Music News

20 Feb 2024

Bobby Weir & Sun Ra Arkestra to Headline Jazz Foundation of America Benefit

Bobby Weir and Sun Ra Arkestra will headline A Great Night in Harlem fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation of America. 

The annual benefit will take place March 28 at The Apollo in Harlem. Its name plays off of A Great Day in Harlem, the classic 1958 Art Kane black-and-white photograph for Esquire that featured more than 50 jazz musicians seated on and surrounding a brownstone stoop. 

The event, with Steve Jordan as musical director, will also feature a tribute to drummer Max Roach, who would have turned 100 in January, with Charles Tolliver, Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Cables, Billy Harper and Rufus Reid, as well as the Titans of Jazz Drums with Al Foster, Billy Hart and Louis Hayes. 

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a great night in harlem

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The evening will honor Richard Parsons with JFA’s Dr. Billy Taylor Humanitarian Award. Parsons is the former chairman of Citigroup and former chairman/CEO of Time Warner. 

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Parsons is stepping down after 15 years as JFA chairman and will be succeeded by JFA president Jarrett Lilien. Board member Dr. Daveed D. Frazier will become president of the JFA board of directors. Last year’s event honored Clarence Avant, Dave Grusin and Charles Lloyd at Los Angeles’ Vibrato Grill Jazz. 

Proceeds from the benefit fund JFA programs that provide housing assistance, pro-bono healthcare, disaster relief and direct financial support to musicians and their families. For the past 35 years, JFA has been assisting not only jazz musicians, but artists in blues, roots and R&B genres. 

For more information on tickets for the March 28 event, go to JFA@eventassociatesinc.com. For individual concert tickets, go to jazzfoundation.org/gala2024. 

20 Feb 2024

Nicki Minaj Invites Katt Williams to Join Her Pink Friday 2 World Tour

Nicki Minaj wants to add some comedy to her Pink Friday 2 World Tour, and she’s looking to bring the “funniest man in show business” on the road with her this spring.

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During an Instagram Live on Monday, Nicki asked the Barbz to help get Katt Williams’ attention to see if he’d be willing to join her tour for a certain price.

“I know that this is the busiest man in show business,” she began. “I know that he’s rich. I know that he’s the funniest man in show business. Can y’all hit up Katt Williams and ask him what would be his price… to be a part of the Pink Friday 2 Gag City Tour?”

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Williams has yet to respond to Minaj’s inquiry, but it appears it will be a nearly impossible feat as the comedic legend is currently on his own The Dark Matter Tour through mid-May.

At that point, Nicki will be wrapping up her North American dates before heading overseas for the European leg of her world tour, which will take the Queen rapper into the summer.

Williams has continued to carry momentum generated from his viral Club Shay Shay interview with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, which has racked up about 60 million views on YouTube since its January release.

While openers on Nicki’s tour have yet to be announced in full, Monica will be part of the North American leg, which she revealed during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show earlier this month.

“I get a chance to hit all these cities that mean so much to me,” she said. “Atlanta, of course, New Orleans [and] Nashville. We’re coming to every city that we possibly can. I’m really grateful for Nicki because she’s one of those people that always said, ‘Monica meant everything to my childhood.’”

Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 sequel arrived in December and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 228,000 total album units in the first week. Her arena tour is just around the corner and is slated to kick off in Oakland, California, on March 1.

Watch Nicki’s plea to Katt Williams below.

20 Feb 2024

All 16 Songs on Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Vultures 1’ Debut on Hot 100

Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign have a monumental week on Billboard’s charts (dated Feb. 24), thanks to the pair’s new collaborative album, Vultures 1.

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The set by the pair, billed collaboratively as ¥$: Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign, debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 148,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in its opening week (Feb. 9-15, following its Feb. 10 release), according to Luminate. Ye earns his 11th No. 1 album — as he passes Eminem for the third-most among rappers, after Jay-Z (14) and Drake (13) — and Ty Dolla $ign scores his first.

Meanwhile, all 16 songs on the album — Ye’s first following his string of hate speech and antisemitic remarks, which resulted in companies including Adidas and Def Jam Recordings distancing themselves from him — debut on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Carnival” at No. 3. Ye notches his 21st top 10 hit, and Ty Dolla $ign his third, and first in a lead role.

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Here’s a look at every song, all debuts, by Ye and Ty Dolla $ign on the latest Hot 100.

