Susan Tedeschi

Susan Tedeschi - Hope & Desire - 2005 - Verve Forecast

Massachusetts-based blues singer Susan Tedeschi lends her beautiful bluesy soulful voice to a list of songs by some of the greatest songwriters of all time, including a great version of the Rolling Stones' "You Got the Silver" and a terrific interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child." Here, Susan is aided by her husband, Derek Trucks, and guitarist Doyle Bramhall II (Eric Clapton) and also the Blind Boys of Alabama. A great recording. You should buy her brilliant " Just Won't Burn " album.

TRACKS

01 You Got the Silver (Jagger, Richards)
02 Soul of a Man (Sain)
03 Lord Protect My Child (Dylan)
04 Tired of My Tears (Holiday, Lewis)
05 Share Your Love with Me (Braggs, Malone)
06 Evidence (Jackson, Moore)
07 Sweet Forgiveness (DeMent)
08 Security (Redding, Wesson)
09 Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Hunter, Wonder)
10 Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Burnette)
11 Follow (Merrick)
12 The Danger Zone (Mayfield)

CREDITS

Susan Tedeschi (vocals);
Doyle Bramhall II (acoustic guitar, electric guitar);
Derek Trucks (electric guitar, dobro);
David Palmer (piano, electric piano, Hammond b-3 organ);
Jebin Bruni (Hammond b-3 organ);
Paul Bryan (bass guitar);
Jay Bellerose (drums, percussion);
Niki Harris, Blind Boys Of Alabama, Jean McClain (background vocals).

REVIEWS

Susan Tedeschi's blessing and curse is that she sings remarkably like Bonnie Raitt, which makes this Berklee School of Music graduate both extraordinary but unfortunately still a student. She's also a respectable songwriter and an able guitarist, yet on her first album in three years, Tedeschi puts those lesser talents temporarily aside to focus on her fiery interpretations of often overlooked soul, rock, blues, folk and gospel tracks assembled for this raw but exceedingly well-played Joe Henry-produced set. The uninitiated may continue to confuse her with the pop-blues veteran on her relatively relaxed readings of the Stones' "You Got the Silver" and Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child." But by the time she tackles Jerry Merrick's long and winding "Follow," a Sixties folk epic most associated with Richie Havens, Tedeschi wails with such conviction, force and nuance that she nearly eclipses her teachers. © BARRY WALTERS, (Posted: Nov 17, 2005) © 2007 Rolling Stone
Susan Tedeschi’s Hope and Desire is one of those albums that is simply right from the moment you put it on and begin to listen. The song choices are great, Tedeschi’s voice is in great form, and the guitar work by Doyle Bramhall II and husband Derek Trucks really hits the spot. True, some fans might want to hear more of Tedeschi’s six-string work, but her concentration on vocals on this disc seems natural and, (here’s that word again) right.Hope and Desire presents a series of covers that all have something in common, despite the fact that some are blues, some soul, some country/bluegrass, some gospel, some rock—all are songs that have a soulful feel to them, and Tedeschi’s voice does justice to them. She opens with the Stones’ “You Got the Silver” from 1969’s Let It Bleed. This was the album where the Stones first managed to combine their blues and country influences into a rock stew that they would mine for the next several years. Her cover of Dylan’s “Protect My Child” benefits from some gorgeous dobro work by Derek Trucks. The band here is absolutely fantastic, and the idea to record with a hand-picked group of guest musicians rather than Tedeschi’s longstanding touring band came from producer Joe Henry (Solomon Burke, Aimee Mann, Bettye Lavette). Henry’s work is exemplary here, creating a sound that resonates with the roots of American popular music in a way that recalls the heyday of The Band.
"Making this record was a really incredible experience," says Tedeschi. "It was exciting working with new people, and there was tremendous chemistry between all of us. We only had ten days to do it, so we really did everything on the fly. It was all about capturing a moment in time, rather than getting everything perfect, and working that way was a blast. There were no rules and no written parts; we'd just go in and try different things, and if it wasn't happening, we'd just strip it down or try it another way."
Tedeschi and company do more than just present a nice group of covers—they manage to redefine many of these tunes and claim them for their own, even though most were done by legendary artists. “Share Your Love With Me” gets a relaxed tempo and arrangement that rings with gospel overtones, and Tedeschi’s vocal interpretation is both soulful and longing. “Evidence” is hard-edged soul with Tedeschi turning more raspy and raunchy in her vocal work, with some tasty Hammond B-3 work by Jebin Bruni, a session player who has worked with Aimee Mann and Fiona Apple. “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever” is less manic than its original version, with a heavy-duty bass line that drives it along. Dorsey Burnette’s “Magnificent Sanctuary Band” gets an electric piano-fueled interpretation with the Blind Boys of Alabama on backing vocals. This song has been recorded by Donny Hathaway and David Clayton-Thomas, but Tedeschi’s version here is definitive.
Hope and Desire is a great album for those who like their blues wrapped up in a sonic blanket of other American roots music styles, or who like their pop and rock music infused with the blues. It’s Tedeschi’s most mature recording to date, and while it’s likely that her next album of originals will feature Tedeschi’s guitar work and working band, it will probably be influenced by the things that Tedeschi learned recording Hope and Desire. This is an instant classic of itskind. © 2007 Jazzitude, Marshall Bowden
On her first outing in three years and her freshman offering for Verve's Forecast label, Susan Tedeschi digs deep into the soul and R&B fakebook for inspiration and comes out a winner. With an all-star band that includes guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, pianist David Palmer, organist Jebin Bruni, bassist Paul Bryan, drummer Jay Bellerose, and guests including husband Derek Trucks and the Blind Boys of Alabama, Tedeschi goes down into her own heart's well for inspiration. Wonderfully produced by Joe Henry, Hope and Desire is truly a singer's showcase of passion and class; she has signature phrasing and is an excellent interpreter. Henry proves that Tedeschi is one hell of a singer. From the roots-country blues of the Jagger and Richards opener, "You Got the Silver," to the hardcore soul of Otis Redding's "Security" (her version is closer to the Etta James reading than Redding's but Tedeschi puts her own hard spin on it), the garbage-can blues guitar of Percy Mayfield's ripping "The Danger Zone," and the finger-poppin' R&B of "Tired of My Tears," Tedeschi proves she's second to none by wringing every ounce of truth from these classic tunes. In addition, her subtle, to-the-bone reading of Bob Dylan's "Lord Protect My Child" (with great Dobro work by Trucks), a definitive version of Iris DeMent's "Sweet Forgiveness," and Dorsey Brunette's "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" offer solid proof that Tedeschi can sing gospel as well. In fact, based on the evidence here, she can sing any damn thing she likes and move your heart, making you believe every word and wail in the grain of a song. That's as high a compliment as one can pay. © Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Susan Tedeschi said she wanted to make a soul album.
As a huge fan of late 60s soul, I cringe when I hear a Michael McDonald or Michael Bolton go over the top trying to sing some classic we've heard better a thousand times before. But Hope and Desire, Tedeschi's latest CD, proves vintage covers don't have to be stale or overwrought. Sure, Hope and Desire has some of the markings of the originals - - the rousing horns and pounding organ, the buildup, the repeated refrains and, of course, the girl backup singers. Sometimes it sounds like Tedeschi is channeling the Marvelettes and, personally, I think it's great. But Hope and Desire didn't make the worn out choices. Not a "Proud Mary" or "My Girl" in the bunch. "Tired of My Tears," a Ray Charles song, has an engaging driving beat ready made for a Top 40 hit (if only someone over 22 not named Madonna could ever crack it).
There are also lesser known Aretha and Donny Hathaway covers and songs originally done by The Stones, Bob Dylan and the Blind Boys of Alabama - - hardly who you think of when you think of soul. There's even a little neo-roots music feel, ala early Linda Ronstadt or Maria Muldaur and a couple cuts are straight-out blues.
Part of the power of soul is in its simplicity, but that doesn't mean it has to be simplistic. To be sure, Tedeschi's raspy voice, well-respected in the blues community, helps separate this soul album from the blue-eyed tripe of others. Yet "Follow," originally done by the incomparable Richie Havens, is just plain beautiful - -proving Tedeschi's tough girl voice can be ladylike, too.
There are purists who fell in love with Tedeschi back in her "Better Days" days when everything was raw and nervy. They may call this selling out - - especially since the songs are written by others. It's true that some of her earlier stuff had a little more grit, but what's wrong with matching up great songs with great voices, no matter who wrote it? Elvis was powerful without being a composer. So was Sinatra.
Finally, this Tedeschi is having a blast. Like Van Morrison of the late 70s, the music sounds fresh and playful. And drawing from a deep and soulful place. © John Halverson , Dec. 5, 2005, www.concertlivewire.com/susancd.htm

BIO

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Susan Tedeschi is part of the new generation of blues musicians looking for ways to keep the form exciting, vital and evolving. Tedeschi's live shows are by no means straight-ahead urban blues. Instead, she freely mixes classic R&B, blues and her own gospel and blues-flavored original songs into her sets. She's a young, sexy, sassy blues belter with musical sensibilities that belie her years.
Tedeschi began singing when she was four and was active in local choir and theater in Norwell, a southern suburb of Boston. She began singing at 13 with local bands and continued her music studies at Berklee, honing her guitar skills and also joining the Reverence Gospel Ensemble. She started the first incarnation of her blues band upon graduating in 1991, with vocalist/guitarist Adrienne Hayes, a fellow blues enthusiast whom she met at the House of Blues in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin and Boston-area singer Toni Lynn Washington were Tedeschi's most important influences; in starting her band, in fact, she used Washington's backing band and hustled up gigs on nights when Washington and her band were not already booked. Since they began performing around Boston's fertile blues scene, Tedeschi and her band developed into a tightly knit, road-ready group, and have played several major blues festivals. Guitarist Sean Costello has since replaced original guitarist and co-vocalist Hayes, who left the group to pursue her own musical interests.
The Susan Tedeschi Band's first album, Just Won't Burn, was released on the Boston-based Tone-Cool Records in early 1998. The band for her debut on Tone-Cool includes guitarist Costello, bassist Jim Lamond and drummer Tom Hambridge; guitarist Hayes also contributes. Just Won't Burn is a powerful collection of originals, plus a sparkling cover of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery." Tedeschi and band also do justice to a tune Ruth Brown popularized, "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean," and Junior Wells' "Little By Little." The appropriately titled Wait for Me appeared in 2002 and was followed two years later by the CD and DVD Live From Austin TX. Hope and Desire from 2005 found Tedeschi on the Verve label. © Richard Skelly, All Music Guide

The Average White Band

The Average White Band - Soul Tattoo - 1997 - Foundation Records

After a few weak albums, in 1997 the AWB released this great album. They went back to their seventies soul funk sound and sounded all the better for it.

