New Album, New Re-Releases, and (almost) New Year!

Happy holiday season! It's always a rather busy time of year, and for me, that means that I've been running a little bit behind on keeping you all updated about the good things going on! There's plenty to be announced, too. I'll do my best to catch you up with the latest, in a nutshell at least. :)

For those who missed all the announcements, I have a brand new album out this season! "After Dark" is now available across the U.S. and around the world. It has already been embraced by thousands of fans, been played on dozens of radio stations, and has garnered some wonderful reviews from international sources, including these notable ones:

(From the U.S.) http://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2010/11/halie-loren-after-dark.html

(From Belgium) http://withmusicinmymind.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-halie-loren-after-dark-review.html

(From Japan) http://yonakagawa.com/diary/vo.html

Also, my 2008 holiday release "Many Times Many Ways: a holiday collection" (with Matt Treder) has been released by JVC/Victor in Asia this holiday season, and has been getting some great radio play there! As for the REST of the world, "Many Times..." is now available for the FIRST TIME through iTunes! Check it out and download a track (or a dozen :)) to help you get into the holiday spirit during this final stretch of seasonal festivities!

Also, I have a couple of cameo performances on my friend and fellow musical artist John Shipe's newest CD, "Villain", which is being met with some wonderful responses from the blogosphere, particularly in regards to our duet on alt country tune "Hard To Believe" -- Rootstime (Belgium) notes that "One of the very most beautiful songs on Villain is "Hard to Believe," which John Shipe delivers as a duet with singer Halie Loren. This song reminds you of the best work by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra, and it absolutely deserves a place in the Golden Book of Famous Duet Classics."


And last, but not least, I am excited to let you know that I will be traveling to Japan again in February for a series of shows at the Blue Note (in Nagoya) and the Cotton Club (in Tokyo) over Valentine's Day week! AND I get to take may fabulous band with me this time around, including Matt Treder (piano), Mark Schneider (bass) and Brian West (drums). How exciting is that?! The answer is "very, very exciting"... in case you were wondering... :)

Stay tuned for more news on upcoming touring info, etc... including announcements about some Nevada and California performances coming soon!

'Til next time, happy holidays and happy end of 2010 to you all... and thanks for reading! :)

**jazz hands and snowflakes!**

Halie

Ginza Jazz Festival - Tokyo, Japan

I am SO excited to travel to Tokyo this month for the second time in two months! Matt Treder (pianist extraordinaire) and I will be performing at the Ginza International Jazz Festivalon November 1st! It is an incredible opportunity for us, and an enormous honor to have been invited to take part. We'll be joined on-stage by three very talented Japanese-based musicians, including renowned saxophonist Ken Ota, bassist Go Shimada, and Hidenobu "Kalta" Otsuki on drums.

We will be the only U.S. headliner act among the 12 featured groups, which includes Chico & The Gypsies (from France; formerly of the Gypsy Kings), Catia (from Brazil), Hiroko Kokubu (from Japan), and more. Check out http://www.ginza.jp/ginzajazz/artist_e.html to read more about the performers, and the festival itself.

Our performance will take place at the Yamano Music Ginza Main Store 7F. Applications for tickets are no longer accepted (the application deadline was the end of September), but those that applied have been entered into a lottery to win tickets--winners will be sent their tickets on October 12th (tomorrow! :)). Good luck to all the applicants! We look forward to seeing you at the show :)

Japan Adventures - My First Trip to Japan

Konnichiwa and Aloha! :)

I'm back from my travels to Japan and Hawaii now--and there is SO much to blog about! First, I will go into better detail re: my Japan trip earlier this month, as my previous blog on Myspace was just a short little re-cap of some notable moments written while waiting at the Tokyo airport. Too short of a time makes for too short of a blog. Not that short can't be sweet, but details can be nice, too (sorry for the few repeated details from the previous blog)...

So, I'll start from the beginning, again. Although I can't capture all the magic of the moments, I have included a few photos of some of the places we visited and wonderfully friendly people we met and worked with while in Japan. There are also more photos featured on my Facebook page. But the best way to see it is, of course, in person! I encourage any of you who can to visit if you ever get the chance to do so.

