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August 31th, 2008 Edition #491 Previously 
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This Week at CafeJazz.ca - Season 12 Opener! On our Season 12 opening edition, we're spotlighting award-winning guitarist Jim Adkins and City Streets - we've selected three delicious tracks as part of the showcase feature. Hour 2 brings new music with an exciting five-pack of Fresh Trax. Headlining are saxman Warren Hill and guitarist Tim Bowman. There's something brand new from Oli Silk and from Vibes Alive featuring Dirk Richter and Randall Crissman, while rounding out the feature are Bill MacPherson and Nee Sackey recording as Native Vibe. Then a bit later that very same hour, we're balancing the new with the tried and true - this time that includes blasts by Acoustic Alchemy, Paul Hardcastle, Alan Hewitt, as well as former DTTB lead-man Shilts. Otherwise, the remainder of the show is seasoned with prime cuts from the likes of Norman Brown, Shakatak, Gota, and The Rippingtons! |
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| Fresh Trax: Part One | |
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After Hours - Vibes Alive:
Vibist Dirk Richter became serious as a mallet player when he was eight. After high school, he met guitarist Randall Crissman while studying at Pasadena City College and they soon began collaborating. Although they shared in the penning and production credits for the '97 Vibes Alive release, the project was issued under Richter's name alone. That effort proved one of the more pleasant surprises for the year and made a strong case for the vibraphone as a viable lead instrument in smooth jazz. Now perhaps even more surprisingly, eleven years later, the team of Richter and Crissman has re-appeared. Borrowing the previous album title as the band name for their second collaboration, this sophomore effort is packed with some serious grooves and poses a genuine threat to be one of the finer releases for the summer of' 08! From the effort After Hours, we have the mood drenched title track with Jeff Lorber, Gary Meek, and Vinnie Colaiuta guesting! CD: After Hours (2008) Label: Swingding Records Site: Vibes Alive/Swingding |
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Sweet Sundays - Tim Bowman: Detroit native Tim Bowman was working on an automobile assembly line when he was laid off after only a few months; this proved pivotal as from then on, playing guitar became his primary focus. Soon after, Bowman latched onto a spot with The Winans helping them become the top-selling gospel act of the 80s. He left in 1987 to spend more time with his family, and didn't return to music until nearly ten years later gaining modest success with his first three releases. It was his 4th project entitled This Is What I Hear that spawned one of the quintessential tracks for the summer of 2004 in Summer Groove. Now, after a 4-year hiatus, Bowman is back with a long-overdue follow-up. From that effort, we have Sweet Sundays, the lead single and a selection that may well rival his previous triumph! CD: Tim Bowman (2008) Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records Site: Tim Bowman ; BowmanSpace |
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two | |
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La
Dolce Vita - Warren Hill: Known thru-out smooth jazz circles as one of the most expressive performers in the business, saxman Warren Hill has scored several #1 hits, received countless accolades, and sold well over a million albums worldwide. Born and raised in Toronto, Hill actually began on guitar at age 7 but by his teens, he was fronting a rock band while doubling on vocals. Initially picking up the sax in order to play in his high school band, Hill became genuinely hooked on jazz following a summer program at the Eastman School of Music. While studying physics at the U of T, he played weekend gigs at local clubs and eventually chose to pursue music on a full time basis. Landing a scholarship to Berklee in Boston, upon graduating Hill relocated to LA where he immersed himself in the local scene and soon after landed a record deal. His Kiss Under the Moon debut followed in 1991 and he's since gone on to claim the crown as Canada's #1 smooth jazz export! La Dolce Vita is his new one and from it, Hill delivers the sultry and soulful title track and one of his most engaging efforts to date! CD: La Dolce Vita (2008) Label: Koch Records Site: Warren Hill ; Hill/Koch |
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Chill Or Be Chilled - Oli Silk :
After a pair of projects partnering with Danny Sugar as half of the British smooth duo of Sugar & Silk, keyboardist Oli Silk surfaced with his solo debut in 2006. Among other accolades, Oli garnered recognition as our own Café Jazz break-thru artist for the year. His sophomore project entitled The Limit's the Sky has a release date that is imminent and judging by the album title and the advance single, Silk is poised to take things to yet another level. From that effort, we're spinning the very hip Chill or Be Chilled! CD: The Limit's The Sky (2008) Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records Site: Oli Silk ; Silk Space |
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Where
There's Smoke - Native Vibe: The band Native Vibe brings together bassist Nee Sackey and guitarist Bill Macpherson, both born in the US but united by a love of African music. Macpherson was born in LA but raised in the Congo from the age of eight by medical missionary parents. He graduated from Berklee in Boston with honours, enrolled in a Master's program in Jazz Performance at San Diego State and began incorporating many world flavours into his solo releases. For his part, Sackey was born in NYC, the son of Ghana's ambassador to the US. While back in Ghana, he began composing and performing at 11 and although he started his studies in electrical engineering, he ended up attending Berklee in pursuit of his musical credentials. Macpherson and Sackey connected in San Diego thru a mutual friend in the early mid '90s and eventually joined forces as Native Vibe for their '96 debut. Several cds have followed with Across the Globe being somewhere around their 6th release overall - from that effort, we've selected the ever-so-combustible Where There's Smoke! CD: Across The Globe (2008) Label: Third Beat Records Site: Bill MacPherson ; Native Vibe |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates : | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The tradition continues to boldly go where no radio program has gone before and in so doing, we're devoting the entire segment to the sounds of Acoustic Alchemy. In its various configurations, the band has fabricated an amazing collection of music over the course of the past 20-plus years. In keeping with which, we're spotlighting the Alchemy gang on an extended Then & Now feature with selections from each of their 16 releases and just under 80 minutes of a virtually uninterrupted revue! | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Then & Now Spotlight
Artist: Acoustic Alchemy
Acoustic Alchemy: Over the span of the past two decades, the band Acoustic Alchemy in its various configurations has created an incredible cache of musical wealth! Simon James on nylon strings and Nick Webb on steel strings first pioneered the concept of two duelling acoustic guitars. The pair connected in the early 80s and although Webb actually pressed a couple of their records, with a response that was somewhat muted, it was only a matter of time before they went their separate ways; James went on to form the band Kymaera in the 90s, while in 1985, Webb discovered Greg Carmichael, playing in a London bar. The two hit it off & soon after, they were writing and performing together and laying the groundwork for what was destined to become a unique and endearing partnership.
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