TRACKS

1 Soul Mine - Average White Band, Gorrie
2 Back to Basics Lewis
3 Livin' on Borrowed Time - Average White Band, Gorrie, Lewis
4 Every Beat of My Heart - Gorrie
5 When We Get Down to It - Gorrie, Jones
6 Oh, Maceo [Instrumental] - AWB, Ball
7 Do Ya Really - Average White Band, Gorrie
8 I Wanna Be Loved - Hall, Gorrie
9 No Easy Way to Say - Goodbye Lewis
10 Love Is the Bottom Line - Robinson, Ball
11 Welcome to the Real World - Average White Band, Gorrie
12 Window to Your Soul - Gorrie, Jordan

PERSONNEL

Alan Gorrie - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals,, Project Coordinator
Eliot Lewis - Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals,
Onnie McIntyre - Guitar, Vocals
Roger Ball - Keyboards, Saxophone (Alto), Horn Arrangements
Pete Abbott - Drums, Percussion

With

Sammy Figueroa - Percussion
Bobby Mayo - Keyboards
John Fumasoli - Trombone
Tony Kadlick - Trumpet
Fred Vigdor - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor)
Daryl Hall - Vocals
Klyde Jones - Vocals, Vocals (Background)

REVIEW

Long after the Average White Band disappeared from the charts, its impact was being felt. Hip-hop, urban contemporary and new jack swing artists sampled AWB's '70s classics to death in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s, and such retro acts as the Brand New Heavies wore AWB's influence like a badge of honor. When Soul Tattoo was released in mid-1997, AWB was a quintet consisting of longtime members Alan Gorrie (lead vocals, bass), Onnie McIntyre (guitar, vocals) and Roger Ball (sax) and newcomers Eliot Lewis (keyboards, lead vocals, bass and guitar) and Pete Abbott (drums, percussion). Although not in a class with Cut the Cake or Soul Searching, the album (AWB's first since 1989's Aftershock) is surprisingly good. Thankfully, the band makes no attempt to appeal to 1997's urban contemporary market, and material ranging from the invigorating, horn-driven funk of "Soul Mine," "Love Is the Bottom Line" and the instrumental "Oh, Maceo" to the laidback soul of "Back to Basics," "Welcome to the Real World" and "No Easy Way to Say Goodbye" sounds like it could have been recorded 20 years earlier. Longtime AWB fans will be glad to hear how well Gorrie's voice has held up, and they'll definitely find Soul Tattoo to be inspired and satisfying. © Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

The Necks

The Necks - Silent Night (Double CD) - 1996 - Fish Of Milk

One of the best kept Australian secrets, The Necks create compelling and beautiful mood music of the highest calibre. Repetitious minimal harmonic elements with fluid and atmospheric instrumental interplay creates a unique blend of electronic jazz-rock. The Necks specialise in experimental lengthy improvisations of jazz electronica trance-like jams, backed by simple melodic lines and propelled by driving , funky grooves. that repays repeated listening. This album demonstrates The Necks' great talents. Buy their 1999 "Hanging Gardens" album, if it's available in your area. The Necks deserve worldwide recognition. Check out their prolific back catalogue.

TRACKS

1. Black
2. White

This is a double CD featuring two disc-length tracks, "Black" and "White"
BAND

Chris Abrahams (piano)
Tony Buck (drums)
Lloyd Swanton (bass)

REVIEW

Released in 1996, Silent Night is a double-CD set. Each disc contains a single one-hour piece, "Black" and "White." With this album the group firmly established what would remain their highly distinctive sound for years. "Black" begins with samples from what sounds like old movies. Similar snippets will reappear throughout the piece, providing a strange "cinema for the ear" experience for a music that remains pretty static. Things begin with a slow-paced bass riff. Tony Buck keeps the drums very quiet. A short piano motif in the low register and ethereal organ chords help build an atmosphere akin to film noir. The samples greatly contribute to the mood, but they can also be distractive. As suggested by its title, "White" is less dark. The samples are limited to light sounds and electronics, mostly in the middle of the piece and confined to the background. The piece begins on a quirky 12/8 ostinato that eventually evolves into a conventional 6/8 riff. Chris Abrahams plays mostly the piano, but adds occasional drops of organ, scattered staccato notes one could mistake for something more electronic. A small but gradual buildup in the last third leads to a quick finale that leaves only a bass drum pulsating in the distance. Very well done, but not as spellbinding as the group's later works. © François Couture, allmusic.com

ABOUT THE GROUP

The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia. With next to no publicity, their thirteen albums have sold in their thousands. Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums), and Lloyd Swanton (bass) conjure a chemistry together that defies description in orthodox terms. These three musicians are among the most respected and in-demand in Australia, working in every field from pop to avant-garde. Over 200 albums feature their presence individually or together, but the music of The Necks stands apart from everything else they have done. Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in the most intoxicating fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the thirteen albums by The Necks stand up to re-listening time and time again. The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is possibly unique in the world today.

BIO (Wikipedia)

The Necks are an experimental jazz trio from Sydney, Australia, comprising Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass. The band plays improvisational pieces of up to an hour in length that explore repeating musical figures. As well as jazz, they are strongly influenced by Krautrock.
Typically a live performance will begin very quietly with one of the musicians playing something very simple. One by one, the other two will join with their own melodies, all three independent yet intertwined. A piece of music usually lasts about 45 minutes and over this time grows in volume and pace and complexity before petering out.
The Necks are also well known in Europe. Their soundtrack for The Boys was nominated for ARIA Best Soundtrack Album, AFI Best Musical Score and Australian Guild of Screen Composers Award. They have also recorded soundtracks for What's The Deal? (1997) and In the Mind of the Architect (three one-hour ABC-TV documentaries, 2000).
Venues played in Sydney include The Basement, the Harbourside Brasserie, and the Vanguard in Newtown. A performance at the Sydney Opera House in 2003 was interrupted by the venue management due to a minor technical problem, to the obvious dissatisfaction of band and audience.

Baby Mammoth

Baby Mammoth - Seven Up - 2001 - Pork Recordings

Baby Mammoth, aka Mark Blissenden and Andrew Burdall have created some astonishingly good albums which too many prople are unfamiliar with. "Seven Up" is a brilliant example of the downbeat/electronica genre. Pork Recordings have released some amazing albums that need to be heard. Check out , (if you can find them), Humidity by Heights Of Abraham, Nut Roast by Bullitnuts, or East Coast Chip Shop by Moss.

TRACKS

1.1 (6:34)
2.And I'll See You (8:09)
3.Baroque 'n' Roll (6:41)
4.Frozen (7:26) - Flute - Bernard Moss
5.Pink Elephants (Live) (4:21) - Drums - Andy Dimmack, Flute - Bernard Moss, Keyboards - Carl Hogarth
6.Lazy (6:51)
7.Deadpool (5:51)
8.Perfect World (5:10)
9.Frank's Angels (6:24)

CREDITS

Artwork By - Designmule
Engineer, Mixed By - Mike Bolton (2)
Guitar - Tom Harland (tracks: 1, 5, 6)
Music By - Burdall* , Dimmack* (tracks: 5) , Moss* (tracks: 5) , Hogarth* (tracks: 5) , Blissenden* , Harland* (tracks: 5)
Photography - Mark Blissenden
Engineered and produced at Sunken Isle except 5: recorded at Powerstage Studios, Burton Agnes.

BIO

Amidst heavy competition, Baby Mammoth is the Pork label's most prolific act, packing in five full LPs of blunted instrumental hip-hop between their debut in late 1996 and the end of the decade. Like other Pork acts Fila Brazillia and Solid Doctor, the duo of Mark Blissenden and Andrew Burdall specialize in earthy breaks and ambient atmospheres, more slanted to the instrumental edge of acid jazz than other producer-based trip-hop acts. The pair first met Pork label-head Dave Brennand and associate Steve Cobby (aka Fila Brazillia) at a club in Hull, where both band and label are based. The relationship blossomed with the release of Baby Mammoth's debut, 10,000 Years Beneath the Street, in 1996. Blissenden and Burdall then released two albums the following year (as well as an EP and single). Baby Mammoth settled down to a more languid release schedule with one LP release each year in 1998 (Another Day at the Orifice), 1999 (Swimming) 2000 (Motion Without Pain), and 2001 (Seven Up). After a year long break, the band returned with Octo Muck in 2003. A year later, Blissenden teamed with labelmates Steve Cobby and Robert Ellerby from Beige for the Fabric 18 mix CD. © John Bush, All Music Guide

Casiopea

Casiopea - Made In Melbourne - 1993 - Pioneer (Japan)

If you like jazz fusion, expertly played, then you should buy this album.. This recording was also issued as the second part part of a 2002 twin DVD, "CASIOPEA * LIVE HISTORY-PART TWO," recorded in Melbourne, Australia on February 26, 1992. The first DVD 'Joia Casiopea World Tour' was recorded live in Japan, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and the US during July-September 1988. The Japanese outfit, Casiopea are big in the Australasian and S.E Asia area , but are not that well known in the West, despite having played worldwide, and with music greats like Randy and Michael Brecker, and members of Fourplay, including Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, Nathan East and Don Grusin. Casiopea have a prolific recording output, but unfortunately many of their albums are only available, in some cases, as rather expensive Japanese imports. If you can find it , buy their 1981 album, "Eyes of the Mind", one of their best releases from the early 80's, produced by Harvey Mason.

