Praised by critics for her "deep, soulful sound" and "powerful, enchanting renditions," Olga Dubossarskaya Kaler has toured three continents as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. Her awards include the Special Prize at the Rodolfo Lipizer International Competition, and First Prizes at the Northwestern Concerto Competition and the Thaviu-Isaak Competition. Kaler's orchestral engagements include the World Orchestra For Peace directed by Valery Gergiev, the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as leadership positions with the Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, Lake Forest Symphony, and Ars Viva! Orchestra. Kaler is currently a member of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra of New York under the direction of Rossen Milanov. She is also a long-time member of The Chicago Ensemble, with whom she performs frequently. She is joined on this recording by esteemed pianist Kathryn Brown.
The new album from the original founding member of Kool & the Gang — 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees! Drummer George “Funky” Brown, along with Robert “Kool” Bell on bass, his brother Ronald Bell on tenor and lead vocalist James “J.T.” Taylor, was one of the main songwriters in their pop/R&B band Kool & The Gang, whose classic hits like “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Celebration,” “Get Down on It” and “Joanna” made for a novel and immensely successful pop-funk groove in the 1970s and ‘80s. Such songs have been featured in films (“Jungle Boogie” was in Pulp Fiction while “Summer Madness” appeared in Rocky) and have been sampled countless times by artists including DJ Kool, Mase, Too Short, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Boogie Down Productions, Brand Nubian, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, N.W.A., Kris Kross and Jermaine Dupri. Aside from being crowned 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Brown, with Kool & the Gang, has been inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame–and there’s a street in Jersey City named in the band’s honor. The Grammy-winning group has received the Soul Train Legend Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Clifford Brown More Memorable Tracks (1996 Japanese 9-track CD of alternate takes, recorded June-August 1953 [mono] for Blue Note and previously unissued. The disc is mastered at 20bit 88.2kHz for optimum quality sound, with Japanese picture booklet and matching obi TOCJ-1605).
Although it isn't as focused or direct as After the Storm, Better Days Ahead showcases Norman Brown's growth as a musician. Brown seamlessly fuses jazz, R&B, pop, and soul together, creating a distinctive hybrid that has the technique of an accomplished jazz musician and the accessibility of pop. The songs on Better Days Ahead aren't quite as memorable as those on After the Storm, but Brown's dazzling ability on the guitar makes it worthwhile listening.