Beijing has been the world’s focus of attention for international events in 2008: the Olympic Games in August, and the Paralympic Games in September. From October 3rd to 8th, Beijing will host the 2008 World Folk Song Festival, featuring performers from 25 different countries and 13 Chinese provinces.

The six-day extravaganza will be held at Beijing’s colossal National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), a 600,000 sq. ft. facility nicknamed “The Egg”. A reflective pool in front of the majestic dome gives the illusion of a gigantic egg suspended in mid air. For one week, the NCPA will echo with songs from around the world and will introduce Chinese audiences to some of the finest folk music and traditions from around the world. Sones de Mexico Ensemble will perform live in concert in the National Centre for the Performing Arts Theatre on Monday, October 6th at 2:00pm. The group will give a performance presentation in the NCPA Conference Hall on Tuesday, October 7th, at 3:00pm.

Sones de Mexico Ensemble, a Mexican independent folk group and arts organization from Chicago, whose 2007 album “Esta Tierra es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land)” garnered both GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY nominations last year, received an unsolicited invitation from the Festival selection committee in late May.

Juan Dies, a co-founder of the group, said “I was just as surprised as anyone else that we would have been selected, especially when we discovered that we were the only group attending from the United States.”

Besides their “norteno” homage to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”, the group is mainly known for preserving a tradition of folk songs collectively known as “son”, from Mexico’s diverse cultural regions, performing them with a preservationist’s care on a collection of over 70 acoustic instruments.

In an interview for China Radio International, Chen Ziming, an expert on folk music and also a professor in the Central Conservatory of Music, said that the festival is a good chance to broaden people’s understanding of world folk music and to change the long-time focus solely on European music.

When asked about his selection criteria, Ma Wenjie, the organizing committee’s liaison to the American continent, spoke of “Yuan Fen”, a “predestined affinity”. He explained, “We use this word to describe two people who never know each other, and once for a very coincident opportunity they meet each other, then they become very good friends and do great things together.” Mr. Ma Wenjie found Sones de Mexico Ensemble on the Internet, and he felt a connection.

In response, Juan Dies said “I think we may write a new song when we meet and call it ‘Yuan Fen’.”

ABOUT SONES DE MEXICO ENSEMBLE CHICAGO: Sones de Mexico Ensemble Chicago is a premier folk music ensemble specializing in Mexican “son”, including the regional styles of “huapango”, “gustos”, “chilenas”,”son jarocho”, and more. The group formed in 1994 to keep the tradition of Mexican “son” alive in its many regional forms. As a performer and recording artist, the ensemble has developed and popularized many original arrangements of Mexican traditional songs. Some of its original work has experimented cross-culturally with symphonic, Irish, folk, C&W, jazz, and rock music, though never abandoning its roots in Mexican “son”. The ensemble is also committed to teaching and has a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to music education. All band members reach out to young and old with award-winning educational programs nationwide.
http://www.sonesdemexico.com

“Just Say So Baby” the new digital single release by Mike Runnels is receiving airplay and accolades across Europe. The Tex-Mex single available on iTunes is making impact on the radio in Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and France.

What the disc jockeys are saying,
“A very great song, love the Tex-Mex sound”
- Kjell Horlin MCWC Radio Sweden
“I love it ”
- Mike Penard Radio ISA France

Radio programmers can download the single for free at http://www.AirplayDirect.com/MikeRunnels

Mike Runnels is a Retro-Country and Tex-Mex artist based in Austin, Texas. The upcoming movie Fuel starring C. Thomas Howell and directed by Oktay Ortabasi features three of Mike’s songs.For more information visit http://www.MikeRunnels.com

PHOENIX, AZ — FROM THEIR HIGH-POWERED CD — “UN NUEVO ESTILO”….. International Latin sensation STILL ALIVE, the Colombian family group who cuts and creates their own style and version of Hip-Hop, Reggaeton, R&B, and too many other music styles to count, are now in Phoenix, AZ- home site of their indie label, Patrón Records…. Members include: SUNDAY, brother MAKLIKY, and cousins, BIGDAY and RJ. Just weeks after entering Miami, FL (the USA) STILL ALIVE has managed to heat-up and shake up the clubs…. continues to create a big buzz in the media. The group was recently seen on the set of Telemundo taping for the CADA DIA show…. “We are all fired-up and hyped-up, we are always ready to perform and we go 150% each time we hit the stage,” states STILL ALIVE. The group’s hot Single Debut- “Lady” has recently hit the Top 10 on the ‘AC Top 100 charts’ with the Spins Tracking System and continues to gain huge reviews from national and world radio stations. The group’s next stop has now landed them in Phoenix, Arizona- home site of their Indie label- Patrón Records.

