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Over the course of his six previous albums, starting with his debut Painted Diaries in 2009, Reza Khan has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz while developing a fascinating trademark fusion of pop, jazz, soul and world influences. His music is steeped in his international roots and status as a socially conscious musical citizen of the world. Along the way, the Bangladesh-born, NYC-based composer and guitarist has enjoyed several breakthrough hits on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart, including his first Top Ten single “Drop of Faith” (featuring Nils) from his critically acclaimed fifth album Next Train Home and “Waiting for the Sky” from the 2021 collection Imaginary Road. Despite this airplay success, he’s always been told that the music he writes and produces is designed more for musicians to play than for the average smooth jazz listener to simply enjoy.
With Khan’s latest album, the intriguingly titled Mystical, he aims to change all that and create songs as infectious and radio friendly as they are brilliantly performed. Rather than have an overriding narrative concept, his goal was to collaborate with some familiar cohorts (Philippe Saisse, Mark Egan, David Mann, Nils) and others who could bring a fresh, magical, and yes, mystical quality to his songs. His first call was to David Mann, the veteran saxophonist who had brought great horn textures and arrangements to previous albums. He sought his production expertise, but just as importantly, felt that straight on compositional collaboration would be the ticket to unlocking this magic. Mann became an important co-writer, composer, arranger and producer for the album.
While some of the original Khan/Mann tunes like “The Falcon” and “Whispering Trees” indeed tell fascinating, poetic stories of their own, the guitarist began with a different overall vision. He co-wrote every one of the new tracks with a specific well-known genre musician in mind as a featured artist, hoping their positive replies would lead to incredible individual tracks with hit potential that could take the song in a magical/mystical direction Khan couldn’t have imagined upon writing the song.
Building off a foundation of Khan on lead guitar, Bern Schoenhardt on rhythm guitar, Mann on keys and sax, Khan’s guest list – all of whom immediately agreed to participate – includes Saisse, Nils, Jeff Lorber, Bob James, Keiko Matsui, a unique array of bassists (Egan, Jimmy Haslip, Brendan Rothwell, Mel Browne) and drummers (Gary Novak, Brian Dunne and Lionel Cordew. Because the project was recorded during the pandemic, the basic tracks were recorded at Khan’s home studio in Long Island, with Mann putting together remotely created tracks in his NYC studio.
Another unique aspect of the collection that contributes to Mystical living up to its title is the opportunity to experience new versions of three classic tracks from Reza’s early projects via Mann’s contemporary 2022 productions with new lineups of musicians – “Bahia Mama” (featuring the original vocal by Jennifer Grimm) and “Catalina’s Dream” from Painted Diaries and “Language of Love” from A Simple Plan (2011). The fact that “Language of Love” and “Catalina’s Dream” are in the cue for future single releases show that Khan’s composing style was always in the pocket, with great hit potential. He just needed Mann’s expertise behind the boards to take it to the next level.
“My goal with Mystical was to imagine a very magical album where David and I write songs together for certain individual musicians we wanted to bring to the recording,” says Khan. “Every track evolved organically until it became a very different type of conceptual album, with each tune having magical, mysterious elements. I had always composed every song by myself and I enjoyed the exciting learning curve of collaborating differently on each tune. My idea was to focus on how they could appeal broadly to fans of smooth jazz without limiting the inspiration and motivation that has driven me in the past.”


Featuring:
David Mann, sax
Mark Egan, bass
Mauricio Zottarelli, drums
Matt king, keyboards
Fernando Saci, percussions
Olivia Foschi, vocals