Day 1:

We flew into Japan on September 6th ("We" being myself, pianist Matt Treder, and Keith Altomare--White Moon Production's Marketing Direct..or) after plane problems held us up for many hours in the Portland airport, eventually requiring that we overnight there, putting us almost a full day behind schedule before we even left Oregon! Then came a 10.5 hour flight the next morning to Tokyo, where we were met and warmly greeted at the airport by Sumio Jono, the A&R Jazz Manager at JVC/Victor who has been one of the major reasons for me signing with JVC/Victor. It was my first time meeting Sumio-san, though I had spoken with him many a time from across the Pacific, and felt that we already knew each other. We were then shuttled from Narita airport to Tokyo proper, which is about an hour and a half's drive with traffic. Let the day begin--fabulous in all ways, even in the middle of a record-breaking heat wave that was happening while we were there.



First glimpse of Japan from the plane--yay!

Our first stop was to InterFM radio, where I was scheduled to interview with Guy Perryman. It was quite funny to arrive at the radio station, luggage in tow, to do a radio appearance straight from the airport--certainly a memorable experience! I'm so glad that we were able to make it to the station in time, though. It was great chatting with Guy and the other InterFM staffers. They were exceptionally friendly and made us feel very much at home right away. Thanks to everyone there for your kindness. Mr. Perryman posted a blog about the studio visit on his website, which you can find here (it is in Japanese): http://www.interfm.co.jp/..global/blog/2010/09/07/17/32/


Guy Perryman (from InterFM) and me

We then went to the hotel that JVC so generously arranged for us, the Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu, which was amazing to behold! And with such comfortable beds...truly... But no lounging for these travelers yet. We wanted to see Tokyo! Who needs sleep when there are new cities to explore? :) Sumio, our very patient and gracious host for our entire time in Japan, had some really good ideas of places we could see in the span of a few hours, and proceeded to take us around town. We went below the hotel, to the incredible, seemingly endless underground shopping center that also leads to the train.


Sumio helping us confused travelers navigate the subway system...

Our first stop was Tower Records, which was immense and impressive and FULL of people buying music, a very encouraging sight to see! Keith, being the 'Distribution guru' he is, was especially anxious to check this part out. Sumio showed Matt and me the area in the store in which we will be doing an in-store performance when we return to Tokyo in October. Looking forward to that!! We also saw the display that featured "They Oughta Write a Song", which was very cool! Seeing my music prominently displayed like that gives me such a thrill... and hopefully inspires a lot more people to listen to and buy it :)



At Tower Records...

Sumio then took us to the Asakusa Temple (also known as the Senso-ji temple), which was incredible to see--you can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..Asakusa. Not only was the temple itself beautiful and interesting, but we also really enjoyed exploring the outdoor market area, which was immense and varied. We then had some yummy food, which was our first taste of Tokyo cuisine... Keith had a yam shake that he shared (truly delicious!), and Sumio treated us all to iced green tea and the most incredibly good red bean bun pastries I've ever had. Yum!



Touring the temple with Sumio-san!


Yam Shake!!!

We traveled from there to the very glamorous Ginza district, where we paid a visit to the renowned Yamano Music Store. We checked out their Jazz music section, and were thrilled to find that my CD is in a very prominent display and included in its own listening station! Wow!!! :) We then had the pleasure of meeting the store manager, Takaya Kamio, who surprised me with a poster of, well, me! It was a display poster about "They Oughta Write a Song", I think, though it was all beautifully written in Japanese, so I'm not 100% sure what it said ..but it sure looked good. Such a sweet surprise for Takaya to present!