“We are knocking the door down, our marketing and promotions is right on,” states Abel Romero, CEO of Patrón Records.

**Note– We are now open for investment opportunities/business deals from all major labels and companies! Please check our info and links on our high-powered group - “STILL ALIVE.”

We are currently booking clubs and events in Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas….
To all clubs and venues– if you are interesested in booking this amazing, highly charged, and stylish group, hit us up at our (booking) email and contact information.

2008 NEW LATIN ARTIST HITTING THE USA CHARTS WITH A BANG !
HUGE RAVES: ORIGINAL, EXPLOSIVE, DYNAMIC, UNIQUE-STYLE, CUTTING-EDGE
FEATURING THE 2008 SUMMER CLUB-BANGER “Lady” with their remix video !!
Check out our “LADY” video at
http://www.blastro.com/player/stillaliveladyremix.html
Preview the CD at http://www.cdbaby.com/stillalive
Check the charts at http://www.newmusicweekly.com

Patrón Records LLC
Abel Romero
1877-7-Patron ext #1
http://www.myspace.com/patronrecordsinc
http://www.patronrecords.com
http://www.shop.patronrecords.com
P.O. Box 8803 Phoenix, AZ 85066
Bookings/General info, via email at: info@patronrecords.com

The nylon string guitar paralleled his musical interest while his was developing as an artist it coincided with the discovery of Antonio Carlos Jobim. JoJo eloquently states, “Discovering Jobim was like a warm wind blowing through his soul.”

JoJo currently has two instrumental releases, Bossa Nuevo Vol. 1-Light of Love (Cool Groove, Hot Guitar) and Bossa Nuevo Vol. 2-The Offering. The companion CDs focus on the artists’ penchant for Latin-Instrumental-Jazz. The two CDs create a nice atmosphere for leisurely listening pleasure or it has the flexibility for movie soundtracks or background music at parties or restaurants. Bossa Nuevo is the offspring of the World Beat JoJo discovered through Carlos Santana when they were making their way to the top in the early years. The universal feelings and atmospheres it brings forth while listening has no boundaries.

JoJo Styles is currently preparing the release of a new CD titled Back to Monterey (which contains Spanish and English lyrics) that he produced and co-wrote with a singer named Rosanna Rainz. He is also working on his third instrumental album, and then plans to release a few albums of his own rock songs soon that have developed over the years.

Visit the JoJo Styles for updates or if you would like to stream tracks, listen to samples of the new release, and purchase music, visit his My Bands Music Profile.

Contact: JoJo Styles
Company: Casa Grande Records
Address: 1777 Abram CT. San Leandro, CA 94577
Tel: 510-357-7773
Email
JoJo Styles Website

PR Created and Distributed By MuzikReviews.com

http://www.lilyvasquez.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbIEIPlJMhg

Pasion de Mujer will be released globally in iTunes, Amazon, sellaband.com/lily starting April 15th and in stores shortly thereafter. “Pasion de Mujer,” the title of the CD is also Lily Vasquez’s first promotional single in which she debuts as a composer. Included in her album are pop/ballads she has written. Volvamos a Empezar, an R&B type duet with Angel Lopez, who previously sang with “Son By Four,” a group that has won several awards for their hit song “A Puro Dolor/ Purest Pain.” “Perdida,” another of her Lily’s songs on the album, leans towards Latin rock.Pasion de Mujer blends many rich musical elements by combining rhythms. Yomo Toro, the best and most eminent cuatro player in the world, also lends his talents as well as legendary violinist Alfredo de la Fe.

Lily Vasquez, a professional singer, composer, dancer and actress, began practicing her artistry at the age of 4 years old in her native Colombia as she participated in diverse folkloric and artistic presentations until she migrated to the United States as an adolescent. Born in Barranquilla, Colombia under the sign of Aquarius, Lily Vasquez recognizes that her love for music came from her mother, who was a vocal teacher.

For more information please visit: http://www.lilyvasquez.com Her musical production shows the effort many independent recording artists go through to so their music can be heard worldwide. The support of companies like Sellaband.com highly recognizes this in the music industry and, without a doubt, saw Lily as a shining star. Sellaband.com is an internet site where musicians who lack the support of big record labels subscribe and give fans or music lovers the opportunity to listen to their songs. If they like them, they may purchase one or more shares for 10 dollars each. Once the artist reaches 50 thousand dollars, Sellaband provides the tools to record a high quality CD with producers and studios the industry demands.

For more information on Lily Vasquez, visit her website ( http://www.lilyvasquez.com ) and MySpace ( http://www.myspace.com/lilyvasquez )

Styles compiled a lot of music over the years and it reached its fruition on two volumes titled Vol. 1 & 2 -Light of Love/The Offering (Cool Groove-Hot Guitar), with the emphasis on cool and hot of course.