Rank, Title:
No. 3, “Carnival”
No. 23, “Fuk Sumn”
No. 26, “Back to Me”
No. 30, “Talking,” feat. North West
No. 33, “Burn”
No. 34, “Vultures,” feat. Lil Durk & Bump J
No. 39, “Stars”
No. 52, “Do It”
No. 53, “Paid”
No. 55, “Keys to My Life”
No. 64, “Paperwork”
No. 65, “Beg Forgiveness”
No. 67, “Hoodrat”
No. 79, “Problematic”
No. 93, “Good (Don’t Die)”
No. 94, “King”

With 16 debuts on the latest Hot 100, Ye ups his total to 157 career entries. He boasts the sixth-most in the chart’s 65-year history, after Drake (328), Taylor Swift (232), the Glee Cast (207), Lil Wayne (186) and Future (168). Ty Dolla $ign pushes his sum to 46 entries.

Thanks to their featured appearances, North West and Bump J both earn their first career Hot 100 hits. At just 10 years old, North West, the eldest child of Ye and Kim Kardashian (who divorced in 2022), is now one of the youngest acts ever to reach the chart. Among other precocious charted talents, Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, hit the Hot 100 at just 7 years old in 2019, thanks to her featured turn on Beyoncé, Saint Jhn and Wizkid’s “Brown Skin Girl.” She made her overall chart debut just after making her debut in the world, as her coos are heard on Jay-Z’s “Glory,” featuring B.I.C.. The song hit Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2012, making her the youngest billed artist ever on any Billboard chart.

Stevie Wonder is the youngest credited artist to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100, as he was 13 when “Fingertips (Part II)” led in 1963. Overall, Jordy is the youngest billed artist to have appeared on the chart, at just over 5 years old with “Dur Dur D’être Bébé (It’s Tough To Be a Baby)” in 1993.

Also notable is the debut of “Good (Don’t Die).” The song was removed from Spotify after less than four days on the streaming service, as it includes an uncleared interpolation of Donna Summer’s 1977 top 10 Hot 100 hit “I Feel Love.” The song has since been removed from all other streaming services and for purchase. Hours after the release of Vultures 1, Summer’s estate claimed “copyright infringement” and disapproved of the use of the alleged sample. “Kanye West … asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song I Feel Love, he was denied … he changed the words, had someone re sing it or used AI but it’s I Feel Love … copyright infringement!!!,” the estate posted in an Instagram Story on the official Donna Summer account Feb. 10.

That isn’t the only sampling issue regarding the album. Ozzy Osbourne called out Ye and labeled him an antisemite after an earlier version of “Carnival” included a live performance of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” Plus, R&B artist Dijon posted to Instagram Stories Feb. 9, a day before the album’s release, suggesting that he was unaware that his song “Good Luck” was being sampled on the track “Stars.”

20 Feb 2024

Tina Knowles Claps Back at Beyoncé’s Country Critics: ‘We Have Always Celebrated Cowboy Culture’

Tina Knowles always has time to collect a hater — especially when it comes to her daughters. The fashion designer, businesswoman and mother to Beyoncé and Solange took to her Instagram page to defend her eldest daughter from haters questioning her claim to country music.

“We have always celebrated cowboy culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to white culture only. In Texas there is a huge Black cowboy culture. Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?” Ms. Tina Knowles wrote in the caption of a video compilation of country-themed Beyoncé photo shoots. “When people ask why is Beyoncé wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid. We went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion… It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”

During the 2024 Super Bowl, Beyoncé put down the disco balls and picked up a cowboy hat to kick-start her new musical era. In an eye-popping Verizon commercial — soundtracked by Renaissance era closer “My House” — the superstar declared, “They ready, drop the new music.”

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Shortly thereafter, two country singles — “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” — appeared on streaming services, while a Paris, Texas-inspired teaser popped up on both Queen Bey’s Instagram profile and website. The two new songs are expected to appear on Act II, the second installment of the three-act project Beyoncé kicked off with her Billboard 200-topping Renaissance back in 2022. Since their surprise release, both songs debuted in the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a partial week of tracking (chart dated Feb. 24). “Texas Hold ‘Em” notched the week’s highest new entry at No. 2, while “16 Carriages” bowed at No. 38.