CD display at Yamano Music Store in Ginza


Seeing double... :) Poster at Yamano Music Store

And if all that wasn't enough to make our first half-day in Tokyo a full experience, there's more... we then went to dinner at a restaurant called Gonpachi with Sumio, where we were joined by JVC's International Repertoire division's Manager of A&R Hiroshi Suruga, and Division Manager Aya Ohi. It was truly delightful, both the company and the whole experience. Let's just say it involved much spirited talk as we got to know each other better and the best sushi and sake I've ever had... :) The day ended on this fantastic note, and was followed by some much-needed sleep, in those comfortable beds previously mentioned, after a 24+ hour day of traveling, interviewing, seeing things and meeting people. I went to bed feeling totally dazzled by it all. And sleepy from all the delicious food. And possibly from the sake... :)

Day 2:

I had my first-ever Japanese breakfast at the hotel's amazing top-floor restaurant. It was delicious! It really kept me energized for a very full day of activities. Luckily for all of us, those activities weren't set to begin until 12:30 in the afternoon! Yay for a full night's sleep and a good breakfast! :)


Breakfast - yummmm!

Our little Oregon gang then traveled to the JVC offices, where we were given the grand tour and met people from various departments of the company. They were all so very kind and courteous to us--a really fantastic, warm welcome to the JVC family!

Then the interviews commenced... each of the interviewers (throughout the entire trip) were exceptional, each with their own styles. They came so well-prepared, and I can honestly say they were all very good interviewers with thought-provoking questions, and amazingly, almost none of the questions overlapped--they had unique questions and subjects that I had never before answered or discussed in interview settings. Because all of the interviews I did in Japan were very different from one another, it kept me on my toes, which was very good--it made it really fun :) Much gratitude is owed to those who kindly took time to meet and interview me -- I am so grateful they made time to meet with me and talk with me about my music. Thanks to each and every those listed here. I can't wait to read the write-ups!

~~Yo Nakagawa with the Mainichi News Paper (http://mdn.mainichi.jp/) -- she was very kind and helped to assuage my nervousness with the first interview. :)

~~Akira Kato from Kyodo News Agency, with photographer from Kyodo News took some photos and Hitomi translated. It was my first-ever interview with a translator present, and it was a lot smoother and more natural a process that I had previously imagined.
~~Tei Miwa from HMV -- I had been interviewed by HMV previously (not in person) for an article on their website earlier this year (which you can find here: http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/news/..article/1005190069/)
~~Jin Mashiko and Naoko Isozaki from BayFM, a Tokyo major radio station, recorded an interview to be played on-air later. That was also a first for me, doing a radio interview that wasn't a live broadcast. It was a fun way to finish up our day at the JVC offices!

Before I go on, I must also give huge credit to my amazing translator and beautiful human being Hitomi Watase, who was my lifeline (or at least communication line :) ) for the remainder of my time in Japan. Translating seems like such hard work, but she is a total pro at it! She helped with the remainder of my interviews for the day, for which I was most grateful.



Hitomi and me, two peas in a pod - with thematically similar outfits, no less!

After we left JVC, Matt, Keith and I traveled with Sumio and Rika Sone from JVC to the TokyoFM. While we waited in the lobby area before our appointment time, I was served my very first can of hot green tea from a vending machine. The fact that a vending machine served me a hot drink in a can was novel enough... but the fact that the green tea was really delicious was astounding! I guess I'm kind of easily impressed/amused... :) When it was time, Matt and I (with my can of hot green tea!) were welcomed into the studio, where we met Yuki Rhinehart, the exceptionally friendly radio DJ to whose show ("AOR") we were invited to be guests. Yuki and I chatted on-air, and then Matt joined in when it came time for us to perform a song live in the studio--we played "A Whiter Shade of Pale" from our They Oughta Write a Song cd. Keith was kind enough to film segments of it on my flip camera, which I am hoping to get some time to post (along with other clips) very soon!



Keith and Matt, happily waiting in the TokyoFM waiting area...



Hot Green Tea in a CAN!!!

