Happy Birthday to

Kiss bassist/singer Gene Simmons (1949)

Depending on the day, Herbie Hancock might perform any number of roles. He's the nation's first-call jazz ambassador, a futuristic technology advocate, a dedicated educator, and of course, an American music luminary.

September 4, 2007 - With the end of summer comes different weather, different colors, and the need to unwind, relax and do things a little differently. Herbie Hancock (www.herbiehancock.com), a master of doing things differently, will release his latest album, River: The Joni Letters on September 25.

"I wanted to make a record that would be accessible yet truthful," Luciana Souza says of The New Bossa Nova, her seventh album and her Verve debut. "The world is so loud and noisy and overwhelming now that it can be a challenge to get people to sit and listen to something that's quiet. But I have faith that they will."

Happy Birthday to "The O.C." actress Rachel Bilson (1981), "Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell (1978), German supermodel Claudia Schiffer (1970), "All My Children" actor Cameron Mathison (1969), Powerman 5000 singer Spider One (1968), Belle & Sebastian singer Stuart Murdoch (1968), Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy (1967), actor Blair Underwood (1964), country singer Billy Ray Cyrus (1961), "The Corpse Bride" director Tim Burton (1958), English musician Elvis Costello (1954), Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes (1952), Judas Priest singer Rob Halford (1951), Kiss bassist/singer Gene Simmons (1949), "Alien Lockdown" actor John Savage (1949), actress Anne Archer (1947), actor Anthony Heald (1944), actor Tom Skerritt (1933), musician Wayne Shorter (1933), tv host Regis Philbin (1931), original "James Bond" Sean Connery (1930), American conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918; d. 1990), and silver screen star Van Johnson (1916).

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock will perform for students at the newly-relocated Thelonious Monk Institute Of Jazz in New Orleans, Louisiana later today. The legendary pianist will take to the stage with saxophonist Wayne Shorter and trumpet player Terence Blanchard to celebrate the college's move from Los Angeles to New Orleans' Loyola University.

It began almost as a lark when Carlos Santana encountered his longtime friend and hero Wayne Shorter on the concert trail in Atlanta, GA, in 1987. Carlos said, "Let's start a rumor that we're putting a band together."

Happy Birthday to "The O.C." actress Rachel Bilson (1981), "Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell (1978), German supermodel Claudia Schiffer (1970), "All My Children" actor Cameron Mathison (1969), Powerman 5000 singer Spider One (1968), Belle & Sebastian singer Stuart Murdoch (1968), Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy (1967), actor Blair Underwood (1964), country singer Billy Ray Cyrus (1961), "The Corpse Bride" director Tim Burton (1958), English musician Elvis Costello (1954), Asia keyboardist Geoff Downes (1952), Judas Priest singer Rob Halford (1951), Kiss bassist/singer Gene Simmons (1949), "Alien Lockdown" actor John Savage (1949), actress Anne Archer (1947), actor Anthony Heald (1944), actor Tom Skerritt (1933), musician Wayne Shorter (1933), tv host Regis Philbin (1931), original "James Bond" Sean Connery (1930), American conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918; d. 1990), and silver screen star Van Johnson (1916).