The BB Jazz Festival Gives Back

May 8th, 2013 | By ChasingSoul

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking with Betty Bennish, the co-founder of the BB Jazz Fest.  Betty and her husband Corky founded BB Jazz in 2001. After experiencing a significant life challenge Betty credits music for getting her through and she wanted to find a way to give back.  BB Jazz is a non-profit organization that partners with various charities and causes such as: autism awareness, 100 Black Men of Orange County, Children of Uganda Foundation and Hands for Hope to name a few.  Betty is very passionate about the organizations they work with.  “We are very hands on. Most of the charities we get involved with are very hands on.”

Betty’s unique ability to showcase artists that sometimes “slips through the cracks” led her to be a sought-out talent scout and event producer.  Artists like Tony Rich, Kindred the Family Soul and Anthony David have all been introduced to the BB Jazz audience.  I asked Betty to share one of her most memorable moments and she said “It’s the smallest things that light my eyes up.  Last year when I brought an artist who was unknown – Anthony David.  I came through the VIP crowd and the audience was dancing and loving the performance.  I don’t feel like I’m taking a chance when I’m behind an unknown artist.  He was incredible – that was a highlight.”

BB Jazz has some great summer events planned beginning with Dwele on June 8th and closing out the summer with a BB Jazz Festival on September 7th and 8th. Some of your favorite artists will be performing during the 2-day festival:  Mint Condition, Lalah Hathaway, George Duke, Kindred the Family Soul and Anthony David just to name a few.  For more information visit www.BBJazz.com  – tickets are available now!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Concerts
Comments: No Comments »

Liv Warfield – “Why Do You Lie?”

April 21st, 2013 | By ChasingSoul

Last week Liv Warfield, Shelby J and Elisa Florillo of NPG represented their individual talents at ATL Live in the Park. These ladies have traveled the world with Prince and it’s nice to see them focusing on their own music. Y’all know I love Liv and she’s been teasing us with a few songs here and there but I’m ready for a a new album — aren’t you? Many thanks to funkatopia.com for the footage so we can witness that soul and power that Liv exudes on stage.

There’s nothing worse than a liar and Liv is breaking it down in this performance of “Why Do You Lie?” She owns the stage and my goodness — listen to those horns! This is what real music sounds like!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Music
Comments: No Comments »

Raheem DeVaughn – “Love Connection” Video

April 19th, 2013 | By ChasingSoul

It’s been a long journey to A Place Called Loveland but we’re almost there. The highly anticipated project is due out this summer and the official video for “Love Connection” has just hit the airwaves. Press play and watch Raheem work!

 

 

Tags: , ,
Posted in Music
Comments: No Comments »

Bilal Shows Baltimore What ‘A Love Surreal’ Feels Like

February 17th, 2013 | By ChasingSoul

I’m still on a high from Bilal’s A Love Surreal CD Release Concert. The combination of getting an opportunity to sit down with him for an intimate discussion and experiencing A Love Surreal live just took me over the top.  One of the first things I said to Bilal was ‘thank you’ for not making us wait too long for new music.  He smiled and said he was ‘in a flow’ and yes, we are thankful for that.  Below are a few highlights from our conversation.

A Love Surreal

Bilal said the album was inspired by the need to find the passion again and reigniting the flame — that’s something that every artist needs to experience at some point.  He was also inspired by the art of Salvador Dali and wondered if he could make music that people could see as well as hear.

Lessons learned

I asked Bilal to think back to his release “1st Born Second” and his journey — what advice would he give to his younger self?  Bilal thoughtfully replied, “don’t apologize.” He went on to share that he would often apologize for his artistic expression and it would be awhile before that would resonate with him.

Love for Sale

We talked about the leaked gem from 2006 Love for Sale and if there were any plans to release it the future.  ”I don’t own the masters so that would have to be figured out”. He also said he is frequently asked about that CD in various interviews and it’s crazy because at one point in time he thought he was the only one that liked that album.  At that time he was with Interscope and they didn’t care for the project and shelved it. This CD also came up in our discussion on the impacts of social media on the music industry.  Bilal shared his feelings on the Internet and that it can both help and hurt the artist.  For example, it was bad when Love for Sale was leaked but fan reception to the project gave Bilal confirmation that his art was appreciated after all.

Bilal performed for 2 1/2 hours and he pretty much had us all under a spell.  He opened with songs from A Love Surreal including “Back to Love”, “West Side Girl” and my new favorite “Slipping Away”.  After a few fan requests he decided it was time to share some of his classics and hit us with “Cake and Eat It Too”, “Soul Sista”, and “Sometimes” among others.  The show was excellent.  I left with the full understanding of what A Love Surreal feels like and I can’t quite put it in to words — it’s something you need to experience for yourself.

Washington, DC you’re up next.  Bilal will be performing at the Black Cat March 15th at 9:00 PM – get your tickets here.  You can also pre-order A Love Surreal available February 26th.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Concerts
Comments: No Comments »