martedì 22 luglio 2014

THE JUKE HOUNDS "BLUESITUDE"

In 2006, the Juke Hounds were drawn together by a shared attitude about the world. A Midwestern grit that made each of them relate to the blues in the first place -- and then to each other.The Juke Hounds play the ”blues with a feeling” all right. But that feeling is not the familiar woe-is-me nobody-loves-me pose, but one of defiance and swagger that says "you can't keep me down." The music, the lyrics and and even the bands aggressive stage presence, announce they are a force to be reckoned with.Brittany Nader Of Buzzbin Magazine agrees that when the Juke Hounds start to play,
“it’s impossible not to get up and start shaking along to the rhythm.” Mike Fuller of Water Street Tavern, echoes the observation: "There are a lot of people dancing and moving around. Not a lot of people are sitting down…. Everyone stands and treats it like a rock show, and that's pretty much how it is."The Juke Hounds know something about defiance. When friends, family and even fellow musicians insisted that playing the blues in Ohio was a foolish waste of time, The Jukes took their advice as a personal challenge. Today, the Juke Hounds are rocking the blues to packed houses across Northeast Ohio -- not to mention all the way to Memphis.In 2010, The Juke Hounds won the Cleveland Blues Society “Road To Memphis” competition and represented Akron, Canton, and Cleveland at the 2011 International Blues Competition in Memphis where the band showcased at the Hard Rock Café’ on Beale Street. This year (2013), the Juke Hounds won the NEOBA Blues Competition and will represent Northeast Ohio at the 2014 International Blues Competition held in Memphis TN.
THE JUKE HOUNDS
 

ED STALLMAN "ED STALLMAN"

Ed Stallman is a guitarist and keyboardist from San Diego who currently plays instrumental blues, jazz, and rock. All songs are produced, engineered, and recorded by Ed Stallman at Coastal Eddie Studio. "I have combined sequenced background music and lead guitar parts to create some really groovy
tunes. I am a 30-year guitar, keyboard, and vocal pro. I have sold thousands of CDs and downloads on the Internet and have amassed over two million downloads and streams of my songs to date. You have probably heard some of my tunes at a local store or eatery via Trusonic music service."Ed Stallman's playing is just incredible. He is a true world-class player who delivers amazingly intricate, tasteful, grooves in each and every one of his instrumentals. When we think of guitar solos, we tend to think of cryptic riffs that are great to hear but hard to remember. Stallman is different. I can actually recall the melodies and I can sing along with his guitar riffs in the car! Stallman's mastery of blues/jazzy and funky guitar is second to nobody. Add to this some fabulous studio production - and you have it all. His album is a great example of a great guitar player, with rhythm to burn and an imagination to match.
ED STALLMAN
 

lunedì 21 luglio 2014

ALEX HAHN "THE WALLFLOWER" "A TRIBUTE TO ETTA JAMES"

A singer who generates the passion, insecurities, bruises and lionheart of truly iconic performers such as Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and Etta James.” – The Orange Press.Alex Hahn is an emerging soul star of Sydney, Australia's thriving music scene.Moving to Ireland in 2005, Alex fronted the highly successful funk band Electrogecko who, with their unique versions of classic jazz standards, enjoyed residencies all over the country.On her return to Australia in 2008, Alex teamed up with renowned jazz musicians, Charlie Meadows and Nick Hoorweg. The trio enjoyed weekly residencies across Sydney.In 2013, Alex produced her debut album The Wallflower – a tribute to Etta James, with her 7-piece soul band The Blue Riders. It is performed with the brutal emotional honesty that has come to define Alex’s powerful voice and has received glowing reviews from audiences and critics alike.Alex has recently relocated to the UK and is taking her acclaimed Etta James tribute show on the road across Europe. She performed the show at Oliver Plunketts in Cork, Ireland for the 2013 Cork Jazz Fringe Festival with great success.As well as her live work, Alex has also lent her voice to numerous short films, television commercials and notably, provided vocals for DreamWorks Acer Arena Spectacular, How To Train Your Dragon."Soul singer Alex Hahn's new release The Wallflower works like a voodoo charm. Hahn and her band never hit a weak spot" – John Hardaker, Jazzscene."I hear hints of the histrionics of Joplin and the soul-deep stylings of Aretha, but, most of all, I hear a ripping, arsey, brassy, young singer. ALEX HAHN
 