A very big day in all! The only way I could properly end it was to get some chocolate covered almonds from the enormous vending machine in the hotel lobby. It might have been because I was pretty tired, but the vending machine made me a little bit giddy when it busted out a robot-arm-like grabber to get the item I selected, and then presented it in a little automatic slot to deliver it to me. It was great! So different from the vending machines I'm used to, the ones that ungracefully push an item down from its row and send it thudding down into the bottom of a metal drawer that one must then reach down through the lid and into in order to obtain said item... it all seems so old fashioned now... :P

Day 3:

Showcase day!! Thursday started out with yet another delicious Japanese-style breakfast, and a late-morning meetup in the Lobby to get to our first order of the day. We returned to TokyoFM for another interview and live performance, this time with the fun and super-cute DJ/host Nanae Kodera and the equally fantastic sound engineer Yoshimi Arakeda. Matt and I had great fun meeting and chatting with them. Keith was again acting as the designated videographer/photographer... bless him... :)


DJ Nanae Kodera with Matt and me

Then, we returned to the hotel, where Matt and I had to get ourselves together for the showcase performance that evening before leaving again to head to the venue. We arrived at the Art Cafe Friends venue, a really classy, yet warm and inviting new space in downtown Tokyo, where Matt and I were able to rehearse for a little while with our bassist for the evening, Go Shimada. He really did a great job at filling out the trio--a very talented bass player, indeed. We're honored to be working with him again when we play at the Ginza Jazz Festival on November 1st!

Then, it was time to get ready while all of the invited showcase guests arrived. I have to confess I was more than a little nervous...The room was full of people from different media organizations (including some that I'd interviewed with the day before, and some that I would interview with the next day), music stores, JVC personnel, and more. We were announced, and the show began! We played "They Oughta Write a Song", "Blue Skies", "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "La Vie En Rose", "Perhaps", "Thirsty", and "In a Sentimental Mood"--all songs from either They Oughta Write a Song or the upcoming After Dark. It went wonderfully! Matt and Go played marvelously, and the sound person did a great job mixing. I was very happy with it :) Afterwards, I got to meet a lot of the people who were in attendance, with Hitomi translating along the way--she made it all seem so easy!. After the showcase guests left, I was able to meet and speak with more people from JVC who were in attendance or working at the event, which was a treat.



Post-showcase group pic with my friends at JVC/Victor

Sumio and Aya took Matt, Keith, Hitomi and me out to yet another incredible dinner right next door. We were beginning to feel very spoiled, and, admittedly, we liked it a lot! :) If you didn't already gather that from the expressions on our happy faces...

Keith, me, Matt, Hitomi, Sumio, and Aya -- celebration dinner!


Day 4:

My last full day in Japan was indeed a full one! Interviews galore, preceded by yet another amazing breakfast--this time, I tried out the "American-style breakfast", which was on the opposite side of the restaurant floor. It, too, was exceptional. I would be happy to make a trip to Japan someday just for the food... honestly. It's SO good.

Hitomi, translator extraordinaire, assisted me throughout the day yet again... she was very helpful during the back-to-back-to-back interviews that day!

The first interview of the day at the JVC offices was with Eichi Kobayashi from Intoxicate, Tower Records' weekly magazine.

Then I met with journalists from three of Japan's biggest news organizations (in three separate interviews) --again, some very talented journalists who were so wonderful to speak with about music and more:

~~Shouko Fujisaki from Asahi Shimbun News
~~Manabu Sakurai from Yomiuri News (from which I had just read the day's edition that morning over breakfast, coincidentally)
~~Akira Tada from Nikkei Newspaper

My final interview of the day and of the trip was with Takao Ogawa from InterFM, who recorded our interview for later airing on his show "Jazz Conversation". He has interviewed some of the jazz greats, like Chick Corea, George Duke, Hank Jones, and many others--I was so grateful to be in such unbelievable "interviewee" company.


Takao Ogawa and me

A wonderful day, followed by a fabulous dinner (again, at Gonpachi--what a great restaurant!)--including my first taste of soba noodles (which were not a bit like yakisoba noodles... I had no idea! :)). Hiroshi and Sumio introduced us to all kinds of wonderful food. And Eiko, Matt's wife who is originally from Japan, joined us, which was a treat as well!

