Miami Jazz In The Garden
The Image Of Magazine begins its year long journey covering music festival around the country and the world. We are looking for the top 10 festivals in their categories. We welcome you to join us and be a part of the festivities and participate in the selection of Best Festival of the Year. All festivals have their own unique style, look and city attraction that set them apart one from another. Our first stop of the year will be Jazz In The Garden. In their first years, Jazz In The Gardens has garnered national attention within the jazz festival circuit from as far as California. The lineup and huge crowds known for their high energy and party atmosphere keeps the city as hot as the city itself. TIOM is proud to be a part of this years festival with coverage, artist interview and exclusive images from the festival and Miami Gardens.
Jazz in the Gardens celebrates its ninth year with one of its finest lineups in the event’s history. Presented by the City of Miami Gardens, Jazz in the Gardens has grown to become one of the most highly regarded and anticipated music festival events in the country. Last year, more than 63,000 fans attended, attracting both locals and thousands of out-of-towners to the beautiful City of Miami Gardens. Previous years have included celebrated artists such as Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Robin Thicke, the late Teena Marie, Wyclef, Fantasia, Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Chaka Khan, Chrisette Michele, Common, Anthony Hamilton, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Al Jarreau, Gladys Knight, The Isley Brothers, New Edition, EnVogue, Lalah Hathaway, Branford Marsalis, Boyz II Men, Ne-Yo, Earth Wind & Fire, Charlie Wilson, Monica, Fantasia, Najee, Nicole Henry and Mary Mary.
In addition to incredible music lineups, fans revel in a wide variety of ethnically diverse foods and top notch merchandise from all around the world. On March 15th and 16th, 2014, Jazz in the Gardens will continue the magical annual tradition at Sun Life Stadium, hosting an event that will surely surpass last years’ experience with another illustrious lineup that continues to make this festival second to none. The festival includes pre-festival events, the Women’s Impact Conference & Luncheon, fabulous shopping, community events and much more.
The City of Miami Gardens presents the first annual official Jazz In the Gardens opening night party on Friday, March 14, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. The event will take place at Calder Casino & Race Course located at 21001 NW 27th Ave., Miami, FL 33056. Tickets are on sale now. Artist(s) to be announced. In addition to world-class musicians gracing the stage each year, another highlight of the festival is its incredible collection of culinary creations. From conch salad to bbq and smoothies, the Food Village at Jazz in the Gardens is equally important to the fans that visit the festival each year. The festival’s host city, The City of Miami Gardens was incorporated on May 13, 2003, as the 33rd city in Miami-Dade County. With a population of approximately 110,000, it is the third largest city in Miami-Dade County. Miami Gardens is a solid, working and middle class community of unique diversity and boasts a reduced crime rate of more than 40 percent. It is the largest predominantly African-American municipality in the State of Florida and boasts many Caribbean and Hispanic residents. The City hosted the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl, the 2010 NFL Pro BowlTM, Super Bowl XLIVTM and hosted the 2013 and 2014 Orange Bowl and the 2013 BCS National Championship game. The City has demonstrated steady growth in the areas of community and economic development and has gained a reputation for being a hot destination spot in South Florida.
Kelley Rowland Takes The Stage
Kelendria Trene Rowland was born on February 11, 1981, in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the daughter of Doris Rowland Garrison and Christopher Lovett. At the age of eight, she relocated to Houston. Rowland was placed into a rapping and dancing group, along with Beyoncé and friend LaTavia Roberson. Originally named Girl’s Tyme in 1992, they were eventually cut down to six members. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them and eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studio, in Northern California. As part of efforts to sign Girl’s Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager’s strategy was to debut them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at that time. They participated, but lost the competition.
To manage the group, Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé’s father, resigned in 1995 from his job as a medical-equipment salesman. He dedicated his time and established a “boot camp” for their training. At this time Rowland moved in with the Knowleses. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina Knowles’ hairstyling salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time. They auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later, before they could release an album.
Taken from a passage in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, the group changed their name to Destiny’s Child in 1993. Together, they performed in local events and, after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny’s Child recorded their major label debut song “Killing Time”, for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black. The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, spawning hits such as “No, No, No”. The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. The group rose to stardom after releasing their multi-platinum second album The Writing’s on the Wall in 1999. The record featured some of the group’s most widely known songs such as “Bills, Bills, Bills”, “Jumpin’ Jumpin'” and “Say My Name”, which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain as one of their signature songs. “Say My Name” won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 43rd Grammy Awards. The Writing’s on the Wall sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.
Destiny’s Child performing their 2000 hit “Say My Name” during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled … And Lovin’ It
Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened afterMichelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the video of “Say My Name”, implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[15] After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded “Independent Women Part I”, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie’s Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping theBillboard Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks. The success cemented the new lineup and skyrocketed them to fame. Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.
