Showcase CD
Delicioso - Tom Grant:
Born
to show-biz parents, Tom Grant was taught to play piano and drums
by his tap dancing father who also let him listen to jazz in his
record store. Nevertheless, after graduating from the University
of Oregon, for a time Grant taught high school social studies
in Portland. It was Woody Shaw who spotted Grant at an after hours
gig and offered Tom a spot in his band. This led to stints with
Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, and Tony Williams who all taught
Grant to always bring his A-game. With a background in straight-ahead
jazz, Grant debuted in 1976 - but with an '83 release, and by
that time back in Portland, he made a conscious shift to a more
contemporary style. Subsequent efforts saw Tom become one of the
trendsetters in the early days of smooth - four of his projects
reached #1. He's consistently been a genre favourite and he's
touched listeners worldwide! |
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After embracing the full spectrum of jazz on his past couple of
releases, Grant returned to the smooth scene a few years back with
Life Is Good - an amazing effort that yielded Morning Glorious -
our absolute #1 most played track in all of 2009. Now 35 years after
he debuted comes Delicioso, somewhere around cd #24 for the pioneering
keyboardist. As usual, it's a sophisticated but diverse collection
featuring more of the tantalizing keyboard work that has come to
epitomize Grant's distinguished career. It's therefore indeed a
pleasure to direct the Café Jazz spotlight at Tom and Delicioso
as the subject of our spotlight feature! |
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Tom Grant at Merlo Station High
From the album insert courtesy of TG!
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Melody converges with a Brazilian groove on the aptly titled title
track and our ice breaking tune. At top of the second hour is Luxurium,
a selection that was named for the painting that graces the cd cover
- with Paul Mazzio on trumpet, here's a tune that zigzags across
a few boundaries taking on some of the trappings of ambient and
chill. Then we conclude with a bit of off-leash time and a zippy
tune called The Dog Park! From tender to playful and from lush to
cool, Tom Grant's Delicioso has stuff enough to satisfy the cravings
of any discerning palate!
CD: Delicioso (2010)
Label: Nu-Wrinkle
Links: 
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| Back Trax: Part One |
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Summer Sambas - Mark Bracken:
Based
in Victoria British Columbia, Mark Bracken is a self-described samba jazz
guitar player. With over a half-dozen albums that run a gamut of styles
from Celtic and New Age to a seasonal album, we're checking out the Gold
and Ivory release from 2007. From that cd we have the e-z samba flavours
of Summer Sambas!
CD: Gold and Ivory (2007)
Label: Mark Bracken Music
Links:
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Aztec Legend - Larsen-Feiten Band:
In his
youth, Howard Buzz Feiten studied several instruments and in 1966 he auditioned
for the Juilliard School of Music on French horn. Although not admitted,
Feiten went on to earn a reputation on electric guitar as a musician's
musician. He jammed with Eric Clapton, played the Butterfield Blues Band,
and did countless sessions. Additionally, Feiten patented a unique tuning
system for guitars which re-configured the stringboard & neck for more
accurate tonality. In 1971, Feiten gathered together an impressive array
of musicians for a project entitled Full Moon. Featuring keyboardist Neil
Larsen, the record grew to be considered one of the great fusion albums
of the day.
For his part, Sarasota native, keyboardist & composer Neil Larsen relocated
to New York in 1971 and shortly after, he connected with Buzz Feiten for
the Full Moon cd. After honing his chops as part of the NYC session scene,
Larsen moved on to LA in 1977. He debuted as a lead man in 1978 and the
following year, he earned a Grammy nomination with a track from his sophomore
release which was produced by Tommy Lipuma. Larsen then went on to establish
himself with a series of sessions that became legendary - he played with
the cream of the music business on hundreds of albums and for 11 years
he was Al Jarreau's pianist and musical director. In 1980, Larsen and
Feiten reprised their partnership as the Larsen-Feiten Band. From that
eponymously titled collaboration, produced once again by Tommy Lipuma,
we have the exceptional Aztec Legend !
CD: Larsen-Feiten Band (1980)
Label: Warner Bros.
Links:
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| Back Trax: Part Two |
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Siana's
Dream:The Music Box - Deborah Henson-Conant:
Well
known for her high energy perfomances, Deborah Henson-Conant has been
described as "a combination of Leonard Bernstein, Steven Tyler, (Aerosmith)
and Xena the Warrior Princess". She's appeared both as a soloist and a
featured guest with several orchestras; she's been the star of her own
PBS special, and she's Grammy nominated. One of the hippest harpists on
the scene (in fact her website has hipharp as part of its URL) Ms Henson-Conant
has been recording since the late 80s with over a dozen releases to her
credit. On this occasion we return to a time early in her career and the
Talking Hands cd from 1991 for the creative flavours of The Music Box
with Chieli Minucci and the late George Jinda!
CD: Talking Hands (1991)
Label: GRP
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The Story of Jay
- Orange Music:
Over
the past few years, some of the most innovative and intriguing musical
sounds have emanated out of Europe as part of the generic 'lounge' scene.
A great case in point is the project billed as Orange Music. A handful
of tracks have been included on various collections - we present one of
the finest, The Story of Jay, a tune that appeared on at least three different
down-tempo compilations in 2008 alone!
CD: Café Mediterané
Vol. 1 (2008)
Label: Manifold Records
Links:
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Driving
Home - David Becker Tribune:
Debuting
back in 1986, The David Becker Tribune created what many felt was some
of the most interesting Contemporary Jazz of the era. Traversing a middle
ground, the band favored melody and an accessible fusion of jazz, pop
and rock, albeit with just a bit more bite than much of the NAC material
that was prevalent back in the day. Beginning his solo career at the age
of 22, Becker had already toured Europe and the USA extensively before
the release of his critically acclaimed debut. Labeled as one of the greats
in the C-Jazz movement, Becker & his band mates have shared the stage
with many of the greats. Early in 1992, Becker chose to relocate to Europe
where he's continued to perform and record. Over the years, there have
been 10 recordings issued under the DBT banner - some have been chart
toppers while two drew Grammy consideration. With Becker's most recent
effort released just earlier this past year, we've doubled back to Third
Time Around for a compelling and urgent track entitled Driving Home!
CD: Third Time Around (1990)
Label: Bluemoon
Links:
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our
Site and Select Affiliates : |
… on the hot plate for today is a baker's dozen of selections
on this the 5th instalment in our current series. Each of these tunes
is in some way connected to a roadway and they're all a part of a feature
called Dark Alley after a track by Nitewind. Included on this edition
are tunes like Palmetto Avenue by Max Groove, Kim Pensyl's Road to Hana,
and South of the Boulevard from Tower of Power. In addition we've inserted
into our line-up 17 Mile Drive by The Rippingtons as well as Don Breithaupt's
Newbury Street; in the meantime it's Garry Goin getting it going with
Riverside Drive!  |
