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Highlights!
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Showcase CD Following his graduation from Howard with a B.A. in Composition and Jazz Studies, Toney performed with the Blackbyrds thru until 1981. |
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The following year saw the release of Special K, Toney's solo debut.
Then thru the rest of the 80s, Kevin enjoyed a variety of gigs as he
worked with the likes of Ray Parker Jr. and Brenda Russell. During his
career, Toney has been the musical conductor for Patti Austin and Michael
McDonald. He has recorded or performed as a sideman with Whitney Houston,
Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, & Ray Charles and he has been the musical
director for a variety of productions including "Ain't Misbehavin'.
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You'll understand then why it's indeed a treat to spotlight Kevin Toney
and his latest release. As the segment unfolds we present It's You and
Only You, a track that was co-written with Andre Delano. Opening hour
2 is the ever-so-nicely-chilled Day Trippin'. Finally, as we wrap things
up we have 110° and Rising the title track with saxman Gerald Albright
featured on the tune that he co-wrote. Imaginative improvisations, lush
production, & intricate melodies make this an exceptional feature from
beginning to end!! |
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| Back Trax: Part One | |
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Just My Imagination - George Jinda : The
late George Jinda is well remembered for his percussive excellence as
one-half of Special EFX. Jinda began playing piano at six but switched
to the drums by the time he'd turned 10. In his early years the native
of Budapest, Hungary, was inspired by African and South American rhythms
and by jazz musicians such as Tony Williams & Jack DeJohnette. In the
mid 60s, Jinda's family moved to NYC where several years later he connected
with guitarist Chieli Minucci. The two met in 1982, during a series
of jam sessions and soon after they laid the groundwork for Special
EFX. Sporting a style that was a blend of jazz, new age, fusion & Latin
music, Special EFX became one of the most popular groups of the day.
They released 13 albums before artistic differences led to a friendly
parting of the ways in the mid 90s. In 1996, Jinda enjoyed a pair of
releases, one additional Special EFX project and the other a solo album
entitled Between Dreams. Sadly, these proved to be his final recorded
efforts as the following year he suffered a debilitating stroke from
which he never recovered. He remained bedridden until his passing in
2001. Nevertheless, Jinda's optimistic outlook on life comes shining
thru in this superb piece that we've chosen for today !! |
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Certainty
of Purpose - Greg Vail: Greg
Vail is a veteran musician who's recorded hundreds of sessions and toured
with many of the brightest stars in both Smooth Jazz and Christian music.
Inspired by his grandfather, who played professionally, Vail took up
the sax at age six. He studied privately & played in school bands throughout
junior & senior high. After graduating from Long Beach State with
a BA in Music, Vail worked with a number of local groups. Then in 1991,
he landed a spot with Kilauea and recorded 4 CDs with them before releasing
eMotion his solo debut in 1995. That same year he left Kilauea and signed
a deal with Time Life Records. The result was Sax By Candlelight, a
collection of 40 love songs that was released in 1996. Touring with
Peter White and keyboardist Rob Mullins occupied most of Vail's time
for the next few years, so he didn't release another solo project until
the year 2000. However, in 2002, Vail obtained the rights to eMotion,
and after being remastered and repackaged, the album was re-released
and from it we have just an outstanding track. Vail's heart felt performance
is unsurpassed and if anything, time has only served to make us more
aware of its brilliance !! CD: eMotion (1995/2002) |
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| Back Trax: Part Two | ||
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Temptation
- Steve Barakatt:
An accomplished composer & pianist, Barakatt studied classical music
for ten years before venturing into the realms of jazz. The young French-Canadian
was only thirteen when he was asked to perform as guest soloist with
the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. He recorded his debut album the following
year and now has several to his credit. Barakatt has toured extensively
and has performed in Moscow and various regions of the Orient. He's
composed for both TV and film and is also much in demand as a composer
& producer. Not limited by the confines of a single genre, Steve enjoys
exploring a variety of styles and is fully capable of creating music
that's on a par with the very best in smooth jazz!! A case in point,
this incredible track from his 2002 release !! |
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Never
Too Late - Michael O'Neill: For
a few years in the 80s, O'Neill performed as a member of Stevie Wonder's
back up band. Shortly after he began touring with George Benson and
has continued almost nonstop. For nearly two decades, O'Neill has played
the guitar bits when Benson steps up to the mike for a vocal while in
concert. In spite being established as a top flight sideman, O'Neill
felt that it was never too late to embark on a solo career. In fact
that's the name he chose for his 2000 debut release and we have a track
from that for you. In late breaking news, O'Neill has a new album in
the works and we should have something from that you before too long.
However, I digress. From Never Too Late we have the excellent title
track and a tune that O'Neill co-wrote with Gregg Karukas !! |
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Weavin'
- Noel Elmowy:
In 1979, Elmowy earned a degree in Dental Surgery and since 1982; he's
been the principal practitioner in his own clinic. No less skilled as
a musician than he is as a surgeon, Noel trained for 10 years as a classical
pianist before turning to jazz-fusion. In the early 80s, he served a
musical apprenticeship in England before returning to his native Australia.
He enjoyed a long-standing gig at "The Basement" one of the premiere
jazz clubs in Sydney and he's also appeared in support of Al Jarreau,
Dizzy Gillespie, and others, when they've performed down under. The
year 2000, saw Elmowy release Feelin' Good his long overdue solo debut,
on which he finally revealed his expertise as a producer, keyboardist
& composer, a fact that his fellow countrymen had been well aware of
for years!! From that effort we have Weavin', an incredible selection
that's highlighted by the outstanding sax work of Andrew Oh !! |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Web Site : | ||||||||
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On this edition we're spotlighting music from Bob Baldwin on our Then & Now feature. We have the latest from Skip Prokop. Skip was one of the founding members of Lighthouse back in the 60s. Skip is back with a new project that he's called Valecrest and we have something from that. There's new music from Euge Groove and Boz Scaggs as we delve more deeply into their recent releases. We're introducing Jeff Magnus, there's more from William Woods as well as from TFOXX and Jon Fessendon who we introduced a few weeks back and that's all coming up in a great action packed fun filled hour of music!! |
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Bob Baldwin: In a career stretching back to the 80s, Baldwin is a veteran performer who has had several chart-topping and critically acclaimed efforts. His father Robert Baldwin, Sr. was an accomplished jazz pianist and bassist in his own right who performed with Max Roach and others. Baldwin remembers as a young boy attending some of his father's gigs and getting into the sounds of the traditional jazz that he was hearing. Not surprisingly, Bob Jr. ended up studying classical music and jazz. Stevie Wonder too became a huge influence since Robert Sr. had done a few gigs with Wonder when he played their town.
It's the latter part of Baldwin's solo career that we've chosen
for the focus of our feature as we pick up the story in 1997 with
Cool Breeze. The obvious choice from that album would seem to be
Summer Breeze, which went top 20. However, we chose to avoid the
obvious and instead selected Ties That Bind. It's a Baldwin original
with Larry Coryell guesting that's every bit as good as, if not
better than, the track that was the hit. That's followed by Business
Call a personal favourite which features Marion Meadows on sax &
Tom Browne on trumpet. Next up is The Way She Looked (At Me) from
Standing Tall and that's highlighted by the guitar work of Chieli
Minucci. From Brazil Chill we have I Wanna Be Where You Are, and
finally from All In A Day's Work, Baldwin's latest, we have the
title track. In all, a nicely varied and highly creative collection
from a veteran keyboardist deserving much broader recognition!!
Site: Bob Baldwin |
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