In celebration of her newest CD, Voice of My Beautiful Country, on Motéma Music, award winning singer-songwriter and trailblazing vocalist René Marie is asking fellow Americans to follow her lead, listen to their inner voices, pull from their own experiences and creatively express to the world what they love most love about their country. They can use poetry, photography, spoken word, video or music, to best display their own “Voice of My Beautiful Country.” Beginning April 5, 2011 and running through May 31, 2011, people across the US will have a chance to participate in the “Voice of My Beautiful Country Cont...

For the first time since the 1995 tour in support of their only recorded collaboration (1995’s "Rite Of Strings"), bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Al DiMeola and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty will take to the road on an all acoustic tour that will cover 12 cities (and two countries) between June 8 and September 3. All three players, who are true innovators and among the most influential instrumentalists on their respective instruments, are renowned for their ability to span m …

Boy meets clarinet. Boy falls head over heels for clarinet. Boy spends every available minute with clarinet. But then the fast life, drugs and alcohol, slowly seduces, then pries the boy from his true source of devotion. Early passions die. The clarinet is abandoned. Four decades pass. Finally, one day, the dreams of youth are resurrected and the clarinet, once again, takes center stage. This is Mort Weiss’ love story. The culmination of that love affair can be …

With a voice that can caress or confront, embrace or exhort, Gregory Porter exhibitssuch an incredible degree of vocal mastery that no less a jazz luminary than WyntonMarsalis has gone on record to call him "a fantastic young singer," which makes thefact that Water (out on May 11 from Motema Music) is his recordingdebut even more impressive. A debut release it may be, yet Water flows with a sense of timelessness that reflects the seasoned talent …

Norwegian-born and now L.A.-based saxophonist Terje Lie ("Terry Lee") is continuing his joyful Urban Vacation with the September 13 release of "Dance On The Water." "Dance on the Water" is the second single from Lie's highly successful and critically acclaimed CD, Urban Vacation (TCat Records), which pairs him with contemporary jazz luminaries Jimmy Haslip and Jeff Lorber, who co-produced the album and also played on all the tracks. "Dance On The Water" further defines Lie's