TRACKS

1. Fightman 5:05
2. Passionate Voltage 3:09
3. Final Chance 3:52
4. New History 4:48
5. Once in a Blue Moon 6:15
6. Time Stream 4:22
7. The March at Metro 4:54
8. Akappachi-ism 3:53
9. The Bass Greetings 6:17
10. The Sky 4:05
11. Top Wind 4:38
12. Messengers 3:48

BAND

Issei Noro, guitar
Minoru Mukaiya, keys
Yoshihiro Naruse, bass
Masaaki Hiyama, drums

BIO

Casiopea was formed in the late 70's by guitarist Issei Noro, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, and drummer Takashi Sasaki, and the quartet released its first, self-titled album in May of 1979. Containing high-energy, yet melodic contemporary jazz and fusion and featuring arrangements fleshed out by a horn section consisting of Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, and David Sanborn, the album set the tone for the band's many future releases and remains one of their best. The song "Midnight Rendezvous" is still a concert staple.
The band's follow-up, Super Flight, was released only six months later, the short gap between the albums being characteristic of the band's prolific output. Thunder Live, the first of several live albums to be put out by the group, followed in 1980. This album marked the first apperance of drummer Akira Jimbo, who replaced Sasaki after the first two studio albums. Jimbo, a world-class fusion drummer renowned for his mastery of 4-way independence (independent movement of the four limbs), completed a line-up that would remain stable for most of the decade.
Several albums followed in rapid succession. 1981 saw the band seeking outside help to handle the production chores and turned to ace drummer Harvey Mason (today perhaps best known to smooth jazz fans as a member of Fourplay) for the album Eyes of the Mind, recorded in L.A. Mason's influence lent the group's music a more American sound, and his and Paulinho da Costa's percussion work contributed to making this one of the quartet's best releases. The album was recorded on 32-track digital equipment, practically unheard of in those days. Mason also acted as executive producer on the band's next album, Cross Point.
In 1982 followed Mint Jams, a live album recorded in Japan and containing first-rate examples of the band's live performances at this stage in their career. For their next studio album, the band once again turned to guest players. 4x4 - Four By Four, released in late 1982, features Lee Ritenour, Don Grusin, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason, and contains some very interesting arrangements with two players on each instrument. Ritenour also contributed a song and did some of the arrangements, including the surprising choice of Ravel's "Pavane Pour Un Infante Défunte".
By this time, Casiopea's reputation was starting to spread outside Japan, and in 1983 the band performed live in England for the first time. Later that same year, they recorded their tenth album, Jive Jive, in London.
The year 1989 turned out to be a watershed in Casiopea's career. After a few years of tension within the band, drummer Akira Jimbo and bassist Tetsuo Sakurai left to pursue solo careers (to be covered in future editions of this column), and the two remaining members came close to calling it quits. It is the only year in the band's history that did not see the release of a studio or live album from the fusion foursome. A laserdisc was released, but no album. However, replacements were found, and in 1990, Casiopea returned with The Party, the first album to feature new members Yoshihiro Naruse and Masaaki Hiyama. With his energetic stage presence, Naruse seemed to inject some new energy into the band, and the quartet was set to enter the 90's with a more aggressive and slightly more hard-edged sound. One of Japan's premier bass players, Naruse has a distinct style (partly due to his frequent use of double strings), and like Sakurai before him, is a master slapper.
With this new line-up, Casiopea recorded two more studio albums, 1991's Full Colors and 1992's Active, as well as another live album, We Want More. In late 1992, Hiyama was replaced by Noriaki Kumagai on drums, and with him on board, the band recorded Dramatic, released in 1993. More varied both in terms of arrangements and songwriting, the album stands out as one of the band's best 90's releases.
In 1994, Casiopea was particularly busy. May saw the release of Answers, a new studio album recorded in Hawaii. For its 25th album, released only three months later, the band decided to try something different. The result was Hearty Notes, a kind of "unplugged" recording featuring only acoustic instruments. In December followed Asian Dreamer, a double CD containing new versions of 20 classic Casiopea songs.
Not about to slow down even after this busy year, Casiopea returned in 1995 with a new studio recording called Freshness. In 1996, the band appeared at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague, Holland following the recording of a new album in Amsterdam. Later that year, Kumagai left the band, and rather than finding a permanent replacement, the remaining members decided to call upon a couple of old friends for the recording of their next album, Light and Shadows. Reuniting with Harvey Mason, the band recorded three tracks in L.A., while former member Akira Jimbo occupied the drum chair on the remaining eight tracks.
With Jimbo back as an "associate member" and even contributing a few songs, Casiopea recorded two more studio albums, including 1999's Material, which marked the 20th anniversary of the band's debut. Following the release of the new CD, the band embarked on a tour of Japan, with a special anniversary concert taking place in Tokyo. With Jimbo behind the drums, the band was joined by some special guests during the second part of the show: former members Tetsuo Sakurai and Noriaki Kumagai, as well as keyboardist Hidehiko Koike, who was a member of the band in the 70's before they got a record deal. The show was recorded and filmed, and a double live CD called 20th came out in early 2000. The first disc is devoted mainly to recent material, but also includes a 37-minute medley structured as a flashback chronicling each year in the band's history. Each song in the medley is a year older than the previous one, until the band ends up playing "Space Road" from their first album in 1979. The second disc is devoted to the guest portion of the show, including some very potent drum and bass battles between the current and former members. The whole show was also released on VHS video and DVD.
With new studio albums, Bitter Sweet and Main Gate, having been released in 2000 and 2001, Casiopea has entered the 21st century as prolific and energetic as ever. The band has also entered the world of DVD's: The DVD version of their double live CD has already been mentioned above, and other notable titles available are Casiopea Live History Part 1 and Part 2, which both are double DVD's containing 2 concert recordings each, from 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1992. The first disc in Casiopea Live History Part 2 is the video version of the World Live '88 CD release mentioned above, with recordings from Brazil, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and the USA. Yet another DVD, The Mint Session (1997), contains live performances recorded in a studio and features guest spots by former bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, as well as drummer Akira Jimbo. All the DVD's mentioned in this paragraph are playable in all regions.
While Casiopea can be criticized for a certain sameness in their music, rarely straying far from their characteristic sound, the fact remains that their albums exhibit a vigour that is lacking from a lot of typical, run-of-the-mill smooth jazz releases. Another way of looking at it is to say that Casiopea has remained true to their sound and not yielded to the pressures that many American smooth jazz artists are subject to, putting out remarkably consistent albums throughout their 23-year recording career. © Morten Hansen, www.smoothvibes.com/vikingview.html

Daryl Hall & John Oates

Daryl Hall & John Oates - War Babies - 1974 - Atlantic Records

War Babies is a 1974 album by Hall & Oates, and their last of three albums for Atlantic Records before moving to the RCA label. This is mainly an experimental album, littered with urban rock, funk and soul sounds, and laced with a touch of psychedelia. It even has sounds reminiscent of Steely Dan. Definitely not your typical Daryl Hall & John Oates album! But strange as it may seem, the album still retains their unmistakeable Blue-Eyed Soul sound. The album was brilliantly produced by Todd Rundgren, with Utopia, and it is one of the most under-rated album from the 1970's. There is no Sara Smile here, but please don't let that put you off. If you want to hear great music, this is for you. Daryl Hall & John Oates never recreated this sound again. Highly recommended by A.O.O.F.C. You should listen to the great Todd Rundgren album, "A Wizard, A True Star." Pure genius. Also try and buy the great Hall & Oates' album " Our Kind of Soul. "





"Can't Stop the Music (He Played It Much Too Long)" (Oates) (2:50)
"Is It a Star" (Hall, Oates) (4:41)
"Beanie G and the Rose Tattoo" (Hall) (3:01)
"You're Much Too Soon" (Hall) (4:08)
"70's Scenario" (Hall) (4:00)
"War Baby Son of Zorro" (Hall) (4:10)
"I'm Watching You (A Mutant Romance)" (Hall) (4:27)
"Better Watch Your Back" (Hall) (4:15)
"Screaming Through December" (Hall) (6:35)
"Johnny Gore and the C Eaters" (Hall, Oates) (5:18)

The Flock

The Flock - Dinosaur Swamps - 1970 - Columbia Records

This was Chicago band The Flock's second release. Their first two albums for Columbia Records, "The Flock" and this one, set a standard for the jazz rock fusions that were to come. But unfortunately the original band broke up in 1971. A mix of light jazz and progressive horn rock, this is a very original, creative, and underrated album. An admirer of this group was John Mayall. He did the liner notes for the back of the first LP "The Flock". He stated: "The Flock was the best band I'd heard in America." Violinist Jerry Goodman later joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra. This album received some very poor reviews, but like a lot of undervalued albums, it needs a few listens to appreciate it's mixture of styles and excellent musicianship.

TRACKS

Side 1
Green Slice
Big Bird
Hornschmeyer's Island
Lighthouse
Side 2

Crabfoot
Mermaid
Uranian Sircus

All tracks written by - The Flock

BAND

Jerry Goodman (Violin, vocals),
Fred Glickstein (Guitar, lead vocals),
Jerry Smith (Bass),
Ron Karpman (Drums),
Rick Canoff (Tenor Sax),
Tom Webb (Tenor Sax),
Frank Posa (Trumpet).

REVIEWS

Dinosaur Swamps is even more progressive, and completely bewildering - right down to the intricate gatefold artwork which almost indecipherable. It is a very dense sounding album - usually Glickstein (using both guitar and keyboards) and Goodman play at the same time, frequently with the horns as well (who get a larger role). Either the group or producer John McClure was fascinated with the already passé use of sound effects for the beginning or endings of songs, like making foghorn noises (the opening of the Steve Miller Band's Sailor anyone?), speeding up the track, or hideous laughing/calliope from hell noises. The songs are not much better, because the band has too many musical ideas. Dinosaur Swamps has psychedelia ("Hornshmeyer's Island" which alternates between quiet versus and loud, helium-voiced choruses), blues ("Crabfoot" with percussion solos, backwards noises, a strange horn noise section that's not quite a John Zorn wet dream), a romantic folk ballad with Salvation Army style horns ("Mermaid") and even a strong country feel on "Big Bird." The album's biggest surprise is the group's almost complete failure to capitalize on Goodman. Sure, he plays, but he has no lengthy solos, only spots now and again, and a couple of interesting tones (wah-wah on "Crabfoot", and an underwater tone that makes it sound like a mellotron on "Hornschmeyer's Island"). The last track, "Uranian Sircus," has ridiculous spoken versus, a chorus of "Uranian Sircus is on it's way to town!", and fun production tricks like reverb and slightly phased vocals. Repetitive, annoying, but grotesquely interesting. Actually, quite a bit of nice playing is within these tracks when the band get a chance to stretch out, but with so many ideas to wade through, the band frequently does not make it. As they never get around to playing, or the music changing too frequently, the weak lyrics (Hornschmeyer's Island" has a few 'gems') and inter-song filler (the intro to "Big Bird", Glickstein's guitar lines in "Lighthouse") shine through. While everyone had ample space on their debut (apportioned by talents, of course), Dinosaur Swamps' approach of everyone going at once makes the album neither overly structured or organized chaos, but like an large object made out of Legos(TM): done in stages, fun for the assemblers, perhaps interesting to look at for a short while, but with a utility approaching zero. In trying to do everything, the Flock amply demonstrate they are not the musical equivalent of an uncollapsed wave function, but instead a band that had too much time on their hands, too little quality control, and little knowledge about their strengths. © http://jhendrix110.tripod.com//Flock.html#DS

