This weekend saw the Academy of Country Music Awards present Taylor Swift with its Milestone Award. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the ACMs Taylor was one of seven artists who were honored for making a significant impact in the genre.
On accepting the honour, Taylor said:
"I'm so happy, so happy I learned to write songs in a town like Nashville. I'm so grateful that I learned what hard work is from my heroes who are all sitting here. And I'm so unbelievably proud that I learned to treat people with kindness and respect from country music. I love you so much."
The Milestone Award was also presented on Sunday to fellow industry superstars Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Kenny Chesney.
Also in attendance on Sunday was Hunter Hayes who begins his debut headline UK tour at KOKO London in a months time on May 22nd. Last remaining tickets available now here.
Taylor Swift begins The 1989 World Tour on May 5th at the Tokyo Dome. The tour hits the UK on June 23rd at Glasgow's SSE Hydro. Tickets and more details can be found here.
Press reaction: Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea in North America
As Herbie and Chick approach the final shows of the North American leg of their tour, we take a look at what the press thought about their first collaborative tour since 1978.
NEW YORK TIMES
Review: Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on Two Grand Pianos at Carnegie Hall
Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock strolled onstage at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night like a longtime comedy team. Both were members of Miles Davis groups, both have widely recorded on electric keyboards as well as piano, and both are among jazz's greatest pianists. But the last time Mr. Hancock and Mr. Corea toured as a duo was in the late 1970s before resuming celebrated solo careers.
For nearly the entire concert, Mr. Hancock and Mr. Corea played as if each had vowed never to let the other play alone for long, while retaining the prerogatives of a soloist. It made for a night of dense yet remarkably transparent music; what could have been endless collisions were kaleidoscopic overlays instead. Their two very distinct styles could still be discerned: Mr. Hancock's bluesiness and through-the-looking-glass harmonies, Mr. Corea's pinging melodies and hints of flamenco, Chopin and Stravinsky. But they often merged into a glorious, vertiginous rush of ideas.
Davis's "All Blues" unfurled new implications for its open-ended harmonies. On Mr. Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," Mr. Corea playfully challenged the rolling rhythm of its familiar vamp with syncopations and polytonal toppings of his own. Mr. Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" began as a rapt, luminous meditation, with its theme peeking out one tentative note at a time, before the duo teased it toward a waltz and sent it spiraling through key changes.
THE WASHINGTON POST
At Corea and Hancock's performance, crowd-pleasers and timeless classics
If ovations were cherry blossoms, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock would have been up to their knees in petals at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Friday night. Yet, as pleased as they were with the resounding response, there were moments during the nearly two-hour, sold-out performance when the jazz-piano legends seemed to find even greater delight in each other's company and in the playful gamesmanship that ensued.
It's been nearly 40 years since the release of "An Evening With Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert," a landmark compilation of live tracks that still serves as a template for the duo's live performances. Friday night's concert, presented by Washington Performing Arts, reminded listeners time and again that some jazz virtuosos seem destined to share the stage. At one point, in fact, the pianists marveled at how their careers initially interlocked a half-century ago. First, in the early 1960s, Hancock replaced Corea in Mongo Santamaria's band; then, several years later, Corea replaced Hancock in Miles Davis's group.
These days, Corea, 73, and Hancock, who turned 75 on Sunday, are all about mutual admiration, and their engaging camaraderie onstage couldn't be more evident. How best to elicit a smile, a laugh or, better yet, a startled expression from a distinguished peer? Some surefire maneuvering — and outmaneuvering — came into play Friday night. Tumultuous crescendos surged forward, only to stop on a dime. A solitary note hovered near the end of a coda, toying with listener expectations and thwarting a timely resolution. Countless countermelodies surfaced in myriad forms, snugly fitting into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
The evening's biggest crowd-pleaser, though, centered on audience participation. After Corea drafted large groups of concertgoers into a male or female "choir" with a few swipes of his hand, the pianists conducted the ad hoc vocal ensembles in a whimsical and remarkably harmonious performance of Corea's signature hit, "Spain." This time, the audience rewarded itself with a rousing ovation — and deservedly so.
Corea and Hancock are on an extensive world tour. Without doubt, another collection of concert recordings is forthcoming. If so, there certainly won't be a shortage of audacious four-hand collaborations that underscore an enduring bond and chemistry.
THE STAR
At Massey Hall, April 14
Jazz titans Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea casually strolled onto the stage.
