“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guest Gene-O, on air from November 21st.
Gearing up for the release of “Time for Change,” the infectious, insightful and timely debut single from Classic Twist – the fresh, grooving and innovative, multi-genre duo he’s formed with veteran writer/producer Kevin Flournoy – renowned R&B/jazz singer/songwriter Gene-O played the track for some industry movers and shakers in their home base of Southern California. Their response was auspicious – it reminded them of a modern version of “We Are the World.” If ever the planet needed a hopeful and uplifting new anthem to inspire us to look past our differences and come together in a spirit of love, the time is now.
Written by Gene-O and produced by Flournoy, “Time for Change” is an emphatic call to action that pointedly reflects on everything we need to do to come together and achieve a better world. Over a unique musical vibe that, true to the fusion-driven spirit of Classic Twist, incorporates elements of pop, R&B, country and rock, Gene-O passionately sings, “It’s time we leave our comfort zone/It’s time for you and I to rearrange things/Cause everybody knows it’s time for changes/It’s time we see the light/It’s time to do what’s right. . .So much love/That’s what we all should be thinking of…”
“We recorded this song and are releasing it as our first Classic Twist single because globally we desperately need to effect major change,” says Gene-O, whose most recent solo albums were the back-to-back releases of Born to Love and Christmas with Gene-O. Having spent years performing around the world (China, Japan and the EU) and the U.S., the singer started his career recording and performing with such artists as Baby Bash, N2Deep, The Jets, Maserati, and Sheila E to name a few. Once designated as Best New Artist of the Month by Talking Smooth Jazz Radio – more recently he has shared the stage with the likes of Brian O’Neal (The Bus Boys), Howard Hewitt, Eric Darius, Dru Hill, Lenny Williams (Tower of Power), Joe, and his mentors, Phil Perry and the late great Ricky Lawson.
“Our world is so crazy right now on so many levels,” he adds. “I had the message in my mind and I felt it was something we needed to do together. Kevin and I talk about these issues all the time. Every time we turn on the TV or listen to the radio, they’re talking about more division. The song, like all of the music we’re making together as Classic Twist, reflects the way we live, just loving people. Love and unity form the concept of everything we’re going to do on this project.”
“As veteran musicians and live performers, we know the joy that’s possible when thousands of people from all different backgrounds and beliefs come together to hear music and experience an elevation of positivity,” adds Flournoy, who has written, performed or recorded over the years with Chaka Khan, Babyface, Donny Osmond, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters, Jennifer Hudson, Howard Hewitt, Jamie Foxx, The Jazz Crusaders and contemporary jazz greats Boney James, Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum and Harvey Mason.
The duo plans to follow “Time for Change” with several other original singles before releasing an EP or full-length album comprised of new compositions and explosive re-imaginings of classic rock tunes. One of these is the whimsical, high-energy country-soul-rocker “Things are Changing,” a lighthearted song along a similar theme about going out and having some fun. The other is “You’re My Hero,” an inspiring, R&B/gospel flavored tribute to the love of hard- working, self-sacrificing women everywhere that was picked up by an international women’s foundation as their new anthem; Gene-O and Flournoy will be shooting a video for this song this fall. As for the covers, down the road, Classic Twist is excited about presenting their dynamic versions of Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years,” Journey’s “Faithfully” and Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind.”
The concept of Classic Twist is rooted in the longtime friendship and musical camaraderie of Gene-O and Flournoy, who first played together informally at jam sessions hosted by smooth jazz bassist Darryl Williams at Simply Sharon’s restaurant in Temecula, CA. Sometime later, when Gene-O was at one of Flournoy’s gigs at Felix’s Barbecue with Soul in San Diego, the two got to talking about their mutual musical passions, became fast friends and began gigging together.
