Tag Archives: Heads Up International

Taj Mahal: Maestro

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On September 30, 2008, “Heads Up International” label released “Maestro”, the 26th Taj Mahal album. It was recorded in 2008, and was produced by Taj Mahal and The Phantom Blues Band.

Personnel:

  • Taj Mahal – vocals, guitar, harmonica, ukulele
  • Louie Pérez – guitar
  • Johnny Lee Schell – guitar
  • Cesar Rosas – guitar
  • Leo Nocentelli – guitar
  • David Hidalgo – guitar
  • Jason Mozersky – guitar
  • Takeshi Akimoto – guitar
  • Fred Lunt – guitar
  • Carlos Andrade – guitar
  • Mike Finnigan – keyboards
  • Jason Yates – keyboards
  • Michael Hyde – keyboards
  • Mick Weaver – keyboards, organ
  • Henry Butler – piano
  • Steve Berlin – organ
  • Ivan Neville – organ
  • Larry Fulcher – bass
  • Conrad Lozano – bass
  • Bill Rich – bass
  • Jesse Ingalls – bass
  • Paul “Pablo” Stennett – bass
  • George Porter – bass
  • Pancho Graham – acoustic bass, guitar
  • Tony Braunagel – drums
  • Cougar Estrada – drums
  • Raymond Weber – drums
  • Carlton “Santa” Davis – drums
  • Kester Smith – drums, percussions
  • Michael Jerome – drums, percussions
  • Angel Roché Jr. – percussions
  • Debra Dobkin – percussions
  • Toumani Diabaté – kora
  • Joe Sublette – tenor and baritone saxophone
  • Rudy Costa – alto saxophone, clarinet
  • Darrel Leonard – trombone
  • Angela Wellman – trombone
  • Billy Branch – harmonica
  • Pat Cockett – ukulele
  • Bassekou Kouyate – ngoni, xalam
  • Ziggy Marley – vocals
  • Angélique Kidjo – vocals
  • Ben Harper – vocals
  • Jack Johnson – vocals
  • C.C. White – backing vocals
  • Pebbles Phillips – backing vocals
  • Tracy Hazzard – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Scratch My Back – James Moore
  2. Never Let You Go – Deva Mahal, Taj Mahal
  3. Dust Me Down – Ben Harper
  4. Further On Down the Road – Jesse Edwin Davis III, Taj Mahal
  5. Black Man Brown Man – Taj Mahal
  6. Zanzibar – Angélique Kidjo, Taj Mahal
  7. TV Mama – Lou Willie Turner
  8. I Can Make You Happy – Taj Mahal
  9. Slow Drag – Taj Mahal
  10. Hello Josephine – Dave Bartholomew, Antoine Domino
  11. Strong Man Holler – Taj Mahal
  12. Diddy Wah Diddy – Ellas McDaniel, Willie Dixon
  13. Mambo No. 5 – Taj Mahal
  14. On A Little Bamboo Bridge – Taj Mahal

S.M.V.: Thunder

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On August 12, 2008, “Heads Up International” label released “Thunder”, the debut S.M.V. studio album. It was recorded in 2008 at “Hannibal Studio”, and “Threshold Sound + Vision” in Santa Monica, “House of Blues Studios” in Encino, “Westlake Studios” and “Le Gonks West” in Los Angeles, “VixMix Studios” in Nashville, “Ryan’s Place” in Topanga, and was produced by Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke, and Victor Wooten.

Personnel:

  • William Henry Marcus Miller Jr.– bass guitar, fretless bass, bass clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, synthesizers, minimoog, drum programming, recording
  • Stanley Clarke– bass guitar, double bass
  • Victor Lemonte Wooten– bass guitar, recording
  • Antoinette Clinton– vocals, beatboxing
  • George Duke– clavinet, minimoog
  • Michael “Patches” Stewart – trumpet
  • Steve Baxter – trombone
  • Ariel Mann – synthesizer
  • Ruslan Sirota– keyboards
  • Armando Anthony Corea– piano
  • Karlton Taylor – keyboards
  • Ronald Bruner Jr.– drums
  • Charles Bell Jr.– drums
  • Derico Watson – drums
  • D. Blair– drums
  • Kevin Ricard – percussion
  • Gerry E. Brown– mixing, recording
  • Dave Rideau – mixing
  • David Isaac – mixing
  • Goh Hotoda – mixing
  • Peter A. Barker – additional recording
  • Erik Zobler – additional recording
  • Milton Gutiérrez Ruezga – engineer assistant
  • Antonio Resendiz – engineer assistant
  • Sharon Brencius – engineer assistant
  • Ursula Arevalo – engineer assistant
  • Scott Coslett – engineer assistant
  • Todd Bergman – engineer assistant
  • Doug Tyo – engineer assistant
  • Robert C. Ludwig– mastering
  • Steven Parke – art direction, design, photography