NAOMI AND HER HANDSOME DEVILS "NAOMI AND HER HANDSOME DEVILS"

Naomi Uyama has been steeped in classic jazz from the swing era since beginning her lindy hop career at the tender age of 16. After going crazy for swing dancing, winning international awards, and teaching around the world she began to focus more and more on the music. She began singing and studying, moving to New York City for more access to the growing traditional jazz scene there. After getting to work with some of the lindy scene's most prominent bands she decided to form her own project- the Handsome Devils.As the idea took shape the focus was on choosing the right guys. The musicians had to be great players, have respect for dancers, and work well together on and off the bandstand.  The Devils were all hand picked from the top talent in the classic jazz scenes of New York and Chicago.  Naomi considers herself so fortunate to get to work with her dream swing band line up, and is constantly in awe of the Devils' musicianship.Though formed recently the individual members have decades of experience swinging hard and keeping dancers happy.  They have just released their debut self titled CD, and have played across the U.S. in renowned ballrooms and at pro competitions, and at the world's largest swing dance camp- Herräng, in Sweden.  NAOMI AND HER HANDSOME DEVILS
 

JANIVA MAGNESS "ORIGINAL"

Janiva pushes the roots, rock, and soul envelope with daring new album Original. Magness brings her songwriting skills and stunning range to the fore, with help from Grammy nominated producer Dave Darling. The new album stretches the artistic boundaries of roots, rock and soul music. Its 11 songs seamlessly weave all three genres into a highly original approach defined by nakedly honest storytelling and the live-wire emotionalism of Magness’ two-and-a-half octave range, buoyed by arrangements that effortlessly blend traditional sounds with the edge of experimentation. Magness is among the premier blues and R&B singers in the world today. Her voice possesses an earthy, raw honesty born from her life experience. A charismatic performer known for her electrifying live shows, Magness is a gutsy and dynamic musical powerhouse. She received the coveted 2009 Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year (she is only the second woman to ever win this award, Koko Taylor being the first). She also won Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year, an honor she also received in 2006 and 2007. She has received a total of seventeen Blues Music Award nominations, including one for 2012’s Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year. USA Today declared, “Magness is a blues star,” and The Philadelphia Inquirer said, “Magness sings superbly, with a scorching intensity. JANIVA MAGNESS
 

CHRISTIAN PROMMER "UBERMOOD"

Christian Prommer is an american producer, Dj , drummer and musician who has produced and composed genre defining and award winning dance music for two decades. As founding member of Fauna Flash, Trüby Trio and VoomVoom, as producer and co-writer for Kruder and Dorfmeister, Dj Hell (their effort “Teufelswerk” was Echo nominated), Kim Sanders (they won the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik) , The Dining Rooms, Incognito and with his own projects Prommer and Barck and most notably Christian Prommers Drumlesson. As a musician and collaborator he has worked with Carl Craig, Patrick Pulsinger, Brian Ferry, Tony Allen, Bugge Wesseltoft, Joe Sample, Til Brönner, Mousse T, Wolfgang Haffner, Incognito, Klaus Doldinger and many more. With his band, solo shows and dj sets he travels the world non stop from big jazz festivals to the darkest after hour clubs. CHRISTIAN PROMMER
 

lunedì 14 luglio 2014

ELIZA NEALS "MESSIN WITH A FOOL"

Eliza Neals is a dynamic front woman, multi-talented musician plus the voice of the 'new blues' for a younger generation. Eliza is a 2013 Detroit Music Award winner for "Messin with a Fool" which received "Outstanding Blues/R&B Recording (album)" and "Rock Songwriter!" In 2012 Eliza won "Outstanding Blues Songwriter" at theDMAs.National press and radio says "Eliza has such power in her voice that she can take on a big song and do it real justice" DJ Phill Penny Radio Trent UK. "Eliza Neals hits you right between the eyes…" Blues Blast Magazine. “Eliza Neals “The Detroit Diva" is the name: This Diva has claws and sharp teeth..." Wasser Prawda German Magazine. "This album of “Stiletto Blues” first came out in January 2012, but it keeps finding itself back in the news and for a very good reason… " The DirtyLowDown "Neals' style is incendiary and unabashed." Real Detroit Weekly.Touring this year in Miami Beach, Las Vegas, Nashville, Chicago, Detroit and New York to name a few stops Eliza Neals is "in her own lane with the pedal to the metal!" The award winning sultry and powerful blues rock vocalist, recording artist, performer and producer is being compared to greats like Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Ricki Lee Jones among others. This is a night for old and new fans to enjoy something classic and cool from Detroit the city that drives your soul."Eliza Neals’s 'Messin’ with a Fool' is the record that people who have seen Neals live will have been hoping she would release. Neals, for the uninitiated is the sultry swingin’, croonin’ jazz Queen of the D. She’s like Amy Winehouse without the obvious addiction issues or the hair. The songs are certainly in place...." METROTIMES Jan 2012 ELIZA NEALS
 

