A Nyc Tribute

February 18th at Nublu in New York City was a night to remember. It was a tribute to beloved bass legend Percy Jones, who was being honored that night, and played in two bands: The Bootstrappers with drummer Don McKenzie and guitarist Elliott Sharp, and PAKT (Percy, Alex, Kenny, Tim).

Greenwich Village legend gets deserved superstar tribute. Eric Andersen is a song writing legend who hit the floor running with his early albums as part of the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s. He could folk with the best of them, but when he launched off with his own voice – well, ‘Thirsty Boots‘, ‘Violets of Dawn‘ more than pointed the way for those in his audience who would go on themselves to be major artists. And later recordings would unveil classics like ‘Time Run Like A Freight Train‘, ‘Salt on your Skin‘ and ‘Before Everything Changed‘. An artist perhaps most associated with the poetry and expression of love – and passionate love at that – Eric Andersen certainly doesn’t shy away from the topical or the political, being as bluntly harsh as a Dylan when he choses to be. It’s no wonder, then, that such a catalogue of great and notable names have taken part in this expansive – it covers three CDs – release which, as the title suggest, pays a tribute to a songwriter who, frankly, deserves such a tribute. Eric Andersen is not forgotten – he’s still recording and playing live after all – but one listen to this collection and one can only wonder why he isn’t even better known.

Steve Smith’s Vital Information NYC Edition—the newest iteration of one of the most durable and intoxicating outfits in jazz—is “the best of all worlds,” says the world-class drummer, and he’s not tossing off groundless hyperbole. Smith—who has been inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame and was just named Fusion Drummer of the Year by the magazine— is an astute and prescient bandleader who has piloted several lineups of Vital Information since the early ’80s, as well as leading the highly touted combos Buddy’s Buddies (a Buddy Rich tribute outfit) and Jazz Legacy, which the former evolved into.

The power pop world lost a legend in March when it was announced that Eric Carmen - the Raspberries frontman turned soft-rock hitmaker of the '70s and '80s - passed away at the age of 74. Now - on the eve of what would have been his 75th birthday and a special tribute to his life and career from the city that raised him - Legacy Recordings today issues a trove of rare and unreleased recordings from his beloved solo career. And Now, Eric Carmen: The Arista Archive collects 25 demos, single versions, live tracks and studio outtakes (including three heard here for the first time) to offer an alternate look at Carmen's career as he launched radio hits like "All by Myself," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," "She Did It" and "Change of Heart" in the '70s; then, after a long period of quiet after a one-off album for Geffen in 1984, a last burst of hits in the thunderous Top 5s "Hungry Eyes" (from the bestselling soundtrack to 1987's Dirty Dancing) and "Make Me Lose Control," co-written with songwriter Dean Pitchford, with whom he'd penned the hit "Almost Paradise" for Loverboy's Mike Reno and Heart's Ann Wilson to take into the Top 10 from 1984's Footloose soundtrack.

The power pop world lost a legend in March when it was announced that Eric Carmen - the Raspberries frontman turned soft-rock hitmaker of the '70s and '80s - passed away at the age of 74. Now - on the eve of what would have been his 75th birthday and a special tribute to his life and career from the city that raised him - Legacy Recordings today issues a trove of rare and unreleased recordings from his beloved solo career. And Now, Eric Carmen: The Arista Archive collects 25 demos, single versions, live tracks and studio outtakes (including three heard here for the first time) to offer an alternate look at Carmen's career as he launched radio hits like "All by Myself," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," "She Did It" and "Change of Heart" in the '70s; then, after a long period of quiet after a one-off album for Geffen in 1984, a last burst of hits in the thunderous Top 5s "Hungry Eyes" (from the bestselling soundtrack to 1987's Dirty Dancing) and "Make Me Lose Control," co-written with songwriter Dean Pitchford, with whom he'd penned the hit "Almost Paradise" for Loverboy's Mike Reno and Heart's Ann Wilson to take into the Top 10 from 1984's Footloose soundtrack.

Osaka Japan's Shonen Knife celebrates 30th Anniversary with the release of "Osaka Ramones" tribute CD to one of their biggest musical inspirations since the infancy of their still vibrant career 3 decades ago … NYC's legendary Ramones.