Concord Records To Release Jazz Vocalists - Hear & Now Two-Disc Set Featuring The Vocal Elite Of The Jazz World

LOS ANGELES (Concord Records) - In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Jazz Alliance International (JAI) is releasing Jazz Vocalists - Hear & Now on April 25, 2006. This two-disc set, produced by JAI and released on Concord Records contains 36 standards and contemporary classics by today's top vocalists. Proceeds from Jazz Vocalists - Hear & Now will benefit JAI and JAI-supported programs.

Featuring the leading voices from several generations of jazz and jazz-related singers, Jazz Vocalists - Hear & Now puts focus on contemporary material on disc one and jazz standards on disc two. In addition, the collection also includes three of the jazz world's late-great voices - Ray Charles (with Poncho Sanchez's band), Shirley Horn and Etta Jones (in duet with Vanessa Rubin).

With the star-studded line-up, Jazz Alliance International aims to demonstrate the great diversity and wide range of what is happening in jazz today. States project producer Michael Cuscuna: "In 36 tracks on two discs, we set out to represent listener-friendly vocal jazz by including songs meant to entice the novice just looking to get into this music. We embraced the time-honored icons, veterans making a comeback, new artists (the emerging and successful) and singers from other fields who've chosen to do jazz projects".