MEKLIT "WE ARE ALIVE"

“We’re in-betweeners, living along the musical hyphen lines,” says the creative Ethiopian- born Meklit (Muh-Kleet) of her relationship with her new record label. As both are open- minded and based in the Bay Area, the partnership seemed natural to this emerging singer-songwriter. The compatibility is evident as Meklit canvases a wide range of sounds on her most inventive album to date, We Are Alive (Six Degrees Records).After being named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, Meklit cut her teeth on her 2010 debut, On A Day Like This… Folk and jazz strains served as a foundation for her elegant songwriting, setting her off onto a world tour before settling back into her San Francisco home for a number of collaborations. First she crooned sweet harmonies behind hip-hop project Copperwire’s Earthbound, and then returned to her more soulful roots alongside Oakland artist Quinn DeVeaux on 2012’s Meklit & Quinn. The latter included ingenious covers of such artists as Arcade Fire, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, MGMT, Lou Reed and Sam Cooke.Constant exposure to outside influences often causes musicians to evolve quickly. It was in this frame of mind that Meklit re-entered the studio to throw a world of flavors into a new cauldron.A few special guests emerge: famed author Walter Mosley penned the album’s liner notes. Meklit met him while speaking together on the radio show West Coast Live in 2010, and they forged a quick friendship. Ethiopian piano sensation Samuel Yirga—a Real World Records artist whose debut, Guza, garnered much international critical acclaim— adds a beautiful solo on ‘Kemekem. MEKLIT
 

MILES TACKETT "THE FOOL WHO WONDERS"

After fifteen years of writing, producing, and performing some of the most influential sounds in the Los Angeles underground funky soul-jazz scene, Miles “Music Man” Tackett is releasing his most personal album yet, the soulful, guitar-centric The Fool Who Wonders, on July 8th.Miles Tackett is best known around the world as the creative mind behind Breakestra, a funk, soul-jazz band whose first record the Live Mix Part 2 (Stones Throw Records) & live shows harken back to the pre-sampling era of Bronx DJ performances in the 1970’s. Breakestra has toured the globe on its reputation of restoring authentic funk breaks from the sampled backgrounds of hip hop tracks to the foreground of the live experience, while still paying tribute to those same hip hop pioneers whose musical precision has always been an influence. Breakestra quickly evolved to writing and performing original funky soul-jazz compositions, releasing two LPs: 2005’s Hit the Floor on Ubiquity, and Dusk Till Dawn released in 2009 on Strut Records.“Music Man Miles,” as he is known in the underground DJ scene, also helms the longest-running funky soul party in Los Angeles, FUNKY SOLE, spinning a globe spanning, all-vinyl set every Saturday night. Influenced through his immersion in the underground hip hop scene at L.A. club The Root Down, collaborations with Mixmaster Wolf of Breakestra and renowned DJs like DJ Dusk, Cut Chemist and DJ Egon, Miles was inspired to build a collection of some of the finest deep funk, afro-latin, soul-jazz vinyl around & start djing as well.Tackett’s musical reputation extends well beyond the underground clubs of Los Angeles. He has performed and collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Macy Gray, Blind Melon, B.B. King, Little Feat, and legendary soul singer Syl Johnson. Now, after years of focusing on a purist funk style and sound with Breakestra, Tackett has finally taken some time to reflect, write new songs and return to his first love, the electric guitar. With an array of influences that draw from vintage soul, rhythm and blues, psychedelia, and blues/jazz influenced folk and rock, The Fool Who Wonders’ new vintage sounds bring Tackett’s varied musical travels back to where it all began. MILES TACKETT
 

THE MACKENZIE BLUES BAND "SLAM! BAM!"