Styles is an accomplished guitar player and an adept technician. He has a host of equally strong players for support on every track for both releases. In the world of recorded music, you must have the ability to understand how every aspect is linked and make sure you know how to take care of your equipment and keep it all properly tuned to work with the modern day technologies and all of their complexities. After listening to these two CDs, it is certainly apparent that this artist has it all together.

JoJo offers a fusion of styles with his Bossa Nuevo; it is an amalgam of Latin, jazz and rock. This ends up being a very satisfying and tasty mixture of the genre, all wrapped up into a nice package-a made to order ambiance on disc if you will. The artist, strongly influenced by the Latin musical cultures, uses its foundation of musical styles to propel him into different areas that become strengths as each track takes shape. The drive and spirit of this music seems ingrained in his soul. He actually spends part of his year soaking up the music and culture of Honduras to support his inner belief and love for his craft.

This is great music; it serves a multitude of purposes for listeners. If you want some smooth tracks, playing in the background as if you were at an upscale bistro or ethnic restaurant for instance, this would serve the purpose. The movie industry may consider this as an option for their productions as well. For the average listener it serves as something to relax and enjoy, to just kick back and contemplate things, or better yet to just empty your mind and go with the flow of the music.

Artist: JoJo Styles
Title: Bossa Nuevo Vol. 1 & 2-Light of Love/The Offering (Cool Groove-Hot Guitar)
Genre: Instrumental-Latin-Jazz
Label: Casa Grande Records
Website
MyBandsMusic Profile

Light of Love-Bossa Nuevo-Volume 1
Cool Groove-Hot Guitar

Tracks:
01. Bittersweet Love
02. Mr. B
03. Spanish Rain
04. Lighten Up
05 Bold Enough to Choose
06. Sugartime
07. Light of Love
08. Arise, Arise (My one and only)
09. Time Will Tell
10. That’s Nice

The Offering-Bossa Nuevo-Volume 2
Cool Groove-Hot Guitar

Tracks:
01. Un Momento
02. Flambeau
03. Turn your face to the wind
04. Brazilian Dream
05. The Offering
06 My Soldier
07. Learn by doing
08. Living inside your love
09. A House is not a Home
10. When she cries

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
© MuzikReviews.com

SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA (Canada) + KOBO TOWN (Canada)
KARLEX (France) + CHARANGA SOLEIL (USA)
plus
DJ NEVA

Free to the Public!

BAMcafe Live
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-636-4100
http://www.bam.org/events/bamcafelive.aspx

Friday, April 4th, 2008:
DJ NEVA 8pm
SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA 9pm
KOBO TOWN 10pm

Saturday, April 5th, 2008:
DJ NEVA 8pm
KARLEX 9pm
CHARANGA SOLEIL 10pm

“Music Is The Weapon: Voices United Across Borders” is an ongoing experiment in breaking through America’s current protectionist mentality that creates so many obstacles and restrictions for musicians, and for artists in general. While countries around the world welcome American musicians, international musicians are finding it increasingly difficult to enter and work in the U.S. Issues such as obtaining visas, dealing with senseless homeland security laws, lack of music industry support, lack of media interest, prohibitive expenses, etc. - are among the major obstacles encountered by musicians in this country.

The participating musicians all come from the collision of different cultures and traditions. Although we share a common language called music, our experiences and backgrounds define our various dialects. This project connects multicultural musicians across national boundaries, to perform together in a rich and vibrant exchange of cultural expression, and hopefully create some new musical dialects in the process!

In the spirit of internationalism, we invite you to join us in a celebration of joining forces across borders - in this case, Europe, United States and Canada.

MusicDish - http://www.musicdish.net
Music for the Masses - http://www.musicforthemasses.org

Participating Artists:

* KOBO TOWN ( http://www.kobotown.com )
Named after the vibrant and turbulent neighborhood in old Port-of-Spain where Calypso was born, Kobo Town strives to recover the social conscience, satirical storytelling and strong acoustic/organic rhythms that characterized Trinidadian music in the past. Based in Toronto, Canada, the band serves up a steaming mix of Calypso, Roots Reggae, Dub, Mento and more.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 10pm

* SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA ( http://www.souljazzorchestra.com )
Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, the Souljazz Orchestra combines Jazz, Funk, African and Latin music while touching on politics and spirituality. Most of their songs are rooted in Nigerian Afrobeat, but there are elements of Soukous, Salsa, Funk and Free Jazz thrown in as well.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 9pm

* CHARANGA SOLEIL ( http://www.charangasoleil.com )
Founded in New York City, Charanga Soleil is an all-star international dance band featuring some of the most seasoned and creative musicians on NY’s international scene. With a classic repertoire and original arrangements, the band brings together three of the world’s greatest dance genres: Cuban salsa, Congolese rumba-soukous, and Haitian compas.
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 10pm