In her caption, Ms. Tina also noted that her other famous daughter, the Grammy-winning Solange, has also showcased cowboy culture in her work. “Solange did a whole brilliant album and project based on Black cowboy culture,” she wrote, alluding to When I Get Home (2019), the R&B star’s stunning album and film. That record peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, marking Solange’s third consecutive top 10 album.

While the Knowles matriarch continues to keep naysayers and doubters in check as Beyoncé embarks on her new era, the “Daddy Lessons” singer is already making history with her foray into country music. On Tuesday (Feb. 20), “Texas Hold ‘Em” became the first song by a Black woman to debut atop the Hot Country Songs chart.

Read Ms. Tina’s address to Beyoncé’s naysayers here:

20 Feb 2024

Amy Grant Says She Got an Accidental Facelift While Recovering From Bike Accident

Amy Grant is back on the road after a terrifying bike accident in July 2022 that left her with a brain injury, and the Christian pop star opened up to E! News about the recovery process and the surprising cosmetic benefit.

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“I don’t know if I’ll get back on a bike,” the singer admitted. “There are so many great sports to enjoy and — I mean, who knows?”

She continued. “I had this bike wreck and unbeknownst to me, I actually had a cyst growing in my throat. Because of the trauma of that bike wreck, it went into hypergrowth. I had this five-hour surgery and they took it out. I actually had to learn to sing again.”

Grant added that before going into her throat to remove the cyst, they asked her if she’d like a facelift while they were in there. “I said, ‘Dear God, no, I actually have to be on stage in X number of weeks,’” she recalled. “It was a five-hour surgery […] and I didn’t ask for it, but I came out of surgery and my neck was a little tighter. I felt like an old, beat-up car that went in and got a paint job and had the dents knocked out. That’s a gift!”

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Watch the full interview below.

20 Feb 2024

Corinne Bailey Rae Electrifies Blue Note Residency With ‘Black Rainbows’

Corinne Bailey Rae recently wrapped an eight-show residency at Manhattan’s beloved Blue Note Jazz Club, performing 2023’s Black Rainbows – which explores soul, garage rock, jazz, downtempo electronic and even a bit of house – in its entirely. That album was one of the year’s finest, but seeing it presented live — with Rae sharing the painful and inspiring stories of Black American history that galvanized her to make these songs – made it clear that the concepts and ideas behind the album are as rich and stunning as its musical tapestry.

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Black Rainbows began taking shape when the English singer-songwriter visited The Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago’s South Side. The hybrid space, which Theaster Gates opened in 2015, is a gallery, media library and museum that encompasses everything from African American periodicals dating back to the 1940s to the personal vinyl collection of house godfather Frankie Knuckles to a collection of historical artifacts portraying Black people in blatantly racist ways. In short, it’s a complicated space dedicated to African American history, one that gives people the opportunity to confront the beautiful and the ugly in equal measure.

Rae’s visit morphed into an ongoing perusal of the collection, and soon, new songs began to take shape in her mind. A vintage photo of a teenage girl who won the “Miss New York Transit” title 70-some years ago inspired the riot grrrl energy of her song “New York Transit Queen” (Rae even tracked down and interviewed the woman, Audrey Smaltz); the story of writer/abolitionist Harriet Jacobs, who escaped slavery but spent seven years in a cramped hiding space, watching her children play through a peephole, informed the hopeful yet elegiac “Peach Velvet Sky”; advertisements from Valmor Products, a Chicago beauty brand geared toward African American women, led to the jazzy, ambient “He Will Follow You With His Eyes”; and a sweaty dance party to Knuckles’ records at the Stony Island Arts Bank resulted in the thumping “Put It Down.”

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In the midst of performing “Put It Down” at the Blue Note on Friday (Feb. 16), a woman in the seated audience stood up and began dancing – greeting the sight with a smile, Rae stepped down from the stage to join her as the band kept the house-inflected groove going. And from the sax player to the drummer, that band was a knockout. Perhaps having Rae explain the stories that inspired the songs before playing them pushed her players to bring each one to vivid, vibrant life in that intimate space.

When it came time for the encore, Rae gamely trotted out her 2006 soul-pop gem “Put Your Records On” and the sweetly soulful “Trouble Sleeping” from the same album. It probably goes without saying that she’ll be forever associated with the former, and there’s nothing wrong with that – it’s a timeless classic, one that’s recently found a Gen Z audience via a viral cover. But Black Rainbows stands as Rae’s finest artistic statement to date, an exquisite tapestry that electrifies both intellectually and emotionally – and seeing her present this layered work live is a gift.

