LIQUID 8 RECORDS LAUNCHES JAZZ LABEL NARDIS MUSIC WITH BEN SIDRAN

New Record Label Partners with Jazz Legend Ben Sidran to Create New Model for Music Releases. Clyde Stubblefields First Solo Album The Original Set for December Release

Liquid 8 Records & Entertainment announces the creation of Nardis Music, a new jazz & groove label, adding to the companys growing collection of top-selling music catalogs featuring proven artists. The new label, operated in partnership with jazz legend Ben Sidran, will launch in December with the release of an all-new CD by Clyde Stubblefield. At least 10 releases are planned for 2004, including a new instrumental release by Sidran. Nardis Music releases will be distributed by Navarre Corporation.

Liquid 8 Records CEO Michael Catain is delighted with the partnership with Sidran, an internationally acclaimed jazz performer. Were excited about the partnership with a class act like Ben and the quality of product that will be coming up from this new label, Ben understands the current retail environment and will be a knowledgeable business partner. Its an absolute pleasure to work with someone familiar with both the business and music arenas."

Sidran expects Nardis Music to spotlight masters in jazz music. Its a win-win situation," he explains. These days jazz covers a broad spectrum of styles and artists. We will feature artists new work while continuing to make classic material available through our special compilations at value pricing."

Each time a new featured album is released, Nardis will release a compilation CD that complements the style and theme of the featured release. The Original, Stubblefields first major label solo recording in his 30-plus year career as a jazz drummer, will be released in early December at a suggested retail price of $12.95. At the same time, a Down and Dirty collection, featuring a funky selection of tracks drawn from the extensive Go Jazz catalog, will be released at a value price of $9.95.

Stubblefield is an acclaimed drummer who finessed the supercharged funky R&B sound of James Browns band. He partners with John JabO Starks and is a constantly sought-after studio musician. His drumsticks are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and he is the most sampled drummer in music history. He tours with Michael Feldmans nationally syndicated radio program WhadYa Know.
Ben Sidrans career spans the spectrum of jazz, and he has worked with some of the worlds greatest artists, including Van Morrison, Rickie Lee Jones, Carole King and Steve Miller (co-creating the hit Space Cowboy" in the 1970s). He was the composer and music producer for the acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams and served as music producer for Diana Ross The Lady Sings Jazz & Blues, among many other film, television and radio credentials. Sidran runs his own company, Go Jazz Records, and is an artist in residence at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, Sidran is on the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the agency which administers the Grammy Awards. The memoir Ben Sidran :A Life in the Music was just published this year, and he was featured twice on National Public Radio when he released a Parents Choice award-winning childrens album, El Elefante, on Liquid 8 Records Baby Music Boom label earlier this year.

Sidran is currently recording an all-new album, Nicks Bump, which will be released early in first quarter 2004. Sidran says there is a great story behind the intriguing title, which will be revealed in the liner notes." The all-instrumental CD will be influenced by the Blue Note acid jazz styles of the '60s and '70s, with a high-fashion gloss and contemporary groove, and will feature new, classic and obscure compositions from 60s legends, including Eddie Harris, Lee Morgan and Donald Bird. The complementary Martini collection will include great instrumental groove performances from the Go Jazz catalog.

A Nardis Music website will post in December, and launch events are in the works, according to Catain and Sidran.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: Michael Catain and Ben Sidran are available for interviews. DIGITAL ARTWORK IS AVAILABLE: Please email requests to blenzb@aol.com or ttaylor@liquid8records.com.

About Liquid 8 Records & Entertainment

Liquid 8 Records & Entertainment, which is distributed by Navarre Corporation, was recently featured in Billboard magazine as an up-and-coming retail-friendly music label. Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Liquid 8 Records is rapidly emerging as both a new business model for marketing established recorded entertainment media and as the vanguard artist development label for breaking exceptional new acts. The company roster includes Daryl Halls new solo CD Cant Stop Dreaming, Gospel artist James Grear & Company and Minnesota favorite g.b. leighton, and the Minnesota Idol Elizabeth Keeney. It is building its adult contemporary, gospel, jazz, urban and childrens music catalogs with several new acquisitions.