Over the years, while perfecting their chemistry doing regular gigs at San Diego area hotspots like Covo and countless high-end parties, the two began talking about developing a unique hybrid style that incorporated two of Gene-O’s all-time favorite genres – country and classic rock – that he never had a chance to record or perform because of his success in jazz and R&B and the popular demand for him to continue in that vein. Flournoy, a veteran arranger and producer who loves those styles as well, helped develop and bring to life some of Gene-O’s new songs in a way that incorporated such elements as banjo and steel and electric guitar. They plan to bring in some of the top musicians in the business to cut each song live like an old school ensemble, leading to a transcendent, one-of-a-kind sonic aesthetic that will inevitably be Classic Twist.
Having sung at church from the age of seven, Gene-O began his professional career at seventeen with a Bay Area band called Sho-fur. He has written, produced and collaborated with mega- producers Felton Pilate, Preston Glass, and Tank as well as contemporary jazz greats Adam Hawley, Blake Aaron, Darryl Williams, Cal Harris, Jr. and Will Donato. Flournoy, who earned a B.A. from the UCSD in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Music Science and Technology, is the owner and CEO of Kay-Flow Productions, LLC, a division of Flournoy Entertainment, Inc. His first major label success as a producer was Big Mountain’s international hit “Sweet Sensual Love.” As an artist/producer, this past year he released two versions of a cover of the Jam/Lewis SOS Band Top 5 R&B hit “Tell Me If You Still Care” – the first featuring Phil Perry on vocals, the second with saxophonist Richard Elliott.
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“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guest Mathew Wade, on air from June 27th
Billboard Magazine states, “My Silent Bravery plays like a major label signing, from its production savvy, eloquent lyrics, authoritative imaging, polished web site, a dedicated Northeast U.S. fan following, merchandising, and most important, a chockablock collection of winning songs. My Silent Bravery is destined to make major noise.”
My Silent Bravery symbolizes persistence, perseverance and inner strength to overcome obstacles in the face of adversity. It is this type of determination that helped Matthew Wade of My Silent Bravery overcome a sports injury in his youth which led him to pursue his passion in music. The injury opened the door to spirituality and a higher calling. Matthew realized he wanted to become a better person and a more sharing individual. Through personal work and transformation, he learned the importance of “paying it forward” and now feels one of his missions in life is to help inspire others to do the same by delivering his positive message to the masses through the music of My Silent Bravery.
MSB released its new album “Breakthrough” on September 28, 2016. The album features an all-star array of producers including Grammy® Award-winner Mike Mangini (Joss Stone, David Byrne, Smash Mouth), Peter Zizzo (Avril Levine, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Mraz), and Anthony Resta (Elton John, Collective Soul, Guster). Matt has already released the album’s first two singles. The song and video for “Drunk off the Sun” was released in late spring, and has already surpassed half a million views on YouTube. The video trended overseas and reached #1 on youtube’s most popular chart in Brazil and cracked the top ten in Norway, Finland, and Sweden. The video was also featured on AXSTV programming reaching over 53 million homes. ‘Drunk Off the Sun’ was also featured on United Airlines’ playlist, “The Hits List,” throughout the summer, at 35,000 feet altitude, globally. The albums second single and video, ‘Warning Signs’ was released in August 2016 via Paste Magazine. It also trended overseas on YouTube and was a finalist in the 2016 International Acoustic Music Awards. Warning Signs was most recently featured on XM Sirius Satellite radio station XM The Pulse on Train Tracks with Pat Monahan. “Breakthrough Acoustic” followed in spring of 2017, and its single Face to Face amassed over 300K views on YouTube and also trended and reached #1 on YouTube’s most popular chart in Canada.
Diamond from Coal was the previous full length LP from MSB and it debuted in the Top 40 of the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Best-Sellers chart and in the top 20 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases. The album was produced by Anthony Resta (Collective Soul, Guster, Shawn Mullins) & Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, Augustana) and was recorded in Boston and Los Angeles. The single “Forever” was a semi-finalist and “On My Side” was the runner up for “Song of the Year” award in the Songwriting competition Song of the Year. The music video for the first single “Amazing” was picked up for rotation on MTV, VH1, & CMT. Diamond from Coal was also nominated for “Album of the Year” at the Limelight and New England Music Awards.
