VA - Jazzin' Surround (2003) FLAC

Heads Up International, a leader in contemporary jazz as well as digitally recorded music, announces the worldwide release of Jazzin’ Surround (HUSA 9005), its first SACD sampler, on October 28, 2003. This 10-song sampler features music from several of the label’s top-selling albums in recent years, including Yellowjackets Time Squared (HUSA 9075), Spryo Gyra’s Original Cinema (HUSA 9074), the Jaco Pastorius Big Band’s Word of Mouth Revisited (HUSA 9078) and Philip Bailey’s Soul on Jazz (HUSA 9068). Jazzin’ Surround also opens with a bonus track featuring the gritty, blues flavored vocal and instrumental version of "Woke Up This Morning," the theme from the HBO hit series The Sopranos. The track is from Joe McBride and the Texas Rhythm Club’s Keepin’ It Real (HUCD 3067), an album not previously released on SACD.

Heads Up has coined the motto "Coming At You From All Sides" for all of its SACD Surround recordings, and Jazzin’ Surround backs up the claim. The album is a blend of contemporary jazz injected with a funky dose of R&B. Spyro Gyra’s "Extrovertical" from their recently released Original Cinema, is a highly energized, atmospheric bag of musical styles and nuances – a little jazz in one corner, a little funk in another, a little R&B in yet another.

Another highlight on this disc is "Wiggle Waggle," from the Jaco Pastorius Big Band’s Word of Mouth Revisited – an album that features some of the best bass all-stars on the scene today, including Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Gerald Veasley and Victor Wooten, among others. With the help of some technological wizardry, the late Jaco himself plays the bass line on this Herbie Hancock tune that was one of the legendary bassist’s all-time favorites.

Since 1989, Heads Up International has been successfully carving its niche in the contemporary jazz genre. Dave Love, president of Heads Up, attributes the label’s success to his roster of artists. "With signings over the years of such artists as Spyro Gyra, Pieces of a Dream, Philip Bailey, Marion Meadows, and the Yellowjackets, I feel that the label is developing its own sound – a unique mix of contemporary jazz with an urban-fusion flair and world jazz, " says Love. "The crossover potential and international appeal of this repertoire has aided us in garnering world-wide success." Heads Up International has also released the only three SACD/Enhanced CD’s with Spyro Gyra’s Original Cinema, Yellowjackets’ Time Squared and the Jaco Pastorius Big Band’s Word of Mouth Revisited. An enhanced CD is a marriage of audio with a CD-ROM portion. By loading the CD into a PC or Mac, the user is able to view videos, biographical information, graphics and much more.