BIO

Forming in late-'60s Chicago, the Flock forever languished in the shadow of the Chicago Transit Authority (later famous as just plain Chicago), whose peculiar approach to art rock -- incorporating horns and other unorthodox instrumentation into rock and jazz forms -- they also pursued. But though they clearly lacked Chicago's smash-hit-penning abilities, the Flock possessed a secret weapon in masterful violinist Jerry Goodman, and their genre-smashing compositions were often even more extreme, if not exactly Top 40 material. Rick Canoff (vocals, saxophone) and Fred Glickstein (vocals, guitar, organ) were already performing in a garage band called the Exclusives in 1965 when they decided to rename themselves the Flock. The duo recorded a number of independent singles with various backing musicians over the next few years, but it wasn't until they discovered that their guitar tech, one Jerry Goodman, also happened to be a virtuoso violinist and invited him into the fold that the Flock's sound truly began to take shape. By 1969, the septet was completed by Jerry Smith (bass), Ron Karpman (drums), John Gerber (sax, flute, banjo), and Tom Webb (sax, flute), and had scored a deal with Columbia Records, for whom they recorded their groundbreaking eponymous debut that same year. But, not even enthusiastic endorsements from some of the era's most respected musicians (including English blues legend John Mayall, who famously dubbed them the "best American band" he'd heard and wrote the album's liner notes) could help sell the Flock's complicated music, which simply proved too unusual and inaccessible for most consumers. The band continued to plug along on the live circuit, including a stint at the prestigious 1970 Bath Festival (where they performed before a then-skyrocketing Led Zeppelin), but their label, Columbia, was already beginning to lose faith. Complicating matters further, 1971's Dinosaur Swamps proved a disappointing second effort, falling well short of its predecessor's inspirational flights; it is perhaps best-remembered for its beautiful cover artwork, rather than the songs contained within. A third LP, reportedly to be called "Flock Rock," was summarily shelved uncompleted, and the Flock had fallen apart by 1972. Violinist Goodman later worked with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Dixie Dregs, among others, but except for a brief, disastrous reunion which yielded 1975's ill-received Inside Out album, the remaining members of the Flock soon faded into rock & roll obscurity. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide

Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, & Joe Lovano

Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, & Joe Lovano - I Have The Room Above Her - 2005 - ECM Records (USA)

A beautiful album from master jazz drummer, Paul Motian, with the great Bill Frisell on guitar, and Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone. Try and find his Paul Motian on Broadway albums in which Motian and his brilliant back up musicians cover jazz standards with a unique style, or his Motian in Tokyo album. You won't find contemporary jazz of this quality easily.

TRACKS

1. Osmosis Part III
2. Sketches
3. Odd Man Out
4. Shadows
5. I Have The Room Above Her
6. Osmosis Part I
7. Dance
8. Harmony
9. The Riot Act
10. The Bag Man
11. One In Three
12. Dreamland

MUSICIANS

Paul Motian: Drums
Bill Frisell: Guitar
Joe Lovano: Tenor Saxophone

REVIEWS

To put drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell, and saxophonist Joe Lovano in a room together is to court majesty and genius; even if the three were playing hackneyed standards half-asleep, the results would likely be brilliant. I HAVE THE ROOM ABOVE HER is filled with the kind of technical mastery and scintillating chemistry one would expect from a trio this accomplished and advanced. Frisell's electric guitar spins choral color and spiraling, reverbed embellishments. Lovano's tenor is full-toned, and he plays with tremendous sensitivity and nuance, often holding down the melodic center while Frisell and Motian create rhythmic and harmonic frames. The delicate imbrication of parts lends these compositions the feel of fragile, shifting houses suspended in air. Motian's drumming is crucial to this aesthetic--light years beyond standard beat-keeping, his approach to time is all suggestion and evocative accent. Aside from the Hammerstein/Kern title track and a sweet, ethereal take on Thelonious Monk's "Dreamland," all the tunes were written by Motian, his rich imagination informed by classic jazz, post-bop, avant-garde, and ambient music alike. The silent partner here is producer Manfred Eicher, whose ear for warm, resonant tones and expansive atmospheres is the perfect match for the inventiveness, lyricism, and exquisite beauty of this session. ©1996 - 2007 CD Universe
I Have The Room Above Her is an album of deep mystery and sustaining grace. From the hauntingly evocative cover art to the solemn hush of the music within, drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell, and saxophonist Joe Lovano have created an album that lends itself beautifully to the higher serenity of meditation. The songs, all but two composed by Motian, lead to or fold back into each other like fleeting vignettes and memories. Yet, as ethereal as the album is, it also offers some grounding in folk melody, as on “Odd Man Out,” that grants the listener some solid ground. An intense sensitivity is the hallmark of the album—tenderness in the way the musicians treat both the material and each other. Each member of the trio performs superbly throughout, but notice must be given to the varied shades of color Frisell contributes. From the shy solo that emerges on the title track by Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern to the ghostly electronic pulses that switch on during “The Riot Act,” Frisell seems to have an unlimited number of tools with which to add accents. His approach to his instrument teems with possibility. I Have The Room Above Her is a magnificent album. Instead of focusing on hotshot soloing, it rewards repeated listening by putting the focus on group interaction. There are great stories in the conversations Motian, Frisell, and Lovano have on the album. The magic is that in hearing these performances, the listener is compelled to add his own thoughts to the proceedings. © Stephen Latessa, © 2007 All About Jazz and/or contributing writers/visual artists. All rights reserved.
The Motian-Frisell-Lovano trio reconvenes from time to time without predictable outcome. I heard them live in Germany seven years back in a mainly Monk programme -- the date was Friday 13th, and Lovano stormed like Coleman Hawkins' blazing best. This set's very different, other than the title track, a Jerome Kern ballad played wonderfully in somewhat out of tempo fashion, every tune is Motian's -- if such a melodic fragment at "Osmosis Pt. III" can be called a tune. A lot of this set is free jazz trying both to make sense and be beautiful. Even a near miss might be worth praise, that objective being both so distant and so difficult of attainment.
The performances are more logical than some Motian has led or participated in on disc this past year -- I've not heard every new issue with Motian but four at least have crossed my path since mid-2004. Here he thrashes and churns, which he can and does do quietly when required, rather than apply physically more economical means of generating the polyvalent patterns which commonly do hold together performances in which he takes part.
The opening couple of tracks are echoey with Frisell's guitar in harp or quiet chiming territory. On the third, "Odd Man", Lovano's tenor playing is lively but gentle, and Motian is all over his drum kit, and if his dynamic control allows him to sound like distant thunder he's nonetheless thundering. The guitarist and tenorist play prettily, not for the last time here, and not for the last time there's a folk melody, simple lyrically poignant phrases.
"Shadows" brings more turbulence from Motian, but balmy guitar with echo and even pussycat velvety Lovano, remarkably tender in his horn's upper register, suspending high notes but also having the occasional purr below. The title track is from Jerome Kern and Lovano is at his most caressing, playing in a style more commonly to be associated with unaccompanied solo performance. He doesn't stray far from the outline of variations on the melody, but there are no bar-lines. Motian plays cross-rhythms -- cymbals and brushes -- and Frisell shadows. This might be an attempt to present a model of what Motian wants done with hisown very bitty compositions. It's an unusual ballad masterpiece on a level with anything done on Motian's On Broadway sets or the recent sets with George Mras and Hank Jones.
"Osmosis Pt, I" is pretty well New Age meditation music, complete with another neo-folk maybe slightly neo-Celtic tune,. Frisell in mandolin and dulcimer land, with cymbals and soft saxophone. "Dance" takes Lovano back up to the top of his horn, there's unison work with Frisell and some free playing. There is an interesting attempt really to swing without bar-lines and a chorus structure. This item rises to a really very good ending
That's the way this set goes, Lovano conjuring melodic lines over at times nearly (but never quite) hyperactive cymbal-work and drumming. The vulnerable entry, vocally poignant, Frisell's guitar in affectionate rapport and in the later numbers the lyrical contrast to all that sounding drum and cymbal really getting somewhere.
"The Riot Act" is slightly reminiscent of an Albert Ayler performance, though Ayler could never play like Lovano. There's a strange alternation between New Age lyricism and the noise of tons of metal sheering, in the guitar contributions. Frisell, if you don't know, has the apparatus to give his axe a sort of organ power. "The Bag Man" has a similar start but more fragmentation, and then yet another of those simple small themes. The alternation of duo interactions builds here to another climax, in the still small theme -- Frisell switches betwixt bass guitar and melodica sounds. "One in Three" seems to be about the harmony of the spheres, the music is at least as astral as Sun Ra's outer-spaced stuff. Did Motian ever thrash more, did Frisell ever make more beautiful noises -- even without, as here, doing it at the same time, and with Lovano's astonishing warmth present too?
On the closer, "Dreamland", a fragmented ballad, Motian tosses and turns and in his pursuit of tender poignancy Lovano comes close to the sound of Lester Young. I am aware that Stanley Crouch invokes the name of Lester Young in the liner to a recent Charles Lloyd album: and is there talking nonsense again. Lovano is however always the very real thing. © Robert R. Calder , 3 May 2005, © 1999-2007 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved
You wouldn't suppose that most musicians would look favorably upon being compared to an old pile of rocks. How about an old, organized pile of rocks?
This isn't some kind of clever reviewer trick. Honestly, it's just a coincidence. While giving I Have The Room Above Her the first listen, I happened to have a nice view out the bedroom window. Through the maples and oaks beside our antique house, an old rock wall can be seen curving up and over the next ridge.
A few moments before focusing my gaze through the rippled glass, I had been trying to pin down what is is that makes Paul Motian unique. A drummer who favors subtlety over bombast, Motian seems to simultaneously construct a pulse and contribute to the melody by employing an endless supply of accents.
Hmmm...nice, but not quite there yet.
Then it hit me. It's not just Motian's technique. It's his entire history as a jazz musician. The more I listen, the more his past reveals itself. This idea resonated with my current interest in the stone walls of New England. Having recently moved to the historic district of a small rural town, I've had an opportunity to observe many walls up close...and to ruminate on their past (and future). Just like a jazz composition is not merely a collection of notes, a stone wall is not just a pile of rocks. That wall outside our window frames what used to be a 'highway', one that originated from what is now the base of our driveway. If you observe the fragments of stone walls laced throughout my little area, the story of the past is revealed.
Does Paul Motian's music in the present reveal anything about his past? Without a doubt. The list of Motian's past cohorts is most impressive: Coleman Hawkins, Lennie Tristano, Thelonius Monk, George Russell, Paul Bley, Keith Jarrett, Carla Bley. Big names all. Add to the list one more giant: Bill Evans. Motian played in the Bill Evans Trio for several years alongside bassist Scott LeFaro. I came to Bill Evans' music not it the 'normal' way (via Miles Davis' Kind of Blue) but through Motian's Bill Evans. A fine record on which long-time partners Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano put a unique spin on the music of Bill Evans.
Though Motian has at times branched out into more "out" music as compared to the Bill Evans Trio, it is his sound on those Evans records that shines through to this day. I Have The Room Above Her again features Frisell and Lovano on a program of mostly Paul Motian composition, plus a pair of covers: a very cool take on Monk's "Dreamland" and the Kern/Hammerstein title track. Several of the tunes, most notably "Osmosis" (parts III and I), "Shadows" and "Harmony", fully illustrate Motian's way of dancing around the composition. It's just amazing what the man can do with a pair of brushes, a snare and a single ride cymbal. On these songs, Lovano tends to follow Motian's lead, adding color on top of accent. Frisell is at his toned-down best, gently grasping clusters of notes into chords. All is not quiet here though. There's some nifty unison play on "Dance" and "The Bag Man" as well as some full-on skronkology on "The Riot Act".
OK, so maybe I think too much. Maybe that stone wall is just a pile of rocks. And maybe I Have The Room Above Her is just another record. I just can't think that way. Music is important and projects itself onto many, many 'unrelated' areas. Spend a little time looking (and listening) and you'll be amazed at what's out there. © Mark Saleski, Published February 09, 2005, © http://blogcritics.org/