They took their seats, facing each other across two grand pianos. Hancock began building lush chords. Corea came in high with butterfly flourishes. Together, they improvised a melancholy lullaby that set the tone for an evening of intimate spontaneity.
The pianists, who both cut their jazz teeth in ensembles led by legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, are touring together for the first time in nearly 40 years. Their 1978 tour, which produced two double live albums, was strictly an acoustic affair. Interestingly, both men were then deeply committed to fusion, playing spacey and rhythmic electrified jazz accented with rock instrumentation.
In one of the evening's more playful moments, Hancock even improvised a hip-hop beat with his synth's drum program while Corea created a crystalline melody on his own before reaching into the top of his piano to pluck its strings.
Between songs, they joked with the eclectic crowd — a crowd as diverse as their respective catalogues, which range from avant-garde to fusion to pop. They even ruminated about Toronto's place in music history.
For an encore, the duo delved into Corea's 1970s fusion masterpiece, "Spain" — a song that follows Miles Davis' 1960 Sketches of Spain LP by borrowing heavily from Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's 1939 Concierto de Aranjuez.
As their encore crescendoed, Corea and Hancock led the audience in a call and response, encouraging them to mimic their pianos' phrases, laughing when they tried to trip the crowd up. Such jovial intimacy characterized the night: two aging masters still at the height of their musical prowess; two old friends happy to be challenging each other on stage again.
The tour returns in May to Asia and Australia before heading to Europe in July. For further details and tickets, click here.
A tribute to Joe Cocker
Marshall Arts are truly saddened to learn today of the passing of a true British legend.
Joe was simply unique. He was without doubt the greatest rock-soul singer to come out of Britain, and he remained the same man throughout his life.
He was a true star – but a kind and humble man who loved to perform. Anyone who ever saw him live will never forget him.
It will be impossible to fill the space he leaves in our hearts.
Al Jarreau announces Ronnie Scott's residency
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of 'Jarreau', the Platinum-certified album released in 1983, premier British trumpeter Tom Walsh and Larry Williams, Al Jarreau's pianist, horn player, and album producer, have enlisted their friends and colleagues to perform this fantastic, high-octane album in whole, with Al Jarreau himself.
A special project offering an extremely rare opportunity to catch this legendary artist perform music from one of his most acclaimed albums 'Jarreau' in the intimate surroundings of Ronnie Scott's across three nights with two performances each night.
Sunday 16th, Tuesday 18th & 19th February 2014. Tickets available here.
Al Jarreau is one of the world's musical treasures. With his unique vocal style, seven Grammys, scores of international music awards, and popular accolades worldwide, he is one of the most exciting and critically acclaimed performers of our time.
Pink receives Billboard's Woman of the Year 2013 award
Pink received the Woman of the Year Award at the 2013 Billboard Women in Music event in New York City on Tuesday.
Pink, who scored her fourth No. 1 single on the Hot 100 earlier this year with "Just Give Me a Reason," a duet with Fun.'s Nate Ruess caps off a memorable year collecting this honour.
Reflecting on this year Pink said "It's been an incredible... and I feel so grateful to radio for sticking by me, and to the fans and friends and all of the incredible talent that I was fortunate enough to work with for this album."
Her sixth full-length, 'The Truth About Love' became her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 after its release last September, with lead single "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," "Try," "Just Give Me a Reason" and "True Love" earned a Grammy nomination earlier this year for Best Pop Vocal Album.
P!nk's five subsequent albums have peaked inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200, culminating with her first No. 1 late last year. Along the way, she's sold over 40 million albums and 65 million singles, including 20 million digital tracks. That includes 14 top 10 singles, with "Lady Marmalade," "So What," "Raise Your Glass" and "Just Give Me a Reason" reaching No. 1 in the U.S.
Billboard's annual Women in Music Event, now in its eighth year, celebrates the most powerful and talented women in the music business, coinciding with the publication of Billboard's Women in Music Power Players list. Katy Perry was the 2012 Woman of the Year honouree, while previous winners include Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
Press reaction: George Michael's Symphonica
George Michael is preparing to complete his run of ‘Symphonica’ UK tour dates this October, shows which have been by his own admission, some of his “best ever”.
According to the Sheffield Star, George wowed the crowd with his “majestic performance last night”, a performance that his fans have patiently waited for. The crowd in turn roared their approval every time he crisscrossed the stage. His obvious rapport with the audience gave last night’s show an intimacy that belied the fact he was performing to yet another sold out arena.