Over the course of his six previous albums, starting with his debut Painted Diaries in 2009, Reza Khan has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz while developing a fascinating trademark fusion of pop, jazz, soul and world influences. His music is steeped in his international roots and status as a socially conscious musical citizen of the world. Along the way, the Bangladesh-born, NYC-based composer and guitarist has enjoyed several breakthrough hits on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart, including his first Top Ten single “Drop of Faith” (featuring Nils) from his critically acclaimed fifth album Next Train Home and “Waiting for the Sky” from the 2021 collection Imaginary Road. Despite this airplay success, he’s always been told that the music he writes and produces is designed more for musicians to play than for the average smooth jazz listener to simply enjoy.
With Khan’s latest album, the intriguingly titled Mystical, he aims to change all that and create songs as infectious and radio friendly as they are brilliantly performed. Rather than have an overriding narrative concept, his goal was to collaborate with some familiar cohorts (Philippe Saisse, Mark Egan, David Mann, Nils) and others who could bring a fresh, magical, and yes, mystical quality to his songs. His first call was to David Mann, the veteran saxophonist who had brought great horn textures and arrangements to previous albums. He sought his production expertise, but just as importantly, felt that straight on compositional collaboration would be the ticket to unlocking this magic. Mann became an important co-writer, composer, arranger and producer for the album.
While some of the original Khan/Mann tunes like “The Falcon” and “Whispering Trees” indeed tell fascinating, poetic stories of their own, the guitarist began with a different overall vision. He co-wrote every one of the new tracks with a specific well-known genre musician in mind as a featured artist, hoping their positive replies would lead to incredible individual tracks with hit potential that could take the song in a magical/mystical direction Khan couldn’t have imagined upon writing the song.
Building off a foundation of Khan on lead guitar, Bern Schoenhardt on rhythm guitar, Mann on keys and sax, Khan’s guest list – all of whom immediately agreed to participate – includes Saisse, Nils, Jeff Lorber, Bob James, Keiko Matsui, a unique array of bassists (Egan, Jimmy Haslip, Brendan Rothwell, Mel Browne) and drummers (Gary Novak, Brian Dunne and Lionel Cordew. Because the project was recorded during the pandemic, the basic tracks were recorded at Khan’s home studio in Long Island, with Mann putting together remotely created tracks in his NYC studio.
Another unique aspect of the collection that contributes to Mystical living up to its title is the opportunity to experience new versions of three classic tracks from Reza’s early projects via Mann’s contemporary 2022 productions with new lineups of musicians – “Bahia Mama” (featuring the original vocal by Jennifer Grimm) and “Catalina’s Dream” from Painted Diaries and “Language of Love” from A Simple Plan (2011). The fact that “Language of Love” and “Catalina’s Dream” are in the cue for future single releases show that Khan’s composing style was always in the pocket, with great hit potential. He just needed Mann’s expertise behind the boards to take it to the next level.
“My goal with Mystical was to imagine a very magical album where David and I write songs together for certain individual musicians we wanted to bring to the recording,” says Khan. “Every track evolved organically until it became a very different type of conceptual album, with each tune having magical, mysterious elements. I had always composed every song by myself and I enjoyed the exciting learning curve of collaborating differently on each tune. My idea was to focus on how they could appeal broadly to fans of smooth jazz without limiting the inspiration and motivation that has driven me in the past.”


Featuring:
David Mann, sax
Mark Egan, bass
Mauricio Zottarelli, drums
Matt king, keyboards
Fernando Saci, percussions
Olivia Foschi, vocals

On this August 6 edition of the WBGO Journal, we get an update on the Portal North Bridge project, a discovery in South Jersey that reveals new information about the Revolutionary War and an award-winning chat with documentarian Ken Burns

It's still summer, but signs indicate that the season of Taylor Swift's album chart dominance may be coming to an end. This week's harbinger: a certain face-tattooed rapper-turned-country star.

Matt Lavelle, Ryan Sawyer, Larry Roland in Performance & Discussion. Suggested minimum donation is $5. Donations go towards funding artist fees. Arts for Art's On_Line Salon series features live streaming FreeJazz performances and conversations every Tuesday and Thursday. Tuessday March 30, 2021, 8PM ET Video is available to view through Friday April 2, 6PM ET Matt Lavelle - trumpet Ryan Sawyer - drums Larry Roland - bass, poetry

New Camerata Opera (NCO) presents Summer Concerts, a FREE live performance of favorite opera excerpts hosted by Operation Gig!, on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 4pm at 726 Argyle Rd, Brooklyn NY, 11230 in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. Principal soloists from NYC's most exciting young opera company will offer serenades of some of the greatest musical masterpieces ever written. For more information, visit newcamerataopera.org/events.