BIO (Wikipedia)

Stephen Paul Motian (born 25 March 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Providence, Rhode Island), is an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction. He is one of the most influential modern drummers, having played an important role in freeing the drummer from strict time-keeping duties. His surname is Armenian, and many people claim it should be pronounced "Moe-tee-un," however, Paul Motian pronounces it "MO-shun." He began playing the drums at age 12, eventually touring New England in a swing band. During the Korean War he joined the Navy, which he left at the age of 24. Motian has been a professional musician since 1954, but he became well known as the drummer in pianist Bill Evans's trio (1959-64), initially alongside bassist Scott LaFaro and later Chuck Israels.
Subsequently he has played with pianists Paul Bley (1963-4) and Keith Jarrett (1967-76). Other musicians who Motian performed and/or recorded with in the early period of his career include Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsh, Thelonious Monk, Arlo Guthrie (Motian performed briefly with Guthrie in 1968-69, and even performed with the singer at Woodstock), Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, and Don Cherry. As his career has continued, Motian has appeared with musicians such as Marilyn Crispell, Bill Frisell, Leni Stern, Joe Lovano, Alan Pasqua, Lee Konitz, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Bill McHenry, Stephane Oliva, and many more.
Motian has also become an important composer and band-leader, recording initially for ECM Records in the 1970s and early 1980s and subsequently for Soul Note Records, JMT Records, and Winter & Winter Records, before returning to ECM in 2006. Since the early 1980s he has led a trio featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano, occasionally joined by bassists Ed Schuller, Charlie Haden or Marc Johnson, and other musicians, including Jim Pepper, Lee Konitz, Dewey Redman and Geri Allen. In addition to playing Motian's compositions, the group has recorded tributes to Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans, and a series of Paul Motian on Broadway albums, featuring original interpretations of standard tunes.
Despite his important associations with pianists, Motian's work as a leader since the 1970s has been noteworthy for rarely including piano in his ensembles and relying heavily on guitar. Motian's first instrument was the guitar, and he seems to have retained an affinity for the instrument: in addition to his groups with Frisell, his first two solo albums on ECM featured Sam Brown, and he leads the Electric Bebop Band, which features two and sometimes three electric guitars. The group was founded in the early 1990s, and has featured a variety of young guitar and saxophone players, in addition to electric bass and Motian's drums, including saxophonists Joshua Redman, Chris Potter, Chris Cheek, Tony Malaby, and guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Shepik, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Steve Cardenas, Ben Monder, and Jakob Bro.

Terence Boylan

Terence Boylan - Terence Boylan - 1977 - Asylum

After writing and rehearsing an entirely new set of tunes, Boylan landed a recording contract with David Geffen’s Asylum Records, a famous stable of singer-songwriters that included Joni Mitchell, Warren Zevon, the Eagles, John David Souther and Tom Waits. Recording at LA’s Record Plant and Westlake Audio with members and musicians from both Steely Dan and the Eagles, Boylan merged different sensibilities into a stunning, lyrical, jazz-tinged rock album, with strong hooks and soaring harmonies, that went to number one on the Billboard National Breakout list the week it was released, and was the most added album at radio for five weeks straight. The level of writing and musicianship on Terence Boylan (Asylum 7E-1091) prompted a number of critics to hail it as "astonishingly brilliant", and the reviews were laudatory both in the US and abroad, winding up on a number of top ten lists at year’s end. Iain Matthews, a British singer, picked up on two of Boylan’s tunes for his album Stealin’ Home, and his version of Shake It quickly climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The following year, Boylan won two BMI Awards for Best Songwriting. © www.bluedesert.dk/terenceboylan.html

This is a brilliant album from a forgotten artist. It is transferred from vinyl, so you'll have to endure a bit of noise, but it's worth it to hear this rare original. It is extremely difficult to find any of Boylan's original LP's. I know that some of his early stuff is now being re-released on CD, so check it out. Has anybody got any info on his debut album, "Alias Boona?"

TRACKS

Side 1:

Don't Hang Up Those Dancing Shoes
Shake It
Sundown Of Fools
The War Was Over
Shame

Side 2:

Hey Papa
Where Are You Hiding
Rain King
Trains

MUSICIANS

Jim Gordon,
Russell Kunkel,
Jeff Porcaro,
Leland Sklar,
Chuck Rainey,
David Jackson,
Timothy B. Schmit,
Donald Fagen, (Plays piano on Don't Hang Up Those Dancing Shoes, & Shame)

Victor Feldman,
Mickey McGee,
Dean Parks,
John Klemmer,
Gary Foster,
Don Henley,
Wilton Felder,
David Paich,
Bob Glaub,
Don Evans,
Steve Lukather,
Al Kooper,
Ben Benay,
John Guerin,
Max Bennett,
Tom Kelly,
Dodie Petit

BIO

Terence Boylan was born in the late 1940's and grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he started out in music before age 13, in the appropriately named band the PreTeens. They even made an appearance on local radio station WBNY, performing "Playing Hard To Get", a song that Boylan had written at age 11. While in his early teens, he'd made it to New York City and Greenwich Village, and managed to cross paths with Bob Dylan (before he was a recording star) and Ramblin' Jack Elliot; with their encouragement, he pursued a solo music career in upstate New York and managed to attend the Newport Folk Festivals of 1963 and 1964. Boylan later attended Bard College in New York, and formed a band called the Ginger Men with his brother John. They managed to cross paths with the Blues Project and the Lovin' Spoonful during occasional gigs in Greenwich Village during the mid-1960's. By 1967, he'd attracted the attention of several New York-based record labels and signed with Verve Records, where he and his brother John cut an experimental music-and-comedy LP amalgam entitled Appletree Theatre, which became a kind of cult favorite, principally among other musicians (including John Lennon). John Boylan subsequently headed to California, where he established himself first as a session guitarist and later as a producer, while Terence Boylan remained in New York. By 1968, he was back at Bard and became close friends with classmates Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (who had musical aspirations of their own, although in those days they sounded too much like the Beatles for their own professional good) and played with them. With Becker and Fagen in tow, he cut his debut solo LP, Alias Boona (a reference to his nickname) for Verve Forecast, the jazz-spawned label's progressive/experimental rock imprint. The record was, like his earlier album, principally attracted the attention of other musicians, including Bob Dylan (whose "Subterranean Homesick Blues" received a beautiful reinterpretation on the LP). Rather than pursue his career in New York, he headed to California, where his brother John Boylan was working with Linda Ronstadt. He was working for his brother's production company and establishing himself on the West Coast. Terence Boylan was later signed to Asylum Records and recorded his self-titled second album in 1977. It was more of a West Coast production, especially in sound and texture. It was well received by the critics but was never more than a cult success. He did enjoy some success as a songwriter when Iain Matthews turned Boylan's song "Shake It" into a top five hit. He did a national tour behind the album with Bonnie Raitt and Little Feat, and returned to New York to do a third solo album -- acutally, a third and fourth that were finally combined into one LP. The result was Suzy, which was another critical success and commercial disappointment. In the years since, Boylan has principally involved himself with songwriting and soundtrack work, and his own record label and publishing company, Spinnaker Records"". © Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Sunnyland Slim

Sunnyland Slim - Live at the D.C. Blues Society - 1995 - Mapleshade

Brilliant piano blues album by an overlooked blues master who influenced many of the blues greats, one example being the great Muddy Waters, who, in turn, had a huge influence on artists like Clapton, The Stones, and even The Beatles. Check out this man's back catalogue, and buy some of his records. "Slim's Shout " is one of his great albums. Keep the blues alive!

TRACKS & COMPOSERS (Where known)

1. Got A Thing Going On - Sunnyland Slim
2. Everytime I Gets To Drinking - Sunnyland Slim
3. Got To Get To My Baby - Sunnyland Slim
4. Lend Me Your Love - Memphis Slim
5. When I Was Young - Albert Luandrew
6. I Won't Do That No More - Sunnyland Slim
7. My Baby, She Don't Love Me No More
8. Blues Improvisation - Sunnyland Slim
9. Gonna Be My Baby - Sunnyland Slim
10. Blues Improvisation - Sunnyland Slim
11. If I Done You Wrong - Sunnyland Slim
12. Dust My Broom - Robert Johnson
13. Run Here Baby
14. Be Careful How You Vote - Sunnyland Slim

Solo performer: Sunnyland Slim (vocals, piano). Recorded live at the Roxy, Washington, D.C. on October 13, 1987

REVIEWS

Sunnyland Slim's brand of weary blues, punctuated by rolling piano accents and boogie riffs, predates both the rise and fall of Delta blues and the emergence of its urban successor. Slim toured the South in the '20s, '30s, and early '40s, then left for Chicago and has been there ever since. This blend of Delta and urban sensibilities has been infused in his songs since he began recording and permeates the 14 selections (recorded in 1987) on Live at the D.C. Blues Society. Although long since past his vocal peak, Slim still spins a nifty yarn and mournful lament. © Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

When asked who influenced their music styles the most, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Joe Cocker and B. B. King have all named the likes of Tampa Red, Jump Jackson, Little Walter and Muddy Waters. Waters was so internationally influential that annual awards for blues music are named after him. But who influenced these eminent musicians from the '40s and '50s? Sunnyland Slim. Born Albert Luandrew, he changed his name at 15 to Sunnyland Slim after teaching himself blues piano so well that he had steady work performing in Mississippi in 1922. Since, he performed on at least 40 records and wrote nearly 60 blues originals, many of which have become standards. This just-released recording was made in 1987 and, unfortunately, was Slim’s last before his death. He was 80 when he played these songs, but each displays more energy and enthusiasm for the blues than could be conjured up by someone half his age. The fourteen cuts on this album are all Slim, his voice and a piano. Nine were penned by Slim and the others have been adapted by Slim such that they may as well be his. The album is on Mapleshade, specialized in audiophile quality live recordings. They all have a distinctive, natural sound. Each album is recorded directly to tape without the “benefit” of electronic magic. Sunnyland Slim has never been captured like this before, and never will again. If you like blues, this is a don’t miss. © Scott Spence, Tri-City Herald, August 11, 1995

...above, superbly recorded blues, only this time from the genuine article. The gig comes across like a bar-room session, a jaunt through standards punctuated by some fine piano improvisation. Recorded in 1987, when Slim was a sprightly 80 years old. Too cool for words. © Hi Fi News and Record Review, August 1992

BIO

Exhibiting truly amazing longevity that was commensurate with his powerful, imposing physical build, Sunnyland Slim's status as a beloved Chicago piano patriarch endured long after most of his peers had perished. For more than 50 years, the towering Sunnyland had rumbled the ivories around the Windy City, playing with virtually every local luminary imaginable and backing the great majority in the studio at one time or another.

