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This Week at CaféJazz.ca

July 17th, 2011
Edition #624 PreviouslyThis Week at Café Jazz.ca - Edition #623 Next

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This Week at The Café:
On this edition, it's Cindy Bradley in the spotlight with Unscripted - we'll take a good long look inside that release with a choice sampling of three tracks on the showcase segment. In the second half, we rewind time with another exciting Vintage Collection - trumpeter Steve Madaio and flautist Althea René are featured as part of this five-track set. Also appearing is Joe Taylor while rounding this installment are Joel Gaines and Charlie Moreno. With over 150 cyclists powering their way across the plains and over hills and mountains of France, we have our own mini tour going on starting with Provence by The Rippingtons!
In This Issue:

SHOWCASE CD :
Unscripted - Cindy Bradley

VINTAGE COLLECTION:
I'll Laugh the Last - Charlie Moreno
Brazilian Mama - Althea René
Kickin' It - Joel Gaines
Spellbound - Joe Taylor
Little Sunflower - Steve Madaio

AFTER HOURS : Café Rio
PLAYLIST: Playlist for Ed#624

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Showcase CD
Unscripted - Cindy Bradley:

Born and raised in Buffalo NY, Cindy Bradley earned a Bachelor in jazz from Ithaca and a Masters in performance from the New England Conservatory. After relocating to NYC, Bradley honed her chops and seasoned her sound while discovering an affinity for a variety of styles - from straight ahead, be-bop, fusion and contemporary jazz, to funk, Top 40, and R&B. This afforded Cindy the opportunity to play a variety of gigs as well as a few high profile events that included the Emmys and the Super Bowl. In 2007 she independently released Just a Little Bit, her debut. That cd created a bit of a buzz; and it wasn't too long before Ms Bradley came to the attention of the big wigs at Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records who connected her with ace-producer and Grammy-winner Michael Broening. The result was Bloom, Cindy's 2009 label debut and a most auspicious premier!


Cindy Bradley - Unscripted
That release led to numerous & sundry accolades not the least of which included Cindy being named Debut Artist of the Year by the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival and by Smooth Jazz News. The kudos continued with Best New Artist recognition at both the American Smooth Jazz Awards and the Oasis Awards as well! And as if that wasn't enough, Cindy also won as Best Female Artist and as Best Brass Player!

Now a couple of years down the road, Broening and Bradley reconnect for the follow-up and a project that takes their collaboration to the next level! In addition, the entire experience proved cathartic and healing as within the span of a few months, Bradley ended a romantic relationship and both her grandmother and mother were diagnosed with cancer; her grandmother has since passed away but her mother Doreen has scanned clean.Therefore, the album explores and reveals a wide gamut of emotions - from the thumping retro club atmosphere of Massive Transit, to the optimism expressed in Lifted and A New Day - and in fact these are the very selections chosen for our feature! - and these are the very selections chosen for our feature!
Cindy Bradley courtesy of David Pearlman Photography Cindy Bradley
photo by Mark Stanley
As Cindy confides, the cd is "about the reality of life. Life has no script and you never know how it's going to go as we experience its ups and downs. Working on this project was definitely a way to keep things up after going through a challenging emotional time."

Meanwhile we found this quote that neatly summarizes events to this point in Cindy's career. "Respect has been earned, nods have been given to her predecessors and peers, and Bradley has taken her rightful place among the new guard who will proudly carry the contemporary jazz torch into the new millennium. Unscripted is the beginning pen and chapter in hers, a story that has just begun to be written."

CD: Unscripted (2011)
Label: Trippin 'n' Rhythm Records
Links: Bradley: Broening:

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Vintage Collection: Part One
Charlie Moreno - Island Style
Reiré el Último (I'll Laugh the Last) - Charlie Moreno:
Based in Barcelona, Charlie Moreno is considered one of the most promising young bassmen in Europe. Self-taught for the most part, Moreno gained a scholarship to Berklee in Boston, and thereby had the opportunity to learn from some of the masters in the likes of Russell Malone, Gary Grainger, Tom Kennedy, Richard Bona and others. In 2002, he took part in a cd tribute to the great Jaco Pastorius, and throughout his career he's worked with many high caliber players. Born in The Canary Islands, Moreno has for years been linked to its famed jazz festival. Additionally Moreno has been active as a teacher, as a sideman with several top Spanish pop artists, and as a clinician. He issued his solo debut in 2005 and currently has three releases to his credit - this time out we're heading back to Charlie's 2007 Island Style sophomore release. From a project that featured Eric Marienthal, Till Brönner and others we have the tune Reiré el Último translating to I'll Laugh the Last with Chuck Loeb and Joel Rosenblatt guesting!

