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November 13th, 2005 Edition #384 Previously 
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~ Courtesy of Heads Up! |
During this period, McBride met a young trumpeter named Dave Love and
they quickly became friends. A few years later Love launched the Heads
Up record label and McBride was one of the first to be signed to a deal.
Joe's debut was issued in 1992 & he instantly became a core artist for
smooth jazz radio. Now with a total of seven well-received releases
to his credit, Texas Hold'em is his most recent effort. It's another
great album from one of the most gifted performers in the genre. Joe's
heightened development as a musician sparkles thruout and so it's with
great pleasure that we place it & its author in our music spotlight.
To start the feature we present One Eyed Jack and a track that's highlighted
by the trumpet work of David Von Blohn. Moody & melodic, The River
opens hour two. And to complete our mini-tribute to Joe we have Big
Slick. Very hip; very cool! |
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| Fresh Trax: Part One | |
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Julian's
Smile - Tom Braxton: Although Braxton's name may not be overly familiar on the smooth jazz scene, he is certainly no newcomer to music. He attended Texas Tech in his hometown of Lubbock, on track and music scholarships and it was during this period that performing as a musician really came to the forefront of his life. After graduating with highest honours, Tom released his solo debut in 1992. However, it wasn't too long afterward that he connected with bassist Wayman Tisdale. He's been playing in that band ever since. Over the past several years, Tom has produced four records on his own but a couple of years ago, the recording "bug" bit again. Tisdale suggested that they do a project together and so the CD, Bounce, came in being. From that release we have a really nice easy going piece entitled Julian's Smile! CD: Bounce Label: Rendezvous Entertainment Sites: Tom Braxton |
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Pas
y Amor - Javid: The musical efforts that are presented under the name Javid feature the combined skills of Javid Khazaeli and his wife Naoko Wada. For his part, Javid began studying classical piano in the Tehran Conservatory at the age of 12. One day as he practiced, he was overcome by the mesmerizing strains of a classical guitar and subsequently, he pursued excellence on the instrument for the next 8 years. Javid emigrated to France at the age of 20, and spent several years performing along the Champs-Elysées. After 5 years in France, and a brief period in Munich, he relocated to San Diego via San Francisco. All the while Javid concentrated on the continuing development of his style. His debut cd was released in 1999 but the following year, the course of his life changed forever when he met Naoko and they married shortly thereafter. Naoko became Javid's partner not only in life but also in music. She seems to provide just the right spark of inspiration while also contributing her own unique talents on rhythm guitar. They have appeared throughout the US, France, Germany and Japan with Silk Road as their latest recorded effort. From that release we have a gorgeous new flamenco piece entitled Pas y Amor! CD: Silk Road Label: Independent |
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two | ||
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All
In A Days Work - Bob Baldwin: In a career that stretches back to the 80s, Baldwin is a veteran performer who's had several chart-topping and critically acclaimed efforts. Bob's father, Robert Baldwin, Sr., was an accomplished jazz pianist and bassist in his own right. As a result, it isn't too surprising that Bob Jr. ended up studying classical and jazz repertoire. In 1986 he formed The Bob Baldwin/Al Orlo Project and used that experience as a springboard to launch his solo career in 1990. Well known for his innovative approach to music, Baldwin is also known for his spirituality. He looks to his faith not only for direction on a daily basis but also draws on that faith for inspiration in his music. Invariably this latter quality comes shining thru. With several well received albums to his credit All In A Days Work is his forthcoming release. From that effort, we're featuring the advance single and the title track! CD: All In A Days Work Label: 215 Records Sites: Bob Baldwin |
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Nobody
- Michael B. Sutton: Sutton spent several years as a writer at Motown music where he & his wife Brenda penned hits for Smokey Robinson and others. Following a stint as members of the group Finished Touch, the Suttons left Motown in 1980 and formed their still active publishing company. As a duo, they scored several mid-charting R&B hits while placing selections on albums by Dionne Warwick, Cheryl Lynn and Anita Pointer. In the time since, Michael has written and arranged for film and TV. However, it's his Motown apprenticeship that thoroughly seasoned Sutton into the artist he's become.From Hopeless Romantic, Sutton's velvet voice is featured on the soothing & sensual Nobody! CD: Hopeless Romantic Label: Little Dizzy Records |
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Brainfreez
- Jason Weber: In 1994, Weber graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in music performance. He led an award-winning contemporary jazz group and his first solo cd achieved national recognition in the US by making it to the final round in the Musician Magazine's Best Unsigned Band Contest for 1997. That same year, Jason relocated to Southern California where he soon made his presence well known on that city's vibrant scene. In the short period since, Weber has attained notoriety as a versatile performer and one that's capable of moving his audiences with his passion. In addition Weber has recorded five cds of original material with "Can U Feel Me Now?" as his latest. From that effort, we present a torrid track titled Brainfreez that features some wicked electric guitar from Mike DeRose. Now this is what you wanna hear, five full minutes of charged listening that knocks down the boundaries of radio! And in answer to the musical question posed by the album's title, "Yeah Jason! We can feel you now!" CD: Can U Feel Me Now? Label: Jayk Weber Music Site: Jason Weber |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site : | |||||||||||
| On this edition we're spotlighting music from Brian Culbertson on an extended installment of our T&N feature. We have a total of eight tracks in all from Mr. Culbertson, one from each of his releases. Then, there's more from George Benson & Gregg Karukas as we delve more deeply into their new albums. We have something new from Eric Marienthal and we're introducing Marcin Nowakowski an excellent young sax player out of Poland. But to get things going, we're checking out another track from The Eyes of Mars from Patrick Yandall, one of favourites to this point in the year. From that release we have the cool & samba flavoured sounds of Brazilian Affairs! | |||||||||||
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Then & Now Feature:
Brian Culbertson
Brian Culbertson:
Since he first
broke onto the scene just over ten years ago, Culbertson has been
one of the most prolific performers in the genre. Brian's dad, a high
school band director, helped Brian develop an ear for music and taught
him to play a variety of instruments. Culbertson began on piano at
the age of eight, but soon added drums, trombone and bass to his musical
arsenal. In junior high, he grew bored with classical recital pieces,
so he began composing and experimenting with a synthesizer and an
old four-track recorder. Soon after he graduated, Culbertson headed
to Chicago to further his musical studies and with the help of a family
friend, he signed a deal with Mesa/Blue Moon. Shortly thereafter Brian
more or less single-handedly recorded his debut album, Long Night
Out, in the bedroom of an apartment that he shared with three college
buddies. The project was a resounding success.
His early works in particular contain some of the most creative & progressive pieces of the day. A quick bit of exploration thru Brian's eight releases yielded eight selections that I believe well represent the various facets of Culbertson's musicality. We're pleased to present that in two parts as the focus for this Then & Now feature. Part 1 includes Alone With You (his first hit), Midnight Sun & Inside Pocket (with Harry Mura on guitar on both & Steve Cole on sax on the latter), and finally So Good (another big hit). Part 2 begins with Escape (a incredibly moody piece that I personally feel ranks up there with his finest works). Following are Just Another Day (featuring Herb Alpert & Jeff Lorber), Our Love ( a track that Brian wrote for his wife Michelle) and finally we finish with Let's Get Started (with Eric Darius on sax). The tracks are presented sequentially from the above albums. And taken collectively, these selections constitute a first-rate feature from a top-notch performer ! Site: Brian Culbertson |
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