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Warren Hill
Warren Hill is not only one of the most gifted performers and “off the hook” showmen in the jazz world, but he is also a talented and innovative creator of new and different ways to present his music and connect with his fans in this ever changing world of music.
After the release of his first CD in 1991, he was picked up by Natalie Cole as the opening act on her 40 city "Unforgettable Tour". Since then he has released 9 CD's with numerous Number 1 hits on the Contemporary and Smooth Jazz Charts, as well as being recognized by a diverse list of awards, including Berklee College's Distinguished Alumnus, 1995 NAC songwriter of the year from SESAC, 2002 Juno Nomination for Contemporary Jazz Album, 2003 Canadian Smooth Jazz Artist of the year and 2005/2006 Canadian Wind Instrumentalist of the year.
But simply playing music at the highest possible level of the industry was not enough for Hill. Hill recognized that the traditional music “distribution” system of concerts, CD sales and radio was changing rapidly. Being able to control how his music would be presented and offered to the public became a theme for Hill’s creative mind and skills. In the fall of 2002 he began to conceptualize the revival of the “smooth jazz cruise genre” and the result was one of the most successful and talked about Smooth Jazz events in the past decade: Warren Hill's Smooth Jazz Cruise. The first cruise took place in January of 2004 in the Caribbean and featured many of the top Artists in Smooth Jazz, after which, Hill embarked upon the first full ship charter smooth jazz cruise in the history of the format. The ’05 and ’06 cruises were both sellouts and critical successes of the highest order. Hill’s vision not only made his own cruise a success, but opened the door for many other Artist’s to promote similar cruises. At this point Smooth Jazz themed cruises produce close to $10,000,000 in annual revenue, and quite possibly have become one of the highest grossing concert events in the history of the genre.
Hill simultaneously embarked on another mission: to start his own record label. PopJazz Records finally came to fruition in the spring of 2005 with the release of Hill's much anticipated 10th CD entitled Pop Jazz. The new CD features Hill's versatility, as his saxophone explores his roots in Pop, R&B, Funk, Chill and of course, Jazz. Produced by Hill and his bassist, André Berry, the CD is packed with outstanding musicianship from Hill's touring band, whom many industry insiders claim to be one of the hottest bands in the genre (André Berry, Ronnie Gutierrez, Dave Hooper, Randy Jacobs & Michael Whittaker) as well as some special guest appearances by Norman Brown, Brian Culbertson, Jeff Golub and the incredible Harris Brothers Horns.
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Warren Hill: Love Life
![Read "Love Life" reviewed by AAJ Staff](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/8025ace7b5673b4f4d5529291aa27b47.jpg)
by AAJ Staff
Alto saxophonist Warren Hill impresses immediately with the opening title track, a bewitching groove over spacey keyboards, featuring Chris Botti on trumpet. (Hill’s notes indicate that Botti, off from his tour with Sting for a few days, was exhausted during the session, but the trumpeter gives an incisive, committed performance.) Up next is “Mambo 2000,” with Tim Pierce’s Santana-esque guitar, and Hill’s fluid sax floating over a horn section that includes Eric Marienthal on tenor. This guy knows how to ...
read moreOlivia Rox Featuring Warren Hill 'It's Christmastime' - Start Your Holiday Season Now!
![Olivia Rox Featuring Warren Hill 'It's Christmastime' - Start Your Holiday Season Now!](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/coverart/large/5e78aaed63276f6e3b64c66b26a9998b.jpg)
Source:
Samuel Cohen
Olivia Rox teams with special guest legendary jazz recording artist Warren Hill on It's Christmastime" making it a family Christmas indeed, as they happen to be father and daughter! When it comes to talent, the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Warren Hill has a prominent and impressive career thus far, including thirteen CD’s, millions of sales worldwide, numerous #1 albums and singles, awards, and touring Worldwide in over 25 countries. Hill also broke barriers with collaborations that garnered ...
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Warren Hill Returns with New Studio Album on Koch Records
![Warren Hill Returns with New Studio Album on Koch Records](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/8025ace7b5673b4f4d5529291aa27b47.jpg)
Source:
All About Jazz
Legendary smooth jazz saxophonist, vocalist, and talented composer Warren Hill is set to release his 11th studio album, La Dolce Vita, on June 24th, 2008. La Dolce Vita is Hill's first studio album since 2005's PopJazz" and features an amazing cast of all-stars, including first call bassist Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Fourplay), renown guitarists Paul Jackson Jr. (Elton John, Lionel Richie, Chicago) and Dean Parks (Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon), drummer extraordinaire Ricky Lawson (Whitney Houston, Al ...
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Steve Weingart Touring with Warren Hill
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Source:
All About Jazz
Jazz/Funk Keyboard virtuoso Steve Weingart (Steve Lukather's El Grupo, Dave Weckl Band, Nu Alliance) will be performing with Warren Hill on the following dates and festivals:
06.16.2007 Modesto CA United States Warren Hill Group at SOS Club
06.23.2007 Denver CO United States Summerfest at Coors Amphitheater
07.01.2007 Tuscon AZ United States Fund Raiser for Tuscon Jazz Society at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
07.15.2007 Winnipeg Manitoba Canada Assiniboine Park Band Shell
08.03.2007 San Antonio TX United States Balcones Heights Summer Jazz ...
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