20 Feb 2024

Cynthia Strother, One-Half of the Singing Bell Sisters, Dies at 88

Cynthia Strother, the singer and songwriter who teamed with her younger sister Kay as The Bell Sisters, a popular teenage act that found overnight success in the 1950s with their very first song, “Bermuda,” has died. She was 88.

Strother died Friday of heart failure at a hospice facility in Las Vegas, her nephew Rex Strother told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Bell Sisters, who recorded for RCA from 1951-55, performed often on radio shows hosted by the likes of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and on such television programs as The Johnny Carson Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour and The Mickey Mouse Club.

The pair also appeared in the 1953 big-screen musicals Cruisin’ Down the River, starring Dick Haymes, and Those Redheads From Seattle, starring Rhonda Fleming.

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The eldest of seven kids — their dad, Gene, was an electrician for an aviation company — Cynthia Sue Strother was born on Oct. 4, 1935, in Harlan County, Kentucky, and raised with her family in Seal Beach, California.

She wrote “Bermuda” in 1951 at the piano when she was 16 and still attending Huntington High School and Kay was 11.

“I like Spanish music best and was beating out Spanish tempo on the piano,” she told Newsweek in 1952. “I just got the idea and went through with it, until it was finished. Then we all got together to write the words. We got Indian ideas and a Spanish bullfighter idea. Then somebody said, ‘Bermuda,’ and we liked that.”

Adopting their mother Edith’s maiden name of Bell for their act, the girls performed in October 1951 on a local KNXT-TV show called “Peter Potter’s Search for a Song.” One of the judges of the evening’s amateur compositions was a music publisher, who immediately recognized the tune’s potential.

The girls were rushed into a Hollywood studio to demo the song for orchestra leader Henri Rene, the West Coast A&R man for RCA-Victor, and “Bermuda” was quickly released in March 1952, eventually rising to No. 7 on the Billboard singles chart. It would sell more than 1 million copies.

“I tried not to influence their natural style in any way,” Rene told Downbeat magazine. “I told them to sing just the way they sing for fun around the house. If they go over as big as we think they will, it will be due to the freshness and simplicity of their manner.”

Watch the sisters perform “Bermuda” on The Dinah Shore Show here.

The sisters also had hits with “Wheel of Fortune,” which made it to No. 10, and “Hambone,” which was recorded with actor-singer Phil Harris and charted as high as No. 19.

They would open for Nat King Cole in Los Angeles, perform all over the country and even tour Korea with other Hollywood performers and the USO — all when school wasn’t in session, of course.

In Paramount’s Those Redheads From Seattle, the girls sang “Take Back Your Gold,” and Cynthia portrayed the love interest of Guy Mitchell’s character.

“I was playing a nurse, and he was supposed to come in where I was rolling bandages and we had some dialogue and then we were supposed to kiss. Well, even though I was 17, I don’t think I’d ever kissed a boy before, and what’s more, there was talk his wife was going to be on the set,” she recalled in a post on The Bell Sisters’ website.

“I mean, it was bad enough we never had any acting lessons — Kay and I were just winging it, basically. I was so flustered because I had to kiss Guy and I had no experience, and his wife was going to be watching. Well, it must have really showed in the footage, because after all the worry and embarrassment of getting through it, they didn’t even use the scene in the movie.”

The sisters were excellent acapella singers and welcomed at military hospitals and bases, where they frequently had to perform without a band.

“Bermuda” continued to generate royalties for Cynthia over the decades, with her song heard in Allison Anders’ Grace of My Heart (1996).

After she left show business, she taught swimming to handicapped children and adults.

In addition to Kay, survivors include her other sisters, Sharon, Judy, Paula and Alice; her sons, Seth, Kristoffer and Keven; and numerous grandchildren. Her husband, Seth, whom she married in 1957, died in 2006; her brother, Rex, died in 2019; and her daughter, Anastasia, died in 2022.

This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

20 Feb 2024

Ariana Grande & Kacey Musgraves Announced as Next ‘Saturday Night Live’ Music Guests

Ariana Grande and Kacey Musgraves will both promote their upcoming March album releases by performing on Saturday Night Live next month, the NBC late-night comedy show announced Tuesday (Feb. 20).

