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December 17th, 2006 Edition #427 Previously 
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| Back Trax: Part One | |
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Colours - Jonathan Butler:
Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Butler was raised the youngest of twelve children. Growing up under the veil of apartheid, an official government policy of discrimination against non-whites, he found an escape in music. He began singing publicly at the age of seven and even before his teens, he performed thruout the poverty-stricken countryside as part of a traveling variety show. As a 13-year-old, Butler made history, when his debut single became the first record by a black artist to ever be played on white radio in South Africa. Soon after, he relocated to England where his self-titled album broke internationally while earning a Grammy nomination. Throughout the years, his music has frequently exhibited a blend of African flavours appealingly mixed with jazz, R&B, and pop influences. The 1990 Deliverance mini-album in particular, yielded one of his finest and most liberating tracks! CD: Deliverance (1990) Label: Jive Site: Jonathan Butler |
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Spellbound
- Joe Sample: A native of Houston Texas, Sample was a founding member of The Crusaders, playing with that band for nearly 30 years until about 1991. Concurrently, he enjoyed a highly successful solo career with approximately 20 projects to his credit. Sample's 1989 Spellbound album still rates as a personal favourites here at The Café and from that effort, we've selected Spellbound itself, the title track! CD: Spellbound (1989) Label: Warner Bros. |
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| Back Trax: Part Two | ||||
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Carmen
Cadillac - Skywalk: The legendary fusion group enjoyed a creative longevity that spanned a couple of decades, tracing its earliest roots to 1979 when keyboardist Graeme Coleman hooked up with bassist Rene Worst. Tom Keenlyside on sax, guitarist Ihor Kukurudza, percussionist Jim McGillveray, and drummer Lou Hoover rounded out the combo; but by the time of their 1980 debut, Harris Van Berkel and Kat Hendrikse had assumed the guitar & drummer's chairs respectively. Skywalk continued to record thruout the 80s and in addition to their frequent appearances in their home base of Vancouver, they performed at festivals in Montreal and Calgary while in 1986, they made a major tour of the US where they enjoyed their greatest popularity. By 1989, Miles Black had replaced Coleman who left to compose scores for film. Meanwhile, the band members have remained active in various aspects of the Vancouver music scene and from time to time, they've continued to perform as Skywalk into the new millennium. In all, they assembled a catalogue of six albums, those being:
CD: Larger Than Life (1992) Label: Bluemoon Site: M.Black ; T.Keenlyside ; R.Worst |
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Midnight
Cruise - Danny McCollim: Spokane native McCollim was born in the mid 50's and began playing piano when he was 4. He developed a love for jazz while in high school and studied classical music all through college. Graduating from Berklee in Boston in the early 80's, McCollim has worked with many great musicians; Michael Brecker, Steve Smith, and Larry Coryell are just a few of the big names on a list that also includes The Mills Brothers, The Platters, The Drifters, as well as numerous bands in both the Spokane and Boston areas. Having taught jazz studies at both the Community College and Whitworth College in Spokane Washington for the past several years, McCollim's two great passions remain performing and composing. The release of WayLive back in 1999, was the realization of a dream and from that effort, we have the incredible sonic imagery of the opening track! CD: WayLive (1999) Label: DRM |
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Off
The Cuff - Windows : Originally formed in the early 80s, the LA band Windows delivered eleven projects over the course of about a dozen years. Guided by bassist/vocalist Bernard "Skipper" Wise and his writing partner keyboardist Ed Cohen, the group's was a hybrid sound, and plumbed various forms of fusion while simultaneously examining avenues with more polish and sheen. Thruout a good portion, Peter White performed regularly on many Windows albums appearing as a more or less 'permanent guest', while, in turn, Wise helped launch White's solo career producing his first two releases. Later Wise went on to form Colour Club with Les Pierce, and for a time oversaw both Windows and Colour Club, recording three more albums with the latter. Although Windows' fortunes culminated with the 1989 number one radio album The French Laundry, some of the finest fruits of Wise's and Cohen's creativity ripened afterward, the 1990 follow up Blue September being among those most particularly noteworthy. On this occasion, we're revisiting My Red Jacket and what was the next to last effort under the Windows banner for the carefree stylings of Off The Cuff featuring the saxwork of Gary Meek! CD: My Red Jacket (1995) Label: Blue Orchid Site:Skipper Wise |
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