 Track listing:

  1. Maestros de Las Frecuencias Bajas – Stanley Clarke
  2. Thunder – Marcus Miller
  3. Hillbillies on a Quiet Afternoon – Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke
  4. Mongoose Walk – Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke
  5. Los Tres Hermanos – Marcus Miller
  6. Medley: Lopsy Lu/ Silly Putty – Stanley Clarke
  7. Milano – Marcus Miller
  8. Classical Thump (Jam) – Victor Wooten
  9. Tutu – Marcus Miller
  10. Lil Victa – Stanley Clarke
  11. Pendulum – Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Antoinette Clinton
  12. Lemme Try Your Bass (interlude) – Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller
  13. Grits – Marcus Miller

Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society

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Radio_Music_Society

On March 20, 2012, “Heads Up International” label released “Radio Music Society”, the fourth Esperanza Spalding studio album. It was recorded in summer 2011, and was produced by Esperanza Spalding, Q-Tip and Dave Love. The album won two “Grammy Awards”, for “Best Jazz Vocal Album” and “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the track, “City of Roses”.

Personnel:

  • Esperanza Spalding – vocals, acoustic and electric bass
  • Gilad Hekselman – guitar
  • Ricardo Vogt – guitar
  • Lionel Loueke – voice, guitar
  • Jef Lee Johnson – guitar
  • Leo Genovese – piano, Rhodes, guembri, keyboards
  • Janice Scroggins: piano
  • James Weidman – organ
  • Raymond Angry – organ
  • Billy Hart – drums
  • Jack DeJohnette – drums
  • Terri Lyne Carrington – drums
  • Lyndon Rochelle – drums
  • Jamie Haddad – percussion
  • Q-Tip – vocals, glockenspiel
  • American Music Program (Big Band):
  • Daniel Blake: saxophones, flute
  • Anthony Diamond – saxophone
  • Stanley Matabane – alto and tenor saxophone
  • Sam Seacrest – alto saxophone
  • Kyle Zimmerman – alto saxophone
  • Renato Caranto – alto saxophone
  • Andrew Olsen – alto saxophone
  • John Carey – alto saxophone
  • Adam Reihs – tenor saxophone
  • Aaron Reihs – tenor saxophone
  • Joe Lovano – tenor saxophone
  • Tivon Penicott – tenor saxophone
  • Hayden Conrad – tenor saxophone
  • Nicole Glover – tenor saxophone
  • Jeff Rathbone – baritone saxophone
  • Kama Bell – clarinet
  • Darren Barrett – trumpet
  • Benjamin C. McDonald – trumpet
  • Benjamin Seacrest – trumpet
  • Noah Conrad – trumpet
  • Tre Palmedo – trumpet
  • Noah Hocker – trumpet
  • Kiran Bosely – trumpet
  • Igmar Thomas – trumpet
  • Corey King – trumpet
  • Stan Bock – trombone
  • Jeff Galindo – trombone
  • Ian Garner – trombone
  • Javier Nero – trombone
  • Matt Warming – trombone
  • Ashton Summers – trombone
  • Dan Brewster – trombone
  • Jerry Stalnaker – bass trombone
  • Olivia Deprado: violin
  • Jody Redhage – viola
  • Lalah Hathaway – vocals
  • Algebra Blessett – vocals
  • Savannah Children’s Choir – choral voices
  • Raydar Ellis – spoken word, sounds
  • Gretchen Parlato – backing vocals, spoken word
  • Leni Stern – backing vocals
  • Becca Stevens – backing vocals
  • Justin Brown – backing vocals
  • Alan Hampton – backing vocals
  • Chris Turner – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Esperanza Spalding except where noted.

  1. Radio Song
  2. Cinnamon Tree
  3. Crowned & Kissed – Esperanza Spalding, Algebra Blessett
  4. Land of the Free
  5. Black Gold
  6. I Can’t Help It – Susaye Brown Greene, Stevie Wonder
  7. Hold On Me
  8. Vague Suspicions
  9. Endangered Species – Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, Joseph Vitarelli
  10. Let her
  11. City of Roses
  12. Smile like That
  13. Jazz Ain’t Nothin But Soul – Norman Mapp