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February 7, 2004 Edition #315 Previously 
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| Highlights
! On today's show we're featuring some of the cool sounds of Alex Bugnon & his Southern Living release. Then in hour 2 it's time again for FT. We have new music from Dan Siegel one of the pioneers in the SJ genre. There's also a new release from Peter White on the horizon and we have the advance single from that. As well, we're introducing the music of Grady Nichols and there's also a superb track from Cellar Funk, the latest from the Stuart Wade & DTTB. Once again, that's coming up in hour 2. But in the meantime there's more new music from Gregg Karukas & Jason Weber as we continue to explore each of their releases. We'll be featuring an exquisite track from Earl Klugh from a few years back that we've never played before. Merely telling you about this one cannot do the music justice. This is one that has to be experienced. Kuh Ledesma is on the show as is Brian Tarquin, a couple of names that you don't hear frequently enough. Then we finish with a flourish giving you The Jazzmasters, Tom Grant, Khani Cole and Joyce Cooling. There is no doubt, Cafe Jazz is your passport to musical adventure. |
| Showcase CD Southern Living - Alex Bugnon : The Swiss born keyboardist began by learning a classical style of playing. However, Bugnon soon developed a love for jazz in its many varied forms thanks to his father, a jazz guitarist, and his uncle, trumpet great Donald Byrd. His love of music didn't stop there however, as he became hooked on funk and was also influenced by some of the popular artists of the day such as Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, & EW&F. As a youth Alex would hang out at the world famous the Montreux Jazz Festival, which occurred in his hometown every July. This proved to be one of the biggest forces in guiding Bugnon musically as he experienced the power of music in a live setting. For two years, Bugnon studied at the Paris Conservatory of Music and then relocated to the U.S. where he attended the Berklee School of Music. For a time, he worked as a session player in New York City, backing a variety of urban and jazz artists. Then, in 1989 and by now a veteran performer, Bugnon finally released his debut album. |
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| The cd immediately established Alex as one of the core
artists in the SJ genre, a position, which he further cemented with several
subsequent and well-received releases. Southern Living is his latest.
Although based in NYC, Bugnon felt it was time to try something just a
bit different so for Southern Living he headed south to Atlanta to record
with some of that city's finest players and to give the cd a slightly
different and perhaps more laid back flavour. The release is one of his
best to date and is also the one that we've chosen to showcase on this
occasion. We open with Slow Drag a tune that nicely embodies that cool
laid back flavor and feature Back in Love as well as the title track. CD: Southern Living (2003) Label: Narada Jazz Site: Alex Bugnon |
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| Fresh Trax: Part One | |
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In
Your Eyes - Dan Siegel: The roots of smooth jazz can be traced back to the 70s or so with Portland, Oregon as one of the original hot beds. Kenny G, Jeff Lorber, Richard Smith, Tom Grant, and of course Dan Siegel were prominent players on the scene as they haunted the nightclubs of that state's largest city. While honing their chops they also laid the foundations for a new movement in music. With the release of his 1980 solo debut & several subsequent recordings, Siegel became a staple in the early days of the format. In all Dan has had 15 releases under his own name as well as 3 more as leader of the all-star Birds of a Feather project. Inside Out, his latest and soon to be released cd is Dan's first album of all-new material in over six years. Judging by the track that we have for you today the album promises to provide more of Siegel's remarkable creativity while remaining true to the style and sound that made him a favourite in the early days of SJ. From Inside Out, we have the advance single a tune on which long time friend Boney James is featured on sax. *Pictured is the cover art for a four song EP featuring some of the selections from the forthcoming release. This is available for download on the Native Language web site.* CD: Inside Out (2004) Label: Native Language Site: Dan Siegel |
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Clima
Suave - Jazz Crusaders ft. Wayne Henderson: Not to be confused with The Crusaders or for that matter the original Jazz Crusaders both of whom Henderson played with during various stages of his career. This does takes a bit of explanation but please bear with me as we unravel some musical history. The story begins in Houston Texas, in the mid 50s. It was during this period that Henderson played regularly with Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, & Stix Hooper. Hubert Laws & Henry Wilson rounded out the combo who were then known as the Modern Jazz Sextet. By 1961, after changing a couple of personnel, the group moved to Los Angeles & began performing as The Jazz Crusaders. They became well known for their distinctive front line that featured the dueling sounds of Henderson's trombone & Felder's tenor sax as well as for their gritty style of hard bop. In 1971, the group dropped jazz from their name. |
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This change signaled a shift of sorts to a more R&B-oriented style.
With the addition of Larry Carlton, the band reached unprecedented popularity
recording 2 superb cds. It was just between these releases that Henderson
chose to leave the group, who continued to record for many years as
The Crusaders. |
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two | |
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Talkin'
Bout Love - Peter White : *Final cover art is not available at this time.* |
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Circle
of Friends - Grady Nichols: |
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I'll
Always Hold You Close - Down to the Bone:
It's definitely all about the good groove with this track from Cellar Funk. This is now the fifth cd to be issued by the band that is not really a band in the strict sense of the word. Instead DTTB is a unique project spearheaded by composer and producer Stuart Wade. Although he doesn't play an instrument, Wade is the man behind the ensemble that has been hailed as the kings of the groove scene in the UK. The story begins about 10 years or so ago when Wade was involved with Think Twice a successful soul/jazz band together with Chris Morgans (cofounder of Internal Base Records). The pair were involved in a couple of other projects along the way including the formation of Peace of Mind but it was the creation of DTTB in 1996 that really took off. |
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The name DTTB came more or less by accident when Wade was re-mixing
a track and peeled the sound down to its bare essence, stripping it
down to the bone so to speak in order to give it a harder & more funky
edge. Wade & Morgans collaborated on the two initial outings by DTTB
before going their separate ways. * Second DTTB release to sport art work by
Frank Morrison.* |
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