Following the success of Diamond from Coal, My Silent Bravery released Diamond from Coal the Remixes in 2015. This album takes the beloved singer-songwriter songs from Diamond from Coal and adds electronic ethos and artist collaborations to create an entirely unique experience for MSB fans. The Remix album debuted into the top 100 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases. The album features remixes by Kool Kojak (Flo Rida, Nicki Manaj, Kesha), Richard Fraioli & Erik Mason, and JQA and collaborations with Maurico, Shea Rose, Hyrbid Infamous, and Joe Craze. The lead single and video from the new album, P.O.V. (feat. Shea Rose) premiered on Vevo and was also added to rotation by MTV & VH1.
Prior to Diamond from Coal, Can’t Quit Deluxe Edition the third LP from MSB was also produced by Resta and features a track with Grammy nominated recording artist, Matisyahu. The album’s three singles, Can’t Quit, To Give (featuring Matisyahu), and Burnt Out (Acoustic) have collectively amassed over 1 million views on youtube with Burnt Out (acoustic) reaching as high as #2 on youtube’s most popular page . (www.youtube.com/mysilentbravery). To Give (featuring Matisyahu) was nominated at the Independent Music Awards 2013 for best Social Action Song. Can’t Quit was nominated for album of the year at Indie Music Digest and the album’s first single and title track also picked up honorable mention for the songwriting competition, Song of the Year.
The Cant Quit release came on the heels of MSB’s first two albums “Uncharted Territory”, “Are You Prepared” and successful placements on the CW’s One Tree Hill, CBS’ People Choice Awards, NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly, MTV’s Real World and True Life, The Oxygen Network’s Bad Girls Club, the History Channel’s American Pickers and many others. These placements, along with spins on over a combined 500 AAA, A/C and CMJ reporting college radio stations, a top ten hit on the FMQB A/C chart, have helped the band continue to turn heads, make noise and gain local and national supporters alike. The Huffington Post’s Jon Chatman states, “While he’s drawn comparisons to John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw, A-Sides thinks he can stand on his own sans any labels or similar-sounding artist references. In other words, his music, like his name, is unique and stands on its own in a bold way.”
Always in demand, My Silent Bravery played over 300 shows between 2009-2011 and from 2012-2017, MSB has shared the stage with national acts including Daughtry, Delta Rae, Howie Day, Kris Allen, John Waite, The Wailers, Candlebox, Ryan Cabrera, Jason Castro, O Town, Teddy Geiger, Ed Kowalczyk (Live), Iron Butterfly, Saving Abel, Rusted Root, Tyler Ward, Anna Nalick, Lee Dewyze, David Choi, Brendan James and Aaron Carter. Most recently, MSB toured with Emerson Hart (Tonic), Meiko, Tyler Hilton, Kate Voegele, Eric Hutchinson, Elliot Yamin, Blake Lewis, and Lee Dewyze.
Matthew has continued his DIY approach and released music independently under his own label MWS Records without major label backing. MSB continues to grow its “Braveheart” fan base organically through touring and its ever-growing social media presence which now reaches over 100,000 fans across multiple social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and its YouTube channel has featured several trending singles which have collectively accumulated over 3,000,000 views. Paste Magazine recently stated, “My Silent Bravery may be the best-undiscovered artist around”.
MSB is currently putting the finishing touches on its new album, entitled “Willing to Try”. The album features twelve tracks and will be released in 3 separate Eps over the next year. The album was co-written and produced by Jim McGorman (Gwen Stefani, Avril Levine, Poison). The first single, “Got it Going On” is set for release summer of 2017.