Mixing equal parts blues, soul, and talent, with a dash of retro style, The MacKenzie Blues Band has quickly proved to be a force to be reckoned with on major festival stages and in clubs throughout Canada and the US.Recognition for their hard working attitude has been paying off as they are recent Winners of the 2014 Maple Blues Awards for Best new Artist/ Group, and 2x semi Finalists at the International Blues Competition in Memphis Tenn.Their debut CD release Back Road Revelation was voted best Canadian Blues Release of 2012, by the Blind Lemon Blues Radio poll and garnered considerable airplay and positive reviews across North America, Europe and Africa. It has been featured CBC radio 1′s Bandwidth program, Crossroads Blues Program, BBC Blues, RTÉ to name a few. In the time they’ve been performing together, The MacKenzie Blues Band has rapidly – and deservedly – gained the attention of Canada’s blues scene, performed at numerous club gigs and notable festivals, including Mariposa Folk Festival, Summerfolk Festival, Orangeville Blues Festival, Lighthouse Blues Festival and many more.A classically trained vocalist, Tara MacKenzie has been compared to Ann Wilson, Katie Webster and Janiva Magness. Her powerful 3.5 octave vocal range is paired perfectly with her unapologetic, ballsy, yet sultry stage presence. Guitarist Trevor MacKenzie has been called “One of the most dangerous guitar players in Canada” (Timmins Press). His versatile playing easily shifts gears from style to style, while maintaining his fretting hand firmly rooted in the blues genre. The rhythm section is the glue that binds The MacKenzie Blues Band together, with snappy, funky, pulsing grooves from bassist Joel Dawson and drummer Mike Weir.With a fresh take on modern blues and adding rock ‘n’ roots elements, The MacKenzie Blues Band’s live performances put out the energy of a small supernova- encouraging the audience to let loose, have fun and enjoy wild electric rockin’ blues,taking the audience to a place where positivity and joy are on the menu. Their Sophmore Album “Slam! Bam!” is to be released in the Spring of 2014, parts recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. THE MACKENZIE BLUES BAND
 

sabato 12 luglio 2014

TOOTS LORRAINE "MAKE IT EASY"

Every blues fan knows you have listen to the “old” to find something “new”. It is a precious rarity when the opposite is true and such is the case with Toots Lorraine and The Traffic. The band delivers a focused blend of classic vibe that will drench your soul with the vintage sounds of West Coast Jump Blues and Swing as you board the train for destination “way back” where everything is “Easy”. Toots and her sultry voice will take your ticket, let you on board and, as you roll down the tracks, the band will keep your glass filled with just the right measures of hollow body guitars, reverb tanks, upright basses, harmonicas, pianos and organs. And, you will swear to yourself, “I ain’t getting off this train”.This husband and wife team share the purest of love for the preservation of the blues. In their brand new album, Make It Easy, a phenomenal follow-up to their first, Toots Lorraine expertly layers her powerful yet velvety voice amongst the band’s vintage instrumentation and gut bucket grooves. Along with classic blues covers of Big Mama Thornton, Howlin’ Wolf and Big Joe Turner, you’ll also find gripping new originals with a huge story to tell. Always rooted in the blues, Toots Lorraine and the Traffic deliver a solid, energetic and scintillating performance.Toots brings with her a background of dance, theater and jazz to the rich yet simplistic purity of the blues, creating a vocal presence of powerful elegance. Her singing style is influenced by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Cassidy, Big Mama Thornton and many more. Whether singing original material or drawing from a large repertoire of classic blues and jazz standards, the charming and vivacious Toots tells her story with every note, satisfying listeners, dancers and good times.TOOTS LORRAINE
 


 

venerdì 11 luglio 2014

MATTHEW HALSALL & THE GONDWANA ORCHESTRA "WHEN THE WORLD WAS ONE"

