Monday, April 28, 2014

Quincy Jones on Alfredo Rodriguez's performances in Los Angeles, last week

Quincy Jones reports: "My brother Alfredo Rodriguez had his album release party at the Blue Whale on Tuesday night and he and his trio absolutely KILLED it! So incredibly proud of where he has taken his music. Their performance is on another level. Congratulations my friend, my hat's off to you and your talent... xoxox - Q"

And we strongly recommend the 3D Blu-ray "Experince Montreux" (total time: 206 minutes), filmed in High Definition 3D and released last November. This 2-disc set brings together the award-winning "Experience Montreux" film plus concert performances by Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones (with Alfredo Rodriguez shining on an all-star band recruited by Q), all filmed at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival in 2010.

The first disc contains full live tracks by a range of artists that reflects the breadth and eclecticism of the Montreux Fest, featuring Massive Attack, Joe Bonamassa, Elvis Costello, Angelique Kidjo and many others. Their performances are interspersed with interviews with festival founder Claude Nobs and many of the artists involved and are accompanied by stunning footage of the festival setting, the town of Montreux, Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps.

Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock have both been frequent visitors to Montreux over the years and it's fitting that their performances form a part of this 3D celebration of the magic of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The highlights on Quincy's set are provided by the young Cuban piano virtuoso Alfredo Rodriguez (a splendid musician who became Quincy's protégé and shines even playing Happy Birthday!!!) and veteran Brazilian percussion master Paulinho da Costa, a longtime associate of Quincy who has performed in 99% of his productions since the late 70s, including all his solo albums and the Michael Jackson classic trilogy "Off The Wall," "Triology" and "Bad." Hancock's band features bassist Tal Winkenfeld, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and an astonishingly beautiful vocalist named Kristina Train, who sings a creative rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine."

No comments: