… it's a special
called The Very Best of Café Jazz as we celebrate 550 shows - this
now being our 8th annual edition. We've dipped into our treasury
of classic tracks for a few favourites and we're featuring some
of the best selections we've ever played! So stay tuned for a program
unlike any other as with the likes of Dan Farrow, Daryl Stuermer,
James Hollihan, and Glenn McNulty. Additionally there's music from
Acoustic Alchemy, Dan Siegel, Special EFX, Peter White, and Ricardo
Silveira - those and a few others that have for so many years helped
define Café Jazz as the hippest show on radio. So get set for two
full hours of the absolute finest that we have to offer and to begin,
there's the aptly titled Let's Get Started by Gota - helping us
to musically pop the cork for The Very Best of Café Jazz, your Dom
Pérignon of smooth jazz listening!!
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Highlights
Hour One
Funkatazz - Dan Farrow:
Renowned
as a sessionist & touring keyboardist, Dan Farrow hails from Zurich,
Switzerland. He started with the Hammond B3 when he was three, and
he's since gone on to master a battery of keys. He arrived on the
scene in the mid-80s, playing the famed Montreux Jazz Festival and,
after relocating to the US in the early 90s, he's backed the likes
of Eric Clapton and Billy Preston. As well, most prominently displayed
on Farrow's résumé is a 1993 appearance on Ray Charles' Grammy-winning
My World cd - additionally he's played with many other platinum-selling
performers while gigging around the world. Meanwhile, Farrow made
his solo debut back in 1998 - and, as we wait and watch for what
will be his 4th release, we're revisiting 2001 and Evolution. From
that effort and what was Farrow's sophomore issue there's the wonderful
melding of funk and jazz that Farrow labelled Funkatazz!!
CD: Evolution (2001)
Label: Soulstar Records
Links: 
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Java Dawn - Shakatak:
Born out of the
London club scene in the early 80s, Shakatak scored a series of dance
hits in the early days and then over the years, their style has gradually
shifted to one more firmly rooted in a mix of jazz and funk. Prolific
in the studio, there have been numerous releases including seasonal efforts
as well as compilations and live issues. Additionally, they've enjoyed
unprecedented success in the Land of the Rising Sun - a Japan only clause
in their recording contract ensures they produce a new package almost
yearly. So what I can write about the band that I haven't already written
on one of the numerous occasions they've been featured on our humble show?
Well, we'll keep it to the point. The veteran band continues to create
music brilliantly. From the 2005 Beautiful Day cd released in Japan and
the UK, we're pleased to present Java Dawn, a Bill Sharpe composition.
The track features guitarist Alan Wormald and was inspired by one of band's
many trips to Indonesia. Succinctly put, this one is for lack a better
phrase, musically eloquent!!
CD: Beautiful Day (2005)
Label: Victor
Links:
G.Anderson
R.Odell
J.Saward
B.Sharpe
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Kingdom of Rain - The The:
The The was a project
under which Matt Johnson displayed his edgy and often dark-sided talents.
Raised in a flat above his father's pub, a refuge for notables as well
as dubious types alike, Johnson was exposed to a variety of musical forms
thru several venues owned by his uncle. He formed his first band at 11,
left school at 15, and by his late teens he was working an assistant recording
engineer. The first manifestation of The The appeared as far back as 1979,
while for most of the 80s the band was essentially a guise for Johnson's
solo work. Side-lined by illness for the better part of a year, Johnson
transitioned from dance-flavored pop to more eclectic fare by 1986. However
seeing the need for a more stable line-up, so that he could tour, Johnson
hired guitarist Johnny Marr for the 1989 Mind Bomb cd - and what proved
one of The The's most successful in North America. The release was accompanied
by a full length promotional video with discordant and sometimes disturbing
images. From that effort, we present the somewhat incongruously titled
Kingdom of Rain co-featuring the vocals of Sinéad O'Connor!!
CD: Mind Bomb (1989)
Label: Epic / CBS Records
Links:
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| Highlights
Hour Two |
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Bullseye - Peter White:
For nearly 20 years
Peter White has been nothing short of a smooth jazz lover's delight!!
He's one of the main reasons that yours truly got hooked on this genre
while travelling somewhere around 1700 miles just to see him perform -
that was back in 1998 at the Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz. Now what 'very
best of' would be complete without a tune from the most played artist
in smooth jazz, and likely our own most played over the course of our
13 or so year run? Now in total keeping with that sentiment, we have the
ebullient Mr. White right on the mark with one his finest!!
CD: Glow (2001)
Label: Sony Music / Columbia
Links:
Fan sites:
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One
Wish - Hiroshima (remixed by Paul Hardcastle):
Now celebrating
their 30th anniversary since the band's inception, Hiroshima was formed
by East LA native Dan Kuramoto & by his then wife June Kuramoto. Dan had
picked up a flute as a "diversion to his post-hippy lifestyle" - but thru
playing for a variety of events, he discovered not only his voice as a
Japanese-American but also an outlet for his artistic needs. Meanwhile
June has in many ways been the main creative force behind the band. Having
earned all the degrees accorded the traditional Japanese instrument the
koto back in her homeland, she is considered one of the world's leading
players. They began in 1979 with a self-titled debut, and then with their
subsequent releases they continued to gain momentum. 1985's Another Place
was their 4th issue and their first certified gold album - the success
of that project in no small way being fuelled by a special remix of the
track One Wish produced by none other than Paul Hardcastle!!
Single: One Wish (1985)
Label: Epic
Links:
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Cruisin'
- David Arkenstone & Tim Weisberg:
Chicago native
David Arkenstone immersed himself in music when his family moved to California
when he was 10. He played keys and guitar in a variety of bands and after
college, he crisscrossed the country playing the pop sounds of the day.
It was in 1987, after he discovered Kitaro's lush and exotic arrangements
that Arkenstone ventured into the realm of new age with Valley in the
Clouds. With 3 Grammy nominations, Arkenstone has issued over 30 cds across
multiple genres. Meanwhile, Tim Weisberg issued a string of releases in
the 70s thru until the 80s that invariably made their way onto Billboard's
Jazz Charts. In 1978, he teamed with Dan Fogelberg for the landmark Twin
Sons of Different Mothers, a partnership they reprised nearly 20 years
later for the '95 No Resemblance Whatsoever. However, surprisingly little
has been written about one of the finest flautist to have emerged over
the past 3 decades. On this occasion, we've unearthed a fantastic one-off
collaboration featuring two of the trail-blazers in the contemporary scene!!
CD: Midnight Groove: The
Art of Smooth Jazz (1998)
Label: Windham Hill Jazz
Links:
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive
to our Site and Select Affiliates : |
Included on this installment, our
celebration of reaching a milestone 550 shows, we have tracks by Ray
Obiedo, Louie Shelton, 3rd Force, and Bona Fide to name but a few!!
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