Cliff deMarks Showcased; with Cole Jacobs, Andy Snitzer, Matt Marshak, Bryant Thompson, & Patrick Bradley; After Hours

Sizzlin' Sounds from the
Café Jazz Kitchen!
This Week at CaféJazz.ca

April 17th, 2011
Edition #611 Previously

This Week at CafeJazz.ca:
… we have Cliff deMarks in the spotlight with the cd State of Feeling. We're easing into a real nice trio of down tempo tracks, all as part of the showcase segment. Act 2 Scene 2 sees the Fresh Trax feature with a spiffy batch of new music. Making their debuts are Cole Jacobs and Bryant Thompson. Keyboardist Patrick Bradley has a new one while also appearing are Matt Marshak and Andy Snitzer. Then after fresh trax is a set featuring music from a few years back with Jay Soto and David Lanz as well as 3rd Force and Darren Motamedy ... those and other great sounds that are sizzlin' in our Café Jazz kitchen!

In This Issue:

SHOWCASE CD :
State of Feeling - Cliff deMarks

FRESH TRAX :
Lorelei - Cole Jacobs
Marseille - Andy Snitzer
Teddy P - Matt Marshak
Movado - Bryant Thompson
Into the Sunset - Patrick Bradley

AFTER HOURS : Night Rhythms
PLAYLIST:

Showcase CD
State of Feeling - Cliff deMarks:
In the past few years, Atlanta-based Cliff deMarks has emerged as one of THE most prolific musicians on today's music scene. With both a father and mother who were musicians, it isn't surprising that Cliff was musically inclined. Even so, he graduated from Alcorn University with a degree in accounting and hoped he could supplement his income playing for his church. However, the native of Biloxi MS had always dreamed of a career as an artist. Although those dreams were shelved while raising a family, the Black church proved a great training ground! DeMarks learned traditional styles playing both the Hammond B3 and piano while a few side gigs helped him hone his jazz skills. By the year 2000, all the pieces were nicely in place for deMarks to make a run at turning his dream into reality. It was right around then, that Cliff and his wife Sei deMarks made the leap to being full-time entertainers as The Showtyme Jazz Duo, and together they have issued numerous albums. However, as well-versed as he is on piano, bass and drums, Cliff is also an excellent reed man - so it was only a matter of time before he branched out into other genres; in the years since he debuted, deMarks has issued nearly 50 cds in all.

Cliff deMarks

Nonetheless, Cliff has for the most part flown below just about everyone's radar in spite of this exceptional productivity. But the man has chops and that cannot be denied - so with that as a backdrop, we're now set to transform the Café into a 'lounge' as we chill and relax with State of Feeling from Cliff's down-tempo series - all as part of the showcase segment. With a capacity to engage from the first few notes, Cliff musically elucidates on the Power of Cool and that opens the feature. The ambient exhale that you hear at the top of the second hour is Cosmic Sigh; while Interstate Flight conveys us to altered levels of consciousness - and these are just three out of several tracks that we've added to our spin list from State of Feeling. They say perception is reality, and if this is even remotely accurate, then with State of Feeling, Cliff deMarks may well eliminate any sensory deprivation you may be experiencing. Here's music that heightens awareness, while having the ability to transcend!

CD: State of Feeling (2010)
Label: deMarks Studios
Links:

Fresh Trax: Part One
	Lorelei - Cole Jacobs: Native to the Seattle area, Cole Jacobs spent his teens & early 20s playing in a variety of rockabilly and nu-wave bands through the Pacific Northwest. When he discovered the hard bop sound of Blue Note records, it changed his life so he relocated to LA in the early 90s because of the greater opportunities that afforded. In the ensuing years, the guitarist/trumpeter has continued to add to his résumé thru work in the studio and by performing with artists in sundry genres. Atomic Escalator is now his 5-track debut and a project upon which these diverse influences converge in a most unique fashion and what might best be described as cinematic acid jazz. From that effort, be ready to be lured by the sweet sounds of Lorelei with Karen Hernandez on piano and background vocals by Maria Jacobs! EP: Atomic Escalator (2010) Label: Independent Release Links:
	Marseille - Andy Snitzer: Philadelphia's Andy Snitzer turned to the sax when he was 15 and after a year of classical studies at Northwestern in Chicago, he moved over to the University of Miami. In his senior year, Snitzer was discovered by Bob James and he went on to tour with James while also appearing on a series of his albums. Concurrently, Snitzer earned an MBA from the School of Business at NYU which led to him joining the JP Morgan investment firm. While also emerging as a first call sessionist, Snitzer debuted in 1994 with Ties That Bind - the success of that release confirmed that music would be Snitzer's full-time calling. While issuing about a half-dozen well-received and critically acclaimed cds under his own name, those efforts have to a certain extent been overshadowed by some of Snitzer's high-profile sideman gigs. In addition to touring with the Rolling Stones on a couple of occasions, Snitzer has recorded with the likes of Bette Midler and Aretha Franklin, while he's also backed Paul Simon, a position that he currently enjoys. With a break in the action, Andy took time to record Traveler, and from that soon-to-be-issued release, we have Marseille the lead single and a tune upon which Snitzer shows all the polish of a performer who has played the world stage several times over! CD: Traveler (2011) Label: Native Language Links:

