Socially conscious singer/songwriter Ola Onabulé has built an enviable career as an international touring performer and has now turned his attention to the North American market with a newly recorded collection of original songs. Onabulé's meticulous attention to detail in his arrangements and production as well as the support from Sennheiser/Neumann have contributed to the manifestation of an impressive recording.   Point Less, boldly expresses Onabule's views on social injustice, reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it. Violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity are themes considered on Point Less, rendered with a powerful and knowing generosity of spirit. Onabulé is rueful yet optimistic. Downbeat reviewed the recording for their December 2019 issue and commented; "Resisting hatred and injustice, Ola Onabule spurs contemplation"  See reviews as story cover

'Point Less' is the title track of the album and for good reason. It is on the face of it, an exploration of the pointlessness of violence, but it aims to delve a little deeper and asks why in the modern era there seems to be a tendency to point the finger of blame at the victims of violence. The song addresses how peoples who are afflicted by subjugation to a violent culture, ironically have a tendency to enact greater violence on one another . It uses a play on the words point and less and the word pointless to explore these complex relationships. The POINT LESS podcast with Ola Onabule: POINT LESS The POINT LESS podcast is a series that boldly expresses views on social injustice. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it. Violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity are themes considered and rendered with a powerful and knowing generosity of spirit.So embodies the artistic - and entrepreneurial - philosophy of Onabulé, whose latest album release, Point Less, is a giant leap forward and deeply soulful Rueful yet optimistic, Onabulé's reach is global. His three-and-a-half octave baritone and the powerful emotions he conveys with it connects with audiences around the world. "Hands-on, self-sufficiency has always been my mantra for survival in the music game," says the songwriter. Produced & Narrated by Max Horowitz - Crossover Media This content, as well as the related podcast, are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) for redistribution and adaptation.

A freewheeling powerhouse of manic sax riffing, melodic synthwave, and thundering grooves, the Comet Is Coming combines the rhythms of modern electronica. Credit keyboardist Dan "Danalogue" Leavers and drummer Max "Betamax" Hallett and the improvisational fire of contemporary jazz courtesy sax master "King Shabaka" Hutchings. The leaderless UK collective ("It's like an experiment," says Danalogue. "Can anarchy work in a musical format?") presents a unified vision on second LP Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, which explores notions of connection to the infinite and universal unity. The Comet Is Coming combines the rhythms of modern electronica and the improvisational fire of contemporary jazz. "We're delving into that one specific, deep mystery, which is one that we all share," muses the keyboardist. "No one knows what's gonna happen after you die, right? You've got paradise mythology, heaven mythology, people going into psychedelic trances where they swear they've gone into the afterlife and come back. It's such a rich area of investigation." The trio continues its philosophical, spiritual, and cosmic explorations on new EP The Afterlife, six thematic tracks recorded at the same time as the full album. READ THE FULL Austin Chronicle INTERVIEW

The cosmic fusion group skewers the jazz-trio format as it's typically understood, flipping the minimalist palette into an electrifying, apocalyptic sound. Since their debut was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2016, the Comet is Coming's saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings has become a formidable presence in the international jazz scene in his own right, making fans of Beyoncé and Virgil Abloh along the way. Hutchings landed not just one but three different bands on the Impulse label in the process. From the Afro-Caribbean stomp of his Sons of Kemet to the South African spiritual jazz of Shabaka and the Ancestors, his music is simultaneously rooted in the traditional, broadly international in scope, and thoroughly of the moment. But there's something in the way the Comet Is Coming skewers the typical jazz trio that stands apart from his other projects. Its surface speaks to the cosmic sounds of Sun Ra, but there's something raw and earthy at the core. Comet draw from the minimal, restrained palette of the trio format to make something that's electrifying and apocalyptic all at once, able to tear the roof of jazz-as well as rock, jam band, and EDM-festivals. A companion piece to this year's Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, The Afterlife continues to hover over that album's scorched earth, not replicating the rush of "Summon the Fire" but instead exploring in greater detail that set's most somber moments. It's concise yet also shows the trio's depth in just over 30 minutes. READ THE FULL Pitchfork REVIEW

In a complete reversal, WNYC will no longer go through with its controversial decision to cancel the music program New Sounds. Instead, the 37-year-old eclectic music program, which has since its inception been hosted by John Schaefer, will continue to air seven nights a week on the radio and through its online stream. Goli Sheikholeslami, the president and CEO of New York Public Radio (which owns both WNYC and Gothamist), made the announcement in an internal email to staff on Monday morning. The news did not come as a complete surprise. On Friday, following a tense meeting with a packed room of WNYC and WQXR employees who protested the decision, Sheikholeslami said that she would take the weekend to think about the decision announced more than a week ago to drop the show. Along with Schaefer, Caryn Havlik, the producer of New Sounds, were set to be let go at the end of year; they will now both remain at the station. PHOTO BY TODD FRANCE READ THE FULL gothamist ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Imagine the scrolling main title of Star Wars or wizards taking flight in Harry Potter without triumphant brass and sweeping strings. These cinematic moments would lose their emotional resonance without the iconic music of John Williams. With 51 Oscar nominations and countless awards, John Williams has defined movie music for a half-century. So what happens when one of the most celebrated film composers teams up with one of today's foremost violinists? Anne-Sophie Mutter says that she's dreamed of collaborating with John Williams for decades. In the new Deutsche-Grammophon album Across the Stars, Williams conducts Mutter and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles in selections from some of the composer's most memorable film scores. These short pieces, which Mutter calls "little violin concerti," explore the virtuosic capabilities of the instrument, from the blazing, Paganini-esque rendition of Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter to the contemplative, melancholy interpretation of Sayuri's Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha. In a recent interview with WFMT: CHICAGO, Mutter discusses her long-time admiration of John Williams' scores, how she convinced the composer to collaborate (it involves some German gingerbread), and her thoughts on the importance of film music. READ THE Q&A p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Ramin Karimloo is an actor and singer best known for his performances on London's West End and Broadway. He has played the leading male roles in both of the West End's longest running musicals: the Phantom and Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, and Jean Valjean, Enjolras, and Marius in Les Misérables. Ramin made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in the 2014 revival production of Les Misérables, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical nomination.ramin karimloo He has brought his amazing vocal prowess to the 12 songs on his new CD called From Now On. The title song is from the Movie Musical, The Greatest Showman. Ramin's voice is amazing and he sounds wonderful singing pretty much anything! The album contains songs from The Last Five years, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Bridges of Madison County, among others. One of my favorite songs on the album is "What You Own" which is from my favorite musical Rent. Another favorite is the classic song "I Will Always Love You," from the movie The Bodyguard. READ THE FULL Kings River Life REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}