JAZZ

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:30PM

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 9:30PM

A Smooth Cruise Double Bill!

MARION MEADOWS
Smooth jazz-styled soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows was born in West Virginia and raised primarily in Connecticut; after adopting the classical clarinet at age nine, he moved to the saxophone as a teen, later studying composition and arranging at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. A protege of Joe Henderson and Eddie Daniels, Meadows later served a long stint as a member of Norman Connors’ Starship Orchestra. Meadows hooked up with numerous artists and musicians and became a well known sideman in his own right, recording or performing over the years with Brook Benton, Eartha Kitt, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, The Temptations, Michael Bolton, Angela Bofill, Will Downing and Native American flute player Douglas Spotted Eagle, among many others. He made his solo debut in 1991 with the RCA release For Lovers Only He became a staple of the smooth jazz format with his subsequent recordings, which include Keep It Right Here (1993), Forbidden Fruit (1994) and Body Rhythm (1996).

After moving from his home in Connecticut to Phoenix, AZ, Meadows signed with Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group, and released Another Side of Midnight (1999). A contemporary tribute to city life, his label debut was considered by critics to be his strongest work to date. His subsequent Heads Up discography has been equally successful on an artistic as well as commercial level: Next To You (2000), featured a mix of R&B-influenced jazz coupled with sensual Latin rhythms; In Deep (2002), a neo-soul blend of jazz, R&B and hip-hop, brimmed with sophisticated arrangements and impressive tenor/soprano playing; Players Club (2004) paid tribute to Meadows’ fellow musicians with a seamless mix of contemporary jazz and soulful R&B; and Dressed To Chill (2006) was another fine showcase for the joint songcraft of Meadows and keyboardist/producer Michael Broening. All five Heads Up recordings have been well received by his ever-growing, always loyal fans. Secrets, scheduled for release on April 28, 2009, is the latest chapter in Meadows’ satisfying tradition of cool sophistication.

SHILTS
Paul “Shilts” Weimar hails from London, England and has been playing saxophone since his early teens. His career has spanned all forms of jazz, soul and pop music, and he has toured all over the world and recorded with a host of international artists. Most recently you will have seen Paul as Bandleader and front-man of British urban jazz funk export “Down To The Bone” which has enjoyed massive success in the United States. DTTB have released 7 albums of which Paul is heavily featured, both as a player and as a writer.

In 2000 an approach from Higher Octave records in the US led to the creation of his debut “Shilts” album, See What Happens and features a crop of London’s finest musicians, including many of the talents heard in the DTTB live band. This debut album, was recognized in 2001 as one of the top releases in the US and received an industry nomination in the National Smooth Jazz Awards for the category of “Best New Artist”.

In 2008 after a bittersweet desicion, Paul finally said farewell to DTTB and turned his full focus on his solo career. Armed with his new album Jigsaw Life and new label nuGroove Records (DTTB’s first home in the US in 1997), things couldn’t look brighter for the future.