Pianist McCOY TYNER onstage with the Lula Washington Dancers at IVI sic; the Playboy Jazz Festival.

Real -lalk HILLARY CROSLEY hcrosley d billboard.com Money's New Currency A Skateboarding Savant Is Young Money Entertainment's Newest Star

It's no secret that DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz rency says, "because I fly so much I figured I'd mix -tape series is Southern hip -hop's barome- make an album that you could listen to for an ter as to who's hot and who's not. The most re- entire flight, from the minute you take off to the cent edition, "DJ Drama and : minute you land." ," features a new MC, Currency, While "Where Da Cash At ?" is the brash street on Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment im- single, Currency promises that the rest of "Music print through Universal Records. Currency's to Fly To" is filled with funk and jazzy tracks due first single, "Where Da Cash At ?" featuring Lil to his medicinal use during the album's pro- Wayne and Remy Ma, uses production team the duction. He's also talking up a spoken -word DAN OUELLETTE douellette @billboard.com Runners' (Rick Ross' "Hustlin' ") full -bodied track, saying, "There are a lot of layers to me organ production while they toss around pimp - that people don't know about." The debut album tastic lyrics. is slated to drop later this summer. Currency, whose birth name is Shante Frank, And while some folks might think that Cur- Cosby's Playboy Party ( "I got a girl's name. The first day of school, I'd rency is biting Lupe Fiasco's marketing plan - Comic Returns As Host Of Annual Jazz Festival introduce myself and know that I was going to Fiasco's debut video for "Kick, Push" showcases have to fight at lunch. ") was born in and raised his love for skateboarding- Currency says, At New York's Village Van- Cosby, who orchestrated tarily, caught the attention of all around New Orleans. He was originally "That's ignorant people who thought nobody guard, club matriarch Lorraine the band as well as noodled on festivalgoers. signed to C- Murder's record label, Tru Records, skated until 'Kick, Push' came out. Gordon sternly defies the audi- the traps, said afterward that in 2001 before hopping over to Master P's No "The same thing goes for Lupe in terms of encetotalkduringaset.Three this festival staple has had DUKING WITH CLARKE: Limit Records. That didn't end too well. Pharrell [who has been skateboarding and has thousand miles away at the "horrendous moments from Keyboardist George Duke and "P was trying to do P. I and was trying to ac- a skateboard team]," he adds. "What would be Hollywood Bowl in Los Ange- what I thought were great electric bassist extraordinaire tually be a rapper," Currency says. bad is if I was a poseur that just skates because les, patrons of the Playboy Jazz ideas and great moments that Stanley Clarke also rocked the After leaving No Limit Records in 2004, Cur- that's what's in right now." Festival receive the opposite were planned." Then, beam- Playboy Fest in the midst of rency, a magnate -school smart kid, went message: Eat, drink and con- ing, he added, "We've also their Clarke Duke Project na- against his mother's wishes and ditched col- VOTE OR DIE: J. Period, mix -tape father of verse through two days of non- caught some wonderful light- tional tour. Both have new CDs. lege. Instead, he worked hard to perfect his The Best of Lauryn Hill," is prepping a mix stop entertainment. ning in a bottle." Duke's "In a Mellow Tone" skateboarding craft in _lopes of joining some tape to celebrate veteran hip -hop journalist Kevin It's a daunting task for mu- Noteworthy sets were (BPM Recordings), featuring friends who were already sponsored by the Powell running for congressional office. And sicians to play over the din, but turned in by Branford standards and reinterpreta- popular skate shoe brand DC. But just before though Powell has pushed his campaign to 2008, it's certainly not unprece- Marsalis' powerful swing-to- tions of originals, streeted June Currency dived in wheels first, Young Money "J. Period Presents: Powell for the People Vol. dented (witness the back- abstract quartet, the 27. Clarke's "Standards" (Kind Entertainment called. 1," boasting rhymes from artists like Talib Kweli, ground small talk and silver- supremely entertaining Jamie of Blue Records) showcases "My album's called 'Music to Fly To,' " Cur- 's M -1 and , is tenta- ware clinking during the 1965 Cullum, Latin jazz ace Eddie him playing acoustic bass, his tively dropping in mid -August. J. Period also live recordings of the Miles Palmieri with special guests first such recording in 20 years. has "The Best of the Roots" via Def Jam and a Davis Quintet at Chicago's saxophonist David Sanchez It will be released Aug.18. "Best of Mary J. Blige" mix tape in the works Plugged Nickel nightclub). and violinist Regina Carter, through Interscope Records, and there are rum- The Playboy Fest celebrated the ultra -swinging Clayton/ BRECKER RETURNS: After blings of a "Best of Talib Kweli" mix tape. "I its 28th birthday June 17 -18 Hamilton Jazz Orchestra pay- being sidelined for 15 months, started pulling Kweli records when I was pulling with an impressive lineup rep- ing tribute to Milt Jackson tenor saxophonist Michael Roots records," J. Period says. The mix -tape mas- resenting the breadth of jazz with guest vibes player Ste- Brecker triumphantly returned ter says his scope includes virtually everything (Billboard, July 8). Playboy is fon Harris, Ron Carter's June 23 at Herbie Hancock's Kweli has done -other mix tapes, guest spots unique among festivals in that Golden Striker trio and three four -ring showcase, dubbed on other artists' albums and Kweli's own re- the music serves more as a crowd -pleasing New Orleans- Herbie's World, attheJVC Jazz leases. "Cutting it together," he says, "the backdrop for the party. Bill infused acts: Elder Edward Festival at Carnegie Hall. shit is going to be official." m Cosby, returning as master of Babb & the McCollough Sons Brecker appeared as an unan- ceremonies after a year's ab- of Thunder, the Preservation nounced guest in Hancock's sence, acknowledged back- Hall Jazz Band and the Elvis trio, featuring bassist Ron Carter stage that it's "a hard crowd," Costello /Allen Toussaint and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

but added, "I know them. I tell soul /rock collective. It was Brecker's first horn them, 'Eat, talk, drink; we're The highlight was delivered blowing since being diagnosed here for you.'" by pianist McCoyTyner'strio with the debilitating MDS Casually attired in sandals, that accompanied the Los An- bone -marrow malady. At the U-Mass sweatpants and T-shirt, geles-based Lula Washington previous day's rehearsal, Cosby fronted Cos of Good Dance Theatre. While the Brecker, after entering Carroll Music, his makeshift ensemble choreography was more Studios with a cane, launched featuring "Tonight Show" gui- "Flashdance" than Mark Mor- into Hancock's blazing "One tarist Kevin Eubanks, veteran ris, Tyner's dynamics on the Finger Snap" three times. Was trombonist Steve Turre and up- keys carried the set. Much he fatigued after not playing start trumpeter Christian Scott. thinner in stature due to a his sax in a year? "Not really,

They slowed down Sly Stone's health concern last year, the but I didn't have my chops, "Stand" and romped through invigorated Tyner nonethe- which was probably good," a boogie -woogie blues where less played with a left -hand Brecker said. "I couldn't sit Eubanks sparked. thrust that, at least momen- back and rely on them,"

36 JULY 15, 2006

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