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Showcase CD
Flipside
- Jeff Lorber:
One of the pioneers of contemporary instrumentals, Lorber's love of
jazz began while he attended the Berklee College of Music. In the late
70s, the Philadelphia native formed The Jeff Lorber Fusion, a group
that combined many elements from funk, R&B, rock and electric jazz.
It was also the group which featured a then little-known sax player
named Kenny G. The unit quickly became one of the most popular acts
of the day, but was disbanded at the height of their popularity when
Jeff chose to switch gears & to focus instead on production and session
work. In the course of events, Lorber returned to recording his own
music in the early 90s and soon resumed his position as one of the most
influential players of the day. Now seven cds into this phase of his
career, Flipside is his latest release.
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| Like a fine wine, Lorber seems to just keep
getting better with age as this project represents one of his most focused
and refined efforts to date. |
Photo courtesy of Jeff's Site
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The album title is meant to signify a dichotomy in the music. It's
something familiar that's laced with an unexpected twist or turn. As
such, it's not surprising that Flipside offers us all the elements that
have been key to Lorber's success and yet presents many new musical
vistas.
In any event, let's discover some of these vistas together as we place
Lorber & Flipside in our music spotlight. To begin, we've selected a
fabulous piece entitled Everybody Knows That. Then opening hour two
is Ooh La La, the albums first single that's been on the charts for
a while now. And finally to conclude the feature & the show we have
the funky & groove laden Santa Monica Triangle. There's some real
catchy stuff happening as Lorber & guest Paul Jackson Jr. play off
one another. It's my favourite piece on the album & a great finale
to our feature !!
CD: Flipside
Label: Narada Jazz
Web Site: Jeff Lorber
; Narada
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| Back Trax: Part One |
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Gimme
What You Got - Al Jarreau:
Milwaukee native
Al Jarreau is the only vocalist in history to be presented with Grammy
awards in three different categories and in 2001, Jarreau was awarded
a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame for his musical contributions. However,
music was not always the major force in Jarreau's life. Al excelled
in sports and was an above-average student. He sang primarily for fun
while earning a degree in Psychology & a Master's in Vocational Rehabilitation.
In the 60s he relocated to San Francisco to begin a career in counseling.
In the course of things Jarreau found himself performing at a small
jazz club with a trio headed by George Duke. He cut his first album,
a jazz based effort, back in 1965, & sharpened his musical teeth in
clubs on both coasts before being discovered & signed to a deal.
The rest is, as they say, a matter of record. In any event, we have
a fabulous track from Al Jarreau from a time when he was still early
in his career. It's undoubtedly one of his finest. So get set for a
musical treat as we return to 1980 & those thrilling days of yesteryear
as Al Jarreau sings again !!
CD: This Time (1980)
Label: Warner Bros.
Web Site: Al
Jarreau
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Seduction
- Special EFX:
The
place: NYC. The time: 1982. The scene: Chieli Minucci & the late George
Jinda first meet during a series of jam sessions. The two hit it off
and soon after began laying the groundwork for what was to become one
of contemporary jazz's most endearing projects. In the course of events
they recorded 13 cds as Special EFX. Creative differences eventually
led to an amicable parting of the ways. Minucci launched his solo career
while Jinda was involved with several varied projects including the
release an additional Special EFX's cd, the only one on which Minucci
did not play. Shortly thereafter, Jinda suffered an attack of asthma
and diabetes that left him with a disabling neurological condition,
one from which he never recovered. Minucci has continued his solo career
& has since resurrected the Special EFX name. Nevertheless, on this
occasion we're heading back to 1995 & the final cd that Minucci & Jinda
recorded as Special EFX. From Body Language we have Seduction, one of
the top tracks for the year & one of their finest !!
CD: Body Language (1995)
Label: JVC
Web Site: Minucci
& Special EFX
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After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site : |
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Just last week we presented a program filled with all new never before
been played on our show music. So we've caught up a bit & we're back with
our T&N feature, this time with veteran keyboardist David Garfield. Still,
all but two of the tracks on today's edition are brand new to Café
Jazz. Najee & Andreas Vollenweider have new releases and we have something
from each of those. We'll be hearing something fresh from both Kevin Toney
& Marion Meadows and we're introducing the sounds of Anthony Pope
& Waldino. All that and more in a music filled hour!! |
Then & Now
Feature : David Garfield
Los Lobotomys
Creatchy Productions
1997 |
Tribute to Jeff
Creatchy Productions
1997 |
Giving Back
Creatchy Productions
2004 |
For many years David Garfield's name has been one
of the most respected on the LA music scene. He's well known on the
club circuit & has issued a raft of fusion based releases with the
groups Karizma & Los Lobotomys, as well as several under his own name.
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Photo courtesy of
David's Site
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The
Chicago-born musician began on piano when he was seven. He had
an immediate connection with the instrument that was almost
spiritual and he felt compelled to keep playing. Although he
started with the rock tracks of the day from bands such as Led
Zeppelin & Grand Funk, when in St. Louis he began to move ever
nearer to jazz, which became his second love. David relocated
to LA in the mid 70's or so, and since that time he's amassed
an impressive set of credentials. He's scored and recorded for
films and commercials, produced over 20 albums, launched his
own label, and appeared on nearly 80 additional projects as
a session player. The people with whom he's worked include such
notables as Cher, Boz Scaggs, & Larry Carlton, to name but a
few in a lengthy list. For a time Garfield toured with Earl
Klugh and for 5 years in the 80s he was the musical director
for George Benson with whom he continues to tour on occasion.
He led a pair of high-energy fusion projects, the aforementioned
Karizma & Los Lobotomys, through to the 90s & beyond and
then in 1997, David finally launched his own solo career fronting
an all star cast of players on a tribute to the late Jeff Porcaro.
Giving Back, which was Garfield's release in 2004, was one of
the finest break thru albums for the year. |
As you can see, there is a wealth of material from David for us to draw
upon, so for our feature we're presenting Garfield music from the 80s,
90s, & 00s. Although it wasn't released until 1997, to get things started
we're heading back to 1989 and a tune that was recorded live by Garfield
& Los Lobotomys. It's called Jorainbo & features guest Joe Sample. That's
followed by E Minor Shuffle from Tribute to Jeff. Finally we have Desert
Hideaway from Giving Back. Each of these pieces finds Garfield at the
helm of a gathering of top self players. Each is quite energetic, so be
please advised these are not for the faint of heart! Furthermore, by today's
standards, these are lengthy tracks so you're unlikely to hear them anywhere
on commercial radio. Nevertheless, here at 'The Café' we play what
we like & we like music from David Garfield!!
Web Sites: David
Garfield ; Creatchy
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