The rescheduled ‘Symphonica’ tour kicked-off in Vienna in September, the city in which George was hospitalised with pneumonia in 2011, but George’s return to the UK has been particularly special to him, and the crowd response has brought him great happiness.
By the time George finishes at London’s Earls Court on Wednesday 17 October, he will have played an incredible 65 shows in some of the most beautiful opera houses and biggest arenas in Europe.
Having just confirmed he will not visit Australia after advice from his doctors, he has assured fans via his website that he will complete all the shows in the UK.
George Michael was in celebratory mood on his return to the UK - Huffington Post
Michael was in magnificent voice …Women screamed from the moment a curtain dropped and they could locate their idol. The performance was an almost note-perfect display of pop professionalism - Sunday Times Culture
George proved why he is one of the finest voices and songwriters of a generation - Express and Star
His Voice was pitch perfect and the fans delighted in the performance. Inevitably, as the show ended, the fans stamped their feet and called for more and he didn't disappoint, giving them the encore they were screaming for - Touchbase Magazine
Too many magic moments to mention, this tour proves 49 year old George is back, and boy he means business - Manchester Evening News
Vocally He Was In Tip Top Form - Glasgow Herald & Times
A tribute to Whitney Houston
Following the news early on Sunday 12 February that Whitney Houston had passed away, we at Marshall Arts were able to reflect on the two and half decades we had spent working with her across the UK and Europe.
There have been a great many tributes paid to this icon of modern music from those who loved and respected her. We would like to add ours.
Marshall Arts had the great privilege of working with Whitney from the very beginning of her career, starting with her first tour with us in 1986. It was a revelation. She was a very beautiful young woman, with THE most amazing voice. She quite simply stunned everyone who heard her.
Whitney has left an indelible mark on the music world and all those people to whom she gave so much joy. We are proud that we knew her and worked with her in our small way through so many milestones during the past 25 years, and indeed to be a part of her team on the road.
Whitney may be lost to all of us, but we will all remember the unique contribution she made to so many of our lives. Her voice and her spirit will live on. Her music will continue to inspire and move generations to come.
Our hearts go out to her 'treasure' - Bobbi Kristina, to Cissy and all her family, whose love, we know has been so important to her, and their support, a major part of her life's journey.
Whitney, we will all miss you.
SADE RETURNS TO EUROPE THIS AUTUMN
Due to sensational media reviews and stunning audience reactions to the recently completed spring tour, Sade have announced that they will return to Europe this autumn for further live performances, as part of their 2011 world tour.
New dates will include: Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and the band are thrilled to take their show for the first time to Finland, Russia, Poland, Croatia, and Hungary.
After such a significant time away from the stage Sade have returned to sell out audiences of over 150,000 people in 21 cities this spring. The band’s unforgettable performances have mixed Sade’s classic sound with the stunning visuals of Sophie Muller, creating a once in a lifetime concert experience.
The two hour spell binding set list takes fans on a journey through their collection of timeless hits; from the crowd pleasers of ‘Smooth Operator’ to the sultry blues ballad ‘Jezebel’. This is mixed with material from their post millennial and critically acclaimed album, ‘Soldier of Love’.
Sade opened the first date of their 54 date US leg in Baltimore on Thursday 16th June, and have taken America by storm with rave reviews. Their American and Canadian fans are enjoying their first chance to see Sade since the acclaimed 2001 ‘Lovers Live’ Tour, and the press and public reactions have been exceptional.
“That luxurious, smoky voice…..is as glorious as ever”
Rolling Stone, USA
“Triumphant return to the stage”
USA Today
“They’re not gonna get any better than this….the best concert of the year”
Baltimore Sun, USA
“One of those shows you’d talk about for years”
Baltimore Sun, USA
“Best of all is her voice, by turns sultry and strident, intimate and powerful”
Bloomberg International
Worldwide, their last studio album ‘Soldier of Love’ has proven to be a global success, debuting in America at number one where it reigned for three weeks, it has currently sold over two and a half million albums globally, and is now Diamond certificated. Last month Sade followed this up with the release of the best of album ‘The Ultimate Collection’ which includes three never before heard tracks including ‘The Moon and The Sky’ remix featuring JAY-Z, along with 29 classic tracks, and one month after release the album is already certified double platinum.
The band have been nominated for American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and have won four Grammy Awards, first in 1986 for Best New Artist, in 1994 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group for “No Ordinary Love”, in 2002 for Best Pop Vocal Album with Lovers Rock, and most recently in 2011 for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group for “Soldier of Love”.