CELEBRATED BASS PLAYER ETHAN FARMER LAUNCHES HIS SOLO CAREER WITH NEW JAZZ SINGLE AND VIDEO FOR “WATCH”

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“WINE & STRINGS” EP OUT NOW, WITH FULL LENGTH ALBUM DUE EARLY 2013

November 12, 2012 (Los Angeles, CA):  Ethan Farmer aka E-Bassman is a celebrated bass player and is no stranger to the music scene playing and touring with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Darius Rucker, Lionel Richie.  Ethan was introduced to his instrument of choice…the bass at the age of five and then became the youngest member of the family group The Amazing Farmer Singers at the age of eight.  From that early introduction, it has been a relationship that has only grown and evolved.

Ethan Farmer is truly changing the way we hear music today.  He has crafted and honed his talent to make the listening experience a journey.  Farmer has blurred the lines and taken in the influences of jazz, funk, soul, and rock &roll to create his eclectic sound. E-Bassman shares, “I want people to walk away from my show feeling like they did during Woodstock.  Just a good feeling that people remember for generations and it was all about the music.”

Now, E-Bassman is focused on his solo career with the launch of his single “Watch.”  From the first note, he hooks the listener with its up-tempo rhythm.  The single can be found on his seven song EP Wine and Strings, which is currently available online at iTunes and will be followed up with the full-length album in February 2013.

Ethan is currently touring Europe with the legendary Lionel Richie and will be wrapping up the world-wide jaunt in December. After the back to back tours with NKOTB and Richie, he is finally able to focus full-time on his on his solo efforts and promotions for his upcoming full length release courtesy of Good People Club Music Group.

Be sure to follow Ethan Farmer as he prepares the full-length album Wine & Strings 2.0 for release in February of 2013.

For upcoming announcements, tour dates and more, check out Ethan Farmer at:

http://ethan-farmer.com/

http://www.facebook.com/EbassmanFarmer

http://www.youtube.com/ebassman1

"Drink Pink" This October at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel

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Grab a glass and join The Blvd, Sidebar and CUT to raise funds for breast cancer research with the Noreen Fraser Foundation.

This October, “Drink Pink” at The Blvd, Sidebar and CUT at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, for National Breast Cancer Awareness month. By purchasing one of three featured pink cocktails in The Blvd – Pink Lady, Girls Night Out and Pink Sangria - or Lanson Rose Champagne in Sidebar or CUT, a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Noreen Fraser Foundation in the fight against cancer.

The month-long campaign will end in celebration with a fundraiser in The Blvd on October 30, 2012, as part of the After Dark series, which includes a four course dinner menu by Chef Gilles Arzur, a silent auction, performances by singer Margo Rey and other surprise guests. For tickets contact The Blvd at 310 385 3901.

DIRTY DANCING: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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25^th ANNIVERSARY CD PACKAGE PRESENTS ORIGINAL

12-SONG ALBUM, SOARING ON THE WINGS OF ORIGINAL CHART HITS “HUNGRY EYES,” “SHE’S LIKE THE WIND,” “(I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE” AND MORE!

BONUS FEATURES OF THIS SPECIAL FAN EDITION:

• Six ready-to-frame art cards with iconic movie images, plus a bumper sticker;

• New hardcover package with liner notes by executive producer Jimmy Ienner,

producers Michael Lloyd and Leon Medica, and producer-performers

Eric Carmen and Zappacosta

Available everywhere September 25, 2012, through RCA/Legacy

            Responding to the feedback from loyal fans around the world, Legacy Recordings presents DIRTY DANCING­: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION, which presents the original 12-song album of 1987, along with new bonus features.  This special commemorative project reflects Legacy’s direct survey of a portion of the millions of Dirty Dancing fans on Facebook who responded and wished to maintain the experience of the original release by showcasing the original running order of the album as it was first released, without bonus tracks.  This special fan edition CD package will be available everywhere September 25^th through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

            DIRTY DANCING­: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION will contain a number of exciting additions specifically requested by the fans, starting with the package’s dedication to the movie’s star, the late Patrick Swayze (1952-2009).  The image-driven CD booklet contains six ready-to-frame art cards showing iconic images from the movie, plus a newly-designed bumper sticker.  Fans also voted on the CD cover image from four images proposed by Legacy, and overwhelmingly chose to retain the original “Lift” image.

