On this edition ...
a select chapter of the show called Smooth Jazz in Canada! Celebrations
of Canada's nationhood are just days away and we're beating the drum to
commemorate the occasion by featuring the music of Canadian artists exclusively.
We first tried this back in 2003, and each year we've come back with a
bigger, bolder, & better edition - this being our 8th annual installment,
it will likely represent the biggest, boldest, & best so far. We've included
selections by Les Sabler, Vince Mai, and Four80 East while also appearing
are Warren Hill, Gabriel, and Brian Hughes. In addition, there's a 6-pack
of featured performers with Torben Oxbol, Dr. Music, and Darren Rahn -
the other half of that has Steve Barakatt and The Guess Who as well as
the man starting the show in Dave Sereny. So let the pyrotechnics begin
on a made in Canada spectacular!
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Highlights
Hour One
Funkified - Dave Sereny:
Dave Sereny largely
owes his love of music to his older brother Mike who exposed him to a
variety of genres. Early on John McLaughlin became a big influence and
then Wes Montgomery proved highly important to his developing style. While
in high school Sereny gained an appreciation for jazz playing in a big
band before studying classical guitar at Berklee in Boston. Subsequently,
he collaborated with some of New York's finest. He backed a few great
in the likes of Ritchie Cole and Jose Feliciano while playing festivals
from Toronto to Tel Aviv. Then back in TO in 1996, the Brothers Sereny
formed the Groove United record label to promote Canadian artists. In
2004, Sereny was featured on a few tracks on the compilation The Jazz
Room Presents Smooth Jazz, and in addition to earning consideration for
the 2005 Café Jazz list of faves, Sereny became a multiple nominee at
the CSJA. This set the stage for the release of Take This Ride, Dave's
official debut, which led to a second series of CSJA nominations. From
that very effort we've selected a spunky tune entitled Funkified!
CD: Take This Ride (2007)
Label: NuGroove Records
Links: 
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Midnight Walk - Torben Oxbol:
Hailing from Denmark,
Torben Oxbol moved to Vancouver in the mid 70s and is one of only a handful
of Canadian jazz bassists to have achieved international renown. Early
on, Oxbol developed into a first-call studio musician and then toward
the end of the decade he hooked up with the group Pacific Salt, a premier
fusion band of the day. In the time since, he's played everything from
coffee-houses to concert-halls having appeared with the likes of Wynton
Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, and Diana Krall, to name but a few. In recent
years, Oxbol has turned to music production wherein his expertise has
been sought by a litany of the finest on the Vancouver jazz scene, among
them Karin Plato, Armi Grano, and Beverley Stanton. Yet on this occasion,
we return to 1997 and Torben's little-known Westcoast Journey release
for the measured motion of the tune Midnight Walk!
CD: Westcoast Journey (1997)
Label: Independent
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Sun Goes By - Dr. Music:
Led by Toronto's
Doug Riley, Dr. Music debuted in the early 70s as a mega-ensemble, a 16-piece
gospel-rock unit complete with a 4-man horn section and with up to 10
of the members sharing in the vocal duties. As a child, Riley was stricken
with polio and so he took to the piano as a way of coping with his affliction.
He studied classically at TO's Royal Conservatory of Music and early on
he gained an appreciation of jazz thru his father's record collection.
In his teens, Riley began playing with the R&B band the Silhouettes. By
the time he was 20 he was prolific jingle writer before going on to earn
a Bachelor's in music at the U of T. For many years, he worked behind
the scenes as the music director for a variety of TV productions, among
them The Ray Stevens Show. For the 69/70 season, Riley put together an
assembly that would form the nucleus for Dr. Music and that remained together
following the cancellation of the TV project. Shortly after, Riley managed
to land a record deal which resulted in the issue of the band's eponymously
titled debut. A couple more LPs sported a significantly scaled down version
of the cast with the compilation Retrospective chronicling these early
years. Sadly Riley passed in 2007 at the age of 62. Nonetheless, Sun Goes
By from that initial Dr. Music release remains as one of the most uplifting
tracks of the era!
