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CONTACT: THE THREE TENORS RECORD ON NEW ACOUSTIC ALBUM Miami, Florida, August 16, 2007-- Tenor saxophonists Ed Calle and Kirk Whalum, each star solo artists in their own right, have joined forces to record “Songs from the Heart,” starring vocalist Sylvia Bennett and featuring the late, great saxophonist Boots Randolph. “We’re capturing a moment in time that won’t happen again between three of the greatest tenor sax players in the world,” says album producer Hal S. Batt of Afterhours Recording Studio. “We’ve recorded a piece of history.” “It’s back to real players, back to the grass roots. It’s organic music, not amplified and without synthesizers. The feel is the Blue Note Lounge, authentic music from the heart,” Batt says. The upcoming release of timeless standards is the first of its kind to include the multi-cultural trio of saxophonists who are featured on three songs each and all together on “Since I Fell for You.” Batt and international recording artist and entertainer Sylvia Bennett have partnered before to create the recently released “There Will Never Be Another You,” starring the late jazz legend Lionel Hampton. Bennett and Hampton performed together for 10 years and also recorded “Sentimental Journey,” on Atlantic Records, a Grammy nominee. Bennett stars in “The Lady and the Legend,” a tribute show honoring Lionel Hampton, most recently performed at Miami’s Carnival Center for the Performing Arts and the White Plains Performing Arts Center. Boots Randolph, performed for more than 40 years before his death in July. He played on several albums with Elvis Presley, recorded with Roy Orbison, REO Speedwagon, Al Hirt and Jerry Lee Lewis. But he was best known for his 1963 hit “Yakety Sax” and his Nashville club “Printer’s Alley.” South Floridian Ed Calle, born of Spanish parents in Venezuela, can be heard on Grammy-award winning albums by Frank Sinatra, Vicky Carr, Arturo Sandoval and Jon Secada. Calle has performed around the world with such artists as Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias, Bob James, Bobby Caldwell and Vanessa Williams. From his beginnings in Memphis, Kirk Whalum started out playing in his father's church choir, and drew inspiration from the rich musical traditions of that city. He has performed with such notables as Whitney Houston, Babyface, Yolanda Adams, Take 6, Bebe & Cece Winans, Barbra Streisand, Kevin Mahogany, Al Green, and Luther Vandross. He has worked on a number of film scores, and his sax solo was featured on Whitney Houston's hit song "I Will Always Love You," on the soundtrack for “The Bodyguard.” The acoustic recording includes Chuck Bergeron on bass, known as co-arranger for Kevin Mahogany and for his long affiliation with the Woody Herman Big Band. On piano is Brian Murphy who has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Paquito D’Rivera, Woody Shaw, Dave Liebman and many others. Drummer on “Songs from the Heart” is Frank Derrick who toured worldwide with Cab Calloway and was drummer for “The David Letterman Show” on NBC. Sammy Figueroa is the percussionist on the album. He has toured with Miles Davis and has played with Dave Sanborn, Quincy Jones, George Benson, Grover Washington, Jr., Al Jarreau, Dave Grusin, Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera. Producer, Hal S. Batt also plays guitar on the album. Batt is an award winning producer and song writer and has worked with Julio Iglesias, Sandy Patty, Shakira, Regina Bell and Jean Carne among others. In addition to “Since I Fell for You,” on which all three tenor saxophonists play, other songs showcasing Bennett’s vocals and solos by each tenor saxophonists include timeless standards, “Here’s That Rainy Day,” “As Time Goes By,” “Embraceable You,” “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “I Still Love You,” “My Funny Valentine,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” For more information on this topic or to interview Sylvia Bennett or Hal Batt, please call Kim Allison at 305-361-2311 or 305-282-0335. |