Manchester based, DJ, bandleader and trumpeter Matthew Halsall is one of the UK’s brightest talents. A gifted trumpeter with a beautiful, expressive tone, his music draws on his love of the transcendental, spiritual and modal jazz of Alice and John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, as well as the glories of ‘60s British jazz. His albums ‘Sending My Love’, ‘Colour Yes’, 'On The Go', 'Fletcher Moss Park' and 'When The World Was One' released on his own Gondwana label have won him a legion of fans across the world and acclaim from the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and Radio 3’s Late Junction, MOJO, BBC Music Magazine and even BBC 6 Music.Your album personnel:  Matthew Halsall (trumpet), Nat Birchall (tenor sax), Lisa Mallett (flute), Keiko Kitamura (koto), Rachael Gladwin (harp), Taz Modi (piano), Gavin Barras (bass), and Luke Flowers (drums). Mr Halsall never fails to impress. This is a tour de force of understated but expressive brass work. Gondwana has all the hallmarks of the spiritual jazz label for the now generation. MATTHEW HALSALL THE GONDWANA ORCHESTRA
 

GRADY CHAMPION "DREAMIN"

Grady Champion is an electrifying blues singer and harmonica virtuoso. He has been compared to Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Lionel Ritchei, and Smokie Robinson. In 5 years folks will be comparing other artists to Grady. His unique style and amazing voice leave audiences stunned! Right now you can hear him everywhere. His new album “Dreamin’” is making a lot of noise on Blues, R&B, Soul, and Roots charts across America, in Europe, China, and Japan. In fact in August it was the #1 album on Sirius XM's Bluesville. Grady has been nominated for two 2012 Blues Music Awards - Best Soul Blues Album for "Dreamin'" and Song of the Year for "Thank You For Giving Me The Blues". Grady has won the 2011 Best Down Home Blues Song for "Make That Monkey Jump" by Blues Critic and was runnerup to Bobby Rush for Best Soul Blues Album for "Dreamin'"The 2010 International Blues Challenge winner is accompanied by one of the best young blues bands in America. Grady and the band have had the pleasure of playing on the Legendary Blues Cruise, the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, and in the Chicago Blues Festival 3 times. His powerful, soulful and raspy voice is simply soul stirring. He is a master of mood and emotions and connects with his audience like no one else. In the world of great musicians, Grady singles himself out as an ENTERTAINER who is already a legendary musician. Walking out amongst the fans during solo sections with a wireless yet nostalgic microphone and a dozen harmonicas belted to him, Grady delivers a shock to folks that makes them jump on their feet, stand on their seats, and shake their money makers! Grady is the youngest of 28 children. He was raised on a little country farm outside of Canton Mississippi. His life is a picture of hard work; first as a fighter, then as a rapper, then a producer, and now knocking out around 180 shows a year, Grady is no stranger to living the BLUES. Being fueled by faith, a loving family, integrity, clean living, talent, and an undying love for Blues music – Grady Champion and his band are poised to be the torchbearers for the Blues for decades to come. GRADY CHAMPION
 

TAMARA OBROVAC QUARTET "ULIKA REVIVAL

The composer, singer and flutist Tamara Obrovac is one of the most impressive artists on the Croatian music scene. Her unique musical expression which blends contemporary jazz with particular musical and dialectal tradition from her homeland Istria, North Adriatic peninsula, brought here international recognition. She published 7 author CD-s and through her albums, Tamara profiles her own auctorial approach and creates a unique artistic form; her music, completely original and autochthonous, goes beyond time and geographical boundaries, thus becoming a universal artistic message, establishing Tamara Obrovac as an exceptional artist who managed to create her own unique musical expression. In addition to her international concert activities she composes music for theater and film, and she has received many awards for her work; among the others 9 Porin awards (Croatian's Grammy), and she was nominated for BBC Radio 3 World Music awards  (European music and Audience Award). With her distinctive musical expression, excellent bands and passionate live performances suffused with spontaneity, inventive improvisation, freedom, humor and the ability to communicate with the audience, she has become increasingly more present and recognized on the International musical stage.  She writes here own lyrics and sings on endangered Slavic and Romanic Istrian dialects, and her passionate voice is equally impressive both when she sings lyrics and performs a vocalize, thus turning it into an additional instrument.  With the release of her second CD „ULIKA" in 1998, named afterTamara’s grandmother, quartet presented for the first time Tamara's fresh way of thinking and composing which combines inspiration by the local Istrian music and dialect with the universal jazz expression.  The reunion of the quartet at summer 2011 gave life to new/old project (ULIKA revival”), establishing new creativity with re-interpretations of old composition from a more mature artistic prospective. The re-found joy of making music together, expressed through virtuoso playing, unlimited freedom of expression, humor and improvisation, characteristic of all members of the quartet,  and their latest performances proved again that music of Tamara Obrovac quartet reaches further then the constricted borders of musical classification, spreading the spirit and passion of the Mediterranean region over geographic and musical boundaries. The project started with successful Croatian/Slovenian concert tour in February 2012. folowed by further concert promotion in Luneburg (DE) Novi Sad (SRB) and Labin (CRO), Jazzahead Bremen, (DE) Jazz au Chellah (MAR) and CD  „ULIKA revival" will be released in June 2013. for  Swiss label “Unit records”. International recognition came also through the nomination for the BBC Radio 3 World  musicAwards 2004 (European Music and Audience Award).TAMARA OBROVAC
 