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“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guests Natalia Tsvi and tenor Gilad Paz, on air from September 19th
In a perfect world, soprano Natalia Tsvi and tenor Gilad Paz – the unique classical crossover vocal duo collectively known as VOCE NOVA – would have taken the “America’s Got Talent” stage and performed their fascinating hybrid twist on Verdi’s “Libiamo” before all four judges and a live audience of 3000. But their audition date, March 14, 2020, was the day Hollywood began shutting down because of the pandemic, and Tsvi and Paz had to wait it out seven hours as the show’s production was scaled down around them. Brief but thrilling and magnetic, the duo gave it their all, shifting quickly from a traditional operatic duet into a high energy number complete with a Moroccan dance beat and a party atmosphere.
Testament to their unique stylistically eclectic approach as what they call a “gateway drug to classical music,” VOCE NOVA may not have won the hearts of the AGT judging panel, but it’s likely that had there been a full crowd behind them, they all would have been on their feet dancing, their hearts pounding and mouths agape at the duo’s infectious energy, risk-taking arrangements and overall sense of joyful fun.
Before they auditioned, Natalia and Gilad honed their act performing before diverse audiences everywhere they could, even holding court at open mics and karaoke clubs in the NYC area during the duo’s early stages. When they sang this same version of “Libiamo” at a dive bar in Brooklyn, the crowd – full of rappers and spoken word artists – lost their minds. As it turned out, the feedback was prophetic of what they would continue to hear after officially debuting VOCE NOVA in 2019. Folks who had never heard opera before were suddenly excited about it, surprised how much they loved it, in awe of the duo’s chemistry and stage presence. AsNatalia says, “They can’t always explain why, but their body just moves. They find themselves shaking their butts and clapping to opera!”
Since making their debut at a high profile fundraising event for a new artist group collective in NYC, VOCE NOVA has honed its craft, perfected its style and expanded its repertoire entertaining at boat shows, wedding expos, event planning conventions – and performances at weddings, including one high profile affair where they led an opera flash mob. Their reputation is earning them renown beyond New York, and they were recently contracted to do corporate events in the greater Washington, DC area.
VOCE NOVA brings their bold array of musical dynamics to their latest single, a dramatic and daring yet wildly irresistible mashup of Schubert’s timeless “Ave Maria” and Hozier’s 2013 hit debut single “Take Me To Church,” its title stylized (like many of their other recordings) “Ave Maria vs. Take Me To Church.” The track begins with Natalia in fine operatic form, singing Latin over a prominent church organ. Just when they’ve got us in Mass mode, Gilad in his pop voice sings “Amen” and dives into Hozier’s impactful, instantly recognizable hook. Then she returns with more “Ave Maria” over a rock guitar groove, leading to the song’s climactic segment where the two sing their individual songs at the same time creating a fascinating point/counterpoint. The piece closes with her singing a towering “Amen” and the two joining forces singing soaring high notes in harmony for the triumphant final chorus.
“At first it struck me as being a bit risky, because we were mixing the sacred with the profane and that could offend some people,” Gilad says. “Not every idea for a mashup strikes us as immediately opening itself to our brand of musical fusion, but this is one that made sense as soon as the words came out of Natalia’s mouth. Because we are veteran business people, we immediately honed in not only on the creative but commercial potential as well. It developed into a brilliant and intuitive mashup.”
“The proof was in the pudding, as they say, when we performed it recently at a non-profit in Soho for an audience that included several women from a gospel church,” says Natalia. “They freaked out about it, and we thought, ‘If the Christians love it, we’re good!’ Of course we know some may not take it as well or interpret it their own way, just as some traditional opera and classical folks won’talways like what we do. The way Gilad and I see it, we’re not hurting the quality of opera music, we’re bringing a fresh audience to it. VOCE NOVA, by its very definition as a fresh voice in crossover music, is all about breaking the rules and singing arrangements outside the box. This is 2022. It’s time transcend boundaries, create bridges and make this our own musical truth.”
