Parker James, Vibraphone

Parker James is a Nashville-based musician comfortable in diverse styles and modes of expression, from jazz improvisation to established concert repertoire. You can hear him speak freely and fluently on vibraphone, drum set, timpani, and any number of percussive implements.

Parker James is a Nashville-based musician comfortable in diverse styles and modes of expression, from jazz improvisation to established concert repertoire. You can hear him speak freely and fluently on vibraphone, drum set, timpani, and any number of percussive implements.

Parker James is a Nashville-based musician comfortable in diverse styles and modes of expression, from jazz improvisation to established concert repertoire. You can hear him speak freely and fluently on vibraphone, drum set, timpani, and any number of percussive implements.

During the two decades that followed the end of World War II in 1945, independent record labels flourished. Many of these micro labels succeeded by specializing in specific types of music that the more bland-minded giants—RCA, Columbia and Decca—largely ignored. In the process, these small labels wound up establishing beachheads for new music genres and cornering the market for the genres' best musicians and singers.

Hailed by veteran jazz journalist Dan Ouellette as “a vital young artist who is delivering a singular style of music steeped in a variety of idioms,” composer and bandleader Miho Hazama leads her boundlessly creative 13-piece m_unit in its third triumphant offering, Dancing in Nowhere. “Her music is complex, teeming with unexpected twists and jolting turns as well as pockets of frenzy that lead into wonder,” remarked Ouellette, assessing a growing body of work that includes the 2013 m_unit debut Journey to Journey and the 2015 follow-up Time River.

Hailed by veteran jazz journalist Dan Ouellette as “a vital young artist who is delivering a singular style of music steeped in a variety of idioms,” composer and bandleader Miho Hazama leads her boundlessly creative 13-piece m_unit in its third triumphant offering, Dancing in Nowhere. “Her music is complex, teeming with unexpected twists and jolting turns as well as pockets of frenzy that lead into wonder,” remarked Ouellette, assessing a growing body of work that includes the 2013 m_unit debut Journey to Journey and the 2015 follow-up Time River.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1987 album from the Jazz/Funk pioneer. "I'm the One (For Your Love Tonight)" was his final set for Columbia Records. Unlike it's predecessors for the label, Roy produced the album himself working with his then-bassist David Metcen who co-produced and contributed five songs to the nine-track set. Other Ayers' band members playing on the album included William Allen and Dennis Davis with long-time friend James Bedford contributing his songwriting talents on three songs. Standout tracks include a cover of the Isley Brothers' 'I Once Had Your Love,' the soulful slow jam, 'Let Me Love You' (featuring singer Chandra Currelley, formerly of the S. O. S. Band), the funky 'Crack Attack' and the vibes-dominated instrumental, 'Blue Summer. ' This expanded edition includes an extended dance mix of the title track. Notes by renowned U. S. writer Lewis Dene (former contributor to the UK's Blues & Soul magazine) include quotes from a 2011 interview with Roy.

Former jazz percussionist James Mtume moved into soul and funk in the 1980s, and then changed gears again in the mid- and late '80s. This was one of an album series Mtume called "sophisti-funk" LPs, with a denser, sparser sound than his previous works and devoid of string or horn support. Mtume managed to both get R&B chart hits like "P.O.P." and also make some biting, satirical comments about materialism and commercialism.

This 2 CD Legacy Edition of "Elvis: That's The Way It Is" features an expanded version of the original RCA album. Added is four single sides from the period and a selection of "fly-on-the-wall" outtakes from the June Nashville sessions that produced the majority of tracks for the LP. Disc 2 features a previously unreleased concert from Elvis' 1970 "Summer Season" recorded on August 12. The 24-page booklet features an insightful essay, photos and memorabilia. This new 2-CD Legacy Edition of the album Elvis: That's The Way It Is that accompanied the film directed by Denis Sanders celebrates this memorable era in the career of Elvis Presley with an expanded version of the original Gold-certified RCA release.