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January 18th, 2009 Edition #510 Previously 
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Week @ Cafe Jazz.ca: 2008 Best of Review - Part 2:
...more of The Best with part 2 in our review includes selections by Paul Hardcastle and Dave Koz as well as from Matt Marshak, Max Groove, and Eliane Elias. And intrinsic to our continuing mission to boldly go where no radio program has gone before, we've added tracks by Marcos Ariel, Valarie King, and our most played tune for the entire year from Jim Savitt. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a unique vibe unlike any other with more of what was great in '08! Café Jazz Faves for 2008: Our year-end recap of favourites!
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| Highlights Hour One Out to Sea - Terry Disley: We were still basking in the glow of Terry Disley's Across The Pond, our #1 most played cd for 2007 when right out the blue, Disley goes and hit us up along side the head with London Underground. To be quite honest, we were caught more than a bit off guard - as with residual spins, Across The Pond once again made our list of current faves, as it rightly should. However, that may very well have been to the detriment of London Underground. Admittedly, radio play was not really the motivation for the project. Terry confides "I decided not to try and fit the radio format this time around - and so I could deliver longer more complex tracks / more serious compositions … but I believe you will actually end up really getting into this album." Okay, so Mr. Disley was right as London Underground has continued to grow upon us with five different tracks vying for our attention over the course of the year. In the end, we've opted for the tune with which we initially "tested the waters"! CD: London Underground (2008) Label: Disleyworld Music Site: Terry Disley ; Disley/Space |
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Passionate Eyes - Marcos Ariel: One of the more spectacularly pleasant surprises in 2008 came to us from Marcos Ariel. With a career stretching back to the 70s, the veteran Brazilian keyboardist has long been devoted to promoting the music of his homeland. Having issued nearly a dozen North American albums over the years, Ariel has performed regularly in the US with a pair of projects making it into Billboard's top 20! His most recent effort entitled 4 Friends saw a reunion between Ariel and Ricardo Silveira, the guitarist and compatriot with whom Marcos has frequently recorded with João Baptista on bass and Jurim Moreira on drums, rounding out the sound. Never hurried or hassled, this is one album upon which each selection is allowed to breath, with the space between the notes being almost as important as the notes themselves! From our #6 cd for the year, we've selected the delicate Passionate Eyes! CD: 4 Friends (2008) Label: Tenure Records Site: Marcos Ariel ; Ariel/Space |
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On - Jim Savitt: While others spin all the same worn tracks day after day, year after year, we here at the Café have adopted a slightly different philosophy, always being vigilant in our quest for superior selections overlooked by mundane radio! That's why there was a level of excitement when Jim Savitt came along with his Second Light release, priding ourselves on knowing a good thing when we hear it! In the process of showcasing Second Light back in March of 2008, we commented on the closing tune for the feature describing it as an "amazing chill/house-based excursion" and one that was virtually "guaranteed a choice spot among our in house list of faves for 2008!" How prophetic, as Groove On proved our absolute #1 most played track for the year and when all is said and done, it really doesn't get any choicer that! CD: Second Light (2008)
Label: NightCast Records Site: Jim Savitt ; Savitt/Nightcast |
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| Highlights Hour Two | |
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Night Owl - Max Groove:
The track Night Owl by Max Groove debuted on our humble show back in April of '08. At the time, it was writ, "With a haunting sax intro that penetrates the night and Groove's own deft keyboard work, which gently eases us into that magical wee-hour stillness, this ultra moody gem is guaranteed a place of honour on our in-house end-of-the-year list as one of the finest tracks for 2008!" Even so, our only regret is that the selection should have placed higher still on our year-end list of favourites! CD: Night Owl (2008)
Label: Independent Site: Max Groove ; Max's Space |
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I'll Tell You Tomorrow - Valarie King:
A talent deserving of much broader recognition in so far as radio airplay is concerned, Valarie King's credits span a variety of genres from Classical and Jazz to Folk, R&B, and Pop. She has recorded with the likes of Madonna, Streisand, & Benson while performing with The San Francisco Ballet, LA Chamber Orchestra and others. In the past we've featured Valarie on her own on previous year-end reviews and with the 2008 release of Anytime, Anyplace, now her 3rd project overall, Ms King does it again providing this gem of a track! CD: Anytime, Anyplace (2008)
Label: Kangu Records Site: Valarie King ; Valarie's Space |
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Candlelight - Voodoo Village: Taking their name from a section of southwest Memphis steeped in superstition, comes the band Voodoo Village. The five-man combo debuted in 2003 with project that received favourable reaction across the USA. Now returning with their solid sophomore follow-up, the band with the scary name narrowly missed making our list of Top 30 albums while delivering one of the prettiest tracks for all of 2008! CD: Sleight of Hand (2008)
Label: 40 West Records Sites: Voodoo Village ; VoodooVillageSpace |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site and Select Affiliates: |
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more of Part 2 in the Best of 2008 Review. This time we're focusing on
a few artists that may not be quite as well known such as Erly Thornton,
Patrick Charles, and saxman Jerry D and mix those in with more familiar
names like Lorber, Albright, &Culbertson. To begin we have Denny Jiosa
and Kim Pensyl and follow that with the aforementioned trio of Messrs
Thornton, Charles, and Jerry D. Set #2 includes Jeff Oster, Lawson Rollins,
Jason Miles, Jay Leach, and Jeff Lorber; while in the end it's Robert
Harris, Gerald Albright, Gail Jhonson, and finally Brian Culbertson!
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