Though VOCE NOVA creates its mashups with the energy of live performances in mind, the duo has recorded and released a batch of well-received singles over the past year, starting with straightforward duets of “O Holy Night” and “Time to Say Goodbye” and more recently including their most streamed song “I Will Always Love You vs. Come What May,” “Libiamo Remixed” and the supercool “Habanera vs. Smooth,” which blends the familiar piece from Carmen with the Santana Latin rock classic. All songs in the VOCE NOVA catalog are original arrangements created especially for the duo by top music producer Assaf Averbuch.
Natalia and Gilad met in February 2018 when both were invited to sing at a house concert on the Upper East Side showcasing opera hits. Getting together before the show to discuss repertoire, they quickly realized they had extremely similar life stories and paths in the music world. She was born in Belarus, was raised in Israel from the age of three and came to the U.S. to study opera after her mandatory Israeli Army service. Gilad was born to Israeli parents in the U.S., moved to Israel at age three, came back to the U.S. during his high school years and returned to Israel for five years, including service in the Israeli army. Gilad then returned to the States to study classical singing.
Both grew up singing in youth groups in Israel. She earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music Performance and Voice and Music Education from Brooklyn College Conservatory and he earned a Bachelor’s of Music in Voice Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. When they met, she had recently recorded a classical crossover album and he had created a classical crossover concert concept.
During that first concert, they performed together, they sang a traditional duet of “Libiamo,” never realizing that just a few years later, they would be using their twist on it for VOCE NOVA’s AGT audition piece. “We knew we were destined to work together,” Gilad says. “From the start, I felt that we both towed that line as classical singers who can also expertly perform other genres, which allows us to switch back and forth naturally. We knew we could create something special in the crossover realm. We started our repertoire going for a broad appeal, combining our voices on ‘Time to Say Goodbye,’ ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and ‘Hallelujah.’ Then one day, Natalia came up with the idea for a mashup of ‘Havana’ and ‘Besame Mucho,’ which was followed by my idea for combining ‘Nessun Dorma’ and ‘We are the Champions’. It was the first time we pursued this musical direction, and it evolved into our musical identity when we worked on the new repertoire that we added to our catalog in 2021.”
“Now,” the duo adds, “we will always be aiming to push boundaries with something that is different but that is truly who we are. One of our dreams is to do a VOCE NOVA performance with a full symphony orchestra. ‘Ave Maria vs Take Me To Church’ is a means towards that goal, a song that synthesizes the essence of what we do and the realization of what we first envisioned for ourselves back in 2018.”
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I have always had a warm spot for Jazz and the Blues, something about the way it moves you, stretching your very soul and feeding the heart. I have put together here, some of my Jazz and Blues podcast guests whose music has soothed and embraced me. All of their music at some point has moved me in some way and when you take a listen to their music, you are listening to their heart and soul.
Enjoy their stories and music, I really feel it will move you too.
The Drummer Loves Ballads is the debut album of John Armato. Featuring extraordinary music, musicians and moods, it was produced and engineered by some of the industry’s top talent. The album was designed to be a new soundtrack for lazy Sunday afternoons, romantic evenings, and melancholy midnights, but you’ll swear it’s a long-lost jazz favorite.
After graduation in 1969 and some experiments with different kinds of music, Darius was ushered into the international jazz scene in the Seventies as a member of Two Generations of Brubeck and The New Brubeck Quartet (Dave, Darius, Chris and Dan Brubeck) under his father’s leadership but also continued playing intermittently with his own groups. He is married to my cousin Catharine, who as managed for decades now.
Marilyn Scott is best known for her Grammy-nominated work as a contemporary jazz musician, having performed with some of the best musicians in the world over the last few decades. As the years have progressed, she has dived deeper into jazz writing and interpretations. Collaborations with many acclaimed artists and musicians have opened and widened her range in a music that’s rich in texture and complexity.
Gerald Albright has a generous invitation for fans of his hit 2014 album: If you thought that mix of deep funk and simmering sensuality was a Slam Dunk, wait’ll you get a load of G. It’s that album’s high octane sequel, which draws even deeper connections to that in-your-face horn-section-magic, of classic bands like Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power.