giovedì 10 luglio 2014

PATRICK CHARLES "CITE' SOLEIL"

With accomplished musicianship and a great sense of deep groove, virtuoso drummer Patrick Charles music is both visual and cerebral. His debut CD , Cite Soleil, present an artist of far-reaching vision and versatility. Release on his soleil label, Cite soleil brings Patrick Charles center stage as a composer, producer and band leader. Featuring a stellar cast of LA studio players and world class jazz artist, such as Everette Harp of George Duke and Anita Baker, Wayne Linsey of Miles Davis. Kevin Toney a two time Grammy nominated pianist and composer and a renown solo recording artist he has also performed with blackbyrds Aretha Franklin and more , and MoJazz recording artist and Trumpeter Johnny Britt .Cite Soleil showcases Patrick’s own original compositions and retells hits from legendary artist like sting and seal through the language of jazz . But it was upon hearing the news of his sister’s passing that Patrick began to focus on the core material for the album. ”My siter was always an encouraging and supporting force in my life;’ Charlene,’ the last composition on the CD, is dedicated to her. Born in Port-au-Prince Haiti and raised in East Orange New Jersey, Patrick Charles owes his musical awakening during middle school to the trumpet. But the drums quickly chose him, fueled by the love and respect for all genres and styles of music and the emerging culture of Hip-Hop, Music became Patrick’s calling card, Strangely enough, his first encounter with jazz happened by chance.”I found a pile of jazz records in an abandoned building in the neighborhood; in that pile was Miles Davis Tutu,’ I was so taken by the album cover, I picked up the record, I’ve been hooked ever since.” Patrick Charles started to gig professionally during high school, during which time he became the regular drummer at the famous Perpermint lounged in his hometown of East Orange NJ, nightly guess artist appearances includes the legendary Lou Rawls, Chaka kahn, Berry White, and now famed Hip Hop artist Naughty by Nature and Queen Latifah. After high school, Patrick set his eyes on the famed Berklee College of music in Boston, while attending Berklee, Patrick Charles performed with esteem professor Carolyn Wilkins and her group the spirit jazz Quartet regularly in the Boston and New York area, in Los Angeles his work as a freelance drummer has brought him acclaim from studio and live performances with such artist as blues legend Linda Hopkins, funk and soul songstress Maxayn Lewis and Teena Marie, and performance with his Group PCMG, in National and international venues such as Kannai Hall for the Prestigious Yokohama Jazz festival,Tokyo Sumida Jazz festival, the House of blues LA, Salt lake city jazz festival, Currently a Los Angeles Arts commission Artist, Patrick has performed for Nakaoka Jazz festival and the1st annual universal citywalk jazz festival.The Namm Show, Viper Room LA, Blue note Kyoto Japan, Cotton club Shanghai China, Commerce casino jazz&blues summer nights festival series, Pachanga casino, The Roxy LA, Catalina Jazz club,and MGM hotel Las Vegas to name a few, Patrick Charles television and movie appearances have include hit television shows Boston legal, Melrose Place, comedy central band, BET Jazz and Screen Media films "Crazy" the life of famed Jazz guitarist Hank Garland,Patrick Charles is endorsed by Exodus Cymbals. PATRICK CHARLES
 

mercoledì 9 luglio 2014

RICK ESTRIN AND THE NIGHTCATS "YOU ASKED FOR IT...LIVE!"

