Press Releases :
Soul music may be one of America's greatest contributions to the world. It is where truth, justice, the blues, R&B, Rock 'n Roll and gospel converge and where voices like Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown bring to life stories of love and glory and pain and strife. From Memphis throughout America's southern belt, soul gave a voice to a new generation and it was not long before its influence and adoration spread throughout the world. Fifty plus years since its inception, soul is alive and well. The re-launch of Stax Records and the emergence of talented soul crooners like Leela James, Anthony Hamilton, Amy Winehouse, Angie Stone, Musiq Soulchild, Joss Stone and Marc Broussard, are testament that soul is here to stay.

On January 8, 2007 Shanachie Entertainment will issue what promises to be one of the most exciting soul releases to come out in years. Soul Summit showcases an all-star aggregation performing alongside one another in a rare and one-night only appearance at the 2007 Berks Jazz Festival in Reading, Pennsylvania. Under the direction of Grammy Award-winning and Emmy-nominated keyboardist and producer extraordinaire Jason Miles, whose credits include recordings with such icons as Miles Davis, Luther Vandross , Sting and Ivan Lins, Soul Summit catapults soul to new heights with unrelenting freewheeling interplay and totally in the moment high octane performances from a 'dream team' of musicians: vocalists Maysa, Susan Tedeschi and Mike Mattison (Derek Trucks Band), saxophonists Karl Denson (Lenny Kravitz), Richard Elliot (Tower of Power), Dave Mann and Barry Danielian, bassist Bob Babbitt (Funk Brothers and Marvin Gaye), guitarists Reggie Young (Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Ray Charles) and Sherrod Barnes and trumpeter Tony Kadlek.

"When I was growing up I listened to a lot of soul music," reflects Jason Miles. "Back then a lot of us did not know that what we were listening to was called 'soul music.' I played organ in different bands in the late 1960s and I loved Booker T and the MG's, Howard Tate, Dyke and The Blazers (the original funky Broadway) and The Staple Singers. Soul is one of the building blocks of American Music. We need to build off of this great legacy if we want the music to survive. With Soul Summit I wanted to approach the music with the idea of revisiting this classic music with a modern sense."
The creation of Soul Summit grew out of a desire for Jason Miles to collaborate with legendary session players Reggie Young, Steve Ferrone and Bob Babbitt. The idea was to have this ultimate rhythm section serve as the anchor for an all all-star jam session. Young, who is one of the most recorded guitarists in history, has played sessions ranging from rockabilly, R&B and country to rock, pop, and jazz. His credits include work with icons like Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Etta James, B.B King and Merle Haggard. Steve Ferrone is a member of the legendary funk band Average White Band (whose hits include "Pick Up The Pieces" and "A Love of Your Own") and has propelled the rhythm section for everyone from Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton and The Bee Gees to George Benson, Keb Mo and Tom Petty.
Motown bassist Bob Babbitt has played on such landmark recordings as Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues and Mercy Mercy Me, Stevie Wonder's Signed Sealed and Delivered, Gladys Knight's Midnight Train to Georgia, Smokey Robinson's Tears of a Clown and the Spinners Rubberband Man.

Jason Miles confesses, "I have long wanted to do a special concert or recording with both Reggie and Steve, who are not only great friends but amazing musicians. Reggie has played on some of my all time favorite songs like Dusty Springfield's 'Son of a Preacher Man,' 'Sweet Caroline,' Elvis Presley's 'Suspicious Minds' and Herbie Mann's 'Memphis Underground.' Steve Ferrone and I go back to our days together in NY doing sessions. He is truly one of the world's greatest drummers." He continues, "When the opportunity to present a major concert at The Berks Jazz Festival came about, I asked them to join me and then I thought of the legendary bassist Bob Babbitt and asked him if he would be a part of this unique concert to create the ultimate Rhythm section. They said yes and Soul Summit was born!"

Soul Summit features eleven tracks of hard-driving, high energy, soul-drenched and unrelenting jazzy, bluesy and funky grooves from beginning to end. It is especially thrilling to hear the rare combination of stars from the R&B, jazz, blues and the jam band world come together in the name of soul. The album opens with "Shotgun," which was a mega hit for Junior Walker. Soul Summit's memorable rendition features a soul burning Richard Elliot on tenor saxophone. Jason Miles says, "I know from Richard Elliot's Tower of Power days that he had a bad streak and could really play with the right kind of funky vibe that was needed." Shanachie artist, R&B songbird and Incognito member Maysa testifies on "What a Man," a cult classic originally cut by Stax singer Linda Lyndell and then later covered by Salt 'N Peppa with En Vogue. Maysa is joined by Lenny Kravitz saxman Karl Denson. The duo is also featured together on the title track which producer Jason Miles said was 'so on the money' that he decided to name the album after it because it 'got the message across.' Miles adds, "Maysa is just one of the best R&B/Soul/jazz singers on the planet. She is very gifted and is the kind of singer who could have been a Stax artist back in the day." He adds, "Karl is a monster saxophonist and flute player and a wonderful arranger as well." Vocalist Mike Mattison, who has been a member of Derek Trucks band since early 2000, does justice to the Dan Penn songs "It Tears Me Up" and "Cold Snap." Producer Jason Miles declares, "Dan Penn is one of the great writers of soul music. We decided to do a couple of his songs as a kind of tribute to him." Incidentally, Guitarist Reggie Young played on the original recordings of these two songs.

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Susan Tedeschi performs a heartfelt version of the blues "It's Raining" and delivers a gritty version of "Son of a Preacher Man," that features Reggie Young on guitar, as he was the guitarist on the original Dusty Springfield hit. "Susan Tedeschi is such a sweet soul and an incredible artist," says Jason Miles. "I was just thrilled that she could join us for this concert." Soul Summit reaches a boiling point with Herbie Mann's classic "Memphis Underground," featuring Karl Denson on the flute, guitarist Sherrod Barnes, who is heard soloing and guitarist Reggie Young, who played on the original 1969 album. Jason Miles confesses, "Herbie Mann was a great influence on me. He was a renaissance musician who loved all kinds of music and he was the first instrumentalist from New York to go to Memphis and make a record with the cats mixing New York musicians with Memphis musicians. Jason recorded the song "Memphis 2000" with Herbie Mann on his 1996 CD Mr. X. This time he pays tribute to Herbie Man on Soul Summit with help from Karl Denson on the flute and drummer Steve Ferrone who can be heard on the original Herbie Mann session playing drums. Soul Summit concludes with a show–stopping tribute to the 'Godfather of Soul,' with a medley of the James Brown classics- " I Feel Good" "I Got the Feeling" and "Sex Machine," which brings the historic evening's events to a climax.

Jason Miles concludes, "The convergence of all these exceptional musicians on stage and on recording was a meeting of perfection. The groove and vibe between the musicians, along with the response from the audience, let us all know that something special was happening. Soul Summit is truly a cross-generational band. The musicians on this incredible record cover four decades of music and between us, we have been on a few thousand records including some real heavy hitters. There was some real history on stage that I hope speaks to those who love soul."