Featuring the Smooth Groove of Today's Jazz!
This Week at CaféJazz.ca

July 3rd, 2005
Edition #370 Previously Next


Special Presentation - The Quarterly Review:
All the finest Smooth Jazz that has made its way into our studio in the past 90 days or so and its all on one incredible show!!

Hear Yea!!
Bus on Tour: Next on board the Café Jazz "bus on tour" is legendary keyboardist George Duke!! Now you can "hop on the bus", & catch up on the latest news from Mr. Duke as we join him in conversation with Terry Love! Just click on the paw!

In This Issue:

HIGHLIGHTS
Mystery - Richard Elliot
El Baile Del Sol - Amarosa
Lips Like Sugar - Seal
Rio - Jonathan Butler
Still in Love - Warren Hill
Choices - Brain Bromberg

AFTER HOURS:
More of the QR

Highlights Hour One
Mystery - Richard Elliot:
Metro Blue is now Elliot's 14th solo effort and one that marks a definite turning point in his career. The release is the first on the newly formed ARTizen Music label, of which Richard is a partner. For the project Elliot hooked up with Rick Braun, their longtime manager Steve Chapman, and industry vet Al Evers. As a result Richard feels totally in control of his musical destiny. This latter fact is well demonstrated by the music on the album & Elliot's obvious sense of freedom as he creatively stretches in new directions. There are some fantastic selections, easily making it one of the finest releases to this point in the year. No doubt we'll be going to it often. Yet on this one occasion we've chosen a bonus track available only on the ARTizen web site !

CD: Metro Blue
Label: ARTizen Music Group
Site: Richard Elliot


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El Baile Del Sol - Amarosa:
Amarosa is the latest project from Lou Bartolomucci & Tony Carlucci, two of Toronto's most highly regarded & versatile musicians. Tony & Lou first connected in the 80s to head up Synthetic Earth, a jazz-fusion group that were runners up in a competition held in Los Angeles. This led to a record deal & the release of their first album. They've each been involved in various aspects of the TO music scene but finding their styles highly compatible, Bartolomucci & Carlucci decided to release a new project. The result is Amarosa, a effort that features a soothing blend of smooth jazz & Latin flavours. From that effort we have a fantastic tune entitled El Baile Del Sol. This track is certain to become one of our most played selections for the entire year. In fact I've already reserved a spot for it on our end of the year "best of ..." series of specials!!

CD: Amarosa
Label: Amar/Independent
Availability: cdbaby
Lips Like Sugar - Seal featuring Mikey Dread:
After graduating with a degree in architecture, Seal held a variety of jobs in and around London before he turned to singing on the local scene. He joined a funk unit & toured Japan in the mid-'80s While in Asia, he played with a Thai blues band and then traveled India on his own. Upon his return to England, Seal contributed to Killer, a tune that hit #1 in 1990. This paved the way for a record deal and resulted in the release of his debut album, which enjoyed sales in excess three million units. It was three years before the release of Seal's follow up project. Although the album initially sold over a million copies, it really didn't take off until Kiss From a Rose was featured on the soundtrack of Batman Forever. Three months at the top of the charts for the single sent album sales soaring to multiplatinum levels.
Two additional projects followed with Seal's career spanning Best 1991-2004 cd being issued just last year. It may be of interest that there are in fact three versions of this release ranging from a single cd to a deluxe 3 disc cd/dvd package. Never fear though, each of the three contains our featured selection. The "not so overnight success" of Seal's sophomore effort well demonstrates that occasionally it takes time for great music to receive its due. We feel this is precisely the case with Seal's masterful interpretation of Lips Like Sugar, the Echo & the Bunnymen's hit from the 80s!!

CD: Best 1991 - 2004
Label: Warner Bros. Records
Site: Seal

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Highlights Hour Two
Rio - Jonathan Butler:
Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Butler grew up under the veil of apartheid, an official government policy of discrimination against non-whites. The youngest of twelve children, Jonathan found his escape in music. He began singing publicly at the age of seven and was touring his poverty-stricken country as part of a traveling variety show before he was even in his teens. In the course of events, Butler's talents came to the attention of Clive Caulder who signed the then 13-year-old to a deal with Jive Records. The resulting single made history in South Africa, as it became the first record by a black artist to be played on white radio. Butler soon found himself relocating to England, since that was where Jive was headquartered. His self-titled debut album broke Jonathan internationally and earned Butler a Grammy nomination.
Butler remained in England for 17 years before moving to the US. In that time, he recorded a variety of diverse projects, each exhibiting a blend of African flavours appealingly combined with many western pop influences. Butler's music has always exuded optimism & a celebration of life, qualities that have never been more refined than on Jonathan, this latest release!!

CD: Jonathan
Label: Rendezvous Entertainment
Web Site: Jonathan Butler
Still in Love - Warren Hill:
Although he began in music singing vocals & playing guitar in his own rock band, Warren Hill has etched quite a name for himself as a premier sax player on the Smooth Jazz circuit. He first turned to the sax in order to play in his high school band. However, following a summer program at the Eastman School of Music, Hill got hooked on jazz. He soon became totally focused on the sax and eventually set out to pursue music full time. Following a stint at Berklee in Boston, Warren was hired for a session with Chaka Khan. Shortly after, he relocated to LA & landed a record deal the result being his 1991 debut. Over the years many fine releases have followed as the Toronto born saxman has become a perennial favourite in the genre.
Even so, it's been a few years since his last project during which time, Hill has been very busy with "Warren Hill's Smooth Jazz Cruise" now it's third season. Nevertheless, earlier this year Warren was named winner as "Wind Instrumentalist of the Year" at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards and as a bit of a musical thank you to his fans, he just released Pop Jazz, his 10th album overall. There's an "A" list of guest players on the project & from it we have the advance single!

CD: Pop Jazz
Label: Pop Jazz
Sites: Warren Hill
Choices - Brian Bromberg:
As a toddler, Bromberg emulated his father & brother, who were both drummers, and started beating on anything that didn't move. After a few years of practice, he got his first professional gig at the age of 13. Meanwhile, somewhere along the way he also took up the cello, an instrument that he unfortunately hated, in order to play in his school band. Mercifully, his band director suggested that he try the upright bass. Bromberg immediately connected with the instrument. He discovered he had a gift for melody as well as for rhythm. Thereafter, for a good part of his teens, he locked himself away & practised incessantly. In time though, he took to performing live, often with several different bands and frequently played five to seven nights a week. His big break came about when he was just 19 & was recommended to the legendary Stan Getz who was on the look out for a new bass player.
Brian auditioned for & joined Getz & his famed quintet in December of 1979. Bromberg spent nearly a year touring the world with Stan and his band before moving on to other pursuits. He developed into a highly regarded sideman before releasing his solo debut in 1986. Subsequent projects have only served to enhance that reputation. He's considered an innovative player & is in demand as a musician and producer for both smooth and straight-ahead jazz. Choices is the recently remastered re-release of his 2004 album & from it we have the outstanding title track!!

CD: Choices
Label: Artistry Music
Site: Brain Bromberg

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After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site:

On this edition we have more of the smooth grooves from the past 3 months of 2005. Included are AWB, Keiko Matsui, Vanessa Williams, & Brian Culbertson. Also on the show we have music from Gail Jhonson, Michael Brandeburg, Jeanette Harris, & Michael Haggins. Those and more are all coming up in this continuous hour of virtually uninterrupted music, so I hope that you can join me for some great grooves!


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