FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         

April 7, 2005

 

 

  “ORDER OF DISTINCTION”

 

A MAJOR MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO

GUITAR GREAT ERNEST RANGLIN

 

         TO BE FILMED IN LOS ANGELES MONDAY, APRIL 11

 

        FOR MULTI-FEATURE DVD AND AUDIO RELEASE

        

  LEGENDARY MUSICIANS ERNEST RANGLIN, MONTY ALEXANDER, PHIL CHEN,

 

    ROBBIE KRIEGER, ELLIOT EASTON, JEFF LORBER, ALANA DAVIS

 

        TO BE JOINED BY OTHER SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS

 

 

Los Angeles, CA:  On Monday, April 11, 2005 – A rare grouping of legendary musicians will gather together from around the world to take part in a major musical tribute to guitar great Ernest Ranglin. The event will take place at the Element Club in Hollywood and be taped in High Definition and recorded 5.1, for a project entitled Order of Distinction. The result will be a multi-feature, live, interactive DVD, an Audiophile DVD and an audio only CD. It will be comprised of several elements in addition to the recorded performances, including a comprehensive biographical piece entitled “The Ernest Ranglin Story” to be filmed in both Jamaica and Los Angeles, California.

 

Artists who will join Ranglin for the Order of Distinction project include: Pianist Monty Alexander (who has performed and or recorded with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Dizzie Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Ray Brown), Bass Guitar and Music Supervisor Phil Chen (bassist for Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Jackson Brown and Rod Stewart), Drummer Richard Baily (Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood), Robbie Krieger (guitarist and founder of The Doors), Elliot Easton (lead guitarist for the Cars), Adrian Young (No Doubt), Contemporary Jazz artist Jeff Lorber and Singer/Songwriter Alana Davis, amongst other surprise guests.

 

Ernest Ranglin, a legendary Jamaican guitarist, is one of the pioneering forces behind the rise of Caribbean music.  His session work at the famed Studio One helped give birth to the ska phenomenon, which took Jamaica by storm in the late 1950’s. In 1964, Ranglin traveled to London and made a number of solo albums before teaming with Jamaican singer Millie Small to record the international smash “My Boy Lollipop.”  He soon returned to session work in Jamaica, arranging classics including the Melodians majestic “Rivers of Babylon” and lending his guitar leads to the Wailer’s “It Hurts To Be Alone.”  As a musician perhaps best known for his jazz prowess, Ranglin has also been accredited with laying the foundation for the rise of rockers reggae and gaining new fans by touring with Jimmy Cliff in the 1970’s. Ernest Ranglin currently performs around the world and is considered by many to be one of the world’s greatest guitarists.

 

The Order of Distinction project is scheduled for completion and released in September 2005 with the audiophile version through AIX Records. The DVD will be produced by Arthur Gorson  (Managing Partner and Producer at the Los Angeles based production company THE MINE) and DJ/ Producer Wayne Jobson (producer of MTV’s Bob Marley Behind The Music and Peter Tosh, Stepping Razor/Red X amongst others).  Mark Waldrep, President of the AIX Media Group will produce the Audiophile DVD and Neil Case and Brian Jobson will produce the music for the project.

 

AIX Records is dedicated to recording and releasing the finest quality audio products available anywhere and in any format. Using state-of-the-art, high resolution, digital equipment and a signal path that maintains 96 kHz/24 Bit fidelity throughout; AIX seeks to enhance the experience of listening to music through improvements in sound quality, innovative 5.1 channel surround mixing perspectives and by adding plenty of interactive disc-based annotational materials.

 

The ORDER OF DISTINCTION project will be taped live on Monday, April 11 at the Element Club, 1642 North Las Palmas in Hollywood. 

 

Contact:  Deborah Radel or Shannon Herber at DRPR, 310.360.3997 or email pr@drpr.us