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February 15th, 2009 Edition #514 Previously 
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This Week at CafeJazz.ca ... ... in the spotlight is Dave Koz with his Greatest Hits - there'll be something old and something new too from our old buddy Dave as we've cued a trio of great tracks. Then get ready for Back Trax and a trip down memory lane - highlights on this edition are from Norman Connors and Kiss The Sky presented by Paul Hardcastle - also appearing are Soul II Soul and Solar Wind featuring Sean Mason while Romero Lubambo and Brazilian Nights round things out. Then a bit later, we have a few current favourites including Gerald Albright and Nick Colionne; while strategically placed are prime cuts by the likes of Gregg Karukas, Avenue Blue, and Peter White! |
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| Back Trax: Part One | |
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Catalina Breeze - Solar Wind feat.
Sean Mason: Fronted by bassist Sean Mason, Solar Wind debuted in 1999 with an album that received considerable airplay and some great reviews. Ably supported by Eric Marienthal and Frank Gambale, the cd was nominated by the LA Music Awards as the jazz album of the year. Buoyed by this success, Mason was back at it a few years later with Blue Horizon, a project highlighted by appearances from David Benoit on a couple of tracks and Marienthal again who appeared on several more. Covering a range of styles from smooth jazz and a few funky excursions, to a bit of edgier fusion, the disc received airplay on over 150 stations both in the USA and internationally. Among several breezy melodies contained therein, we've selected one of the breeziest in the ever so easy Catalina Breeze, a great tune featuring Eric Marienthal on the selection! CD: Blue Horizon (2003) Label: Solar One Records Site: SW/Sean Mason |
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Rio
Wave - Brazilian Nights feat. Romero Lubambo: Having worked with Romero Lubambo on several projects over the years, producer Jason Miles was eager "to expose his guitar mastery to the world". Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lubambo studied classical piano and music theory. He discovered the guitar at the age of thirteen and subsequently, that became his passion. Fascinated by the melodies and rhythms of Brazilian music and jazz, Lubambo practised intensely. After relocating to New York in 1985, he became in demand for his authentic Brazilian flavour and for his versatility in a variety of styles. Having been "the secret weapon to many great artists" with a few collaborations and releases on his own, the 2002 Rio Wave recorded in conjunction with JM, remains as one of Lubambo's finer efforts. From that album, we've chosen the rhythmic title track! CD: Rio Wave (2002) Label: Q Records Sites: RLubambo; JM |
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| Back Trax: Part Two | ||
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Mood
- Soul II Soul feat. Snake Davis : Initially, Soul II Soul attracted attention as a "sound system", but as their sound caught on, the name began being used for a variety of projects, among them the "Funki Dred" line of clothing popularized by founder Jazzie B. The concept began to form in the early 80s with Jazzie and a school friend known as Daddae starting a sound called Jah Rico, which mainly featured reggae based music. Thru the mid 80s, the project took shape, and then materialized as Soul II Soul during a period when London's Acid House & warehouse scenes were in full swing. With one of their own music-making experiments landing them a record deal, 1989 saw Soul II Soul score a pair of huge hits. Among the tracks on their debut was Back to Life featuring vocalist Caron Wheeler and catching on in the USA, Soul II Soul snagged a pair of 1990 Grammy's. With a changing line-up of musicians, Soul II Soul has continued thru to the present and to date they've sold in excess of 6.8 million records. Meanwhile Jazzie B has successfully produced for a variety of artists including Incognito and Maxi Priest. This time, we're picking out a track from their third release and an instrumental tune highlighting Snake Davis that smooth jazz radio was hooked on back in the day! CD: Volume III Just Right (1992) Label: Ten Records/Virgin Site: Soul2Soul |
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Conditions
of the Heart - Norman Connors w Norman Brown:
Although he made his impact in R & B, drummer Norman Connors grew up under the influence of jazz. He was only in junior high when he started on the jazz club circuit - he sat in for Elvin Jones at a Coltrane gig and at 13, he met Miles Davis. He went on to study at Temple University in Philadelphia as well as NYC's Juilliard School of Music making his first record appearance in 1967. After touring & recording with sax jazz legend Pharoah Sanders, Connors debuted as a leader in 1972. By 1975, he'd made the shift to R & B and then thru the rest of the 70s, he featured vocalists such as Jean Carn and the late Phyllis Hyman - the track You Are My Starship continuing as perhaps his most recognizable hit from that era. Although not quite as prominent in the 80s, Connors made a comeback in the 90s in both urban contemporary and smooth jazz. Were it not for the imminent issue of Star Power, 2000's Eternity cd would remain his most recent effort. Therefore, from Norman Connors and his second to most recent release, we have Conditions of the Heart with another Norman, that being Norman Brown chipping in on guitar on a track he contributed to the disc! CD: Eternity (2000) Label: The Right Stuff / Starship Records |
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Millenium
Skyway - Kiss The Sky presented by Paul Hardcastle: Following his mega-hit 19, which was one of the top singles worldwide for 1985, Paul Hardcastle's subsequent projects met with varied success. He worked as a remix producer for the likes of Barry White & Hiroshima and under a pseudonym, he issued a pair of releases that cracked Britain's top-5. Even so, after a few years, he felt a need to find a new direction. In 1991, he initiated a project with Jaki Graham on vocals called Kiss The Sky, borrowing the phrase perhaps from the old Jimi Hendrix track Purple Haze. Although marginally successful, the album proved a proto-type for Hardcastle's next endeavour, The Jazzmasters that swept across the USA and around the world in 1993 and which irreversibly changed the sound of smooth jazz! The following year Paul released the first in what became his Hardcastle series while also taking time for a sophomore Kiss The Sky effort. From that endeavour which presented Hardcastle's patented blend of jazz and dance and primarily featured Imani on vocals, we've chosen one of only two pure instrumentals in Millennium Skyway, the title track!
CD: Millenium Skyway (1994) Label: JVC Site: PH Fan sites: PH.de ; Fan Club.de |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates : |
| New Music ... as we continue, the focus falls on fresh listening with 13 selections new to our show. Here's a quick run-down of what we're spinning on this edition - today that includes Pete Gitlin, Gregg Karukas, trumpeter Matt Finley, and Pieces of A Dream. Seattle saxman Dean James is at the start set #2 while also appearing are Cecil Ramirez, another name that we haven't heard from for a few years in Eric Essix, there's a bit more from keyboardist Yaron Gershovsky as well as the latest from Richard Elliott. Then in our final set, we've cued Tom Grant and Boney James - Patrick Yandall will be in there with another track from his new cd called A New Day and finally there's a tune from a project called Conspire and that will be the closing selection! |
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