Alfonzo Blackwell’s Tribute to King of Pop Michael Jackson

contents

jazz

Utopia Records is pleased and honored to announce the new exclusive single-track release of "Human Nature" which was produced, arranged, performed, mixed and engineered by music veteran Alfonzo Blackwell. The multi-talented and multi-instrumentalist masterminds the orchestration of a flawless live performance on the soprano saxophone, electric bass, acoustic guitar accompanied by drum, percussion and piano/keyboard programming resulting in a one-man band; he effortlessly displays his gift of straight-up stirring Soul mixed with 21st century musical genius.

"Alfonzo Blackwell has really outdone himself with his interpretation of one of the world's most favorite MJ classics. This remake is thought-provoking, soulful and Alfonzo has made it his own. I always expect the best and nothing less from a master musician, artist and entertainer such as himself. The world is introduced to the new era of musical genius with Mr. Blackwell's unique artistry. It's an exciting year for Utopia Records to be celebrating his 15th Anniversary in the recording industry. The Utopia Team is honored to work with such an amazing visionary." states Casandra Tucker, VP of Public Affairs at Utopia Records. The MP3 track of "Human Nature" is available exclusively for download at the Utopia Records online store.

"Human Nature" is a prelude to more tributes to come from Utopia Records and Mr. Alfonzo Blackwell. Alfonzo says, "Michael Jackson used his voice in so many ways as an instrument like that of a saxophone, bass, guitar and even a percussion drum when the music called him to do so. He had the unmatched ability to pull from his plentiful vocal range to capture sounds that brought out the many emotions of the human soul across the entire world whether you spoke the English language or any foreign language for that matter. The language of music communicates through the hearts of all of us. I had to pay tribute to his gift of music. His genius was a major music influence to me, thus his music is a part of my musical development."

Blackwell takes an instrumental approach to capture the sounds of the The King of Pop's human voice that is reverent to the legend's "Human Nature" classic masterpiece from the highest selling albums of all-time, "Thriller". "I've been in the studio non-stop this year and this tribute to MJ came very organically. I'm influenced by all of the greatest musicians and entertainers in history such as Michael Jackson, James Brown, John Coltrane and Miles Davis to name a few. Throughout my career I have always honored the work of those who came before me. It's important for me as an artist, musician, entertainer and label executive to keep these greats in the forefront of the hearts and minds of generations of the present, thus our future generations to come."

In conjunction with his 15th Anniversary in the music business, Alfonzo Blackwell is working on new music, set for release late 2010, titled "Quintet: Portrait of Alfonzo Blackwell". The new CD will be his 8th album career release and his 4th release on his own founded label imprint, Utopia Records USA, Inc. It will feature a tribute to the late great jazz legend John Coltrane with Mr. Blackwell's traditional jazz standard take on the classic "Impressions" and an original power-ballad tribute to the late, King of Pop Michael Jackson, penned by Blackwell titled "MJ". This is his first concept album and the most highly anticipated release of his career that will feature Alfonzo Blackwell on all 5 instruments (saxophones, piano/keyboards, bass, guitar and drums); hence the title "Quintet…"

Alfonzo Blackwell was born and raised in Queens, NY as a child he taught himself to play the piano by ear at the tender age of six. He then went on to pick up the saxophone at age eleven. Alfonzo instantly fell in love with the sax and then began his intense musical journey. Destined for greatness, this New York native was accepted at the prestigious (Fame) Performing Arts High School in NYC and then continued his advance studies at Queens College and Five Towns College in Long Island, NY. He performed at all the legendary jazz clubs throughout the tri-state area and earned a weekly residency at a popular Manhattan music hotspot. He inked his first record deal at age 23. After only four years in the record business, Blackwell gained enough music and business acumen to branch out on his own and founded Utopia Records, Inc. in 1999. He has been garnered with many music award nominations and has several Billboard chart-topping singles and albums to his credit. He has worked with the biggest names in the music business over the many years of his career. This music virtuoso not only masters the alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, Blackwell also is a well accomplished pianist, guitarist, bassist and drummer who writes, composes, arranges, produces and performs live instrumentation on all of his original music recordings. His music has long been the fusion of an infectious blend of Jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop and straight-up SOUL since his debut CD release, "Let's Imagine". His mission has always been to bridge the musical gap between adult contemporary music such as Jazz and youth driven music such as Hip-Hop; and to promote unity in our living generations, cultures and communities around the world and thus inspire generations to come. His current CD release, "Dance To This" is a testament to this mission. Alfonzo sums it up best, "It's not the type or style of music, but good music, is good music, is good music. Period!"

2010 marks the greatest milestone of Alfonzo Blackwell's career thus far and he's just getting started. A full-length tribute album to Michael Jackson is in the works due for release in late 2011. Stay tuned to this electrifying entertainer in 2010 and beyond.

Alfonzo Blackwell Discography
"Quintet: Portrait of Alfonzo Blackwell" (2010) [Featuring an original power-ballad tribute to Michael Jackson titled 'MJ']
"Dance To This" (2008)
"Sax You Down" (2004)
"Reflections" (2001)
"The Time Is Now" (2000)
"Body of Soul" (1998)
"Alfonzo Blackwell" (1996)
"Let's Imagine" (1995)

write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page