He was born Albert Luandrew in Mississippi and received his early training on a pump organ. After entertaining at juke joints and movie houses in the Delta, Luandrew made Memphis his homebase during the late '20s, playing along Beale Street and hanging out with the likes of Little Brother Montgomery and Ma Rainey.

He adopted his colorful stage name from the title of one of his best-known songs, the mournful "Sunnyland Train." (The downbeat piece immortalized the speed and deadly power of a St. Louis-to-Memphis locomotive that mowed down numerous people unfortunate enough to cross its tracks at the wrong instant.)

Slim moved to Chicago in 1939 and set up shop as an in-demand piano man, playing for a spell with John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson before waxing eight sides for RCA Victor in 1947 under the somewhat misleading handle of "Doctor Clayton's Buddy." If it hadn't been for the helpful Sunnyland, Muddy Waters may not have found his way onto Chess; it was at the pianist's 1947 session for Aristocrat that the Chess brothers made Waters's acquaintance.

Aristocrat (which issued his harrowing "Johnson Machine Gun") was but one of a myriad of labels that Sunnyland recorded for between 1948 and 1956: Hytone, Opera, Chance, Tempo-Tone, Mercury, Apollo, JOB, Regal, Vee-Jay (unissued), Blue Lake, Club 51, and Cobra all cut dates on Slim, whose vocals thundered with the same resonant authority as his 88s. In addition, his distinctive playing enlivened hundreds of sessions by other artists during the same timeframe.

In 1960, Sunnyland Slim traveled to Englewood Cliffs, NJ, to cut his debut LP for Prestige's Bluesville subsidiary with King Curtis supplying diamond-hard tenor sax breaks on many cuts. The album, Slim's Shout, ranks as one of his finest, with definitive renditions of the pianist's "The Devil Is a Busy Man," "Shake It," "Brownskin Woman," and "It's You Baby."

Like a deep-rooted tree, Sunnyland Slim persevered despite the passing decades. For a time, he helmed his own label, Airway Records. As late as 1985, he made a fine set for the Red Beans logo, Chicago Jump, backed by the same crack combo that shared the stage with him every Sunday evening at a popular North side club called B.L.U.E.S. for some 12 years.

There were times when the pianist fell seriously ill, but he always defied the odds and returned to action, warbling his trademark Woody Woodpecker chortle and kicking off one more exultant slow blues as he had done for the previous half century. Finally, after a calamitous fall on the ice coming home from a gig led to numerous complications, Sunnyland Slim finally died of kidney failure in 1995. He's sorely missed. © Bill Dahl, All Music Guide

Nighthawks

Nighthawks - As The Sun Sets - 2004 - Warner


A really good nu jazz downtempo recording, with a great sixties soundtrack vibe. There are no real standout tracks here, but it's a great album to relax to, helped by the cool velvety vocals of the great DePhazz vocalist, Pat Appleton. Check out their better Metro Bar album.

TRACKS

01. Descend (vocal Pat Appleton) [06:00]
02. Norways [05:44]
03. Receptions In Brazil (vocal Pat Appleton) [05:09]
04. Managing The Beatles [04:45]
05. Capetown Unvisited (vocal Pat Appleton) [05:51]
06. Departure [01:59]
07. As The Sun Sets (vocal Pat Appleton) [05:14]
08. Jetlag [04:57]
09. Motorcycle Hong Kong [05:38]
10. Farewell [05:22]

Album notes

Composer: Nighthawks .Nighthawks (Jazz): Little Hill (vocals); Ladi Geissler (guitar); Markus Wienstroer (guitars); Michael Rauter (cello); Volker Bertelmann (strings); Reiner Winterschladen (flugelhorn); Steffen Kamper (piano); Jurgen Dahmen (Clavinet); Xaver Fischer (synthesizer); Dal Martino (acoustic bass); Peter Erskine (drums); Piid (drum programming).Additional personnel: Pat Appleton (vocals).This international smooth jazz combo trades in sophisticated, sax-heavy numbers with a cocktail vibe and a knowing sultriness. The theme here is travel, with nods to foreign lands and the act of flying itself. The musical surprises and highlights are plenteous; the title track of this album features a tart, taut sound reminiscent of 1960s spy film music and "Motorcycle Hong Kong" verges on urban R&B.


ABOUT THE ARTIST

It happened in the autumn of 1998 that the duo Nighthawks came onto the scene with their debut album Citizen Wayne. Rare it is that both the media and the public were so united in their appreciation of a high quality German newcomer act whose musical niche in the meantime is called NuJazz. To no ones surprise, two knowledgeable veterans are cloaked by the groups name, producer and bass player Dal Martino and trumpeter Reiner Winterschladen, both well-known musicians of the jazz and pop scene with collaborations previous to Citizen Wayne behind them, including membership in the highly-touted Trance Groove.
In the meantime the Nighthawks have become a presence of their own with their jazz and club/lounge music. Cool grooves and atmospheric arrangements are their hallmark, with the solo trumpets clear voicings intimating big city stories full of yearning and trenchant articulations. As The Sun Sets opens up the latest chapter of the highly intriguing Nighthawks story which the band has enhanced and expanded by a few nuances. Inspired by the famous 1941 Edward Hopper painting of the same name, the Nighthawks, Martino and Winterschladen, are on the hunt, as anyone who takes the time to listen will recognize, for those experiences which only come about after sundown. Not surprisingly, it was also the time of their recording.
Both members are experienced musicians. Dal Martino has been haunting stage and studio with his bass for over 20 years and is also in demand as a producer of film and advertising music in addition to running his own record label. Reiner Winterschladen has also been a professional musician for over 20 years. Presently and since 1995 a permanent member of the NDR Big Band, he has in the past trumpeted for the European Jazz Ensemble, the Manfred Schoof Big Band as well as popular bands like Blue Box, Me & The Heat, Unknown Cases, and Rausch. But it was Trance Groove that brought the two together. Cementing that relationship was a highly satisfactory film project they worked on together resulting in their decision to harness their dual potential for still further collaboration. So, to Dal Martinos home-produced tracks, Reiner Winterschladen laid on melodies or simply improvised. They listened, worked the material over, made changes, rearranged, searched further and found what they were looking for.
The same technique was used for their second album, Metro Bar, a true urban soundtrack as opposed to Citizen Wayne, a mix of spaghetti-western associations with big city impressions. Cool without being cold, Metro Bar landed among the top 3 of the German Jazz Charts in Autumn 2001.
With As The Sun Sets (2004) they decided to go one better and brought in Pat Appleton, the magnificent female vocalist of DePhazz with her voluminous yet satiny voice, topping off an already tasty dish. Listen to how impressively the voice blends with Nighthawks‘ music on titles like Descend, Receptions In Brazil or Capetown Unvisited. Other highlights are the instrumentals, Jetlag and Departure, as well as Managing The Beatles, a homage to bandleader, arranger and composer, Bert Kaempfert. Only with such facets does the jewel show its wholeness. With As The Sun Sets, the Nighthawks live up to their implicit intention of writing jazzy lounge music with a soundtrack vibe on an album that is as stylish as it is emotionally rich, adding another color to the night. © May 5th, 2007 by hbh , © http://smooth-jazz.de/WordPress/?p=64

Lounge Lizards

Lounge Lizards - Voice Of Chunk - 1989 - Strange & Beautiful Music

The music of the Lounge Lizards is based on older jazz forms, but this band never really sounds indebted to these forms.They sound like nothing else on earth, except the Lounge Lizards. They add a new dimension to jazz, like nothing you've ever heard before. Strange and beautiful,music, like the label. Give it a listen, and check out their 1998 album, Queen of All Ears

TRACKS

1.Bob The Bob (2:07)
2.Voice Of Chunk (5:25)
Recorded By - Hugo Dwyer
3.One Big Yes (6:23)
4.The Hanging (4:43)
Mixed By - Joe Ferla
5.Uncle Jerry (4:19)
Recorded By - Paulo Junquero
6.A Paper Bag And The Sun (7:42)
7.Tarantella (4:06)
8.Bob The Bob (Home) (3:29)
9.Sharks (3:08)
10.Travel (5:31)

CREDITS

Bass - Erik Sanko
Drums - Douglas Browne*
Guitar, Trumpet - Marc Ribot
Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
Mixed By - Hugo Dwyer (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10)
Percussion - E.J. Rodriguez
Piano - Evan Lurie
Producer, Arranged By - John Lurie
Recorded By - Joe Ferla (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6 to 10)
Saxophone [Alto, Soprano] - John Lurie
Saxophone [Tenor, Alto, Soprano] - Roy Nathanson
Trombone - Curtis Fowlkes
Written-By - Evan Lurie (tracks: 7, 10) , John Lurie (tracks: 1 to 6, 8, 9)
Recorded at Media Sound, New York, New York in November 1988; Clinton Studio, New York, New York in January 1989; Nas Nuvens, Brazil in September 1988.


