Otis

The Grammy Award-winning Pacifica Quartet performs works by three Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary composers: Shulamit Ran, Jennifer Higdon, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.Written for the Pacifica and receiving its world-premiere recording, Ran’s Glitter, Doom, Shards, Memory — String Quartet No. 3 is a moving tribute to painter Felix Nussbaum, who perished in Auschwitz in 1944.

Otis Redding’s third studio recording is a collection of mostly covers from popular music artists. Listed on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, the release was Redding’s first to reach #1 on the Billboard R&B charts. This critically acclaimed work was praised for its stunning sound quality and showcase of Redding’s gritty vocals. Tracks include Sam Cooke’s “Change Gonna Come”, Smokey Robinson’s “My Girl”, The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and much more! A pivotal moment from an artist at a creative peak!

Berlin-based Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö returns with the eagerly-awaited sequel to "Y-OTIS". On "Y-OTIS 2", released by We Jazz Records on July 24, Sandsjö and his close associate, bassist/producer Petter Eldh (of Koma Saxo), deepen their vision of genre-bending, forward-looking "liquid jazz" of tomorrow. The core group also includes Dan Nicholls on keys and Tilo Weber on drums, and also featured on the album are Swedish jazz greats Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per "Texas" Johansson, cellist Lucy Railton and trumpeter Ruhi-Deniz Erdogan.

is a live album by Otis Redding, recorded at the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California in the Spring of 1966. It was originally released in 1968. The recording was made before Otis Redding attained crossover fame at the Monterey Pop Festival, and before he played with Booker T. & the M.G.'s.

Stax Records, an imprint of Concord Bicycle Music, is pleased to announce the release of Otis Redding – Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings. In chronological order, this six-CD collection presents the entirety of Redding’s historic performances over three nights at the famed Sunset Strip venue. The seven sets, recorded Friday, April 8th – Sunday, April 10th, 1966, feature the singer’s popular songs of the time, including “Respect,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and his cover of The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Several of these recordings–all remixed and remastered from the original 4-track analog tapes–will be made available for the very first time on October 21. In fact, this collection will be the first to offer fans the chance to relive all of the sets in their entirety–including between-song banter by Redding–exactly as they were performed. Rounding out the package is a poster, plus new liner notes from Los Angeles-based journalist Lynell George and box set co-producer Bill Bentley.

"Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul" is widely considered by fans and critics as Redding’s finest hour. Exuding his powerful trademark sound, the deep-voiced soul singer continued to define boundaries. This 1966 masterpiece includes the definitive classic “Try A Little Tenderness” and a sensational rendition of “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa [Sad Song]”. A broader musical statement, the album is included on Rolling Stone’s "50 Coolest Albums of All Time" and reached the Top Ten on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums.

Otis Spann may not have been the blues, but he was sure close to being the blues pianist. Spann provided wonderful, imaginative, tasty piano solos and better-than-average vocals, and was arguably the best player whose style was more restrained than animated. Not that he couldn't rock the house, but Spann's forte was making you think as well as making you dance, and the tracks on Otis Spann Is the Blues will do both.

Drummer Otis Brown III – an invaluable sideman with the likes of Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, Oliver Lake, Somi, and others – have released his debut album "The Thought of You" via Revive/Blue Note. Brown’s maiden voyage features an impressive roll call of artists including a core band consisting of pianist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, saxophonist John Ellis, and bassist Ben Williams, with organist Shedrick Mitchell and guitarist Nir Felder making special appearances. Singers Bilal, Gretchen Parlato, and Nikki Ross contribute standout performances that underscore the sentiments of the album’s co-producer, Derrick Hodge, who says, “Otis has become one of those drummers who once you hear him play, his experience becomes your experience in the moment”.

Otis Redding, an influential icon in soul music, had his life cut tragically short. "The Dock of the Bay", one of several posthumous releases, is one of Redding’s most celebrated recordings. The album flourishes with hard pounding and intense soul showcasing Redding’s gritty vocal range. The album listed on Rolling Stone’s 500 “Greatest Albums of All Time” features the smash-hit singles, “I Love You More Than Words Can Say”, “The Glory of Love”, and Redding’s biggest hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”, which topped the pop and R&B charts. In 1968, the single won Otis Redding two GRAMMY Awards, one for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and one for Best R&B Song. The album peaked at #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 and #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B albums. Experience one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” with startling clarity.

Anyone who has paid attention to Otis Taylor's career understands that he is not a conventional bluesman, yet his diverse music, for all of its ambitious instrumentation, odd rhythmic meters, minor pentatonic scales, and textural strangeness embodies the spirit of the blues authentically and unmistakably. His is an iconic and some would argue iconoclastic vision. Contraband is nearly an hour long and contains 14 songs. Taylor plays guitar as well as banjo, and he uses a familiar slate of players: cornetist Ron Miles, keyboardist Brian Juan, fiddler Anne Harris, guitarist Jon Paul Johnson, with Chuck Campbell on pedal steel, djembe player Fara Tolno, and two bassists: daughter Cassie Taylor and Todd Edmunds; Larry Thompson plays drums.