We at Alphachimp Studio, Inc. would like to celebrate our hardworking friends at the Manchester Craftsman's Guild and their jazz label, MCG Jazz.

(Way to go, Marty and Renee!)

This year's grammy for best jazz vocal albumn went to Nancy Wilson for R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)

In an age when the entire state of the music industry is in flux, it is inspirational to watch these craftspeople work.
We have been motivated in our own artistic and business pursuits by witnessing the patience and sense of duty that the team at MCG Jazz brings to their art form--jazz--one of the very few 100% bona fide American art forms at that!

ABOVE: The pristine sounds of Nancy Wilson were recorded and produced here, in MCG Jazz studios on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

PRESS RELEASE:

February 13, 2005 (Pittsburgh)

MCG Jazz congratulates Nancy Wilson on her GRAMMY® Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) (MCGJ 1013) was recorded at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild(MCG) in Pittsburgh, PA.

The 47th Annual GRAMMY® Awards aired live on February 13, 2005, at 8:00pm EST on CBS. Marty Ashby, Executive Producer for MCG Jazz, is available for comment. R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) and photos of Nancy Wilson are also available through MCG Jazz. You can place your order today by calling 412-322-1773 ext. 140 or click here to visit our online store.

The other nominees in the 2005 Best Jazz Vocal Album category are American Song by Andy Bey, Twentysomething by Jamie Cullum, Accentuate The Positive by Al Jarreau and The Dana Owens Album by Queen Latifa (host of this year's GRAMMY® Awards ceremony). Miss Wilson won her only other GRAMMY® Award in 1964 for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording for How Glad I Am.

MCG Jazz has received an unprecedented about of critical acclaim. Of the 10 CDs MCG Jazz has released nationally, R.S.V.P.'s win marks MCG Jazz’ third GRAMMY® Award and fourth GRAMMY® nomination. MCG Jazz won its first GRAMMY® Award in 1996 for Best Large Ensemble Performance for the Count Basie Orchestra with the New York Voices Live at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCGJ 1002) album. The second win came in September 2003 when Brazilian Dreams (MCGJ 1010) featuring Paquito D’Rivera and New York Voices won the Latin GRAMMY® Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.

R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) has ranked in the top 25 on the Billboard Jazz Chart for 23 weeks, peaking at #7. Additionally, R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) has remained at the top of the Jazz Week chart for 15 weeks, peaking at #2. (Billboard tracks record sales; Jazz Week monitors radio air play in the U.S. and Canada).

MCG Jazz is a division of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, a non-profit arts and learning center on the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA. This multi-discipline, minority-directed center provides hope and life skills to youth and adults in urban environments through jazz, visual arts, vocational training and business partnerships.

R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) epitomizes these values, with all of the proceeds from the sale of this CD going to support the MCG Jazz program. MCG Jazz, a specialty recording label, captures the magic of many of the jazz artists who perform at the center every year. R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) is available at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and may be purchased online at www.mcgjazz.org.