A Musical Mosaic!
This Week at CaféJazz.ca

January 8th, 2012
Edition #639 Previously Next

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The Fabric of 2011:
The complete year-end MPL! Café Jazz Most Played List for 2011

This Week at Cafe Jazz.ca: Best of 2011 Part 1:
… it's the start of a brand new year and we're looking back at all the best from the year just past - it's our 12th annual best of year-end rewind and the first in a 3 part series. Featured on this edition are Michael e, Mezzoforte, Rob Tardik, and Sammy Peralta, as well as Cal Harris Jr. with the most played track for the year. Also starring are Rocco & Rahj our top debut act, plus we've included newcomers like Richie Cannata and Neamen Lyles; while straddling the boundaries of time are Vincent Ingala, Oli Silk, 111 East, Fourplay, and Blake Aaron. But it's a tune from Acoustic Alchemy that pops the cork for this show, as we toast The Best of 2011!

In This Issue:

HIGHLIGHTS
Berlin Boogie - Mezzoforte
Blue Midnight - Rob Tardik
Street Lights - Cal Harris Jr.
Syd's Summer Wave - Rocco & Rahj
Ghost of Aviation - Michael e
Quedate - Sammy Peralta

AFTER HOURS : Best of (cont.)

PLAYLIST: Playlist ONE YEAR AGO: The Café Jazz Best of 2010 - Part 1

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Highlights Hour One
Berlin Boogie - Mezzoforte:
 Although Volcanic was issued in 2010, it did take several months for news of this spectacular project to drift across the Atlantic and make its way into our subterranean studio. However, once word arrived, there was no stopping the mega-force that is Mezzoforte. The record, their first since '07's Live in Reykjavik and first studio project in over seven years, was called a masterpiece by some. Meanwhile we here at The Café were quick to add our voice to that glowing & growing chorus, iterating at every opportunity, 'There is no doubt this project will be among our elite in 2011!' In evidence we present the following stats: the cd came in at #2, the band at #3, and we've selected one of 3 tracks that made our MPL for the year! Mezzoforte's Volcanic Showcased on Ed#602 - February 13th, 2011

CD: Volcanic (2010)
Label: Mashhad Music
Links:

Mezzoforte - Volcanic

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Rob Tardik - Balance.Energy.Laughter.Love
 Blue Midnight - Rob Tardik:
Search for the name Rob Tardik on our 2011 MPL and you may be surprised to have it pop up in no less than seven distinct locals. However, if you've heard Tardik's Balance.Energy.Laughter.Love album, this count really wouldn't come as any surprise at all. Rob gave us early notice regarding the quality and caliber of the release with the issue of the advance single, East Meets Wes featuring Paul Brown, that pre-dated the cd by a couple of months. Once the full album dropped, so did our jaw. It was straight Canadian #1's across the board, with artist, album and track! Rob Tardik and Balance.Energy.Laughter.Lovein the Spotlight on Ed#633 - November 13th, 2011

CD: Balance.Energy.Laughter.Love (2011)
Label: Guitardik Music
Links:
Cal Harris Jr. - Inside Out
 Street Lights - Cal Harris Jr.:
Debuting toward the tail end of 2010, Cal Harris Jr. was a name that was totally new to our show. But early on, it was readily apparent that this was one performer who was gonna 'rock our world'. So now one short year later the dust has settled only to reveal our pal Cal and She Loves the Water at the top of the heap as the most outstanding track for the preceding 12 months. I wish I could say it was close, but it wasn't - She Loves the Water remains 'a slice of pure unadulterated groove heaven' and one of the finest ever to have graced our musical stage! Cal Harris Jr. and Inside Out Showcased on Ed#606 - March 13th, 2011

CD: Inside Out (2010)
Label: CHI International Music
Links:

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Highlights Hour Two
Rocco & Rahj - Cool Burn
 Syd's Summer Wave - Rocco & Rahj:
In 2011, royalty made the biggest splash on this show with Rocco & Rahj crowned the Café Jazz top debutants for the year and the #2 act over-all! The undisputed kings of beach jazz came to our attention thru a mutual friend in Wayne Wesley Johnson, and once these musical monarchs began their rule, they were not to be unseated. Syd's Summer Wave was the tune that first drew us in to their sand, sun and surf sounds and in the end that track came in at #12 on our year-end catalogue of the regal best! Additionally, R & R achieved a rare distinction by placing two albums within the top 50 on our MPL! Smooth, soothing and stimulating; that's TRH Rocco & Rahj, long may they reign! Rocco & Rahj and Cool Burn in the Spotlight for Ed#607 - March 20th, 2011

CD: Cool Burn (2010)
Label: House Of Hofa Records
Links:
Michael e - Beautiful World
Ghost of Aviation - Michael e:
In the 15 years of producing Café Jazz, 2011 is underscored as a highlight year as it marked our first chill-out with Michael e. He'd already issued about a dozen albums and had appeared on more than 100 compilations, so that Michael e had become synonymous with the down tempo scene. Even so, the 'earl of e' had completely escaped our radar until we caught SoundTraxx, the premier radio show hosted by good friend and colleague Mark Stanley. Mark was featuring Ghost of Aviation recorded in 2006 but this time drawn from Candy Shop Lounge Volume 2.
In a nutshell, we had to follow suit and featured the 'count of cool' on no less than 6 occasions, from fresh trax and the vintage collection to the Café Jazz chill-out and the showcase release. So now the thermostat is to chill and the temperature drops nearly 10 degrees or so with a tune that patiently waited about 5 years for us to discover!Michael e Debut: Ed#601 - February 6th, 2011

CD: Beautiful World (2006)
Label: Michael e
Links:
Michael e - Candy Shop Lounge Volume 2 Candy Shop Lounge Vol. 2
Blood Sugar Records
2010
Sammy Peralta - Love Affair

Quedate - Sammy Peralta:
Although he's much better known as a major force in the world of Mix, Club, & Dance, Sammy Peralta has bona fide jazz credentials. He's worked with the likes of Tito Puente, Kenny Kirkland, and Joe Lovano and in 2011 Peralta debuted on our show through a decade-old release. Lo and behold our timing was impeccable as within a month we were spinning Love Affair, Sammy's long over due follow up. With a range of influences from Latin to smooth, the project neatly encapsulated the essence of Sammy's lifelong love affair with music. Over the weeks, we featured 5 different selections so that in the end, Love Affair gained the #9 spot on our MPL - from that release, we present the no less than exquisite Quedate! Sammy Peralta and Love Affair in the Spotlight on Ed#612 - April 24th, 2011

CD: Love Affair (2011)
Label: Funkatronik Music
Links:


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After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site and Select Affiliates:
Part 1 in the Best of '11 (cont.): … the musical memories continue to unfold on this continuation in our year-end review. Cued as part of this summary are Joey Sommerville, Blue Soul Groove, and Mark Stevens as well as Brian Hughes, Azymuth, and Daniel Domenge. Bridging the years are Les Sabler, Brad Rambur, and David Sanchez while also appearing are Joel Rodney, Dana Robbins, and Louis Cruz Beltran. So get your ears on for a 14-track treat! Spinlist

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