AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lori Bell

Artist:Lori Bell

Song:Alibi

Album:The Music of Djavan

Lori Bell is a jazz flutist who is mostly an educator. So she doesn't record frequently. But this 2009 tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan features Tamir Handleman who was unknown back then. So I think his fans will be interested in this album. Lori was born Apr. 15, 1958 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was jazz trumpeter Norman Bell who was in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. When Lori was ten years old, Her family moved to San Diego. She studied flute with Frederick Baker, Damian Bursill-Hall and others. She first recorded with veteran pianist Dave MacKay on the 1983 album Love Will Win on Discovery Records. Andy Simpkins was the bassist. The album was praised by legendary jazz critic Leonard Feather and was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. They recorded a follow up album Take Me to Brazil in 1989. After recording a couple of albums for the jazz label Beeswax, Lori released the 2009 album The Music of Djavan which is a tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan. It's on Resonance Records which is owned by the non profit Rising Stars Jazz Foundation. This album features pianist Tamir Handelman. He recorded his own album for Resonance in 2010 and has appeared on plenty of sessions. The other musicians are David Enos on bass and Enzo Todesco on drums. Enos has played with Arturo Sandoval and Alphonse Mouzon. Todesco played with Warren Hill and James Ingram. This album is available on CD. Lori has since recorded for her own label, most recently in 2017. For the most part she has concentrated on teaching at San Diego State University. I don't think she tours much anymore. Here's Lori Bell with Tamir Handelman, David Enos and Enzo Todesco performing Alibi 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Melvin Crispell III

Artist:Melvin Crispell III

Song:Wonderful Is Your Name

Album:I've Got a Testimony

Melvin Crispell III is a second generation gospel artist who won season nine of BET's Sunday Best. This is the gospel version of American Idol. Kirk Franklin produces the show and the winner is supposed to get a record deal with Franklin's record label Fo' Yo' Soul. Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration and the 2020 single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel charts. He was born June 19, 1997 in Charlotte, NC. Not surprisingly, his parents were gospel artists. His father Melvin Crispell was a keyboardist and songwriter. He wrote the song Wonderful Is Your Name for Hezekiah Walker. His mother Tunesha Crispell sang with Walker. Both his parents died while he was a teenager. After his mom died of cancer in 2016, Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration. After the 2019 EP Prologue III was released, the 2020 album I've Got a Testimony was released. The single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel chart and the album reached #5 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. He was nominated for four Grammy awards, six Stellar awards and four Dove awards. And he performed on the Stellar broadcast and the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The main producers on the album are Aaron Lindsay and Myron Butler. Both are veteran gospel music producers. This album is available as a digital download. Crispell released his 2023 album No Failure on his own label with Provident distribution. He was Grammy nominated for that too. Gospel music fans should enjoy Crispell's music. Here's the video for Wonderful Is Your Name by Melvin Crispell III.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fuzz

Artist:The Fuzz

Song:I Love You for All Seasons

Album:Art Laboe's Dedicated to You Vol, 2

The 1971 single I Love You for All Seasons was a top ten R&B hit and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only big hit for the R&B girl group The Fuzz. It is perceived as a one hit wonder. But a couple of their other songs charted so they aren't technically a one hit wonder. But it is a lost soul classic that I think most will enjoy. The Fuzz were from Washington, DC led by lead singer Sheila Young. She also wrote all the songs. The other two members were Val Williams and Barbara Gilliam. They were called The Passionettes when they released the 1970 single Sister Watch Yourself on Universal's UNI label. The group name was changed to The Fuzz and they signed with Calla Records. Calla was owned by Nate McCalla. He was a bodyguard for notorious mobster and Roulette Records owner Morris Levy. Among the acts on Calla were J.J. Jackson (But It's Alright), Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams and The Emotions. By the time The Fuzz signed in 1970, Calla was owned by Roulette. McCalla was murdered mobster style in 1978. Supposedly, Levy ordered the hit. After I Love You for All Seasons reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the R&B Singles chart, The Fuzz got to record an album. Sheila Young wrote most of the songs including I Love You for All Seasons. The album was produced by Washington DJ Carroll "Mr.C" Hynson and arranged by Joe Tate of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. A couple of their other singles charted but it wasn't enough and The Fuzz split up. You can get I Love You for All Seasons on this various artists comp from Los Angeles DJ Art Laboe's Original Sound. This song has been sampled by hip hop guys including Brand Nubian and Dr. Dre. Here's a video for I Love You for All Seasons by The Fuzz.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Daniel Barenboim and Guests