            “From the birth, 25 years ago,” writes executive producer Jimmy Ienner, “to the never-ending success of the movie and the soundtracks, I’m very proud of all my great producers and the extremely talented artists that contributed so much to the very satisfying roller­coaster ride called  Dirty Dancing.  I’m also very indebted to anyone involved in any way on the music and the film sides of this wonderful journey.  Lastly, but no less important, to the devoted fans around the world for the unbelievable continued support.  Keep carrying the watermelons and enjoying the lifts.”

            The accompanying booklet includes behind-the-scenes liner notes written by the song producers, starting with Jimmy Ienner.  The stellar producers themselves then offer their own thoughts, including:

• Eric Carmen, singer and producer of “Hungry Eyes”;
• Leon Medica, producer of “Where Are You Tonight?” (sung by Tom Johnston);
• Alfie Zappacosta, singer and producer of “Overload”; and
• Michael Lloyd, producer of “She’s Like the Wind” (written and sung by Patrick Swayze), “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and “Yes” sung by Merry Clayton;

            (Note: Eric Carmen and Zappacosta served double duty as both producers and performers of their respective tracks.)

            2012 marks the 25^th anniversary of Dirty Dancing, named one of the Top 10 Date Movies of all time by an E! Entertainment Television poll, with worldwide box office sales of more than $214 million since its opening in 1987.  Worldwide CD sales of the best-selling original RCA soundtrack album are in excess of 42 million copies, 11-times RIAA platinum in the U.S. alone. 

            The Dirty Dancing soundtrack album soared on the wings of the original chart hits “Hungry Eyes” (Billboard Hot 100 #4); “She’s Like the Wind” (Hot 100 #3); and the Grammy®, Oscar, and Golden Globe Award-winning “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” (Hot 100 #1).  Those three songs were among the six original new songs produced for the soundtrack album, which spent 96 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart spanning 1987-’88-’89, including 18 weeks at #1.  The other four original tracks are:

·      “Yes” performed by Merry Clayton (produced by Michael Lloyd);

·      “Overload” performed, co-written and produced by Zappacosta; and

·      “Where Are You Tonight? ” performed by Tom Johnston.

            The Dirty Dancing soundtrack album also included five well-chosen pop classics that were featured in the movie.  Those five hits, all dating from the 1950s and ’60s, are:

• “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes (Hot 100 #2, 1963);
• “Stay” by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs (Hot 100 #1, 1960);
• “Hey Baby” by Bruce Channel (Hot 100 #1, 1962);
• “Love Is Strange / Mickey & Sylvia (Hot 100 #11, 1957); and
• “In The Still Of The Night” by the Five Satins (Hot 100 #24, 1956).

            The final track was recorded by former RCA group the Blow Monkeys from England, their cover of Lesley Gore’s 1964 hit, “You Don’t Own Me.” 

            A cornerstone of ’80s pop culture, Dirty Dancing reflected back on the early-’60s culture of summer vacation life at a resort in New York’s Catskill Mountains (although it was filmed on location in Virginia and North Carolina).  With its heavenly mix of generation gap melodrama, well-programmed rock, R&B, Latin and pre-disco music, coming-of-age sexuality among its teens, and of course plenty of laughs and “dirty dancing,” the movie has stood the test of time over the last quarter-century.