Later that year, while Destiny’s Child was completing their third album Survivor, Rowland appeared on the remix of Avant’s single “Separated”. Survivor, which channeled
the turmoil the band underwent, spawned itslead single of the same name, which was a response to the experience. The song went on to win a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The themes of “Survivor”, however, caused Luckett and Roberson to refile their lawsuit; the proceedings were eventually settled in June 2002. Meanwhile, the album was released in May 2001, debuting at number one on the USBillboard 200 with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold. To date, Survivor has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone. The album also spawned the number-one hit “Bootylicious”. After releasing their remix album This Is the Remix in 2002, the group announced their temporary break-up to pursue solo projects.
In 2002, Rowland was featured on Nelly’s single “Dilemma”, which won the pair a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The song became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping many charts worldwide including the United States, where it became Rowland’s first number-one single as a solo artist. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote that because of the song’s success, “Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé”.
Rowland’s debut solo album, Simply Deep, was released on October 22, 2002 in the US. Featuring production contributions by Mark J. Feist, Big Bert, Rich Harrison, and singers Brandy and Solange Knowles providing background vocals, the album took Rowland’s solo work further into an alternative music mixture, which Rowland described as a “weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock.” Simply Deep debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and at number three on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies sold. It was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA). As of 2013, Simply Deep remains as Rowland’s best-selling album in the US, with 602,000 copies sold. Released to an even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the UK Albums Chart and became a gold-seller in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, resulting into worldwide sales total of 2.5 million copies. Simply Deep yielded the international top-ten single “Stole” and the UK top-five single “Can’t Nobody”.
Rowland branched out into acting in 2002, playing the recurring role of Carly in the fourth season of UPN sitcom The Hughleys. She continued her acting career the following year, with guest roles in UPN sitcom Eve as Cleo, and in NBC drama series American Dreams as Martha Reeves. In August 2003, Rowland made her big screen debut playing the supporting role of Kia Waterson alongside Robert Englund and Monica Keena in theslasher film, Freddy vs. Jason, which grossed $114.5 million at the box office worldwide. In July 2004, Rowland starred opposite Duane Martin and Shemar Moore in the romantic comedy The Seat Filler, which grossed $17.9 million worldwide. She played Jhnelle, a pop star who falls for an awards-show seat filler whom she mistakes for a high-profile entertainment attorney.
After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined Beyoncé and Michelle Williams for Destiny’s Child’s final studio album Destiny Fulfilled, released on November 15, 2004. The album hit number two on theBillboard 200, and spawned the top-five singles “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier”, which features T.I. and Lil Wayne. The following year, Destiny’s Child embarked on a worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled … And Lovin’ It. During the last stop of the European tour in Barcelona, Spain on June 11, Rowland announced that they would disband following the North American leg of the tour. Destiny’s Child released their first compilation album Number 1’s on October 25 in the US, which peaked at number one on the Billboard 200. On March 28, 2006, Destiny’s Child accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rowland and Beyoncé founded the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up to provide transitional housing for victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extended the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston. Rowland and Beyoncé lent their voices to a collaboration with Kitten Sera, entitled “All That I’m Lookin for”. The song appeared on The Katrina CD album, whose proceeds went to the Recording Artists for Hope organization. In 2006, Rowland joined other artists such as Pink and Avril Lavigne in ads for so-called empowerment tags for the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign, which went on sale exclusively at ALDO stores and benefited the YouthAIDS initiative. Rowland returned to television later that year, playing ambitious 21-year-old apprentice Tammy Hamilton, in the sixth season of UPN sitcom Girlfriends. Rowland initially hoped her three-episode stint would expand to a larger recurring role, but as the show was moved to The CW Television Network the following year plans for a return eventually went nowhere.
Kelley joins a stellar lineup for the Jazz In The Garden 2014. visit www.jazzinthegarden.com to see date and time Ms. Rowland takes the stage.
Welcome Todd Smith “LL Cool J”
Under his stage name, LL Cool J (an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James), Smith was signed by Def Jam, which led to the release of his first official record, the 12-inch single “I Need a Beat” (1984). The single was a hard-hitting, streetwise b-boy song with spare beats and ballistic rhymes. Smith later discussed his search for a label, stating “I sent my demo to many different companies, but it was Def Jam where I found my home.” That same year, Smith made his professional debut concert performance at Manhattan Center High School. In a later interview, LL Cool J recalled the experience, stating “They pushed the lunch room tables together and me and my DJ, Cut Creator, started playing. … As soon as it was over there were girls screaming and asking for autographs. Right then and there I said ‘This is what I want to do’.” LL’s debut single sold over 100,000 copies and helped establish both Def Jam as a label and Smith as a rapper. The commercial success of “I Need a Beat”, along with the Beastie Boys’s single “Rock Hard” (1984), helped lead Def Jam to a distribution deal with Columbia Records the following year.
