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September 2nd, 2007 Edition #450 Previously 
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Highlights
Hour One Chasing the Wind - Gregg Karukas: Hailing from Bowie Maryland, Gregg Karukas developed into one of the top musicians in the Washington, DC - Baltimore area before relocating to LA in 1983. He released his solo debut in 1987 and later that same year, took part in the very first Rippingtons project. Long considered a staple in smooth jazz radio, Karukas has issued a string of top albums and instantly hummable singles but for some reason he remains, to our mind at least, one of the format's more under appreciated performers not having enjoyed the recognition afforded some of his contemporaries. Nonetheless, Karukas remains one of our all-time favourites and on this occasion, we're checking out the superb and critically acclaimed 2000 Nightshift cd. Named for Gregg's tendency to work in his studio into the wee hours of the morning and beyond, Nightshift was Karukas's debut on N-Coded Music - originally known as N2K Encoded Music, the label had been formed in 1997 by Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen, founders of GRP Records, and by acclaimed producer Phil Ramone. From that effort, we have Chasing the Wind, the album's enveloping opener that we also featured back in 2002 on the 250th Anniversary edition of our Very Best of! CD: Nightshift (2000) Label: N-Coded Music Site: Gregg Karukas |
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Nova Bossa - Shakatak: Born as part of the London club scene back in 1980, the band Shakatak scored a series of accessible pop and dance hits in their early days while over the years their style has gradually evolved into one that's more firmly rooted in jazz-funk. They've been prolific producing albums at a pace of roughly one a year. However, added to their studio projects there have been many best of's, several compilations, a number of special issues, a few live albums and the like. Suffice it to say, they've issued well in excess of 50 albums although the exact number may remain a matter of some conjecture. (Please see the fan site MusicLovers for the most comprehensive listing we've discovered to date.) Nevertheless, in spite of their continuing success in the U.K., Japan, and other far-reaching regions in the world, for some reason wide-ranging support has escaped the veteran band on this side of the pond. Still for a time there did seem to be some hope that North American radio would embrace the Shaks' sound in a big way - we here at The Café refer to these affectionately as "The Instinct Years". A while ago and pretty well during this same period, Shak drummer Roger Odell kindly recorded a few voice-overs for our show - as it lends to a rather natural segue, I'm now taking the liberty of quoting Roger: "Hey Ted how about something from the Magic cd? They're all great tracks!" With all respect due Mr. Odell and his band mates, this brings us to what we feel is the perfect choice for the occasion. In addition to the regular foursome of Odell, pianist Bill Sharpe, vocalist Jill Saward, & bassist George Anderson, also appearing is guitarist Fridrik Karlsson who had become a fixture with the band on a more or less permanent basis while Dave Bishop guests on flute on the track. All contribute to making Nova Bossa a modern samba-flavoured classic! CD: Magic (1999) Label: Instinct Records Site: Shakatak |
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Kabuki - Sam Riney: Originally hailing from Cuyahoga Falls Ohio, Sam Riney had several well-received releases in the late 80s and early 90s that established him as one of the more prominent voices in the early days of smooth jazz. Riney's debut as leader occurred in 1988 with Lay It On The Line and was followed later that same year by At Last - the latter yielding the kinetic track Kabuki. Although Riney remained prolific for a time, more recently he's appeared only sporadically in supporting roles. Nevertheless, Kabuki remains not only one of Riney's finest, but one of the finest from that entire era. And, as a bit of a footnote, At Last album marked one of the earliest efforts from ace-producer Paul Brown, and in addition featured Don Grady - who TV viewers may recall from the old My Three Sons series that starred Fred McMurray - who arranged and contributed synth to the track! CD: At Last (1988) Label: Spindletop Records/Sin-Drome Records |
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| Highlights Hour Two | |
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At
Last - Ronny Jordan: Ronny Jordan's talents received broad recognition in 1992 with the release of The Antidote, his groundbreaking debut album that featured the unlikely fusion of Rap with Smooth Jazz. However, this opening chapter of his record career well disguised the fact that Jordan had been playing in clubs and exploring various musical avenues throughout most of the 80s. Jordan's next couple of projects continued his excursions into the realms of hip-hop and smooth while the Blue Note period that followed yielded a pair of projects characterized by an edgier sound. Nonetheless, by the time 2001 rolled around, Jordan had already secured a reputation for the adventurous with five diverse projects to his credit. For his 2003 debut effort on N-Coded music, Jordan set aside many of the styles he'd been testing in favour of a contemporary album with radio airplay in mind. Praised by fans & critics alike, Jordan's At Last and its soulful title track stand forth as shimmering examples of the genre at its finest! CD: At Last (2003) Label: N-Coded Music Site: Ronny Jordan |
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The
Beauty of It All - Carlos Reyes: Carlos Reyes and family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area from Paraguay when he was three. Shortly after, Reyes began his musical education on the violin but upon a dare from his father, young Carlos took up the complex 36-string harp native to his homeland. He purchased his first when he was ten and within a couple of weeks, the child prodigy was performing professionally. In time, Reyes also learned guitar, bass, mandolin, and keys while mastering a variety of electronic techniques. When he was 14, Reyes debuted with the Oakland Symphony and later, with the Oakland Youth Symphony on harp and violin respectively. He composed background music for Sesame Street while still in his teens and as a member of the jazz-fusion groups Merlin and Carlos Reyes & the Electric Symphony, he played all over the bay area and beyond. In 1988, Reyes' The Beauty of It All debut, made the Billboard list of Top Contemporary Jazz Albums and remained there for over 15 weeks. From that effort, the title track - highlighted by Reyes adept soloing on both harp and violin, is in a word exceptional and represents a piece that has well endured the test of time! CD: The Beauty of It All (1988) Label: TBA |
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Wishing
Well - Schönherz and Scott: The Windham Hill label founded in 1976 by guitarist William Ackerman originally focused on the release of folk but quickly expanded to include electronic and world music. Within a few years, it become known not only for its high quality sound, but also for its groundbreaking approach - being considered the premier label of the day for its releases in New Age. In keeping with this, we have a track from the 1987 debut of Viennese-born Richard Schönherz and San Francisco's Peter Scott. Pianist Schönherz had composed for full orchestra and for Austrian film and TV while Scott had studied guitar privately before shifting his focus to composing and arranging at MIT. Both were versed in a variety of styles from classical and jazz to rock and blues. They produced a series of demos shortly after meeting, of which, the instrumentals became the basis for One Night in Vienna. Somewhat understated, the album's elegant lead track later appeared on numerous compilations and remains an essential gem from the label's earlier days! CD: One Night In Vienna (1987) Label: Windham Hill Records |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates : |
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We continue
this special edition and more of our Very Best of, with musical highlights
provided by Marion Meadows, Ken Navarro, David Lanz, Rick Braun, & Paul
Taylor to name but a few. In all, we've included 13 exciting selections!
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