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Patrice Rushen

Multi-Grammy nominated artist, Patrice Rushen has definitely earned the respect she has been awarded by her peers in the music industry. Admired by many for her groundbreaking achievements, Rushen has amassed an impressive list of “firsts”. She was the first woman to serve as Musical Director for the 46th, 47th & 48th Annual Grammy Awards, the first woman in 43 years to serve as Head Composer/Musical Director for television’s highest honor, the Emmy Awards and the first woman Musical Director of the NAACP Image Awards, an honor she held for 12 consecutive years. Rushen has also been the only woman Musical Director/Composer for the People’s Choice Awards and HBO’s Comic Relief. She was the only woman Musical Director/Conductor/Arranger for a late-night television talk show. The show was The Midnight Hour, which aired on CBS. In addition, Rushen was named the Musical Director/Composer for Newsweek’s first American Achievement Awards, broadcast from the Kennedy Center and she served as the Musical Director for Janet Jackson’s World Tour, “janet.” As the Musical Director for the award shows, she composed and performed special musical tributes to Michael Landon, Ted Turner, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, The Temptations, James Garner and Leonard Bernstein to name a few. Rushen was named Composer in Residence during the August 2004 sessions at the Henry Mancini Institute. A classically trained pianist, Rushen has spent a lifetime honing the skills that make her one of the music industry’s most versatile and sought after artists. In 1998, she was again honored by the music industry when her adult contemporary CD, “Signature”, received a Grammy nomination. The CD also received an NAACP Image Award nomination and also landed in the top ten of the adult contemporary jazz charts. The critically lauded, chart topping style she championed in the 70’s and 80’s — a jazz/R&B/pop fusion that combines melodic accessibility with instrumental prowess. This not only became her signature style, but also has continued to be a mainstay of popular radio. Considered one of the world's top jazz pianists, Rushen has performed with and produced for such esteemed artists as Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Prince, Lionel Hampton, Carlos Santana, Boys II Men, George Benson, Jean Luc Ponty, Tom Jones, Nancy Wilson, Michael Jackson, Dianne Reeves, Sheena Easton, Stanley Turentine, Joshua Redman and on and on. She has played at some of the world's most prestigious jazz festivals and events. Rushen has performed with Philharmonic Orchestras and has even written an award-winning symphony.

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17
Album Review

Gerry Gibbs: Songs from My Father

Read "Songs from My Father" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Drummer Gerry Gibbs pays tribute to father Terry Gibbs on the amazing nineteen-track double-CD set Songs from My Father featuring a guest appearance by the ninety-seven-year-old vibraphonist on one track, among other surprises, including the last studio performance by the late jazz icon Chick Corea, who also wrote “Tango for Terry" for this homage and is the only non-Gibbs composition on the album. Son Gerry had plenty of his father's music to choose from when contemplating this project but chose ...

31
Album Review

Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios: Songs from My Father

Read "Songs from My Father" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Songs from My Father. What a marvelous idea!—and not simply for the sentiment. Drummer Gerry Gibbs' father happens to be Hall of Fame vibraphonist (and sometime song writer) Terry Gibbs, who is still on the scene at ninety-seven (and, in fact, making a guest appearance on the first disc of this superlative two-CD set). Eighteen of the elder Gibbs' songs, written between 1949 and 1985 (and one more, “Tango for Terry," by the late Chick Corea) are performed by four ...

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2

Event

Kaylene Peoples & Bunny Brunel Dual CD Release, Featuring Patrice Rushen, Benefiting Bella Composers

Kaylene Peoples & Bunny Brunel Dual CD Release, Featuring Patrice Rushen, Benefiting Bella Composers

Source: First Take PR & Consulting

An exciting lineup of musicians will play for a worthy cause April 8, 2015 at Catalina Bar & Grill at 8:30pm. Famed fusion, Grammy nominated bassist Bunny Brunel and award-winner producer, singer and flutist Kaylene Peoples are celebrating the release of their respective CDs (Invent Your Future and My Man) to raise money for the exciting new charity Bella Composers. This benefit concert promises to be a night to remember. Star Trek actor Chase Masterson will be hosting the evening; ...