Radio was released to critical acclaim, both for production innovation and LL’s powerful rap.Released November 18, 1985, on Def Jam Recordings in the United States, Radio earned a significant amount of commercial success and sales for a hip hop record at the time. Shortly after its release, the album sold over 500,000 copies in its first five months, eventually selling over 1 million copies by 1988, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Radio peaked at number 6 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number 46 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It entered the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart on December 28, 1985, and remained there for forty-seven weeks, while also entering the Pop Albums chart on January 11, 1986. Radio remained on the chart for thirty-eight weeks. By 1989, the album had earned platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), after earning a gold certification in the United States on April 14, 1986, with sales exceeding one million copies. “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock the Bells” were singles that helped the album go platinum. It eventually reached 1,500,000 in US sales.
With the breakthrough success of his hit single “I Need a Beat” and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became one of the first hip-hop acts to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C..Gigs at larger venues were offered to LL as he would join the 1986-’87 Raising Hell tour, opening for Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys. Another milestone of LL’s popularity was his appearance onAmerican Bandstand as the first hip hop act on the show.
LL Cool J’s second album was 1987’s Bigger and Deffer. This stands as his biggest-selling career album, having sold in excess of three million copies in the United States alone. It spent 11 weeks at #1 on Billboard‘s R&B albums chart. It also reached #3 on the Billboard‘s Pop albums chart. The album featured the singles “I’m Bad”, the revolutionary “I Need Love” – L L’s first #1 R&B and Top 40 hit, “Bristol Hotel”, and “Go Cut Creator Go”. LL Cool J’s third album was 1989’s Walking with a Panther. Released in 1989, the album was a commercial success, with several charting singles (“Going Back to Cali,” “I’m That Type of Guy,” “Jingling Baby,” “Big Ole Butt,” and “One Shot at Love”). The album however was often criticized by the hip-hop community as being too commercial and materialistic, and for focusing too much on love ballads. According to Billboard, the album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and was LL Cool J’s second #1 R&B Album
As an answer to people saying that his music had become too soft due to the inclusion of several ballads on his previous album, LL Cool J released Mama Said Knock You Out. The album was originally intended for a collaboration with the Beatles and Jim Brown (former running back of the Cleveland Browns). The album was fully produced by Juice Crew producer Marley Marl, one of the premier producers in the hip-hop industry at the time. Mama Said Knock You Out contained three singles, “The Boomin’ System”, “Around the Way Girl”, and the title track, which he performed during an episode of MTV Unplugged. It was also featured in the film The Hard Way. The diss track “To Da Break Of Dawn,” aimed at such foes as MC Hammer, Kool Moe Dee, and Ice-T, was also on the album. The album went on to sell over 2,700,000 copies.
LL Cool J’s 11th album, Todd Smith, was released on April 11, 2006. It includes collaborations with 112, Ginuwine, Juelz Santana, Teairra Mari and Freeway. The first single was the Jermaine Dupri-produced “Control Myself” featuring Jennifer Lopez. They shot the video for “Control Myself” on January 2, 2006 at Sony Studios, New York. The second video, directed by Hype Williams, was “Freeze” featuring Lyfe Jennings.
In July 2006, LL Cool J announced details about his final album with Def Jam Recordings, the only label he has ever been signed to. The album is titled Exit 13. The album was originally scheduled to be executively produced by fellow Queens rapper 50 Cent. Exit 13 was originally slated for a fall 2006 release, however, after a 2-year delay, it was released September 9, 2008 without 50 Cent as the executive producer. Tracks that the two worked on were leaked to the internet and some of the tracks produced with 50 made it to Exit 13. LL Cool J partnered with DJ Kay Slay to release a mixtape called “The Return of the G.O.A.T.”. It was the first mixtape of his 24-year career and includes freestyling by LL Cool J in addition to other rappers giving their renditions of his songs. A track entitled “Hi Haterz” was leaked onto the internet on June 1, 2008. The song contains LL Cool J rapping over the instrumental to Maino’s “Hi Hater”. He toured with Janet Jackson on her Rock Witchu tour, only playing in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, and Kansas City. In September 2009, LL Cool J released a song about the NCIS TV series. It is a single and is available on iTunes. The new track is based on his experiences playing special agent Sam Hanna. “This song is the musical interpretation of what I felt after meeting with NCIS agents, experienced Marines and Navy SEALs,” LL Cool J said. “It represents the collective energy in the room. I was so inspired I wrote the song on set.” In March 2011 at South by Southwest, LL Cool J was revealed to be Z-Trip’s special guest at the Red Bull Thre3 Style showcase. This marked the beginning of a creative collaboration between the rap and DJ superstars. The two took part in an interview with Carson Daly where they discussed their partnership. Both artists have promised future collaborations down the road, with LL Cool J calling the duo “organic” One early track to feature LL’s talents was Z-Trip’s remix of British rock act Kasabian’s single “Days Are Forgotten”, which was named by influential DJ Zane Lowe as his “Hottest Record In The World” and received a favorable reception in both Belgium and the United Kingdom. In January 2012, the pair released the track “Super Baller” as a free download to celebrate the New York Giants Super Bowl victory. The two have been touring together since 2011, with future dates planned through 2012 and beyond.
Artist lineups, tickets, dates and time can be seen at www.jazinthegarden.com. Stay tuned to The Image Of Magazine for our features and interviews coming soon.