            Dirty Dancing starred 27-year old Jennifer Grey (in only her sixth movie role, her follow-up to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1986) as young, naive “Baby” Houseman; 25-year old Patrick Swayze (only four years into his movie career, in between Red Dawn, which co-starred Grey, and Steel Dawn) as the sultry dance instructor Johnny Castle; and veteran character actor Jerry Orbach (four years before he began his 13-year stint on “Law & Order”) as Baby’s father, Dr. Jake Houseman.

           

            DIRTY DANCING­: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION (RCA/Legacy 88725 43528 2, originally issued August 1987, as RCA Victor 6408)  Selections: 1. (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life / Love Theme performed by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes • 2. Be My Baby / The Ronettes • 3. She's Like The Wind / Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser) • 4. Hungry Eyes / Eric Carmen • 5. Stay / Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs • 6. Yes / Merry Clayton • 7. You Don’t Own Me / The Blow Monkeys • 8. Hey Baby / Bruce Channel • 9. Overload / Zappacosta • 10. Love Is Strange / Mickey & Sylvia • 11. Where Are You Tonight? / Tom Johnston • 12. In The Still Of The Night / The Five Satins.

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK AND BILL BANFIELD PRESENT “SYMPHONY 10: AFFIRMATIONS FOR A NEW WORLD”

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NEW ORCHESTRAL COLLABORATION SET FOR HARRIS THEATER IN CHICAGO, OCTOBER 4, 2012

September 24, 2012 (New York, NY)  Iconic and Grammy Award-nominated a cappella ensemble SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK will present their first ever orchestral collaboration, “Symphony 10:  Affirmations for a New World,” with music composed by William C. Banfield and lyrics written by the ensemble members:  Ysaye M. Barnwell, Carol Maillard, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, and Louise Robinson.  The performance will be conducted by Banfield, in collaboration with the Sphinx Virtuosi (America’s most celebrated and influential African-American and Latino youth orchestra ensemble), and The Chicago Children’s Choir (directed by Josephine Lee), at the prestigious Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Millennium Park, Chicago, IL, on Thursday, October 4, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

In addition, to “Symphony 10: Affirmations for a New World, the Harris Theater engagement will also feature individual performance sets by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK and the Sphinx Virtuosi.

“Symphony 10: Affirmations for a New World,” was co-commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra (Christoph Eschenbach, Music Director), and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC; the Minnesota Orchestra, (Osmo Vänskä, Music Director), Minneapolis, MN; and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago, IL.  The work premiered with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins and the Morgan State Choir, (directed by Eric Conway), at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The Minnesota Orchestra presented the work at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, which was conducted by Mark Russell Smith with the Vocal Essence Choir (directed by Philip Brunelle).  Both were presented in late April 2012.

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK and Banfield began collaborating on “Symphony 10:  Affirmations for a New World,” five years ago. The final thirty minute work comprises five movements including:  “A Higher Note” by Aisha Kahlil, ”Dreams,” by Carol Maillard, “The Day the World Awoke,” by Nitanju Bolade Casel, “Discourse of Change,” by Ysaye M. Barnwell and “Yes,” by Louise Robinson. 

“Symphony 10:  Affirmations for a New World”, is a labor of love and one of the most challenging and adventurous projects we've undertaken as a group," stated Ysaye Barnwell.  "It has been a dream to one day blend our unique sound, artistry, and lyrics with a symphony orchestra, and we're very fortunate to have fulfilled it by partnering with such a gifted and talented composer as Bill Banfield,” she added.  “We thank the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, for co-commissioning, “Symphony 10:  Affirmations for a New World”, and we are delighted to be performing it in Chicago.”

Banfield cited some of the musical inspiration and concept for the score by offering, "Symphony 10:  Affirmations for a New World," affirms every human power we have:  love, imagination, fear and courage, will to change, dreaming, to ask the question and to touch someone else's soul.  It is stepping out as the text asks for ‘a higher note,’ to redefine the traditions in our art that need new fueling.”

For more information regarding tickets, visit: www.harristheaterchicago.org or call 312.334.7777

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK

www.sweethoneyintherock.org