#smmoth

Kenny G (sax, soprano) - 1956  :: Birthday wishes to Kenny Gorelick, better known by his stage name Kenny G! His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986. Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums. Kenny began his career as a musician when he acquired his first ever professional job as saxophone soloist for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1976 at the age of 20. There followed a stint with the Jeff Lorber Fusion band before he began his solo career in 1982. He received success quite early on, with both G Force and Gravity, his second and third studio albums respectively, achieving platinum status in the United States. These sales were topped by his fourth studio album, Duotones, which shifted over five million copies in the U.S. alone. His fifth studio album, Breathless, became the number one best selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold, of which 12 million were in the U.S. He broke another record when his first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies, making it the most successful Christmas album to date. As of 2003, Kenny G was named the 25th-highest selling artist in America by the RIAA, with 48 million albums sold in the USA as of July 31, 2006. In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for "Forever in Love".

Louie Bellson (drums) - 1924 -2009 :: Louie Bellson (his own preferred spelling, although he is often seen in sources as Louis Bellson), was a composer, arranger, bandleader, and jazz educator, and is credited with pioneering the use of two bass drums.Bellson was an internationally acclaimed artist who performed in most of the major capitals around the world. Bellson and his first wife, the actress and singer Pearl Bailey (married 1952–1990), had the second highest number of appearances at the White House (only Bob Hope had more). The drummer started at the top in 1941, playing with Benny Goodman; after serving in the military, he worked with the big bands of Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Harry James. His trademark was using two bass drums in his set. From the start, Bellson was able to construct fascinating solos that could hold one’s interest for as long as 15 minutes, yet he also enjoyed playing quietly with combos. Performing regularly with Duke Ellington during 1951-1953 made Bellson world-famous and he also gained good reviews for his writing, which included “Skin Deep” and “The Hawk Talks.” After marrying Pearl Bailey, he left Ellington to work as his wife’s musical director but he also performed in many different settings, including with Jazz At The Philharmonic, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, Count Basie, and special projects with Ellington. In addition Bellson led his own big band and small groups, recording regularly as a leader.

Phyllis Hyman (vocal) - 1941-1995 :: Phyllis Hyman was born today. Phyllis began her professional career in New York city where, during an engagement, she was spotted by producer Norman Connors and contemporaries Jean Carne and Roberta Flack among others. Phyllis was immediately offered a guest appearance on Connors' “You Are My Starship” album, which included her rendition of “Betcha By Golly Wow.” In 1977 Buddah Records released her self-titled debut LP which featured the hits Loving You/Losing You and I Don't Wanna Lose You. A year later Hyman was signed to Arista Records. Her premiere album for the label was “Somewhere In My Lifetime,” released on 1978. The title track (produced by then newcomer Barry Manilow, a longtime admirer of Hyman's) became Phyllis' first radio hit. The following year “You Know How To Love Me” was released and  became one of Hyman's biggest dance anthems. In 1981 Phyllis starred in the hit Broadway tribute to Duke Ellington, Sophisticated Ladies and continued in the role for two and a half years, garnering a Tony Award nomination and a Theatre World Award for Best newcomer. The original cast recording was released by RCA and still remains a top seller on CD. In 1992 Phyllis was voted Number One Best Female Vocalist in the United Kingdom by Blues & Soul magazine readers. Her 1991 release Prime of My Life, was the biggest of her career. It included her first number one R&B hit as well as her first Billboard Top 100 hit, "Don't Wanna Change the World". The album provided two more top 10 R&B singles in "Living in Confusion" and "When You Get Right Down to It", and the less successful "I Found Love". Just over a year later, she appeared one last time on a Norman Connors album, singing the title song, "Remember Who You Are", which became a minor R&B hit. Prime of My Life has sold 454,000 copies to date. The album and debut single were both RIAA certified Gold in 1992.

