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November 18th, 2007 Edition #460 Previously 
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Elliot landed his first gig with Natalie Cole when he was 17 & still in
high school - he then went on to take part in a variety of sessions with
Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Yellowjackets, and
Melissa Manchester, before joining the famed horn section in Tower of
Power in 1982. In 1986, he released his own solo debut and since then,
he's been a consistent chart-topper in a genre that he helped pioneer!
For his part, in the 80s, Rick Braun toured with the group War, wrote the pop hit Here With Me for REO Speedwagon, and then toured with Rod Stewart for 18 months. He issued his debut in 1993 and shortly thereafter, he got a gig with Sade on her "Love Deluxe" tour that proved to be a pivotal point in his career. Soon after, the charismatic horn player found his niche in contemporary jazz breaking thru with 1995's Beat Street and subsequently earned awards as Artist of the Year and for Album of the Year!! |
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| Fresh Trax: Part One | |
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Lucky Star - Paul Hardcastle: Paul Hardcastle has been making music since the early 80s when, while working as a hi-fi sales rep he swapped his video camera for a synthesizer. He went on to score a variety of pop and dance hits, including the arresting 1985 single 19, which was based on the average age of soldiers involved in the Vietnam conflict, before creating his quintessential smooth jazz project The Jazzmasters back in 1991. Since then, the keyboard whiz has roughly alternated between albums issued under The Jazzmasters moniker and those released under his own name - along the way he's achieved five #1 singles including Walking To Freedom, which spent 15 weeks at that top position on R&R. Within that rotation and scheduled for release early in '08, it's time now for another Paul Hardcastle cd with Hardcastle 5 as the latest installment in the series. From that effort, we have the first single to radio called Lucky Star!! CD: Hardcastle 5 Label: trippin 'N' Rhythm Records Site: trippin.com |
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Drivin'
- Gordon James: As a graduate of The Interlochen Arts Academy and The Hartt College of Music, composer, flügelhornist, and trumpeter Gordon James has gone on to perform with artists such as Chuck Loeb and Bob Baldwin. In 1995, James made his solo debut with Candlelight Love, an album that received attention in the US and England while his second release, featuring keyboardist James Lloyd from Pieces of a Dream, received even broader support based on the strength of the track Shades of Brown. The mellow After Hours cd followed a couple of years later making the recently issued In Joy release the fourth, & perhaps most impressive item in Gordon James's musical catalogue. Once again teaming with Lloyd on several tracks, the cd is a funky and lyrical excursion that blends many of the finer elements of Jazz, Latin, R&B, Pop and hip-hop. From that effort, we've selected a great track that was co-penned by James and Lloyd called Drivin' !! CD: In Joy Label: Caress Music Site: Gordon James |
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| Fresh Trax: Part Two | |
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Space Coastin' - Matt Marshak : Although Long Island native Matt Marshak didn't take up guitar until the age of 17, within the period of a few short years he's laid the groundwork for a highly promising career and has released three albums within the span of six years. He called his 2001 debut Preservation as a bit of a nod to the legacy of bands such as The Jazz Crusaders, even though he was simultaneously exploring new avenues in jazz. Winning the Best New Smooth Jazz Artist in New York City Award while in the midst of recording his sophomore effort, provided a huge boost to Marshak's profile. The album received worldwide airplay, while we here at The Café were quite simply floored as the project landed squarely among our top ten most played albums for 2004. Marshak's follow-up spawned both our #6 and #12 most played tracks for 2006 in Summerfunk and Montauk Moon respectively. Now as a standard-bearer for an exciting new breed of young performer, Marshak continues to elevate his game while taking his craft to the next level ! From the upcoming On The Rocks cd, we have Space Coastin', the first single to radio!! CD: On The Rocks Label: Nuance Music Group Site: Matt Marshak ; Nuance |
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That Was Then - Darryl Williams : Having lived much of his career as a sideman, bassist Darryl Williams has backed many of the brightest and best on the contemporary scene including the likes of Chaka Khan and Angela Bofill while also having played in support of fellow smooth jazz musicians such as Evan Marks, Patrick Yandall, and others. However, after two-and-a-half decades of "playing in the shadows", Williams finally grabs a spot in the limelight, and rightly so, with his long-overdue solo debut. In addition to his bass duties, Williams composed a majority of the selections while also doubling as producer for the project. The result is a great first effort with many of the tracks setting a mood that's simply perfect, be it for laid-back listening or for some late night lounging - from that release, we're featuring the mellow groove of the title track!! CD: That Was Then Label: Independent Site: Williams/cdbaby |
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Uptown
- Darren Rahn: |
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates : | |||||||||||||
| This week on After Hours, saxman Paul Taylor enters our spotlight with a 7-pack of tracks offered for your enjoyment as part of our Then & Now feature. Otherwise, something that's become a tradition as new music rules with five fresh & tasty selections to round out the hour. Today's line-up includes Marc Antoine, Brian Simpson, and Lauren Wood. There's another great track from Les Sabler and Sweet Drive while as an added bonus we've included a previously unplayed track from R n R, the showcase cd from Rick Braun & Richard Elliot!! | |||||||||||||
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Paul Taylor: Paul Taylor started playing the sax at the age of seven and discovered his calling in high school while playing Top 40, funk and Crusader-styled fusion in a garage band called Mixed Company. The Denver CO native won a scholarship to the University of Nevada and would often commute to LA in the hope of building his résumé beyond the lounge gigs that marked his early career.
Following a brief stint with one of America's most popular contemporary jazz bands, Paul resumed his solo career releasing Hypnotic in 2001 and Steppin' Out in 2003, each album made the Billboard Top Ten for their respective year. For a time, Taylor joined the all-star Groovin' For Grover tour, which included his old friend Jeff Lorber as well as two other prominent sax-players in the likes of Richard Elliot and Gerald Albright while he also made his acting debut on the TV series One Life To Live. With his career firing on all cylinders and in anticipation of celebrating his tenth year as a solo performer, 2005 saw the release of Nightlife, which landed firmly in the #2 spot for the year.
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