CD: Island Style (2007)
Label: Independent
Links:
Althea René - Flute Talk
Brazilian Mama - Althea René:
Seemingly overnight Althea René has emerged as one of the top flautists on the smooth jazz scene but this well disguises the fact she's been honing her craft for years. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Althea began her musical career at age four. She studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. but then after college, her focus switched to Jazz and R&B. For over 10 years, she worked as a County Deputy Sheriff all while studying with the legendary Donald Byrd and gaining further inspiration from Hubert Laws, Ian Anderson, and Dave Valentine. In 1997, René began touring with Straight Ahead, a Detroit-based internationally acclaimed all female jazz band and it was during this period that she developed and fine tuned her creative style. This all led to the release of her own debut on the old MP3.com label back in around 2000. From that release we present our own Café Jazz edit of Brazilian Mama! Althea René Then & Now Feature Ed #402 - April 9th, 2006

CD: Flute Talk (2001)
Label: MP3.com
Links:

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Vintage Collection: Part Two
Joel Gaines - I Wonder (Could It Be You ...)
Kickin' It - Joel Gaines:
Hailing from LA, Joel Gaines is a veteran singer, songwriter, and keyboardist. Over the course of a lengthy career, he's has toured with Gladys Knight, Barry White, Chaka Khan, Donna Summer, and most recently the Jazz Crusaders. Additionally, Gaines has made the rounds with the likes of Kenny G, Rick Braun, and Brian Culberson to name a few. For years Gaines has been wowing audiences with his onstage virtuosity and just recently issued his sophomore release in Just the Way I'm Feeling. On this occasion we whip back well over a decade to I Wonder (Could It Be You …), his debut. From that cd, we're set to hang with Gaines and Kickin' It!

CD: I Wonder (Could It Be You ...) (1995)
Label: Inderoc
Links:
Joe Taylor - Spellbound
Spellbound - Joe Taylor:
Joe Taylor is a multi-faceted guitarist who initially made a name for himself as a New York sessionist and, in addition to touring and recording with many diverse performers, for a time he was a staff producer at RCA Victor. In this capacity Taylor enjoyed great success with his solo releases and as the creator of the ambient Oracle series. Since the late 80's Taylor has achieved critical acclaim as a composer for film & TV soundtracks and he continues to score for theater and broadcast media in NYC. Having garnered chart action with his debut, Taylor reached top 5 with his '95 Spellbound cd and from this latter effort we present the title track in collaboration with Dave Koz!

CD: Spellbound (1995)
Label: RCA
Links:
Steve Madaio - Midnight Rendezvous
Little Sunflower - Steve Madaio:
From playing Woodstock with the Butterfield Blues Band to touring with Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones, Steve Madaio has lived the life other musicians can only dream of. By the age of 15, the native New Yorker was performing in the Latin Quarter of the Big Apple and in 1974, he followed his dreams to California. He soon became in demand as a sessionist and in the intervening years, he's toured and /or recorded with Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Madonna and Barbra Streisand - additionally Madaio has contributed to hundreds of albums. Acutely aware of his role as a musician in the public eye, Madaio is convinced of the social relevance of the performing arts and he approaches all of what he does with an almost religious fervor. With Madaio taking a rare turn as a front man on Midnight Rendezvous, Little Sunflower is a glimpse into the man's soul and his music!


CD: Midnight Rendezvous (2007)
Label: Mirada Records
Links:

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After Hours ~ Exclusive to our Site and Select Affiliates :
Café Rio: Here's a one-off project in our connections series that we've tagged Café Rio for a track by David Benoit. We've hooked up a dozen tunes, all in some way are linked to Rio de Janeiro or just Rio as it's commonly known - well not really! Rio is Portuguese for river so even though a majority of the selections specifically relate to Rio de Janeiro or River of January, there are a couple of tracks that fit the broader meaning of the term. Rio Texas by Ricardo Silveira and Rio de Maio from Cecil Ramirez fall into this category. Even so, the city of Rio founded in 1565, is the most popular tourist destination in the entire southern hemisphere. It's well known for its natural beauty, its carnival celebrations, its many beaches and its vibrant music scene. So here's our musical nod to Rio - be it by Paprika Soul with Rio Sunset or Greg Adams and the track One Night in Rio. On top of that we have the band Fourplay with Rio Rush as well as Rio Stomp from Torcuato Mariano. So now is the time for the 'Rio rhythms' and they rise like the tide starting with Rio Wave from Brazilian Nights and Rio native, guitarist Romero Lubambo! Playlist for Ed#624

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