Artist:Daniel Barenboim and Guests

Song:Take the A Train

Album:Tribute to Ellington

Daniel Barenboim is a renowned classical pianist and has been around for decades. This 1999 album appears to be his only attempt to play jazz. His discography is massive. And I even used AI. But this appears to be Barenboim's only attempt to play jazz. There are some guest jazz musicians. But the album doesn't really take off which is why I'm not a fan of this kind of crossover. And I don't think record companies like it either. Barenboim was born Nov. 15, 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father taught him to play piano. Barenboim's family moved to Israel in 1952. After he married British cellist Jacqueline Du Pre in 1967, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, retired from music in 1973 and died in 1987. He remarried in 1988. Barenboim started to get critical acclaim in the 50s. The turning point was when he was named director of the Chicago Symphony in 1989. He had recorded for different labels. But he had been with Deutsche Grammophon since 1973. He left in 1991 to record for Teldec. This was a lesser known German label that by the 90s was owned by Warner Bros. The idea to record an Ellington album came up after Barenboim had recorded a tango album. But he wasn't sure if he could do it. So Cliff Colnot of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago was brought in to write the arrangements. They brought in guests like singer Dianne Reeves and clarinetist Don Byron. But most of the musicians were from the Chicago Symphony. And those guys know how to play notes. But playing jazz is not just notes. And as you will see in the video, Barenboim can't play jazz. This album is available as a budget CD. At the time, Barenboim told the Los Angeles Times that he would like to play jazz again. But he hasn't. And no one else had tried to do it either. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma plays all kinds of music but not necessarily jazz. There's no audience for classical musicians playing jazz. And I would expect record companies would discourage musicians from trying it. Here's Daniel Barenboim performing Take the A Train as part of an EPK for the album.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Simple E

Artist:Simple E

Song:Play My Funk

Album:Colouz of Sound

Play My Funk was a song that made the R&B charts after it appeared in the 1993 film Sugar Hill. Then Erica "Simple E" Williams got to make an album. And that's it. Erica was born in New Jersey and grew up in Texas. She studied psychology at Texas Southern University while working as an MC. Then she moved to Los Angeles and was spotted by D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone!. The 1993 film Sugar Hill was produced by 20th Century Fox and they wanted a soundtrack album for it. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard composed the score. Play My funk was the first single from the album. It reached #55 on the R&B Singles chart. It was enough that Fox let Erica record an album. It was released on Fox Records with RCA distribution. The album was written and produced by Wiggins. Erica co-wrote some songs including Play My Funk. She got positive reviews for her mix of singing and rapping. The album didn't sell but it is available on CD. The soundtrack for Sugar Hill is out of print. Erica never recorded another album but she did appear on a few, most notably Cherokee's 1999 album I Love You...Me. That was Erica's final appearance. I presume she now has a family. Some hip hop fans believe Erica should have been bigger. Maybe if she had been on a hip hop label. But Fox Records was never going to be able to promote her properly. Here's the video for Play My Funk by Simple E. Thanks to the Queen of Bars Instagram page for Erica' bio info. 