REVIEWS


Featuring key members of the New York downtown avant-garde scene--including trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, guitarist Mark Ribot, and saxophonist John Lurie--The Lounge Lizards make music of a unique and miraculous nature. Melding smoky '40s noir atmospherics, loose, pulsing funk-inflected rhythms, and not a few lessons in Ornette Coleman-styled free-line, the Lizards manage to make experimental music that is also accessible. With a twin saxophone front line, trumpet, piano, guitar, bass, drums, and auxiliary percussion, the Lizards evoke a kaleidoscope of moods, textures, and timbres. The album moves from ghostly, floating film music ("The Hanging") to looping, overlapping dream fragments ("A Paper Bag And The Sun"), traditional folk dances ("Tarantella"), and lilting refrains ("Bob The Bob"). VOICE OF CHUNK is strange and beautiful music, among the finest albums of its uncommon ilk. © 1996 - 2007 CD Universe
After a few revisions to the band's lineup, John Lurie had a brilliant cast for his Lounge Lizards' Voice of Chunk, which came out on his private label in 1989. Now that Lurie's got his strong Strange & Beautiful label, Voice is in wide circulation. And that's a good thing. It's probably the best work this lineup of the Lizards had to offer. Keyboardist Evan Lurie and guitarist Marc Ribot show themselves clearly up to fulfilling the leader's noirish, additive aesthetic. Additive, you ask? Lurie's a builder. He takes small cells, little turns of phrase, and then layers instruments, approaching the nugget, making for muted thrills as listeners glean the simplicity of the melodies and the sophistication of the instrumental combination (Roy Nathanson on saxophones, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, drummer Dougie Bowne, and bassist Erik Sanko round out the octet). The solos appear more ascetic, or at least more downturned, in their key signatures and structures. If you're wondering where to find a window on Lurie, a fantastic guy with soundtrack and film credits galore, this is as fine a place to look as any. © Andrew Bartlett , Amazon.com
After a few revisions to the band's lineup, John Lurie had a brilliant cast for his Lounge Lizards' Voice of Chunk, which came out on his private label in 1989. Now that Lurie's got his strong Strange & Beautiful label, Voice is in wide circulation. And that's a good thing. It's probably the best work this lineup of the Lizards had to offer. Keyboardist Evan Lurie and guitarist Marc Ribot show themselves clearly up to fulfilling the leader's noirish, additive aesthetic. Additive, you ask? Lurie's a builder. He takes small cells, little turns of phrase, and then layers instruments, approaching the nugget, making for muted thrills as listeners glean the simplicity of the melodies and the sophistication of the instrumental combination (Roy Nathanson on saxophones, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, drummer Dougie Bowne, and bassist Erik Sanko round out the octet). The solos appear more ascetic, or at least more downturned, in their key signatures and structures. If you're wondering where to find a window on Lurie, a fantastic guy with soundtrack and film credits galore, this is as fine a place to look as any. © www.musicmule.com

Determined to become the thinking man's David Sanborn by hook or by crook, John Lurie swallows his indignation and elects to market himself--you achieve retail access by dialing the label name on your home telephone. And dial you might. His tone is as rich as his tunes, his solos are lifelike, his musicians thrive as individuals, his musicians function as a unit, and his arty moves kick in with a satisfying thwock. As usual, free jazz meets Henry Mancini meets Kurt Weill meets Peter Gordon meets the Ramada Inn. But the pomo patina has worn away--he's lyrical and catchy rather than "lyrical" and "catchy." Biting and funny he never put quotes around. A- © www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=The+Lounge+Lizards

The Lizards, led by neo-saxman John Lurie, were best known for their outsider approach to bop. This is perhaps their best work, filled with humor and a solid melodic sensibility. Marc Ribot's angular guitar and the complement of Evan Lurie's piano make the disc a particular delight. Madhouse jazz for the unhinged. © Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide.
Very Good - ...one of the most incisive new music ensembles around. © Rolling Stone (04/05/1990).


BIO (Wikipedia)

The Lounge Lizards are a jazz group formed in 1978 by saxophone player John Lurie; they should not be confused with country satire group the Austin Lounge Lizards. Initially a tongue in cheek "fake jazz" combo, drawing on punk rock and no wave as much as jazz, The Lounge Lizards have since become respected for their creative and distinctive sound. The first line-up was John Lurie, his brother Evan (piano and organ), Arto Lindsay (guitar), Steve Piccolo (bass guitar), and Anton Fier (drums). This ensemble recorded the group's self-titled debut, which contained two Thelonious Monk songs and was produced by Teo Macero, famed for his work with Miles Davis. The record received positive reviews, with one scribe noting "while there's definitely great respect shown here for the jazz tradition, the members are obviously coming at it from different backgrounds." Especially notable is Lindsay's noisy guitar: He had earlier honed his distinctive, untutored and unconventional technique with the band DNA. After this line-up dissolved, the Lurie brothers formed a new group , which has been described as "less compelling" than the earlier ensemble. Their sole record, 1983's Live from the Drunken Boat, remains the only Lounge Lizards album never to have been issued on compact disc. In the years following their inception, they lost the moniker of "fake" almost completely and comprised some of the best musicians from the avant-garde New York jazz scene: Roy Nathanson (saxophone), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Marc Ribot (guitar), and Erik Sanko (bass guitar), Dougie Bowne and EJ Rodriguez on drums and percussion. (Fowlkes and Nathanson would pursue duo performances, which metamorphosed into The Jazz Passengers). This edition of the Lounge Lizards recorded three albums in two years, and demonstrated John Lurie's increasingly sophisticated and multi-layered compositions that often stray rather far from conventional jazz: He was able to integrate elements of various world musics (he often favors tango-inspired passages in his songs), which retain a distinctive flavor, but avoid gimmickry. One critic notes traces of "Erik Satie and Kurt Weill." The Luries formed a new version of the Lounge Lizards in the early 1990s; prominent members included Steven Bernstein (trumpet), Michael Blake (saxophone), Oren Bloedow (bass guitar), Dave Tronzo (guitar), Calvin Weston (drums) and Billy Martin (percussion). Recent years have found the Lounge Lizards less active; John Lurie has been increasingly occupied with writing music for motion picture soundtracks, while Evan Lurie has worked on The Backyardigans, a children's show that highlights multiple musical genres.

John Barry - The Cotton Club (Soundtrack) - 1984

John Barry - The Cotton Club (Soundtrack) - 1984 - Geffen

The movie by Coppola looks at the battle for control in prohibition-era Harlem. The Cotton Club is the place to be, where jazz is the sound of choice and glitz and glamour are all the rage. Even if you're not a great fan of jazz, this is a great album to listen to. Great music from some of the greatest jazz composers of all time. John Barry throws in a few nice tunes as well. It is also worthwhile checking out Steely Dan's amazing version of East St. Louis Toodle-O.


TRACKS / COMPOSERS


01. The Mooche - Ellington/Mills
02. Cotton Club Stomp #2 - John Barry
03. Drop Me Off In Harlem - Ellington; Nick A. Kenny
04. Creole Love Call - Ellington
05. Ring Dem Bells - Ellington/Mills
06. East St. Louis Toodle-O - Bubber Miley/Ellington
07. Truckin' - John Barry
08. ILL Wind - Harold Arlen; Ted Koehler
09. Cotton Club Stomp #1 - John Barry
10. Mood Indigo - Barney Bigard; Duke Ellington; Irving Mills
11. Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway; Clarence Gaskill; Irving Mills
12. Copper Colored Gal - John Barry
13. Dixie Kidnaps Vera - John Barry
14. The Depression Hits Best Beats Sandman - John Barry
15. Daybreak Express Medley - Ellington

John Primer

John Primer - Blue Steel - 2003 - Wolf Records

Primer is a Chicago electric blues master, and this album is a fitting tribute to Elmore James, the great American blues slide guitarist. Primer, on this album has brought the older blues styles to a wider, and hopefully younger audience.. This is authentic traditional Chicago blues, played by a master of the blues guitar. This guy needs more exposure, as we have to keep this music alive. You should buy Primer's 1992 album, Stuff You Got To Watch , and also check out Elmore James' back catalogue.

TRACKS

01. Shake Yo Moneymaker
02. It Hurts Me Too
03. Sunnyland Train
04. Too Much
05. I’m in Love
06. Can’t Stop Lovin
07. Since My Baby Left This Town
08. I’m a Blues Man
09. I’m Worried
10. 1839
11. Fine Little Mama
12. I Held My Baby
13. I Had a Dream Last Night
14. Stranger Blues

MUSICIANS

John Primer (guitar);
Magic Shim (guitar);
Stanley Banks (keyboards);
Johnny B. Gayden, Nick Holt (bass);
James Harrinton, Earl Howell (drums);
Real Deal Delta Blues Band.

BIO

John Primer was born on Mar 3, 1945 in Camden, MS. By any yardstick, Chicago guitarist John Primer has paid his dues. Prior to making The Real Deal for Mike Vernon's Atlantic-distributed Code Blue label, Primer spent 13 years as the ever-reliable rhythm guitarist with Magic Slim the Teardrops. Before that, he filled the same role behind Chicago immortals Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. All that grounding has paid off handsomely for Primer. His sound is rooted in the classic Windy City blues sound of decades past: rough-edged and uncompromising and satisfying in the extreme. He's one of the last real traditionalists in town. By the time he came to Chicago in 1963, Primer was thoroughly familiar with the lowdown sounds of Waters, Wolf, Jimmy Reed, B.B. and Albert King, and Elmore James. He fronted a West Side outfit for a while called the Maintainers, dishing out a mix of soul and blues, before joining the house band at the South side blues mecca -Theresa's Lounge for what ended up a nine-year run. Elegant guitarist Sammy Lawhorn proved quite influential on Primer's maturing guitar approach during this period. Always on the lookout for aspiring talent, Willie Dixon spirited him away for a 1979 gig in Mexico City. After a year or so as one of Dixon's All-Stars, Primer was recruited to join the last band of Muddy Waters, playing with the Chicago blues king until his 1983 death. Right after that, Primer joined forces with Magic Slim; their styles interlocked so seamlessly that their partnership seemed like an eternal bond. But Primer deserved his own share of the spotlight. In 1993, Michael Frank's Chicago-based Earwig logo issued Primer's debut domestic disc, Stuff You Got to Watch. It was a glorious return to the classic '50s Chicago sound, powered by Primer's uncommonly concise guitar work and gruff, no-nonsense vocals. With the 1995 emergence of The Real Deal -- produced by Vernon and featuring all-star backing by harpist Billy Branch, pianist David Maxwell, and bassist Johnny B. Gayden, Primer's star appeared ready to ascend. He soon transferred back to the Wolf label for sets such as 1997's Cold Blooded Blues Man, 1998's Blues Behind Closed Doors, and 2000's It's a Blues Life. © Bill Dahl, © 2007 All Media Guide, LLC

Edgar Froese

Edgar Froese - Epsilon In Malaysian Pale - 1975 - Virgin Records

Froese's hit numerous highwater marks in his illustrious career, both in and out of Tangerine Dream, but this, his third solo album, is truly his masterpiece. From Monique Froese's stunningly vivid cover art depicting a stilli-life of dense tropical fernforest, on to her husband's equally demonstrative tracks within, EPSYLON IN MALAYSIAN PALE is an idiomatic symphony exploring the depths of mid-70s electronic instrumentation (especially the mellotron and ARP series of synths) in the realization of teeming and evocative sound environments. Devoid of the then-customary use (by both Froese and TD) of sequencers, the variety of moods evoked and eclipsed in the title track is nothing short of wondrous, as mock choirs of flutes and strings vy for attention amidst discrete electronic pulsings and gently cyclic machine tones. About eight minutes in, these quasi-ambient tones metamorphose into a nebulous 'rhythm' of sorts, carried away on clouds of spiderwebbed sounds. "Maroubra Bay" continues in this vein but imparts a marked sense of drama and suspense into its irising electronic vistas, waves of mellotron crashing on a shoreline lit with the glow of LCDs. In all, beautifully sculpted soundscapes of a wholly captivating nature. Certain product data © 2007 Muze. For personal use only. All rights reserved. Portions of this content may be the property of Baker & Taylor, Inc. or its licensors and shall be subject to copyright and all other protections under the law.


