This Week at CafeJazz.ca ...
... we're spotlighting
So Far From Home by Torcuato Mariano - we've cued three exceptional selections
and those'll be featured on the showcase segment. Stay tuned for Fresh
Trax in the second hour for all the latest and best in new music. Included
on this edition are Paul Hardcastle and Jay Soto. Jack Prybylski is on
the show, making his Café Jazz debut is keyboardist Brian Kelly, while
the British soul-funk-unit in Stuart Wade's Down To The Bone rounds out
the set. Then later in the hour, we're trippin' down memory lane - this
time that includes Rick Braun and Chicago's Bass X. As well, there's Ken
Navarro and the man calling himself Doc City - while casually sprinkled
thruout there's a glitzy collection with the likes of Marion Meadows,
Oli Silk, Gregg Karukas, Patrick Yandall, Philippe Saisse, Althea René,
The Benoit-Freeman Project, Eric Marienthal, Joyce Cooling, and Brian
Culbertson! |
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Showcase CD
So Far From Home - Torcuato Mariano:
Argentine-born
Torcuato Mariano grew up listening to the music of his native
land but in his youth he was also influenced by many American
artists such as Santana and Stevie Wonder. When he was just 14,
Mariano moved from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro and spurred
by that vibrant scene, he went on to win the Sharp Prize (equivalent
to a Grammy) as Best Pop Composer. Soon after, Mariano's focus
turned to jazz - he spent several years as a sought after sessionist
and he then went on to perform and record with greats such as
Djavan and Leo Gandelman, as well as touring with Ivan Lins and
doing sessions with Sergio Mendes. It was in the early to mid
90's that Mariano first moved to establishing a solo career. Both
his '94 Paradise Station debut and its follow up faired well with
the sophomore Last Look cd, reaching the year-end top 30 in the
USA while the single, Ocean Way, placed in the top 20 songs for
1995! |
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spite of these successes, Mariano opted to become head of A&R for
a major label back in his adopted homeland of Brazil. However, after
a several year hiatus, he signed to 215 Records and resurrected
his solo career in 2004. Now with a couple more well-received and
critically acclaimed albums to his credit, Mariano is well into
this newest phase of his career, having just issued So Far from
Home, his NuGroove debut and fifth overall. Word on the street has
it (and we couldn't agree more) this may well be Mariano's most
solid effort to date! As such, it's indeed a privilege to present
Torcuato Mariano and So Far From Home as the focal point for the
spotlight feature! |
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Photo courtesy of Torcuato Mariano
MySpace
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We've
chosen a trio of exceptional selections - beginning with the track
Ipanema Sunset upon which Mariano displays the richness of his Brazilian
heritage! The nostalgic vibe of New World opens the second half
of the show, while citing the legendary Jeff Beck as a primary influence,
Torcuato emulates his hero on Back To The Road - a real attention
grabber! With flavours of jazz laced with bits of fusion, Latin,
pop, and the sounds of Brazil, Torcuato Mariano provides a melodic
& heart-felt reflection of his career and ample evidence that he's
among the elite of today's guitarists!
CD: So Far From Home
(2009)
Label: nuGroove Records
Links: 
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| Fresh Trax: Part One |
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Ice Cream - Jack Prybylski:
Based
in Buffalo NY, Jack Prybylski graduated from SUNYAB and with over a decade
as a teacher and player, he's been a part of several releases. Seven were
as a member of the eclectic Them Jazzbeards while as lead man he debuted
in 2001. More recently, his Window Shopping sophomore effort produced
by Ken Navarro, hit the charts. Now with a few more years to further refine
an already sweet sound, the ten-time Buffalo Music Awards winner as Top
Saxophonist has teamed with Four80East - due for release later in the
year that project may well be 'the breakthru effort for 2009'. From that
forthcoming and as of yet untitled cd, we have the lead single!
CD: Radio Single (2009)
Label: Sushan Music
Links: 
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Smiling
South - Brian Kelly:
Born
in New York City and raised in Palo Alto, California, Brian Kelly began
piano at age 8. At 10, the Beatles Abbey Road and Beethoven's First Piano
Concerto helped in moulding his musical preferences. Early experiences
as a stage actor and four years singing in an a cappella group, served
to further form a rich creative style. After studying composition at Hampshire
College and jazz piano with Art Lande, Kelly won recognition from Keyboard
Magazine for one of his original compositions. Now residing in the San
Francisco Bay Area, Kelly received a New Age Reporter nomination as Artist
of the Year for his 2005 debut. Issued just last year Afterplay is Kelly's
sophomore release that steers into contemporary jazz and from it, we have
an upbeat and highly melodic tune in Smiling South!
CD: Afterplay (2008)
Label: SkyLight Music
Links: 
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two |
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Bayou
Blues - Jay Soto:
At age
36, guitarist Jay Soto is just beginning to live the life he's dreamed!
After gaining some valuable experience with the Christian group Vessel
and with the acclaimed Latin group Zum Zum Zum, in 2004, he came within
an eyelash of winning Guitar Center's "Guitarmageddon" competition. That
proved a game changer as since then, Jay's career has steadily accelerated.
Soto got his foot in the door with Long Time Coming, his smooth jazz debut
released the following year, and then a couple of years later, that door
swung wide open with the release of Stay Awhile, Jay's sophomore cd. With
the latter project, Soto landed a NuGroove Records deal while spinning
off the #2 smooth jazz hit for the year in the tune Slammin'. In addition
to having toured, recorded with and/or opened for many top acts such as
The Rippingtons, Jeff Lorber, Acoustic Alchemy, and others for the past
two years or so, in the interim Soto became a first time father! Finally
able to get back into the studio, Jay's just issued Mesmerized, a title
that in many ways very nicely conveys our state of being while listening
to Mr. Soto! From that effort, we've selected the deliciously swampy sounds
of Bayou Blues!
CD: Mesmerized (2009)
Label: NuGroove Records
Links:
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The
Circle - Paul Hardcastle:
Since
bursting onto the smooth scene in 1991, Paul Hardcastle has emerged as
one of the most successful and most prolific artists in the genre. Having
issued a lengthy string of well-received releases under monikers such
as The Jazzmasters and Kiss the Sky as well as under his own name, Hardcastle
has earned countless accolades while racking up #1 hit singles as though
they were going out of style. Although there have been a variety of compilations
issued over the years chronicling a career that's quickly becoming legendary,
the most recent in series simply entitled The Collection, may very well
be among the best. From that same effort due for release in scant days
from now, we have the here to for previously unrecorded The Circle and
a track that may well prove to be yet another #1 selection for one of
the most potent players in the game! 
CD: The Collection (2009)
Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records
Links:
Fan Sites: 
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Future
Boogie - Down To The Bone:
Stuart
Wade and Down To The Bone celebrated the milestone of their first decade
a couple of years back and they're now set to embark on the newest phase
in their career. With the departure of longtime front man for the live
act in Paul 'Shilts' Weimar one album ago, Britain's premier soul-funk
unit is back and sounding as cohesive as ever with a slightly revamped
line-up. Mainstays in the current configuration are holdovers Neil Angilley
on keys and Tony Remy on guitar as well as Julian Crampton on bass. Additionally,
there's a horn section that's been described as 'code red' consisting
of James Knight (alto sax), Tim Smart (trombone), and Pablo Mendelssohn
(trumpet). Future Boogie is the latest and first on the Shanachie label
and a project that Wade describes as an "eclectic mix of tracks … from
straight ahead funk to summer time soul". From that effort, now their
eight overall to along with one "best of", we have the kinetic title track!
CD: Future Boogie (2009)
Label: Shanachie Ent.Corp.
Links:
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our
Site and Select Affiliates : |
| ... on this episode we're eclipsing a show
from two shows ago wherein we went lunar. Therefore, this is the second
and final chapter in a two-part series as each of our spin selections
has either the word moon or moonlight in its title - we're calling it
In The Full Moon Light. So stay tuned for tracks such as Lady of the Moon,
Moonlight Montreal, and Bridge Over The Moon, with 13 tunes dedicated
to that mystical orb of the night. We have Steve Oliver opening the show
and he's backed by Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider as well as Eric
Marienthal and Kim Pensyl. Thom Rotella kicks off set #2 and we continue
with The Jazzmasters and 3rd Force who provide the track for which this
segment was named. Then as well, there's Jeff Kashiwa and Peter Kater.
The closing set has Peter White and Spyro Gyra in addition to the band
Shikandaza - while in the end it's Matt Marshak. So, as evening begins
to creep over the land there's a slight glimmer of light on the horizon
with Steve Oliver's Shadow of the Moon on this In The Full Moon Light
special! |