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Euge Groove

Artist:Euge Groove

Song:Get Em Goin'

Album:Just Feels Right

Tenor saxophonist Euge Groove has been a staple of Smooth Jazz for over twenty years when he was on top of the Jazz charts. He still records and tours but he doesn't record for a major label anymore. He was born Steven Eugene Grove Nov. 27, 1962 in Hagerstown, MD. He was given the nickname Euge Groove by European fans. Grove played piano as a child and then switched to sax. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Music in 1984. He played sessions in Miami and most notably on the Freestyle girl group Expose's 1987 #1 hit Seasons Change. Then Grove moved to Los Angeles and replaced Richard Elliot in Tower of Power. After four years, he got into session work. His most notable sax solo was in Richard Marx' 1991 top 20 hit Keep Coming Back. That's when he started calling himself Euge Groove. He sent demos to record companies and signed with Warner Bros. He was touring with Tina Turner at the time. He recorded two albums for Warners. They did OK on the jazz charts. But Grove thought he would be better off on a jazz label. So he signed with Narada Jazz. They were a subsidiary of the New Age label Narada. Grove recorded three albums for Narada and they did very well on the jazz charts. Get Em Goin' is from the 2005 album Just Feels Right. Grove wrote and produced everything with guitarist Paul Brown. On Get Em Goin', Grove plays sax and electric piano. Other musicians are Tony Maiden on guitar, Roberto Vally on bass, Michael White on drums and Lenny Castro on percussion. The album reached #3 on the Jazz chart. The problem was Narada was sold to Virgin/EMI in 1997 and they sold them to Universal in 2006. But you can get this album as a digital download. Grove has recorded for Shanachie since 2009. They are only a distributor so Grove has to promote himself. But he owns the recordings. His latest album The Phoenix was released July 2026. As with all his albums, Grove wrote and produced with Paul Brown. Grove is always on tour. He will be at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival in Avalon, CA. tomorrow followed by other dates. Here's Euge Groove performing Get Em Goin in Chicago. The musicians are not identified but I presume that Paul Brown played the guitar solo.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Preston

Artist:Billy Preston

Song:Nothing from Nothing

Album:Ultimate Collection

These days Billy Preston is probably best remembered for playing keyboards on Beatles albums in the late 60s. But he went on to have success in the mid 70s. The 1974 single Nothing from Nothing was one of his two #1 hits. He was born Sept. 2, 1946 in Houston but he grew up in Los Angeles with his mom. He was a self taught child prodigy who played organ with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson at age ten. Then he appeared on Nat King Cole's TV show singing Blueberry Hill with Cole. Then he appeared in the 1958 W.C. Handy biopic St. Louis Blues playing a young W.C. Handy. Preston joined Little Richard's band in 1962. And while touring Europe, he met The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. He released his 1963 debut album 16 Yr. Old Soul on Sam Cooke's SAR label. Preston signed with Vee Jay for the 1965 album The Most Exciting Organ Ever and performed on the TV show Shindig!. Preston joined Ray Charles' band in 1967. Musicians were asking him to play on their records. But the big one was The Beatles. Preston played on the Get Back sessions. He was known as The Fifth Beatle. Preston appeared in the film Let It Be. I recommend watching the 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back which features the concert on the roof of the Apple Records building. This was The Beatles' final concert. Preston plays electric piano. That documentary can be streamed on Disney+. Preston signed with Apple and released the 1969 album That's the Way God Planned It. The single That's the Way God Planned It was a hit in England. George Harrison produced that album and Preston toured with Harrison after The Beatles split up. Preston signed with A&M Records in 1971 and that's when he had his greatest success. The 1972 instrumental Outa-Space reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then he topped the charts with the 1973 single Will It Go Round in Circles. And he topped the charts again with the 1974 single Nothing from Nothing. And that was the peak of Preston's career. Nothing from Nothing is from Preston's 1974 album The Kids & Me. Preston produced and played keyboards. He wrote most of the songs with longtime songwriting partner Bruce Fisher. They wrote plenty of songs together. You can get all of Preston's hits on this Hip-O budget comp. Preston also played on The Rolling Stones albums and toured with them. Preston left A&M and signed with Motown in 1979. He also recorded for Word's CCM label Myrrh. He scored a 1979 top five hit with the single With You I'm Born Again featuring  Syreeta. He recorded for Motown until 1984. By the 80s, Preston was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. After leaving Motown, he played sessions with Luther Vandross and others. He went to jail for cocaine possession and insurance fraud. After leaving jail, Preston's health deteriorated until he died on June 6, 2006 at age 59. Here's Billy Preston and an all star band performing Nothing from Nothing in a 1975 episode of The Midnight Special.