Featured Videos - Uptown Jazz Dallas | International Jazz Festival Org

UJD | Artists of Interest (AOI): Billie Jean - BWB (Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun)

2013-05-18T04:09:38.068Z

Available for download soon: http://www.amazon.com/Human-Nature-BWB/dp/B00C1CO18C/ref=tf_ssw?&linkCode=wss&tag=uptownjazzdallas-20

UJD | Fashion Coverage: Conversation With: Stella McCartney

2013-05-18T03:59:01.594Z

Neiman Marcus Fashion Director Ken Downing chats with designer Stella McCartney.

Cinefest Coverage: The Best Man Holiday Teaser Trailer... In Theaters Nov. 15, 2013

2013-05-13T20:42:35.751Z

After nearly 15 years apart, Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau, Terrence Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa and Regina Hall reprise their career-launching roles in the next chapter to the film that ushered in a new era of comedy. When the college friends finally reunite over the Christmas holidays, they will discover just how easy it is for long-forgotten rivalries and romances to be ignited.

The Best Man Holiday hits theaters on Nov. 15, 2013

UJD | Artists of Interest (AOI): Christian McBride "People Music" (Behind the Scenes)

2013-05-12T19:08:36.255Z

Amazon http://amzn.to/10VPAVW | iTunes http://bit.ly/16oOX8l Christian McBride is back with his acoustic group, Inside Straight, for a new album... People Mu...

George Benson - Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole

2013-05-10T21:23:40.987Z

LEGENDARY GUITARIST GEORGE BENSON RELEASES HEARTFELT HOMAGE TO NAT KING COLE TITLED INSPIRATION: A TRIBUTE TO NAT KING COLE

Guest Artists on the Album Include Pulitzer Prize-Winning Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Tony Award Winner Idina Menzel and Singing Sensation Judith Hill from "The Voice"

After four years of touring and developing "An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole," the legendary George Benson makes his most inspired album: Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole. Set for release June 4, 2013, this recording is one of the most meaningful of Benson's career and is a testament to the spirit of Cole's timeless body of work. Benson's heartfelt renditions of some of Cole's greatest songs with Nelson Riddle arrangements and the 42-piece Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra are complemented by duets with Tony Award winner Idina Menzel and rising star Judith Hill, along with a special collaboration with multi-GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.

Speaking on recording the album Benson says, "I felt every moment of it. You can't put together a record like this without putting your heart into it. I got that from Nat King Cole. He put his heart into everything he did."

The careers of Benson and Cole share a similar arc, both establishing themselves first as highly respected instrumentalists before skyrocketing to crossover success once they began sharing their unforgettable voices with the world. Better known as a jazz pianist first, Nat King Cole's major breakthrough came in 1943 when he added his melting baritone voice to "Straighten Up and Fly Right," coincidentally the same year of George Benson's birth. Benson, who had a well-established career as one of the world's top jazz guitarists, made his major break in the pop world by singing "This Masquerade" and subsequently had the first jazz album to go platinum with Breezin. Yet, both of these remarkable artists remained true to their jazz roots as this album revels with 12 covers of Cole's most endearing repertoire.