TRACKS

Epsilon In Malaysian Pale (17:00)
Marouba Bay (17:15)
Recorded June-July 1975 in Berlin

BIO (Wikipedia)


Edgar Wilmar Froese (born 6 June 1944) is a German artist and electronic music pioneer, best known for co-founding the electronic music act, Tangerine Dream. Froese was born in Tilsit (Sovetsk), East Prussia, during World War II. After showing an early aptitude for art, Froese enrolled at the Academy of the Arts in West Berlin to study painting and sculpture. In 1965, he formed a band called The Ones, which played rock and R&B standards at popular bohemian nightclubs. While playing in Spain, The Ones were invited to perform at Salvador Dalí's villa in Cadaqués. Froese's encounter with Salvador Dalí was highly influential, inspiring him to pursue more experimental directions with his music. The Ones disbanded in 1967, having only released one single ("Lady Greengrass"/"Love of Mine"). After returning to Berlin, Froese began recruiting musicians for the free-rock band that would become Tangerine Dream.

Jimmy Bowskill

Jimmy Bowskill - Old Soul - 2003 - Jimmy Bowskill

An incredible talent. This boy was born in 1990 with the blues running through his veins. Jimmy was dicovered playing guitar in front of Jeff Healey's Club in Toronto at age 11 and was invited to the stage that night for the first time by Healey. Jimmy has also shared the stage with Dickey Betts, ZZ Top, Garth Hudson and Deep Purple. The guy is a true musical genius, and this is an album you have to hear. You should buy his great album "Soap Bars & Dog Ears."

TRACKS

1. Life's So Peculiar
2. Be Mine
3. Work Til My Days Are Gone
4. Honeybee
5. Kindhearted Woman Blues
6. Weekend Fish Fry
7. Schoolhouse
8. Who's Knockin'
9. Livin' With The Blues
10. Deep Blue
11. Blues Don't Like Nobody
12. Ramblin' On My Mind
13. Hotspell
14. Stones In My Passway

CREDITS

Pat Carey - sax
Rory Donnely - drums
Michael Fonfara - piano
Alec Fraser - bass, guitar
Jerome Godboo - harmonica
Jeff Healey - trumpet
Chuck Jackson - vocals
Jack de Keyzer - guitar
Danny Marks - guitar
Derek McKendrick - drums
Dave Mowat - harmonica, vocals
Shai Peer - piano
Reverend Ken Ramsden - fiddle, jaw harp
Mark "Bird" Stafford - harmonica
Bob Vespaziani - drums
Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh - harmonica
Ryan Weber - bass
Sam Weber - banjo, mandolin
Terry Wilkins - string bassJimmy Bowskill - vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica
Produced by Alec Fraser

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jimmy Bowskill just seems to fit the script of a modern day artist destined to play the blues. He burst onto the scene on BB King’s birthday of all times ... Sept. 16, 1990. Inspired by the late, great Robert Johnson, Jimmy taught himself to play and sing by interpreting by sight and sound but in his own natural style. At the tender age of 11, Jimmy was invited to join Jeff Healey onstage. A star was born, and the rest is history.
Jimmy’s CDs are among the top selling recordings for Festival Distribution, and he's receiving airplay worldwide.
Here's just some of the awards that Jimmy has picked up. A 2005 Juno Nomination for Blues Album of the Year; 2005 Canadian Indie Award for Favourite Blues Artist; 2004 Canadian Indie Award for Favourite Blues Artist; 2004 Canadian Maple Blues Award for Best New Artist; 2004 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award and the 2004 DareArts Children For Peace Leadership Award.
Jimmy Bowskill may not see himself as a child prodigy, but when you are under the age of 18 a child you still are. However it is immediately abundantly clear after witnessing his live appearances that somehow an old soul thrives in this captivating young man’s body. His savvy style commands your attention but his genuine true self engulfs you as he makes friends with his audience. He has confidence and stage presence way beyond his tender years and it seems an old bluesman’s lifetime of performing skills in his bag of tools.
True to the timeless Delta Bluesmen of the past there is a deliberate low-tech aspect of Jimmy’s sound. His inner voice must be of an old-field song on a dusty, scratched 78 recording. You wonder while cast under his spell where someone so young can feel the blues so deep. His soul is not mimicked as he reels back, squints and grimaces as his voice covers the dynamic range of a blues holler back to a gentled vibrato whisper all in a moment so effortlessly. The boy has a genuine mojo soul going on deep inside that is just begging to escape.
Jimmy is a very advanced and relaxed traditional acoustic blues guitar player. He has had stellar teachers along his way including sought after professionals such as Rick Fines and more recently Juno award winner, Jack de Keyzer. Not a stranger to other instruments, Jimmy also plays harmonica, penny whistle and has even tackled a Hammond B3 organ while on stage.
Jimmy's third recording continues chronicling his development, and sees him developing a harder blues-rock sound. The self-titled CD was produced in Toronto at Metal Works Studios and The Cantebury Music Company by Jimmy and well known producer Peter Prilesnik (Big Sugar, Sarah Harmer, Ashley McIsaac). It is Jimmy’s first self titled release and contains 10 original tracks and one cover - Peter Green’s Rattle Snake Shake. This blues rock release is a different sound for Jimmy. The record reflects his diversity as an artist and expresses his youthful energy. These are songs that reflect his musical journey over the past few years and showcase this brilliant young artist’s true talent.
Jimmy Bowskill’s future is bright with intense shades of blue. © Festival Distribution Inc

The afternoon I track down Jimmy Bowskill on his cel, he's up to one of his favourite activities, hanging around downtown Toronto, shopping for guitars.
He's 15 now and like a lot of guys his age, he's obsessive. His drilled focus happens to be guitars -- electric, acoustic, new, old, doesn't matter.
He'll play a bit of soccer here and there, maybe get into a little pickup game of hockey, but mostly it's guitars and the music they can make. He's crazy for 'em and even if he has more than a dozen already, here he is, looking around again, checking a couple more out.
Bowskill had just turned 11 the night he pulled the coup that launched his career in Toronto and, shortly after, the rest of the country. He'd been playing since he was 10, all blues, when he found himself plugged in and wailing away, busking outside Jeff Healey's club in Toronto.
It was a Thursday, open jam night, and all the players coming in kept telling Healey about this hot-shot guitar-player kid out front wearing a fedora and blowing everybody away. He was out there for a couple of hours before Healey sent word to get the kid in here.
"And I'd always wanted to meet him," says Bowskill, "so he invited me in to do a tune later on. I got to play with him and meet him -- it was really cool. It was my first night on stage, too, a really great night. It was such a rush, man. And I made lots of money busking, 'cause I was out there for so long."
The first album was rushed out to surprising acclaim. The kid factor certainly made for great initial copy and he got plenty of curious attention but when people scratched beneath the surface they found Jimmy Bowskill could actually deliver, that he really had the chops.
Which comes from having a great ear. Which comes from figuring a lot of this stuff out on your own. His dad taught him his first chords, and he had the odd lesson here and there, but Bowskill is mostly self-taught, the product of countless hours of woodshedding.
That magical night at Jeff Healey's club started Bowskill on a road that's already led him through Europe, Japan and Mexico. He did a CBC thing in New Orleans once but the rest of the U.S.A. remains on the to-do list.
Meanwhile, Bowskill is working on his third album, which will reflect the harder, more rocking direction he's taken. He figures he's well on his way to losing his "kid-image thing" and will soon be recognized solely for the music. Heck, it's already started, considering at some shows "people think I'm 19."
He's covered off his math credits for this year at the arts/performing school he attends so there'll be more time for gigs come winter. Ask him how he gets to the gigs and he becomes a little rueful admitting that, yeah, his parents still have to drive him. But soon he'll have his licence.
"I'm thinking of getting a motorbike," says Bowskill, dreamily. "Yeah. Maybe a chopper. I don't know, maybe someone else can drive the gear and I can just bike up. Big Harley. That'd be really cool."
© John P. McLaughlin, The Province, Vancouver - August 2006.


BIO


Jimmy Bowskill just seems to fit the script of a modern day artist destined to play the blues. He burst onto the scene on B.B. King's birthday of all times, a brand new B.B. Kid!! Inspired by the late, great Robert Johnson, Jimmy taught himself to play and sing by interpreting by sight and sound - but in his own natural style. At the tender age of 11, Jimmy was invited to join Jeff Healey onstage, alongside his now mentors and bandmates, Jerome Godboo and Alec Fraser. With the addition of drummer Bob Vespaziani, the Jimmy Bowskill band was completed. Since being discovered in Southern Ontario, a whirlwind of activity has been bestowed on Jimmy. His performances at major festivals such as The Montreal Jazz Festival and The Mont Tremblant Blues Festival, as well as coverage on CTV's Open Mike with Mike Bullard, CTV National New's Success Story with Sandi Renaldo and CTV's Canada AM have all featured his rise in popularity and blues stardom. City TV's Breakfast Television also hosted the Jimmy Bowskill band as their musical guests. Jimmy’s debut CD “Old Soul” has been one of the top selling recordings for Festival Distribution, Canadianblues.ca and Iridescent Music. The CD is receiving airplay worldwide. Jimmy has been featured on CBC’s Metro Morning with Sonia Arab and CBC’s Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean. Jimmy has been broadening his musical boundaries to Quebec, where much media exposure has taken place. Playing in front of 5000 concert-goers chanting "Jimmy!" "Jimmy!" has solidified a whole new legion of loyal fans. Jimmy Bowskill has become the toast of the Belle Province. Copyright © beyondextremes.com 2005