrix’s unique interpretations of such classics as Bob Dylan’s "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?," Muddy Waters "Hoochie Coochie Man" [with noted British blues enthusiast Alexis Korner on slide guitar], the Beatles "Day Tripper" as well as two songs featuring the dream pairing of Stevie Wonder with Hendrix. A single CD "best-of" the BBC Sessions as well as a three-disc 12" audiophile vinyl LP edition of the album will also be available. Both the 2 CD and 3 LP BBC sets feature a previoulsy unreleased version of "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" sourced from the August 24, 1967, of the Jimi Hendrix Experience on "Top of The Tops."

The watershed <em>Live At Woodstock</em> album, the artist’s most popular live performance, will be reissued in a two-CD set, available in both digipak and brilliant box configurations as well as an audiophile, three-disc 12" vinyl LP edition.

"Merry Christmas &amp; Happy New Year," the Jimi Hendrix seasonal single, features the celebrated 1969 medley of "Little Drummer Boy," "Silent Night," and "Auld Lang Syne" backed with "Three Little Bears." Merry Christmas &amp; Happy New Year will be reissued as a CD as well as on 7" vinyl in a picture sleeve.