This Week at CafeJazz.ca:
… it's Greg
Anderson in our spotlight with the Blue Ocean cd! We're featuring
a slick trio of selections from that release, all as part of the
showcase segment. The second half of the show brings the Fresh Trax
section with its cutting edge blend of new music. Headlining are
Paul Hardcastle and Bob Baldwin while also sharing the limelight
on this edition are Joel Rodney Siemion, Michael C Lewis, and the
combo Three Deep! Additionally, we have Tim Bowman, Jonathan Fritzén,
Jonathan Butler, and Cindy Bradley creating a vortex of sound to
draw you in! |
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Showcase CD
Blue Ocean - Greg Anderson:
Blue
Ocean is the latest release and smooth jazz debut from guitarist
Greg Anderson - native to the greater Phoenix area, Anderson has
been a fixture on the Southwest circuit for many years. As a working
musician, Greg is well versed in a variety of styles - he plays
in several bands and does solo gigs for corporate parties while
in the past couple of years, he's often worked with long-time
friend, producer and keyboardist John Costello. Their friendship
goes back to High School when they were in their first garage
band together and they've have been writing and playing both together
and separately for quite some time - Costello tending to excel
on the writing/production side of things while Anderson leans
toward performing live. Having recorded a variety of soundtracks
for film and TV, 2007's Freestyle, reminiscent of the 60s surfer
scene, and the edgier Bad Ass Guitarz released in '08, were issued
under Greg's name.
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so, Blue Ocean sees the pair collaborating on a project that traverses
smooth but albeit familiar terrain. Since 2006, there have been
a string of albums, Cooler Shade of Jazz, Spheres, Apasionado, and
Beyond Smooth, primarily with John Costello as the front man - so
this new venture continues as a natural extension of that work,
but time with Greg getting star billing! Nevertheless, according
to Anderson, Blue Ocean was Costello's idea, "He wrote all of the
backing music" while Greg scored "most of the melodies and soloed
over a lot of it"! Filled with load of licks, soaring melodies,
and laid-back grooves, here's an effort that's as slick as they
come. So it's now our distinct pleasure to be among first to plunge
headlong into Blue Ocean as no less than the subject for our showcase
feature! |
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Greg Anderson
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Kicking
off our review is the liquid vibe of Waterfront Café. Cool and refreshing
the mellow mood of Cool Jungle Rain leads us into hour two while
it's the hip and funky Blue Ocean the title track that carries us
away! Now although it may still be 'early in the game', it would
appear that with Blue Ocean, Greg Anderson has given us one of the
finer releases by a new and upcoming artist to this point in 2011!
CD: Blue Ocean (2011)
Label: Fervor Records
Links: 
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| Fresh Trax: Part
One |
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For Grover and George - Bob Baldwin:
With
a career that stretches back to the 80s, Bob Baldwin is a tenured artist
with 16 records to his credit. Baldwin's previous cd entitled Never Can
Say Goodbye was a tribute to the music of Michael Jackson, the departed
King of Pop. Now for his follow up, Bob is in tribute mode once again,
at least with the lead single from his forthcoming Re-Vibe release slotted
for issue in July. From that effort we have For Grover and George, and
a tune that's fittingly dedicated to George Howard and Grover Washington,
the two late legendary sax men in smooth jazz! As Trippin label rep Jeff
Lunt puts it, "Simple, catchy, feel good, melodic … pound for pound one
of his best overall radio tracks"! 
CD: NewUrbanJazz.com 2 / Re-Vibe
(2011)
Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records
Links:
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Bluvis Gruvis - Three Deep:
Three
Deep is a concept that brings together three veterans of the music wars.
On guitar is Russ Brannon hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia - with 20
years in the music business, Brannon has several albums to his credit
to go along with East Coast Music Awards nominations for each of his last
three records. Keyboardist Billy Shields is an alumnus of the Berkeley
College of Music in California - with a catalogue that includes two critically
acclaimed cds, Shields has a third on the way with a release date that
is imminent. Meantime, it's songwriter/producer Preston Glass, rounding
out the trio. A native of New Orleans, Glass has 567 titles on file with
BMI - among them is the track he penned for Kenny G, Don't Make Me Wait
For Love. Together they are Three Deep and a combo that's deeply laden
in talent. With a fresh approach to the smooth scene, the power trio is
sure to make an impact on the genre. From their Common Ground debut we
have Bluvis Gruvis, the blues-inflected Russ Brannon composition originally
written for his 2005 record, From Here To There!
CD: Common Ground (2011)
Label: Joe Street Records
Links: 
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two |
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Rainforest / What's Going On? - Paul Hardcastle:
After
a long string of #1 cds, numerous accolades and awards, and world wide
acclaim, you may be wondering, 'what's left for Paul Hardcastle The Jazzmaster'?
Now judging from the advance single from the forthcoming Hardcastle 6,
I wouldn't be surprised if it's a lot more of the same. The track entitled
Rainforest/What's Going On combines the re-mixed vibe of one of Hardcastle's
biggest hits from early in his career with clips from his monster hit
19 together with the sampled vocals of Marvin Gaye from a much celebrated
classic. The track is vintage Hardcastle pure and simple and was issued
to coincide with the 40th anniversary of What's Going On and a track that
is considered a landmark record in pop music history - the result is itself
an instant classic!
CD: Hardcastle 6 (2011)
Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records
Links:
Fan Sites: 
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Gulf Breeze - Michael C. Lewis:
A graduate
of Berklee in Boston, Michael C. Lewis is a Houston native on loan to
NYU while pursuing his Master's Degree. Since moving to New York, the
multi-talented Lewis has been gathering raves both as a musician and as
an actor. Known for creating music as an expression of his spirit, Lewis
issued Reflection, his 2010 debut and a project ranges from smooth jazz
and smooth soul to hip-ho, and funk grooves. With hints of Freddie Hubbard,
Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and others, from that effort w present Michael
C. Lewis with Gulf Breeze!
CD: Reflection (2010)
Label: Cybervision Entertainment
Links:
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Riding High - Joel Rodney Siemion:
Joel
Rodney Siemion earned a degree in Communication & Broadcasting from the
u of Iowa and worked for IBM for 11 years before moving to Colorado in
1989. In the intervening period Joel has worked in radio as a DJ and in
TV as a producer/director. Having played guitar since he was seven, Siemion
started studying jazz in about 1990 and that has evolved to become his
true passion. Epiphany his debut was issued in 2003 and the success of
that project steered Joel toward a career as a professional musician with
Cayman Moon following in 2007. His latest effort is one of the most kinetic
singles to this point in the year, Riding High, and a track that was inspired
while he was driving home from a gig in Vail Colorado. It was late in
Ski Season and the sky was aglow - Joel was 'riding high' and wrote the
tune in an "attempt to capture that moment in music"!
Single: Riding High (2011)
Label: Independent
Links:
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our
Site and Select Affiliates : |
| … part 6 in our night time series has 13 tracks, all loosely
connected by having the word night in the title or in the band name. We're
calling the feature Late Night after a tune by Tony Darren. So catch all
the calming sounds of the nocturne on this special Late Night Edition
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