1

Festival

Jazz This Week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, Patrice Rushen, Andre Delano, Wine Dine and Jazz Festival, and More

Jazz This Week: Chesterfield Jazz Festival, Patrice Rushen, Andre Delano, Wine Dine and Jazz Festival, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

It's jazz festival time across North America, with major events taking place in a number of cities including Montreal, Vancouver, Minneapolis -St. Paul, Washington DC, and more. And though our town no longer has a large-scale, multi-day fest since the unfortunate demise of the St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival a few years back, local jazz fans can take some solace in two smaller festivals plus many other jazz-related events happening around town this weekend. Let's go to the highlights... ...

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Patrice Rushen

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Patrice Rushen

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, we turn our video spotlight on keyboardist, singer and composer Patrice Rushen, who will be in St. Louis to perform next Sunday, June 29 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. UPDATE - 12:30 p.m. 6/21/14: Less than an hour after this post went up, a reader got in touch to say she had tried to purchase tickets to the Patrice Rushen show yesterday, only to find it gone from both the Sheldon and Metrotix websites. Sure enough, it seems ...

Event

Playboy Jazz Festival Presents 1+One, Featuring Patrice Rushen And Ndugu Chancler With Special Guest Paul Jackson Jr. In Free Baldwin Hills Concert Sunday, June 2nd

Source: Nina Gordon Public Relations

Let the good times roll... and head over to the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw for a summer afternoon of jazz and entertainment when the Playboy Jazz Festival presents a free community concert on Sunday, June 2nd, at 5:00 p.m. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. The illustrious group, 1+One, featuring Grammy-nominated artists Patrice Rushen and Ndugu Chancler with special guest, Paul Jackson Jr., will headline the show. The Harmony Project, under the direction of Amos Delone, will also perform. Presented by the ...

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Performance / Tour

Steve Wilson Sets "Super Band" Tour for April, with Patrice Rushen, James Genus and Billy Kilson

Steve Wilson Sets "Super Band" Tour for April, with Patrice Rushen, James Genus and Billy Kilson

Source: Seth Cohen PR

Steve Wilson Injects Some Funk with 'Super Band' Tour in April; Four Nights at Jazz Standard in NY are Confirmed, as are Shows in D.C. and VA Wilson Hits His Stride, Builds New Collaborations for 2012 Acclaimed jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson aims to 'get funky' with his Super Band tour, set for April.  The Steve Wilson Super Band features Patrice Rushen on piano and keyboard, James Genus on bass and Billy Kilson on drums. The tour will begin with a ...

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Performance / Tour

The Headhunters, 'Platinum' (Feb 2011) features Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, Patrice Rushen, and many more...

Source: Ethan Shorter

Herbie Hancock's 'Headhunters' (1973) was the first Jazz record ever to go Platinum. Well The Headhunters (Mike Clark, Bill Summers, Donald Harrison, Richie Goods, Kyle Rousell) have teamed up with New Orleans based Avant Soul Duo, The Mumbles to do a 10-date East Coast tour in support of both bands' forthcoming releases.

Nov 3rd :: Brooklyn Bowl—Brooklyn NY Nov 4th :: Club Metronome—Burlington, VT Nov 5th :: Iron Horse Music Hall—Northampton, MA Nov 6th :: Northstar Bar—Philadelphia, PA Nov 7th ...

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Education

Abraham Laboriel, Patrice Rushen, and Steve Gadd to Welcome Entering Class, Accept Honorary Degrees at Berklee College of Music Fall Convocation 2005

Abraham Laboriel, Patrice Rushen, and Steve Gadd to Welcome Entering Class, Accept Honorary Degrees at Berklee College of Music Fall Convocation 2005

Source: All About Jazz

BOSTON, August 19, 2005 — Abraham Laboriel, Patrice Rushen, and Steve Gadd will receive honorary doctor of music degrees for their outstanding contributions to music and culture at the Berklee College of Music 2005 Entering Student Convocation, Friday, September 19, at the Berklee Performance Center (this event is not open to the public). The honorees, Berklee President Roger A. Brown, and Vice President for Student Affairs Lawrence E. Bethune, will welcome the Berklee entering class of 2009, with approximately 815 ...

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Concerts

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Songs from My Father

Whaling City Sound
2021

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Introducing Letizia...

Jando Music S.r.l.
2012

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Forget Me Nots /...

Wounded Bird Records
2004

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Signature

Wounded Bird Records
1997

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Haven't You Heard:...

Wounded Bird Records
1996

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Videos

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