new editorial approach spotlights more musicians

ave you ever wondered how we choose which artists and events to feature? It’s evolved over the 23 years I’ve been publishing this niche magazine, but within the last decade we’ve followed a specific formula.

Each edition is focused on a festival or theme: February-March is the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, Pennsylvania; April-May, the Seabreeze Jazz Festival in Panama City Beach, Florida; October, the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival. And, recently, in June, the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival. These are established events that attract large crowds of jazz fans, and also where we have a booth, sell subscriptions (and sometimes merchandise) and distribute nearly half of that current issue’s magazines. We also publish our Annual Jazz Festival and Cruise Guide, as well as the Jazz Concert Series Guide. Then, we choose a marquee act from each festival, preferably one who has released a new CD and also has something newsworthy or of interest to our readers going on. And, that’s our cover story.

I loved it in the early days when we could include five to 10 CD reviews, two or three additional articles with up-and-coming artists or fan favorites, and nearly every concert series, festival and cruise. In recent years, though, our editorial budgets––which are funded entirely by advertising revenues––simply couldn’t accommodate the expense.

So, we strive for headliners and well-established stars who appeal to the majority of our readers. But we also created our DISCover New Music advertorial package (see page 9 of this issue) for musicians and artists to promote their latest releases and tour dates to our nationwide readership.

Fortunately, post-pandemic advertising increased, affording us the budget to add articles about other artists also performing at the featured festivals we covered in 2021 and 2022.

And, we’re kicking off this year by continuing that trend!

In addition to the Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, we’re featuring Paul Jackson Jr., one of the most prolific, in-demand, guitarists on the music scene; and JJ Sansaverino, an established New York-based guitarist, whose multiple radio hits has landed him on major festival stages.

I hope you welcome this change in editorial approach, and that it leads you to discover new artists who expand your list of favorites.

ARTHUR THOMPSON • “SMILE” (SINGLE)

(Arthurized Productions)

Arthur Thompson, drummer for the late Wayman Tisdale, is releasing a new single, “Smile,” on Feb. 1. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native, who now resides in San Diego, California, said he wrote the lyrics to this song while walking through his neighborhood and talking on the phone to someone very special to him.

“I was expressing how I felt about her, and the lyrics were created,” he said. “The music came later in the shower. I ran, soaking wet, to my piano, towel wrapped around me, and picked out the chord structure. It took awhile between mistakes and mishaps with my towel to get enough recorded on my phone to complete ‘Smile.’

“And, I’m honored to feature my dear friend Mindi Abair on this song,” he added.

Thompson also created a video to accompany this release, both of which will be available on Feb. 1, via his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@arthurized64.

In addition to being a drummer, percussionist, singer, songwriter and producer, Thompson is a published author and humanitarian. Deeply moved by the realities at-risk children face, as well as the reduction in music and arts education in schools, Thompson created the Math & Music© curriculum. This program has been taught in Oklahoma, Texas and California schools, and to children in Uganda, Africa, and Nicaragua, as part of the Power of a Nickel medical global outreach. He has also published several children’s books, including a new one coming out this year.

AvAilAble At: all streaming platforms, including iTunes, https://cdbaby.com and https://open.spotify.com

Website: www.arthurthompsondrums.com

Kim Scott

• SHINE!

(Innervision Records)

SHINE!, Kim Scott’s fifth album on the Innervision Records label, is a collection of songs that will definitely keep your toes tapping. Notable features include Jonathan Butler, Althea Rene, Ragan Whiteside and Blake Aaron, with songs co-written by Scott and Adam Hawley, Greg Manning, Kelvin Wooten and others.

Catch her live performance at the Sunday Jazz Brunch on March 5, at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel. See brunch calendar on page 24 for details.

AvAilAble At: www.amazon.com, iTunes, https://music.apple.com, https://cdbaby.com/ and other online retailers

Website: www.kimscottmusic.com

Mariea Antoinette

• “SO AMAZING” (SINGLE)

(MAH Productions)

Gloriously and sensually making the harp an extremely vibrant and a melodic smooth jazz lead instrument, Mariea Antoinette is now setting our hearts afire with a divine sprinkling of Luther Vandross classic “So Amazing.” Pure joy from start to finish with string melody sweetened with gospel flavored backing vocals. A vA il Able At: iTunes, https://cdbaby.com, www.apple.com/ apple-music/ and all digital platforms

Website: www.marieaantoinette.com

By Ken Capobianco

IT’S

Taken Nearly 30 Years

, but New York-based guitarist JJ Sansaverino is finally seeing his dream of success as a solo artist becoming a reality.

Sansaverino has been a staple on the Manhattan jazz club scene and the guitarist for British reggae superstar Maxi Priest throughout this century. Now, thanks to three consecutive musically diverse albums over the last three years and a chart-topping single, Sansaverino is making the smooth jazz community take notice.

His latest album, Soul Energy, which followed hot on the heels of 2021’s Cocktails & Jazz and 2020’s International Groove, is the most accomplished of his five albums. Soul Energy is certain to build on the momentum of his No. 1 Billboard-charting single, “Style and Elegance.”

“A lot of hard work is paying off, and even though there were tough times, and there’s a lot of work to do ahead, I can’t be happier about the way things have turned out. I’m excited about the music, and I can feel people are responding. It’s what you dream about,” Sansaverino said via phone two days before Christmas from his home in Queens, New York, just outside of Manhattan.

The spirited and kinetic Soul Energy is a bit of a departure from the more club and urbane sophisticated vibes of the guitarist-composer’s previous four efforts. The album has a brighter sound with a heavier emphasis on Caribbean rhythms and upbeat tunes.

“When I was looking back at my previous CDs––as basic as the album covers––my first CD was called Sunshine After Midnight, and the picture was taken at midnight in the streets of Manhattan. For my second album, Waiting for You, the cover was taken at nighttime in the streets of Los Angeles, and I realized they were all dark, nightclubby street vibe. My wife makes fun of me because I wear black all the time. I wanted to get away from that and have more of a feeling of the earth, beach and sun.

“Here, I wanted to create music with bright colors. Songs you could play while driving with the top down on the Pacific Coast Highway or here on the beach in Brooklyn or Queens. I used musicians from all