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| Third Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse will be open Starbucks Hear Music announced that its third Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse, located at 605 Lincoln Road in South Beach, will open to the public today. This innovative retail store blends the classic Starbucks coffeehouse experience with an extensive selection of physical CDs and the next generation of the Hear Music media bars which provide customers with an easy, fun, self-service way to discover and customize music on CDs drawing from more than 1 million digital tracks -- offering a fully integrated coffee and music experience. The opening of the Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse in Miami follows the launch of the Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse in San Antonio, which opened in December 2005, and the flagship location in Santa Monica, Calif., which opened in March 2004. On hand for a private media-only preview of the Starbucks Hear Music() Coffeehouse in Miami this morning will be Sergio Mendes and will.i.am -- leader, producer and chief writer of the The Black Eyed Peas -- who will make remarks about their collaborative album, Timeless. The highly anticipated new album will be co-released by Concord Records and Starbucks Hear Music and was produced by and features will.i.am as well as an exciting array of guest artists including The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Justin Timberlake, Jill Scott, John Legend, Q-Tip, and india.arie. Timeless will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations and traditional music retail beginning February 14, 2006. In addition, Sonya Kitchell, the second artist to be featured in Starbucks Hear Music() Debut CD series, will perform acoustic songs from her upcoming album, Words Came Back To Me, which will be co-released by Starbucks Hear Music and Velour Music Group simultaneously at both traditional retail and Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S and Canada beginning on April 4, 2006. "Miami is not only one of the world's great cities, but it is home to a rich and diverse music community, which makes it an ideal place for the newest Starbucks Hear Music() Coffeehouse, " said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment. "We're excited to be a part of this vibrant community, and look forward to becoming an important new destination on Miami's cultural scene. We are thrilled that three of the artists with whom we'll be launching significant CD projects in the coming months -- Sergio Mendes, will.i.am and Sonya Kitchell -- will be on hand to celebrate the opening. Their participation reflects Starbucks Hear Music's ongoing commitment to introducing our customers to the most unique and compelling new releases from established and emerging artists alike." Sergio Mendes' Timeless, which is Mendes' first new album in more than eight years, further builds on a growing relationship between Concord Records and Starbucks Hear Music and is the fourth album the companies have co-released since 2004. The other titles include the GRAMMY Award-winning Ray Charles album Genius Loves Company, Carole King's The Living Room Tour and Zucchero's Zucchero & Co. Produced by and featuring will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, Timeless is a wholly original blend of music (fifteen tracks) from one of the most internationally successful Brazilian musicians of all time, Sergio Mendes, who -- 40 years ago -- brought Brasil '66 and "Mas Que Nada" to the world. will.i.am and Sergio Mendes brought in The Black Eyed Peas, one of hip-hop's premier artists, and also recruited some of pop music's biggest artists, each a Sergio fan, to contribute to various tracks, including: Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, india.arie, Black Thought of The Roots, John Legend, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Jill Scott, and Q-Tip, among others. "From the beginning, will and I decided to revisit many of the classics of the Brazilian songbook that I had recorded in the past, " said Sergio Mendes. "The combination of those great melodies and will.i.am's urban vision inspired me to bring those classics to a new dimension and to the streets of the world. I'm excited to be collaborating with Starbucks on this album. It's more important than ever these days to develop innovative ways to market and distribute music." "Hip-hop is urban to America, but samba and bossa nova are urban to Brazil, " adds will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. "These are two urban cultures clashing and fusing together beautifully, because they share a lot of the same qualities. I'm excited that we have this great opportunity with the opening of the Starbucks Hear Music() Coffeehouse to introduce Miami music fans to the album -- it's a great venue to discover new music." Of working with Sergio Mendes, Justin Timberlake said, "Sergio's creation of chord progressions has heavily influenced modern R&B, specifically now. He is a legend and a beautiful person. It was a pleasure to work with him (on Timeless)." Black Thought of The Roots adds, "I've had the opportunity to work with just about everyone I've desired to work with and now the legendary Sergio Mendes! It was an honor to be able to collaborate with such a cool, unorthodox, timeless and well-rounded musician. He's quite an inspiration." The album's first radio track, "Yes, Yes Y'all" (featuring Black Thought of The Roots and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5) has already hit number 1 on the Top 50 Airplay Chart at KCRW, the influential Los Angeles public radio station. KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt calls Timeless, "A new spin from a timeless master. will.i.am's brilliance will bring Sergio's music to a whole new audience." Sergio and will.i.am performed their song, "Surfboard" on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Thursday, February 2, 2006, representing the first national broadcast performance in support of the album. Words Came Back To Me, the debut album from singer, guitarist and songwriter Sonya Kitchell, will be released on April 4, 2006 as a collaboration between Velour Music Group and Starbucks Hear Music. A collection of twelve original songs (all penned by Kitchell) that critic Anthony Decurtis calls "extraordinary...a remarkably sophisticated collection of songs that belies the age of its creator, " the new album represents a dazzling debut by a remarkable young artist, blending pop, jazz, folk and blues into a thing of soulful beauty." Though only sixteen, Kitchell has built a formidable reputation both as a performer and recording artist. "Her engaging voice is only one part of the package, " raved Don Heckman in a L.A. Times feature in May. "Add to that her songwriting, her expressive interpretations, her sophisticated musical choices and her slender, blond beauty. It seems only a matter of time before this fascinating performer moves into the national spotlight." Recorded in Vermont, New York City and at home in the Berkshires, Words Came Back To Me features Kitchell on acoustic guitar and vocals, backed by musicians from her regular band of roots/jazz aces, all under the age of 30. Sonya Kitchell is only the second artist to be selected for the Starbucks Hear Music() Debut CD series, which was created to introduce emerging artists with great talent and long-term career potential. Words Came Back To Me will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada beginning April 4, 2006. It will be simultaneously released in record stores and music retailers nationwide. Similar to the multi-platinum, eight time GRAMMY Award-winning Ray Charles album, Genius Loves Company and Herbie Hancock's GRAMMY Award-nominated album, Possibilities, Starbucks Hear Music participated in many facets of Timeless and Words Came Back to Me's lifecycles, including the marketing and distribution of the albums. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |