Showcase CD
Diamonds - Jonathan Fritzén:
Hailing
from Stockholm Sweden, Jonathan Fritzén attended the Royal Academy
of Music. He was one the first recipients of a Jazz Masters degree
- additionally, he's worked Swedish TV while backing some of the
country's biggest stars. In 2008, his Love Birds debut hinted
at Fritzén's tremendous potential, which was to a great extent
realized with a polished follow-up in VIP. Named our own Café
Jazz #7 album for 2009, that project peaked at #2 and lingered
on the charts for over year. Now, new for 2010, is Diamonds, a
cd that literally sparkles with excitement. As on his previous
album Jonathan is joined by a mix of international smooth jazz
star performers. Darren Rahn and Jessy J both contribute to the
project, while also appearing are a few familiar names in the
likes of Alex Al and Mel Brown. Additionally, Laila Adéle (vocals),
Andreas Ekstedt (percussion), and Alex Crown (guitar), play prominently
on the disc. Concurrently, Fritzén handles duties on piano, keyboards
and programming - he also produced the project while the selections
are all original compositions. |
|
|
| In
so doing, Fritzén delivers a program that yours truly, the swami
of smooth, fully predicts will elevate the talented young Swede
to stardom! The Nordic Vibe is indeed alive and well - so it's
with a large measure of enthusiasm that we take the occasion to
nudge Jonathan and a jewel of an album into the dazzle of the showcase
spotlight. |
|
Jonathan Fritzén
|
Leading in is a tune called Stockholm Nights - a gritty synth groove
activates as Fritzén solos on this melodic mover. At the top of
hour 2, is Undercover - with a hook laden refrain here's a number
that grabs and won't let go while the rhythmic anthem Feelin' The
Groove doesn't hold anything back. With a contagious combination
of grit, groove, and grace, Jonathan Fritzén's Diamonds is a rock
solid musical lozenge fully deserving of its bedazzling title!
CD: Diamonds (2010)
Label: Nordic Night Records
Links: 
 |
|
| Back Trax: Part One |
|
|
Long Overdue - Vance Taylor:
Atlanta
native Vance Taylor was 13 when he received a piano and soon after he
was dazzling his church congregation with his style. After some exposure
to jazz greats like Oscar Peterson, Taylor found his groove. He toured
with Peabo Bryson and later became the musical director for Toni Braxton
and Earth, Wind, and Fire on a couple of their tours. From there on in,
his resume grew to include gigs with Elton John, the late George Howard
and a host of others. For the past 5 years, Taylor has played in the band
Maze - meanwhile he's sought-after for church functions and a variety
of local engagements. Long Overdue was his aptly named cd released back
in 2008 and from that effort we have the classy title track featuring
the sax work of Larry Jackson!
CD: Long Overdue (2008)
Label: Independent
Links:
|
|
|
Arrival - Patrice Rushen:
Classically
trained since the age of three, Patrice Rushen was just in her teens when
she won a solo competition at the 1972 Monterey Jazz Festival. At the
age of 20, Rushen debuted with an instrumental release, but within just
a few years she had shifted from jazz to club and R&B. With a series of
releases thru until the mid 80s, Patrice gained an audience while enjoying
some chart action. Although her recordings weren't quite as prolific from
that point on, Rushen branched out as a musical director, guiding the
world tour for none other than Janet Jackson. In 2004, Ms Rushen became
the first woman to serve as musical director for the Grammys; all the
while she contributed to releases by Lee Ritenour, Stanley Clarke, and
George Benson among others. Now on this occasion, we're turning back the
hands of time and revisiting her Grammy nominated Signature cd from 1997!
CD: Signature (1997)
Label: Discovery
Links:
|
| Back Trax: Part Two |
|
|
Southern Passage
- Jeff Linsky:
An appealing
guitarist who was for the most part self-taught, Jeff Linsky began playing
the guitar at the age of ten. The So-Cal native was just 17 when he began
touring with pop groups like the Grass Roots and The Standells. By 19,
his focus had shifted to combining his love for classical guitar with
his interest in jazz and improvisation. He began traveling the world with
stops in Hawaii, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and the south of France
before finally relocating to San Francisco's Bay Area in the late 80s.
Along the way, he performed with a variety of musicians from the likes
of Gypsie violinist Markus Reinhardt to the master of the ukulele, Ohta-San.
Specializing in Brazilian and Latin jazz, Linsky recorded a series of
engaging releases and from perhaps his best known release, the '97 effort
entitled Passport to the Heart, we have the expressive sway of Southern
Passage!
CD: Passport to the Heart (1997)
Label: Concord Records
Links: 
|
|
|
Carlos, You're Blowing My Mind
- Wishful Thinking:
Formed
in 1984 by Tim Weston, the combo Wishful Thinking was essentially a 5-man
unit that relied on the frontline interplay between guitar & vibes. Enjoying
critical acclaim, they defined the cutting edge of the contemporary jazz
movement on the West Coast. With a line-up that included drummer David
Garibaldi, Chris Boardman on keys, bassist Jerry Watts Jr., and Dave Shank
on vibes and percussion, the group recorded three albums. During the band's
final year, Vinnie Colaiuta and Mitchel Forman filled the drum and keyboard
chairs respectively for one additional project. Released in 1995, the
compilation Train of Thought features twelve of the band's most popular
selections. From that effort, we have the Weston composition Carlos, You're
Blowing My Mind!
CD: Train of Thought - The Best
of Wishful Thinking (1995)
Label: Soul Coast
Links:
|
|
|
The
Only One - Ric Mandell :
Based
on the West Coast, keyboardist Ric Mandell played a variety of venues
thruout California in the 90s & into the new millennium. In 2001, after
years of gigging, Mandell assembled a superb supporting cast and independently
issued his debut. Appearing on the disc: Peter Neff on guitar, Roberto
Vally on bass, Roy Wiegand on trumpet, Gary Gardner on percussion, and
Steve Marsh, Micah Nelson, & Ron Blake on various saxes. Entitled The
Road Less Traveled, on the project Mandell nicely tempered his jazz
sensibilities with a variety of pop and rock influences. From that release,
which unfortunately remains his only effort to date, we have a great
track which echoes that lonely sentiment in The Only One!
CD: A Road Less Traveled
(2001)
Label: Handgame Records
Links:
|
| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our
Site and Select Affiliates : |
Here's a segment that's a bit different! Each selection
on this installment has a number in its title and we've done this sequentially
hitting the integers 1 thru 12. Now we couldn't find a tune that had the
lucky #13 in its title - so we went a bit random & inserted a twenty-two
instead and that will be the closing selection! We're calling the feature
"By the Numbers", once again proving that you can count on Café Jazz for
unique & creative programming!  |
