Highlights!
An incredible showcase feature and a fabulous FT segment set the perfect backdrop for a fantastic experience and what could well be one of our finest programs ever! Current favourites include selections from Paul Brown, Queen Latifah, The Jazzmasters, The Benoit/Freeman Project, GMH and Demo Cates! I've also included a selection from a fruitful exploration of the recent effort by Jamie Bonk as well as few unforgettable classics from Sam Riney, Greg Adams, The Rippingtons, and Dave Koz. Finally, adding immeasurably to the fullness of our listening enjoyment are gems from Espirito, Noel Elmowy and Sugar & Silk. Music like this can be found only on Café Jazz where we set the bar high for each & every show and then strive hard to meet or exceed it!

Showcase CD
This Is What I Hear - Tim Bowman: Bowman's early exposure to music came through his family's involvement in their church. He was only 11 when he was totally floored by someone playing guitar and that infused him with the desire to master the instrument. He played for his congregation for eight years and won a two-year scholarship to the Detroit School of Music. After high school, Tim went on to work at an automobile assembly line but was laid off after only a few months. This proved to be a pivotal point in his life as from then on, playing became his primary focus.

Through his sister Vickie, he joined a gospel group and met Marvin Winans, whom Vickie would soon marry. Keeping things in the family, so to speak, Marvin gave Bowman a call when he needed a guitarist for his group The Winans, which went on to become the best-selling gospel group of the 80s. Bowman played with them for six years but left in 1987 in order to spend more time with his family. It wasn't until 1996 that Tim decided to get back into music in a serious way.

With the issue of This Is What I Hear, which is now his 4th release, Bowman's blend of smooth and gospel, has been taken to a new level. It has resulted in a great album and one that finds itself in our musical spotlight on this occasion. We begin our showcase feature with a jazzy and melodic piece titled Table for Two. Miracle, heartfelt and expressive, opens hour 2. Finally, as we sign off, we have the cool groove of Summer Groove the track that was the biggest hit to this point in Bowman's career. It was undoubtedly one of the quintessential tracks for the summer of 2004 and perhaps for many summers to come!

CD: This Is What I Hear
Label: Liquid 8 Records
Web Site: Tim Bowman

Riders on the Storm - O'2L:
O'2L (pronounced O'Toole) is the collaboration between Jane Mangini & Al Pitrelli. Mangini is a pianist and a Florida native, who studied at Berklee in Boston. She toured with Trans Siberian Orchestra for a few years and recorded a pair of albums before she connected with Pitrelli in NYC. Meanwhile Pitrelli is a classically trained guitarist who has spent most of his career performing with heavy metal groups like Megadeth. (He's also worked with Alice Cooper, Asia, and Widowmaker.) This unlikely musical partnership has resulted in two projects with Doyle's Brunch their latest release. The O'2L sound is somewhat tricky to categorize as it incorporates elements from jazz, blues, rock, and electronica. Nevertheless, the advance single seems to provide the perfect vehicle to display this hybrid style as they cover the classic Doors hit from 1971.

CD: Doyle's Brunch
Label: Peak Records
Web Sites: O'2L ; Peak

Capetown Fringe - David Sanborn: David Sanborn is considered by many as one of the most influential saxplayers of the past two decades. At the age of 3, he had been stricken with polio and spent some of his youth in an iron lung. As part of his therapy Sanborn was encouraged to play a wind instrument and consequently he chose the alto sax. By the time he was in his late teens, David had realized that he enjoyed playing music more than anything else and early on he moved to San Francisco. While there he played for a stint with The Butterfield Blues Band, a time during which they appeared at Woodstock. That was followed by touring with Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, & The Rolling Stones among many others. In 1975, Sanborn launched his solo career & has now released 20 albums, a total that includes several Grammy winning releases. Closer is his latest and from it we've selected a Capetown Fringe, a great track and one that expectedly has a South African flavour & feel !

CD: Closer
Label: Verve
Web Sites: David Sanborn ; Page at Verve

True Feelings - George Scott:
Out of Minneapolis, MN comes George Scott a promising and highly creative young guitarist. He now has a pair of solo releases to go along with an earlier effort as The Scott-Price Project. Beginning with Power of Seven, his debut and now continuing thru to his new album, Scott has embraced smooth jazz as his form of musical expression. Where are You Now is the name of that project and from it we have True Feelings, the incredible opening track, atmospheric and groove-driven !

CD: Where Are You Now
Label: JRS Records
Web Site: George Scott at JRS

Tough Love - Monkey House:
The brain thrust behind Monkey House is Toronto's Don Breithaupt. In addition to writing most of the group's material Breithaupt handles lead vocals and keyboard duties. His work with Monkey House has led to a nomination as Best Keyboardist in the upcoming Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. The group has had several releases since the early 90s and racked up 3 top-20 AC singles in the process. Big Money is the latest album to be issued under the Monkey House moniker and contains 13 remastered favourites as well as 4 previously unreleased tracks. From that effort we've selected Tough Love, one of their new ones!

CD: Big Money
Label: Green Dolphin Music
Web Site: Monkey House

Blue Coast - Rich Arnold & Mike Young:
Keyboardist Mike Young has a background in classical music while Rich Arnold has always displayed an interest in various forms of jazz guitar. The two have been friends since the late 80s and have gigged around the LA area for many years. They finally decided to release their own album called Cruise Control, an effort that is a natural outgrowth of their longtime collaboration. The music covers a variety of styles, from Smooth to straight-ahead jazz with excursions into Blues, R&B, and Funk thrown in for added measure. Regardless of the genre, their efforts are highly impressive. From Cruise Control we've chosen the album's fabulous opening selection, which features Michael Paulo who guests on sax on the track.

CD: Cruise Control
Label: YO-AR Music
Site: Arnold & Young/CD Baby