Della Reese (vocal) - 1932 :: Many happy returns to Della Reese. Della was discovered by the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and her big break came when she won a contest, which gave her a week to sing at Detroit's well-known Flame Show Bar. Reese remained there for eight weeks. Although her roots were in gospel music, she now was being exposed to and influenced by such famous jazz artists as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. In 1953, she signed a recording contract with Jubilee Records, for which she recorded 6 albums. Later that year, she also joined the Hawkins Orchestra. Her first recordings for Jubilee were songs such as "In the Still of the Night" , "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", and "Time After Time" . Although the EP did not enter the charts, it sold 500,000 copies, and the songs were later included on the 1959 album And That Reminds Me.In 1957, Reese released a single called "And That Reminds Me". After years of performing, she gained chart success with this song. It became a Top Twenty Pop hit and a million-seller record. That year, Reese was voted by Billboard, Cashbox, and various other magazines, as "The Most Promising Singer". In 1959, Reese moved to a RCA Records, and released her first RCA single, called "Don't You Know?", which was adapted from Puccini's music for La Bohème, specifically, the aria Musetta's Waltz. It became her biggest hit to date, reaching the #2 spot on the Pop charts, and topping the R&B charts, which were then called the "Black Singles Charts", that year. Eventually, the song came to be widely considered the signature song of her early career. Reese received a Grammy nomination for her 1960 album, Della, and then released a successful follow-up single called "Not One Minute More" (#16), and she remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with the songs "And Now" (#69), "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)" (#56) and "The Most Beautiful Words" (#67). Reese recorded regularly throughout the 1960s, releasing singles and several albums. Two of the most significant were The Classic Della (1962) and Waltz with Me, Della (1963), which broadened her fan base internationally. She recorded several jazz-focused albums, including Della Reese Live (1966), On Strings of Blue (1967), and One of a Kind (1978). She also performed in Las Vegas (Nevada) for 9 years, and toured across the country. Reese continued to record albums in the following decades, receiving two more Grammy nominations in the gospel category for the album Della Reese and Brilliance (1991) and for the live recorded album, My Soul Feels Better Right Now (1999).

Rick Braun (trumpet) - 1955 :: Birthday wishes to trumpet player Rick Braun.  Rick  first surfaced as a member of the jazz-fusion outfit Auracle, formed while he was a student at the prestigious Eastman School of Music. After two LPs the group disbanded, and Braun turned to songwriting, scoring a hit with REO Speedwagon's “Here with Me“ . In time he directed his focus to contemporary jazz, issuing his solo debut Intimate “Secrets” in 1993. After touring with Sade, he returned in 1994 with “Night Walk” as well as the seasonal release “Christmas Present.” With 1995's “Beat Street,” Braun's popularity continued to grow and was further enhanced with 1996's smash “Body and Soul” launching the NAC chart-topper “Notorious.” A two-time winner of the Gavin Report's smooth jazz artist of the year award, he returned in 1998 with “South of Midnight.” He also collaborated with Boney James on the 2000 release “Shake It Up.” “Kisses in the Rain” followed a year later.

Well, Mr Bellson apart, what a nice smooth way to slip into the weekend!

Hey, if you're celebrating your birthday today make it a good one, and fill the year ahead with all you want for yourself!!

Thanks to AAJ & JBC for the guidance

Respect tothe YOuTube Massive,

Love to the blog followers

and thanks to you for passin' thru'

Go placidly,

Geo

Cole Porter (composer/conductor/leader) - 1891-1964 :: One of the contibutors to that great body of broadway songs collectively referred to as the American songbook was born on this day. Cole Porter was born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre. After a slow start, he began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike most successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote both the lyrics and the music for his songs. After a serious horseback riding accident in 1937, Porter was left disabled and in constant pain, but he continued to work. His shows of the early 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and 30s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, Kiss Me, Kate. Porter's other musicals include Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady, Anything Goes and Can-Can, and his numerous hit songs include "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin". He also composed scores for films from the 1930s to the 1950s. He was noted for his sophisticated, suggestive lyrics, clever rhymes and complex forms.