Musgraves will join Anyone But You actress Sydney Sweeney when she hosts the March 2 episode, while Grande will join host Josh Brolin on the March 9 episode.

Both artists are releasing new albums next month. Grande is set to drop her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, on March 8, led by the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Yes, And?” Musgraves will release her sixth album, Deeper Well, on March 15, led by the title track.

Grande has appeared on SNL twice before: once as the musical guest in September 2014 and once pulling double-duty as both host and performer in March 2016. This will also mark Musgraves’ third time on the show, after she was the musical guest in May 2018 and October 2021.

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As for the hosts, Sweeney will make her Saturday Night Live debut next month, while Brolin has hosted twice before: in October 2008 and April 2012.

This weekend’s previously announced lineup includes host Shane Gillis — a stand-up comic who was announced as a new SNL castmember in 2019 before having his job revoked after podcast clips featuring ethnic slurs surfaced — and musical guest 21 Savage, who released his No. 1 Billboard 200 album American Dream last month. It will mark the SNL debut for both.

Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT and streams on Peacock.

20 Feb 2024

Alesso to Perform at LA Galaxy’s 2024 MLS Regular Season Home Opener

LA Galaxy has scored a major artist for its 2024 MLS Regular Season Home Opener.

The soccer team announced on Monday (Feb. 20) that Alesso will be performing at the opening game against Inter Miami CF at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday (Feb. 25).

“As a massive football enthusiast, I’m looking forward to being a part of the growing history of MLS’ all-time moments by performing at the LA Galaxy’s 2024 Home Opener against Inter Miami CF,” said Alesso in a press statement.

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“As we revolutionize our game-day experience, we’re excited to announce Alesso, one of the world’s top DJs, will be headlining our LA Galaxy home opener,” added LA Galaxy Chief Creative and Brand Officer Will Misselbrook. “The blend of top-tier soccer and Alesso’s musical talents will offer an immersive experience that elevates the energy for our fans and transforms the stadium ambiance. This signifies a new era in our approach to entertainment – a celebration of both sports and music that goes beyond the expected.”

The game marks one of the most anticipated matches in MLS this season – and the 2024 LA Galaxy home opener sees the return of club legend and Inter Miami CF owner David Beckham, while 2022 FIFA World Cup Champion and Argentina National Team captain Lionel Messi plays his first-ever match at Dignity Health Sports Park.

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The game, as well as portions of Alesso’s performance, will air on Feb. 25 on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

20 Feb 2024

Watch Adele Explain Why She Looked So Annoyed in Viral NBA Game Meme: ‘I Was Sulking’

It’s been exactly two years since Adele‘s viral NBA meme was born, and at her residency show in Las Vegas over the weekend, the 35-year-old vocalist finally shared the story behind it.

In a video taken Saturday night (Feb. 17) at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Adele asks her audience, “Do you remember that viral meme of me looking like I don’t give a flying f–k?”

She then recreated the famous video onstage, looking left and right as if to avoid eye contact with her audience — just like she did when faced with a camera Feb. 20, 2022 at that year’s NBA All-Star game, which she attended with her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I really don’t like being famous,” the “Easy On Me” singer explained, telling the crowd she felt the need to provide “context” for the video. “Obviously I’m sitting courtside at a basketball game, you’re asking for it, whatever. Rich is working the room, talking to players. And I was fine. I was just there on my own looking for Michael Jordan, if I’m honest.”

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According to Adele, the camera crew at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse had approached her twice while she was sitting by herself to ask whether she was comfortable being filmed, which she politely declined both times. Even so, her image was blasted on the jumbotron at the game — and on national television.

“I was sulking,” she said, adding that she felt extra shy at the time due to the cancellation of her original Vegas residency. “I was like, ‘These motherf–kers have come back and are filming me against my will.”

“Also, my face is just very memeable,” she added. “I can’t help it.”

The Grammy winner has been performing for fans in Vegas on and off since the end of 2022 for her Weekends With Adele” residency, with dates scheduled through June this year. To her point, her shows often spawn funny viral moments — one of the most recent being when the “Rolling in the Deep” musician hilariously slammed critics of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance.

“I think I want the Chiefs to win,” she said at the time, the night before the Kansas City team triumphed at the 2024 Super Bowl. “And all of you that are complaining about Taylor being at the game, get a f—ing life. It’s her f—ing boyfriend!”

Watch Adele reflect on her viral NBA meme below.