All your favorite ‘90s dance music stars are here to tear it up! Come dance the night away to hip hop, R&B, house, freestyle, dancehall, Latin, and pop. Robin S. (“Show Me Love”), CeCe Peniston (“Finally”), and Black Sheep (“Flavor of the Month”) are only the beginning of this epic lineup. Robin S The house music singer and songwriter scored success in the ‘90s with “Show Me Love” and “Luv 4 Luv.” She had three #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. CeCe Peniston The singer scored five #1 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play in the ‘90s. Her signature song “Finally” reached the number 5 spot on the Hot 100. Black Sheep The hip hop duo from Queens, composed of Andres “Dres” Vargas Titus and William “Mista Lawnge” McLean, debuted in 1991 with the hit song “Flavor of the Month” and later released the album A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. Ten City The Chicago-based R&B and house music act enjoyed a number of club hits and Urban radio hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s and were one of the first exponents of deep house. Best known for the singles “Devotion,” “Right Back to You” and “That’s the Way Love Is,” which hit #1 on the US dance chart. Lumidee The rapper, singer, and songwriter quickly rose to fame in 2003 with the release of her song “Never Leave You,” which reached the top ten in ten countries and #1 across Europe. George Lamond The freestyle music and salsa music singer released seven albums between 1989-2014 and is best known for his 1989 #25 Billboard debut, “Bad of the Heart,” and his #1 salsa smash, “Que Te Vas.” Lisette Melendez The American freestyle/Latin pop/dance-pop singer is best known for her 1991 hits “Together Forever,” #35 at the Billboard Hot 100, and “A Day In My Life.” Aly-Us The New Jersey house music group was active starting in the early ‘90s. Their most famous record was “Follow Me” from 1992. Nardo Ranks The Jamaican artist blends his dancehall style with socially conscious lyrics in popular songs including “Victim of the Ghetto,” “Unwanted,” “Hush Baby Mother”. Marshall Jefferson Working in the house music subgenres of Chicago house and deep house, his influential 1986 single “Move Your Body” was the first house song to use the piano. Strafe The old-school hip hop group gained popularity in the mid-’80s and is best known for its single “Set It Off” which has been extensively sampled by hip-hop, house, techno, and EDM artists. Rochelle Fleming The lead singer of First Choice has one of the most distinctive and enduring voices of the disco era. In the ’90s, she recorded “Danger!” and “Suffer the Consequences.” Boriqua Posse The Latin club legend from Yonkers and “King of the Puerto Rican parade.”

Bloomingdale School of Music presents Album for the Young's An Afternoon of World Premieres on March, 19, 2022 at 3pm at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Peter Norton Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia. The concert will feature 16 student compositions from A4TY (Album for the Young) Student Composing Program. Selections range from solo works for piano, to works for small chamber ensembles of mixed strings, percussion and winds. The concert will also feature the premiere of a new commissioned work for cello, three violins, and vibraphone by composer Yvonne Troxler. Tickets to the concert are $20, and can be purchased at https://www.symphonyspace.org/events/vp-an-afternoon-of-world-premieres. The evening will also be live-streamed. "And yes, they were works of art indeed - no kiddie recital this! Professional composers, take note: This hopping center of creativity at Bloomingdale deserves national attention!" said John Deak, Founder, New York Philharmonic's Very Young Composers Program. The A4TY (Album for the Young) Student Composing Project at Bloomingdale School of Music encourages students (ages 7-18 ) to compose new music and commissions professional composers to write new works for its students. For young music students the composer is perhaps the most remote figure in the musical process—either a famous name from the history books or little more than an afterthought. Professional composers often work with professional musicians, writing with their particular abilities in mind. For both students and composers it can be revelatory to participate in the process of creating and preparing a piece of music written for young performers. A4TY seeks to bring these two groups into direct contact, opening a window into the other's working methods and creative process. In addition, students perform each others' works, increasing their exposure to new, original music, and honing their ability to articulate musical ideas through the rehearsal process. The A4TY Student Composing Project commissions composers to write new works for the Bloomingdale School of Music. In addition, there is a Call for Scores from student composers in the Bloomingdale community. The project, now in its sixteenth season, was founded by Katy Luo and is currently curated by Margalit Cantor. For 18 years, Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) has maintained a special focus on introducing students (ages 7–18) to composition through their A4TY Student Composing Program. For more information about Album for the Young, visit https://www.bsmny.org/a4ty/. Founded in 1964, Bloomingdale School of Music is dedicated to the belief that music changes lives and everyone should have access to high-quality music education regardless of economic status, race, religion, ability level, or gender. Bloomingdale is a music-driven community center where all are welcome to join and learn about music from top faculty. We are dedicated to our mission – to make music education accessible to all who want to learn – and remain focused on supporting this mission through our values. www.bsmny.org/

Notable sites such as the Smoky Mountains and the Lincoln Memorial rounded out the top 10 visited places in the National Park System as visits began rebounding from 2021.