Ending the day with a bang, Matt, Keith and I went along with Sumio, Hiroshi, and other JVC folks to watch a show by Jill Decoy Association, an extremely talented band on the JVC/Victor label. While there, I had a chance to meet up with Keith Cahoon from Hotwire K.K.. Keith C. (as opposed to Keith Altomare, aka "Keith A.") is the sub-publisher who represents me and my music in Japan.

What a rush! So many things to do, people to meet... Sumio and everyone associated with JVC/Victor really went over and above in planning and making this trip a wonderfully maximized experience. I know that well-organized events like this do not just happen -- they come about because of a lot of time, effort, and hard work put forth by a lot of people. Matt, Keith and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Sumio and everyone at JVC/Victor and to all others who were involved. I can't wait to do it again! But first, I'll have to tell you about our time in Maui, Hawaii. That's for another blog. In the meantime, I have posted more photos from the trip on my Facebook page www.facebook.com/halieloren ... please take a look to see some more of the places and people I've described here. More blogs coming soon! Thanks for reading :)

SOLD-OUT "Stages" CD Release :)

Thanks to you all who made it out to last night's "Stages" CD Release concert at the Wildish Theater! For those who wanted to be there but couldn't get tickets before they were sold out, so sorry you couldn't be there with us... we missed you. Wish we could have magically created about a hundred more seats in the room :) However, there will be video and lots of pics soon! And more performances coming around before you know it. Our next full-band show is on the coast at Eden Hall on May 22nd (http://edenhall.com/page2.html), which is the same venue at which we recorded half of our live "Stages" album--great, intimate concert venue. Hope to see you then!

In the meantime, if you would like to check out the new merchandise that had its premier at the show last night, it will be posted to my website within the next day or so! "Halie Loren" and "Halien: United Fans Of Halie Loren" (the new fan club started on Facebook :)) themed T shirts (and tank tops) and stickers galore...

To all who attended, thank you, again, for making this show such a success in all senses of the word. It was truly an honor to celebrate this milestone with you all! Can't wait to do it again :)

My music going national and international!...

There has recently been a plethora of really cool new happenings in the world of my music... and I wanted to share some of them with you all who have been friends and fans of mine for quite some time now. It's all very exciting for me!

First, U.S.-related news:
I've just been picked up for nation-wide distribution by Burnside Distribution, and can be found at stores all over the country. Woohoo! If you find that your favorite local music store doesn't carry my CDs, please let me know by emailing whitemoonprod@comcast.net.

Now for the international part:
For the past few months, my CDs have been really catching on in Japan. At HMV Japan, the country's largest online music retailer, my new CD "Stages" is the #4 seller in the overall Jazz category at HMV. In the sub-category Jazz Vocals, "Stages" is #2, and has been at the #1 more than once already since its release mid-March. My 2008 CD, "They Oughta Write a Song" has also been in every top-5 position on the HMV charts, and is still a top-20 seller listing at #12 and #15 in jazz vocals.

"Stages" was also ranked #21 in jazz at iTunes Japan the last I heard, and has been hovering between the 50th and 20th position at Amazon Japan for most of the time since its release.

Japanese fans and music writers have written positive reviews and blogged about my music. Eiko, amazing wife of my friend and accompanist Matt Treder, helped to create a facebook fan page to chronicle these amazing (to me, at least) developments.

It is crazy and wonderful... life is good! And, for me, unprecedentedly busy. But undoubtedly good. I'll keep you posted on other current and upcoming developments very soon, so please check back for more juicy tidbits :)

~Peace, music, and jazz-hands!~

Halie

Live CD "Stages" released!

My new live CD, "Stages", has just been released! Through my new distribution deal with Burnside Distribution, "Stages" and all of my other albums are now available nation-wide (and online, of course). If my music is not available in your favorite local music store, please let me know by sending an email to whitemoonprod@comcast.net.

The CD features five stellar musicians (Matt Treder/piano, Mark Schneider/bass, Brian West/drums, and Tim McLaughlin/trumpet) performing jazz standards, original songs, and jazzified pop/rock songs from two concerts recorded on the Oregon Coast in 2009. You can hear samples at www.cdbaby.com/halieloren3