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January 6th, 2008 Edition #465 Previously 
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Jazz Faves for ' 07: The fourth installment for our end of the year recap of favourites! This Week @ Cafe Jazz.ca: 2007 Best of Review - Pt.1: On the latest edition of the radio show that's unlike any other ...we begin our Café Jazz Best of series of specials for 2007 with the first of three-parts. Included on this edition are Paul Brown, Spyro Gyra, and Euge Groove. But intrinsic to our mission we go well beyond playing just the hits - so you'll be hearing from artists such as Nate Harasim and Rocco Ventrella as well as our #1 most played tune for the year and that's from Terry Disley! |
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| Highlights Hour One
Dolalalaleng - DeeLight ft. Claudia Valtierra & Tim Rodig: The German on-line record label known as Oh Yes Records strikes again with their second 2007 single from the project known as DeeLight! Earlier in the year, DeeLight proved the Euro-vibe was alive and well with the sweet summery romance of Summerlove - a project that presented music by Bob Cruise, lyrics & vocals by Ken Norris, and a laid-back but savoury sax solo courtesy of Prince Alec! This latest effort sees keyboardist & producer Cruise teaming with vocalist Claudia Valtierra, originally from Mexico, and Hamburg-born saxplayer Tim Rodig. Valtierra currently handles vocals for the band Spherical, billed as a funky electronic soul & pop combo, while Rodig is for the most part a straight-head player of some repute who studied in New York on a scholarship in 1993 & '94 and continued his studies in jazz in Hilversum & Amsterdam from 1994 to 2000. In spite of their diverse backgrounds the trio is definitely on the same musical page for the current single, as they provide a cool trance-inducing excursion into the realm of the exquisite! CD: Dolalalaleng (Digital Single) Label: Oh Yes Records Site: Oh Yes ; Tim Rodig |
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92101 - Nate Harasim: When we showcased Nate Harasim's Next In Line back in August of 2007, we noted that - "although still only in his twenties, Nate Harasim's finesse as a musician belies his early years and results in as auspicious a smooth jazz debut as we've seen in recent times!" - and further promised that Harasim was "sure to among the Café Jazz elite for 2007!" The distance of a few months has done little to dispel that belief and if anything, it's only served to further fuel our enthusiasm with Nate qualifying as our Café Jazz #1 break thru artist for the year. From Next In Line we're featuring 92101 and a track upon which Harasim is a master of melody, mood, and groove! CD: Next In Line Label: Independent |
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Street - Les Sabler: We expounded upon the virtues of Mr. Sabler & Sweet Drive, his 4th project, as recently as November of this past year - so what more can we say about Les and this sweet release that hasn't already been said? Well, how about a quick recap of what's transpired in 2007? Here we go: #6 Most played cd for the year, #7 most played artist for Sabler, and #8 most played selection for Club Street with an honourable mention for Twenty-Two! Meanwhile on the Canadian front : #1 Album and #1 most played artist with both the #2 & #9 tracks in Club Street and Twenty-Two respectively. All the more amazing, the majority of this activity has occurred within just the past few months, since the Sweet Drive release date was this past September - the drive has been sweet indeed! CD: Sweet Drive Label: The Music Force Site: Les Sabler |
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| Highlights Hour Two | |
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Bahia - Earth, Wind & Fire: It was 1969 and nearly 40 years ago that Maurice White first assembled a group under the moniker of Earth Wind & Fire - in that time, the band has become legendary to several generartions of fans. As 2000 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, EW & F have earned multiple double-platinum, platinum, and gold albums to go along with eight Grammy awards. In spite of these accomplishments, it's now refreshing to find the veteran ensemble, which includes several core members from their hey-day, discovering some new musical vistas on their recent In The Name of Love release. From that effort, we have an all-too-rare EW & F instrumental interlude entitled Bahia serving as a welcome and delicious musical sorbet! CD: In The Name Of Love Label: Kalimba Records Site: EW&F ; Kalimba |
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Simple Pleasures - Spyro Gyra: In a career that stretches back to the late 70s, last year proved a milestone for the veteran band Spyro Gyra. Honoured as the 2007 recipients of The George Benson Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, the band celebrated 30-plus years by furnishing the music world with Good To Go-Go, which apart from a few best of compilations, was their 27th album. On the project, Spyro sported a slightly modified line-up with Bonny Bonaparte, aka Bonny B, filling the drummer's chair vacated by the departing Joel Rosenblatt, who had spent 12 years with the band. Nonetheless, the trinidad native made the transition with ease - in fact, he proved something of a catalyst for some of the veteran ensembles finer moments both in the studio and in live performance. Representing our second most played band for 2007, based largely on the attention they desrvedly received as the focal point for a deluxe double-extended Then & Now feature, we now have the distinct pleasure of presenting Simple Pleasures from that latest release! CD: Good To Go-Go Label: Heads Up International Site: Spyro Gyra |
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Shaken Not Stirred - The Terry Disley Experience:
Classically trained and a former Alchemist, Terry Disley's talents transmute music into nothing less than phonic gold! Terry's '04 Experience solo debut charted as the #4 release on our own in house list of favourites for that year - but when we showcased Across The Pond back in the spring of '007, call it clairvoyance or just plain good taste, we forecast that Disley would meet or beat that feat with this latest release! In any event, the results are in and in a phrase they are spectacular, as Across The Pond, replete with lustrous musical gems, bedazzled our year-end list of faves with no less than three selections! From our #1-album for 2007, we have the Café Jazz #1 most played track for the entire year! CD: Across The Pond Label: Disleyworld Music Sites: Terry Disley |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site: |
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On this edition, we continue part one in our review - the best of 2007.
The aim is to furnish the most comprehensive musical summary of all the
finest selections from last year. To that end, we'll be hearing from Dave
Koz, Ken Navarro, Dotsero, Jeff Golub, and Najee. In addition there a
few others, perhaps less familiar names such as Ronny Smith, Pete Alderton,
and Outta Nowhere. But there's more including fabulous selections from
Michael Vince, Ben Tankard, and Andre Ward as well as from Joel Rodney
Simeon, Rodney Lee and Don Breithaupt. And as a bit of a bonus we've included
a fave from Vince Mai that made our most played list both this year and
last, you'll want to listen for that part way thru our second set. Yes-sir-ee
it's gonna be great! |
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