Adored for her singular magic for making what’s classic contemporary again, Jan Daley is the most multi-talented and beautiful Best Kept Secret in entertainment today. The triple-threat singer/songwriter, actress and playwright connects to audiences worldwide with her authentic, personal presentations touched with just the right amount of razzle dazzle to remind you why she’s at center stage.
The power of Lovewith Lynne Fiddmont is an exquisitely balanced collection of hand-picked classic R&B covers that reveal some of Lynne’s influences and mentors, along with her freshly penned original soul songs that amplify and reflect precisely how those inspirations have helped to shape who she is today – as an artist and as a woman.
Justin Johnson is the founder of “Roots Music School” in Nashville, TN. Under this umbrella, he has released an Instructional Series currently consisting of 5 DVDs and a Book on Roots Music technique and theory. As Roots Music School founder, Justin Johnson has partnered with educators across the country to develop Roots Music curriculum for schools.
Trombonist Geoff Alpert has loved music all his life, studying the craft, learning several brass/valve instruments, playing in bands and composing songs. Inspired by the likes of jazz legend J.J. Johnson, rock band Chicago’s James Pankow, and fusion greats such as Wayne Henderson and Raul de Souza, Geoff studied music as a major at San Diego State University while supplementing his income gigging near and far. Yet he walked away from music for 30 years in the early `80s to be an ideal provider as a husband and father.
Jesse”JTJazz” Thompson, multi-talented composer, pianist and keyboardist, born in “The Land Of Funk” (Dayton, Ohio) attributes his humble beginnings in music to being captivated by a family of musicians: a father who was a professional drummer, Thompson’s mother—a church organist/pianist and his brother Marvyn Wheatley (who recorded and played with Parliament and Slave). Industry influences were soul/funk legends The Ohio Players, Lakeside and Zapp featuring Roger Troutman.
When DeeAnn came back to the project she added a few new, very personal songs, starting with a heartrending, gospel-influenced version of “You Are My Sunshine”, a song she sang to William to put him to sleep when he was a child. Odel’s sensitive yet rousing and inspirational production features members of the Buffalo Philharmonic String Quartet (Roman Mekhulnov).
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“for the LOVE of Music” with Sara Troy and her guest Jon Landers, on air from May 10th
Music kept me from checking out from life back in 1999 after going through a divorce from a 29-year marriage. In the three years following my divorce, my mom was diagnosed with colon cancer, my dad tried to commit suicide as a result of my mom’s health and my brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. If I hadn’t walked into Circuit City and seen a keyboard and hit the demo key that played the theme to the James Bond movies, I would not be here today to talk about it. I simply purchased the keyboard, labeled the keys, and used the built-in loops to create my own music and lyrics.
I started as a stock transfer agent for what was then called The First National Bank of Boston back in 1969. I then went to work for my dad in his import-export business which led me to become the National Sales Manager for a British company and went on to help a German horticultural company to get established in the North American market. I then became a manufacturer’s rep for the lawn & garden and hardware industry being one of the first agencies to sell and service The Home Depots and big box home centers covering a territory from Maine to Virginia. I burned out in 1999 when I went through my divorce and switched to becoming a self-taught graphic designer purchasing a graphic design company, in 2001 that led me to move into the music industry in 2012 and started The Big Apple Indie Music Series aka TBAIMS to support independent music artists by providing a venue(s) for them to perform live in front of music, entertainment, TV and film industry executives including A&Rs. I studied networking prior to starting TBAIMS where I was attending an average of 4 networking events a week in the NY, CT, NJ markets. I also researched social media and found myself on most of the social media websites early on. I am in the top 11% of LinkedIn users and if you Google my name, I’m usually on page one with my profiles showing.
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Spotify playlist from most of the artists that performed for TBAIMS when in NYC:
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