CD: Dr. Music (1972)
Label: GRT
Links: 
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Hour Two |
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Simple
Song - Darren Rahn:
Hailing from BC
Canada, Darren Rahn started sax at the age of 12. After high school, he
earned a degree in Music Education from Adams State College and followed
that with one in Sax Performance and Jazz Pedagogy from the University
of Northern Colorado. Recognized by Downbeat Magazine as one of the top
university sax soloists in the U.S, early on Rahn earned an impressive
set of credits with the likes of Dave Koz, Jeff Lorber, and Gregg Karukas.
Mainly content to work behind the scenes since the mid 90s, it wasn't
until 2004 that his work on Wayman Tisdale's #1 Ain't No Stopping Us Now
would bring Rahn to the forefront of the smooth scene. That recognition
led to Rahn's NuGroove label plus a series of CSJA nominations. Since
then, Rahn has been virtually unstoppable having produced three consecutive
#1 tracks for Dave Koz, Eric Darius, & Tim Bowman. Additionally, he's
scored a big hit of his own while racking up no less than three ASJA nominations
at the upcoming awards. From Once in a Lifetime, we have Rahn at his best
on Simple Song!
CD: Once in a Lifetime (2007)
Label: NuGroove Records
Links: 
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California
Vibes - Steve Barakatt:
An accomplished
composer, producer, pianist, and singer, Québec City native Steve Barakatt
was captivated by the charm of music when he was four. Even early on it
was clear that Barakatt was no ordinary talent. He studied classically
for ten years and when he was just thirteen, he performed as guest soloist
with the Symphony Orchestra. The following year, he released his solo
debut and now has hundreds of artistic projects to his credit including
a complete symphonic work. A genuine music lover, Steve enjoys exploring
a variety of styles including dabbling in jazz. He's toured extensively,
composed dozens of scores for both TV and film and is also demand as a
composer & producer. The Best Inspirations, issued in 2004 was a deluxe
cd/dvd collection chronicling six previous releases while also providing
a glimpse of a forthcoming album. Originally appearing on the 2000 A Love
Affair release but this time from The Best Inspirations, we have the power
& passion of California Vibes!
CD: The Best Inspirations /
Les Plus Belles Inspirations (cd+dvd) (2004)
Label: XXI - 21 Productions
Links: 
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Undun
- The Guess Who:
Formed by Chad Allen
in 1962 in their hometown of Winnipeg, the band went through several name
changes before reaching their eventual status as one of the top bands
in the world. In 1965, the group was a 5-man unit comprised of Allen,
Bob Ashley, Randy Bachman, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson when they covered
the track Shakin' All Over and scored their first #1-hit in Canada as
Chad Allen & The Expressions. However, in the US as a marketing ploy,
the single was credited to the "Guess Who?" Subsequent singles were IDed
in a similar fashion although on their first two albums, both names were
used. Then in late 1965 and early 1966, there was a dramatic shift in
personnel as Burton Cummings joined the unit while both Ashley and Allen
left. This latter move precipitated the band's exclusive use of the moniker
"The Guess Who?" with the question mark being dropped in 1968 just prior
to the band's These Eyes from Wheatfield Soul becoming their first million
selling single. The ultra-strong and cleverly-titled Canned Wheat followed
in 1969. Always much more than just a rock band, from that effort we have
The Guess Who's take on the jazzy Bachman composition titled Undun!
CD: Canned Wheat (1969)
Label: RCA Victor
Links:
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| After Hours ~ Exclusive
to our Site and Select Affiliates : |
... ... more great grooves emanating from the great
white north as we continue with our all Canadian smooth jazz review.
And included on the playlist are selections by Richard Chadwick, Liberty
Silver, Don Breithaup, and JB Carbou. That's followed by Paul Lamoureux
and Monsoon, as well as Eddie Bullen, Dino Pacifici, and Barry Aiken.
Also appearing are Greg Kavanagh and Alexander Zonjic, plus there's
Joni Mitchell, and finally Kalabash. Those and of course each & every
selection we're playing is 100% Canadian this being part and parcel
of our Canada Day celebrations here at The Café! 
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