* KARLEX ( http://www.karlexmusic.com )
Based in Montpelier, France, Karlex is a Haitian American singer who fuses with the vibes of his native island with funky guitar sounds, heavy bass and soulful rhythms in a unique blend he calls Afro Groove (i.e., World Soul meets Funk meets Pop meets Afro).
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 9pm

* DJ NEVA ( http://www.musicforthemasses.org )
NYC-born DJ Neva is an Ethnomusicologist with a specialization in “musical creoles” - the magic that happens when two or more cultures come together to create something new. Each of these two nights will inspire its own unique mix that reflects the bands that will be performing.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 8pm
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 8pm

http://www.sonesdemexico.com/

Few artists not affiliated with a record label achieve a GRAMMY nomination, one of the most coveted recognitions in the music industry. Guidelines for voting members of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) specify that they should vote based on music quality alone and not be swayed by an artist’s fame or commercial success. Indeed, Sones de Mexico Ensemble’s nomination in a category filled with Latin Music superstars; Vicente Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Cristian Castro, and Paquita la del Barrio, is a testament to the spirit of this competition and to the exceptional quality of their material. Only three months ago Sones de Mexico Ensemble was recognized with a 2007 Latin GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Folk Album and more recently with a 2007 North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance Award nomination for Best World Music Artist. Juan Dies, the group’s producer says “…it is a tribute to our guild. We stand on the shoulders of a rich, and largely unknown, musical tradition.”

ESTA TIERRA ES TUYA (This Land Is Your Land) - is an immigrant’s musical manifesto which uses over 50 instruments to create all-original arrangements that range from the traditional to the experimental, and from true-to-tradition “huapangos” and “son jarocho” to new hybrids of rock, classical and folk that include Mexican tributes to Woody Guthrie, J.S. Bach and Led Zeppelin. Music Director: Víctor Pichardo; Produced by: Juan Dies and Sones de Mexico Ensemble Chicago; Recorded at: Chicago Recording Company (CRC), Chicago, IL; Musicians: Victor Pichardo, Juan Dies, Zacbe Pichardo, Lorena Iniguez, Javier Saume and Juan Rivera.

ABOUT SONES DE MEXICO ENSEMBLE CHICAGO: Sones de Mexico Ensemble Chicago is a premier folk music ensemble specializing in Mexican “son”, including the regional styles of “huapango”, “gustos”, “chilenas”, “son jarocho”, and more. The group formed in 1994 to keep the tradition of Mexican “son” alive in its many regional forms. As a performer and recording artist, the ensemble has developed and popularized many original arrangements of Mexican traditional songs. Some of its original work has experimented cross-culturally with symphonic, Irish, folk, C&W, jazz, and rock music, though never abandoning its roots in Mexican “son”. The ensemble is also committed to teaching and has a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to music education. All band members reach out to young and old with award winning educational programs nationwide.

For more information, sound clips and high resolution photos visit the Sones de Mexico Ensemble Chicago Website at: http://www.sonesdemexico.com

Sones de Mexico Ensemble is on MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/sonesmusic
and YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/sonesdemexico

Learn how you can sell my music through Kazzong.

With Christmas around the corner, I wanted to introduce to you an extraordinary new release called “Christmas in Rhythm & Bossa” - Franco & Guests.

The CD is distributed worldwide and can be found in most e-stores including iTunes, AmazonMp3.com, Yahoo! Music, AOL Music, e-music, etc.

The artist is Franco Sattamini, and his Christmas CD features a long list of amazing Brazilian and American artists. Refreshing and unique recordings by greats such as 5-time Grammy winner Phil Woods, co-inventor of the Bossa Nova Roberto Menescal, Claudio Nucci, Torcuato Mariano, Latin Grammy winner Danilo Caymmi, Luiz Avellar, Mariana de Moraes, Romero Lubambo, and many others.

Family and friends will love this CD and you’ll love it too. Enjoy!

About Franco
www.justfranco.com

He is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and composer.

His long list of credits includes commercial recordings, TV scoring, world touring, arranging and producing numerous CDs, including Sharp Awards winner “Chica de Cidra – Louca Paixão” – Brazil.

Earlier in 2007, Franco arranged a track for Brazilian star Zé Ramalho new CD/DVD, contributing to the CD’s Latin Grammy Nomination for Best MPB Album.

He has worked with the very creators of the Bossa Nova movement, writing with Antonio Carlos Jobim and collaborating with Roberto Menescal, as well as many other Brazilian luminaries. Franco is part of a privileged generation of artists who can, first-hand, bridge the traditional roots of Brazilian music with the modern influences of today’s mainstream music.