On You Asked For It—Live!, harmonica giant, songwriter, vocalist and Blues Music Award winner Rick Estrin, along with The Nightcats— jaw-dropping guitarist Chris “Kid” Andersen, singing drummer J. Hansen and dynamic multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Farrell (electric and acoustic bass, organ and Moog synthesizer)—serve up innovative, rollicking contemporary blues. The original songs are all injected with a solid dose of gritty roadhouse rock ‘n’ roll and Estrin’s trademark philosophical wiseguy humor. Since the release of their celebrated Alligator Records albums Twisted in 2009 and One Wrong Turn in 2012, the band has toured non-stop, sharpening their musical skills to a razor’s edge. The band is known as one of the most dynamic and exciting live acts in the blues today. Their sound, while steeped in the blues tradition, continues to push the genre into new territory.You Asked For It...Live! was recorded on October 5, 2013, (Estrin's birthday) at San Francisco’s Biscuits & Blues. According to Estrin, “Cutting loose and stretching out in an intimate, nightclub-type setting is the natural environment for the Nightcats to kick maximum ass. The fact that it was my birthday, in the town where I was born and raised, only added more fuel to the fire.”You Asked For It...Live! has the immediacy, feel and fun of a true Rick Estrin & The Nightcats performance. “No matter how much fun we have and how relaxed we can be in the studio, there’s still nothing like being in front of, and interacting with, our live audience,” Estrin says. The album features some of Rick Estrin’s best-loved and most-requested songs, dating back to his days as lead singer, songwriter and harmonica player of Little Charlie & The Nightcats (featuring Little Charlie Baty on guitar). The album is an up-to-the-minute and totally accessible slice of original, wry and witty blues with a simmering, funky rock edge fueled by Andersen’s blazing genre-hopping guitar and Farrell’s and Hansen’s dazzling keyboard and rhythm work. One listen makes it clear that this is a group comprised of four world-class musicians, who together form one of the tightest and most original bands in any genre. RICK ESTRIN AND THE NIGHTCATS
 

DYLAN HOWE "SUBTERRANEAN" NEW DESIGNS ON BOWIE'S BERLIN

Dylan Howe is an acclaimed drummer and bandleader, whose versatility and swing has led him to work in many genres and formats for the past 25 years.Best known for leading his quintet and other jazz groups since 2002 and his tenures with Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1997-2010), Steve Howe and Wilko
Johnson (2010-2013), coupled with extensive session work since 1990, playing with Nick Cave, Damon Albarn, Ray Davies, Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, Beth Gibbons, Gabrielle and Hugh Cornwell amongst many others.In February Dylan was asked to perform at Rest Is Noise Festival at the Southbank Centre with a special quartet lineup of his Stravinsky adaptations with co-leader Will Butterworth.In February and March he toured extensively with Wilko Johnson for his sold out farewell tour (also filmed for an imminent live DVD release).May-July comprised of gigs with Andy Sheppard and Denny Illet with their new group, as well sold out Summer festival sets with Wilko Johnson (including two upcoming shows at Japan’s Fuji Rock). DYLAN HOWE

LYNN DRURY "COME TO MY HOUSE"

Lynn Drury has been performing, in one arena or another, her entire life. At the ripe old age of five she won a 4-H state competition in Mississippi in pole bending. If you don’t know what pole bending is, it’s a little like barrel racing, Lynn says. That’s horse talk. In a word, rodeos. Once you know that much about Lynn, you understand her approach.She picked up the guitar at 26, went at it like a pro, and she’s never stopped working. Her inspiration is her environment and since the mid nineties, that environment has been New Orleans. The transition for the Yazoo City – born Drury was smooth. She says jasmine smells like honeysuckle, and you believe her. Sultry, sweet songs turn funky, and it’s all in the same neighborhood.These days, Lynn herself is part of the scenery. She’s been a regular at French Quarter Fest and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for years, and has played just about everywhere in town.Drury released her first CD, “Crossing Frequencies,” in 2001 and over the next two years released two more — “Blackberry Winter” and “Spun,” as well as winning Best Emerging Singer/Songwriter for Offbeat Magazine. In 2006 her record “All You Need” produced by Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers) was nominated for Best Roots-Rock Album at the Big Easy Awards, and it’s still selling. In 2008 Lynn moved to Italy and toured Europe with Italian guitarist Roberto Luti, releasing “Dal Vivo,” a live CD in 2009.In 2010 a grant from Threadhead Records Foundation assisted Lynn in making “Sugar On the Floor.” The stellar lineup on the record includes Alex McMurray (Tin Men, Royal Fingerbowl), Tommy Malone (Subdudes), Ivan Neville, Helen Gillet, Bill Malchow, and Eric Traub. Produced by Carlo Nuccio (who also plays drums on the album), much of the disc was recorded and engineered by Jacques DeLatour at Fudge Recording Studios in New Orleans. “Sugar On the Floor” was released in the spring of 2011.A new recording project is underway. In December 2012, Lynn received another grant from the Threadhead Foundation, and was able to defray studio costs for the initial sessions.“I am so excited about my new recording,” Lynn says. I am working with producer John Porter. When I heard he had produced the early Smith’s records, I knew I had to work with him. I’ve been gritty and I’ve been twangy, but I wanted a new direction for this project. Intuitively, it just felt right.”Drummer Chris Pylant and bass player Cassandra Faulconer are with her in the studio, and they go back a long way. “The three of us together are a tight trio that only comes with time.” The first session in April also included Trevor Brooks on keys and Chris Adkins and Alex McMurray on guitars, with a follow-up session just finished with Shane Theriot on guitar. Scheduled release is February  2014 with a European Tour slated for Nov 2013. Catch her if you can. LYNN DRURY
 