Kenny Barron (piano) - 1943:: Many happy returns to pianist Kenny Barron. Known for his lyrical style of playing, Kenny has appeared on hundreds of recordings as both leader and sideman and is consequently considered one of the most important and influential jazz pianists since bebop. One of his first gigs was as pianist with the Dizzy Gillespie quartet. He also co-led the groups Sphere and the Classical Jazz Quartet. Between 1987 and 1991, Barron recorded several albums with Stan Getz, most notably Bossas & Ballads – The Lost Sessions, Serenity, Anniversary and People Time, a 2CD set. He has been nominated nine times for Grammy Awards and for the American Jazz Hall of Fame. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.

Les Paul (guitar, electric) - 1915-2009 :: The creator of the electric guitar was born today. Lester William Polsfuss, known as Les Paul was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was the inventor of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible.He is credited with many recording innovations. Although he was not the first to use the technique, his early experiments with overdubbing (also known as sound on sound), delay effects such as tape delay, phasing effects and multitrack recording were among the first to attract widespread attention. His innovative talents extended into his playing style, including licks, trills, chording sequences, fretting techniques and timing, which set him apart from his contemporaries and inspired many guitarists of the present day. He recorded with his wife Mary Ford in the 1950s, and they sold millions of records. Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Wayman Tisdale (bass, electric) - 1964-2009  :: Some people lead the most inspirational lives. One such was Wayman Tisdale. Wayman was an American professional basketball player in the NBA and a smooth jazz bass guitarist. A three-time All American at the University of Oklahoma, he was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. As a college player at the University of Oklahoma from 1983 to 1985, he was a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year and the first player in collegiate history to be named a first-team All American by the Associated Press in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. He still holds the record at Oklahoma for the most points scored by any player through his freshman and sophomore seasons. He won a gold medal as a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team coached by Indiana University's Bobby Knight, and the Indiana Pacers made Tisdale the second overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. As a center and power forward, Tisdale averaged over 15 points and six rebounds per game in a 12-season professional career with the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns. In 1997, Tisdale became the first player in any sport to have his jersey number (23) retired by the University of Oklahoma. The outstanding freshman award in the NCAA is named the Wayman Tisdale Award. Tisdale launched his music career with Power Forward in 1995 on the Motown Label. Primarily a bass player, he recorded eight albums, with the 2001 release Face to Face climbing to No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. In 2002, he was awarded the Legacy Tribute Award by the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. In an ESPN internet chat, Tisdale said his musical influences include funk bands of the 1970s. His most recent release, Rebound, was written and released after he was diagnosed with cancer. In August 2008, Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated because of the bone cancer. Shortly after the operation, he was fitted for a prosthesis. Tisdale's experience led him to establish the Wayman Tisdale Foundation to raise funds to help amputees with the prosthetic process, which is not always covered by health insurance.

The song "Bright" by guitarist Peter White (Good Day, 2009) was dedicated according to a note in the album sleeve "to the memory of Wayman Tisdale, whose spirit never failed to brighten our lives." White said: “The guy was always so happy, so positive, always had a smile, always made you feel great. Even before his death, I’d always called this song ‘Bright,’ because it sounded uplifting and happy and funny. Then I realized that it would be the perfect song to dedicate to Wayman, because that was the way he came across to the world.”

June 9th has given us some amazing people through the years! Innovators and motivators and thats just in the tiny little area that we are looking at!

If today's your birthday, have a really great day, its a Saturday so go for it, and carry that spirit on through the year to make it all that you want for yourself!

As usual I want to say thanks to AAJ & JBC for the guidane.

Props to the youtubians.

Respect to those who choose to follow and

Thanks to you for passin' thru.

Go Placidly

Geo.

Week V: Glee Cover - Smooth Criminal // Adele - Set Fire to the Rain Live 

Glee Scene of Smooth Criminal = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik46441kFtk

Glee Cover of Smooth Criminal Full Song = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZghwu5pOr8

Adele = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri7-vnrJD3k&ob=av2n

Week IV: A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover ///  Beyonce - Countdown /// Glee Cover - Without You

Week III: Rihanna - We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris

Week II: Flobots - Happy Together