Fresh Trax: Part Two
	Teddy P - Matt Marshak: The early reviews are in and they are in agreement in their resounding endorsement for Urban Folktales, the 6th and latest release from Matt Marshak. "Absolutely stunning," says Brian Soergel of JazzTimes magazine. Even at the risk of sounding a bit braggadocious, we here at the Café are not surprised as we were among the first to pile on the Matt Marshak bandwagon starting all the way back in 2004 with This Time Around, his sophomore release. Quite frankly, that project floored us and by time the dust had settled, the cd was among our top ten most played albums on our in-house year-end review. During the intervening years, Marshak has continued to build on one success after another with an ever widening sphere of influence. Now comes Urban Folktales, Marshak's first concept record, that not only captures the late-night city sound, it celebrates the experience. From a project that many predict will be high on the list of outstanding releases for the year, we present the late night chill of Teddy P, the lead track. It's time to move over and make room on the bandwagon, cuz there'll soon be another wave of fans clambering to climb on board! CD: Urban Folktales (2011) Label: Nuance Music Group Links:
	Movado - Bryant Thompson: Hailing from Jersey City NJ, Bryant Thompson grew up in 'small-town' North Carolina, where he developed his interest in music. He went on to take classical piano at Brevard College and then followed that by studying record engineering at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Bryant quickly carved a niche for himself on that city's independent scene and as the owner/operator of SFC Records he plays an active role in projects ranging from rap to country. Having been involved in various aspects of music from playing in churches, clubs, and studios to the production side of things, Bryant also long held a passion to record a project of his own. This ambition was recently realized with the issue of Puzzle Pieces, and an endeavour upon Thompson's expertise results in a cd that literally sparkles. Showing all the beauty and precision of the line of Swiss watch with which it shares its name, we have Movado the compelling opening track with Joe Gransden on trumpet & Dan Baraszu on nylon guitar! CD: Puzzle Pieces (2011) Label: BryCel Productions Links:
	Into the Sunset - Patrick Bradley: Patrick Bradley is a self-taught musician who hails from and resides in Southern California. He debuted as an independent artist in 2007 with Come Rain or Shine, a cd that received international recognition while the accompanying single charted at #26. Under the Sun is now his sophomore release and an album that follows a period of reflection during a year in which he lost both of his parents. Although the project was "born during times of difficulty" Bradley found solace in his faith and so there's "a sense of celebrating all that life has to offer" that permeates the record throughout. Jeff Lorber was enlisted as producer for the undertaking, while also contributing to the disc are a bevy of guest musicians headed up by Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal and Rick Braun. From an effort that resonates with great melodies, the buoyant Into the Sunset leads us into our appreciation of a highly noteworthy disc! CD: Under the Sun (2011) Label: Bradley Music Links:

After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates :

Night Rhythms: ... on this the 4th installment in our nighttime series, we have a dozen selections devoted to those hours between dusk and dreaming. Included are Fly by Night from Shakatak, Night Falls on the Casbah by Tom Grant, and Paul Cullen's Summer Nights - those and a handful more on a 12-track set named for a tune by Lee Ritenour!

Listen to Café Jazz Radio

| Show Notes

| Program Profile

| Contact Information

Hot Links to Cool Cats

| Cool Links

| This Week

| Music Den

| Favourites (Most Played)