HERE COME THE MUMMIES "PULL IT OFF!"

It’s been a long and dusty road since 1922 when, at a dig in the desert south of Tunis, Professor Nigel Quentin Fontenelle Dumblucke IV (1895-1973) unearthed the ruins of an ancient discotheque to find a dozen undead Egyptian mummies inexplicably throwing down what he dubbed, "Terrifying Funk From Beyond the Grave."From these hovering souls, who called themselves Here Come The Mummies, Professor Dumblucke learned of the powerful curse that doomed them to wander the earth, seeking the ultimate riff, the one that may allow their spirits to rest after eons of, as they put it, "banging out solid fly grooves, y'all." But their story was murky at best... What is clear is that these saucy specters resurfaced around the turn of the Millennium. Without so much as a hot bath, HCTM would open for P-Funk and Al Green, rock Super Bowl Village 2012, become regulars at The Bob and Tom Show and massive festivals like Summerfest, and make themselves the darlings of sell-out crowds over wide swaths of North America. Maybe that's why the ladies (and some dudes) can't stop losing their minds over these mayhem-inducing mavens of mirth.2013 saw HCTM pool the remains of their dusty hearts, addled brains, and withered appendages to make Cryptic, their sixth studio album.A brand new EP, A La Mode (the first of a series) is available now, and later this year will come Rejuvannhilation, a full length concert film. HERE COME THE MUMMIES
 

IRENE KELLEY "PENNSYLVANIA COAL"

We call a collection of songs an "album," and never has the term been more apt than in Irene Kelley's new bluegrass powerhouse, "Pennsylvania Coal." It's like leafing through the generations of a family photo album, while Kelley lovingly fills in the details and fleshes out the characters.One photo is literal. On the back cover is a 100-year-old shot taken at the mouth of the Crabtree, Pennsylvania coalmine, and among the miners is Kelley's grandfather. Her title song is both centerpiece and fountainhead for the stories that follow. From this first-generation American tale of hardship and struggle comes the strength, hope and humility shown in the lives of succeeding generations.Kelley goes "back to her ('grass) roots" on this project. A bluegrass album with top bluegrass players has been on her "bucket list" since her days singing at the Bean Blossom and Clinch Mountain festivals in the 1980s. With seven-time Grammy winner (and longtime Ricky Skaggs bassist) Mark Fain producing, legendary pickers such as Stuart Duncan and Bryan Sutton, and a cast of singers including Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch and Trisha Yearwood, that dream has come true in a very big way.Not all the contributors are big names, though. Not yet anyway. Kelley's talented daughters Justyna and Sara Jean are all over "Pennsylvania Coal" as singers and co-writers, reinforcing family ties in songs where they are often enough part of the story.Kelley herself had an early start. At 19 she took offense to fellow 'grassers singing the praises of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, etc. and took it on herself to write a song defending the rural beauty of her native state. "Pennsylvania Is My Home" opened many doors, from a PBS documentary to a grassroots campaign for a Pennsylvania State Song senate bill, and eventually to Nashville, where she lives today. IRENE KELLEY