Daniel “Weenie” Farrow, born in New Orleans in 1932, played Blues and Jazz on the local scene since 1950. Highly in demand ever since throughout the United States and Europe, he has also appeared with R&B singers Shirley & Lee in the late 50s, and now at Preservation Hall. One of his trademarks is his beautiful, emotional and individual tone. Norbert Susemihl, born in 1956 in Germany, played and studied New Orleans Music since the 70s, and has been living and performing part-time in the Crescent City and Europe since 1978. He covers a wide range of New Orleans styles. Susemihl and Farrow played regularly on the Mississippi riverboats through the 80s. This is their first recording together. Seva Vernet has been active on the New Orleans music scene since 1999, playing, composing and teaching music, and also performing and touring abroad. He is a regular with Lionel Ferbos, the Treme Brass Band, his own Storyville Stringband and other bands in the city. His rhythmic approach bears a strong resemblance to the legendary Danny Barker. Kerry Lewis, born in New Orleans in 1973, is one of the leading bass players in the city today, both in traditional jazz and other fields. This is reflected in the multitude of CDs he has contributed to. He cofounded a record company and leads his own band, Abstract. His tone is very strong and natural, swinging and rich in rhythmic variations.
Jayna began singing jazz at the George Washington University in 1998. After receiving her BA in music with a concentration in classical voice in 2003, she returned to her hometown of New Orleans. As a swing and Charleston dancer and instructor, Jayna would frequent the jazz clubs dancing to every jazz band in the city, and would often sing a song or two. In early 2005, Jayna and former dance partner Michael Norris formed NOLA Swing, an organization that promoted the teaching and love of swing dancing in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina, Michael moved away; however, Jayna stayed and has been blessed to work under the artistic direction of international instructor and world champion Nathalie Gomes. In addition, Jayna and her friend Ellen Boyer formed the professional Charleston dance troupe, The Frenchmen Street Flappers, and can be seen performing around town. In recent years, Jayna studied jazz performance under the direction of famed New Orleans jazz musicians, and has branched out to perform at various jazz clubs around New Orleans and the US. She appreciates the generosity the music community has shown her and the support from her friends and family. Jayna owes everything to her mother, Carol Morgan, who passed away in April 2009, for encouraging her to fulfill her dreams and to pursue happiness. She thanks her husband, Chad Decuers, for all of his support and encouragement! JAYNA MORGAN & THE SAZERAC SUNRISE JAZZ BAND
Abby can seemingly sing any note & has mastery over every genre. Skye is a masterful songwriter, multi instrumentalist, accomplished sound engineer & producer.Solely producing her first EP she wrote, sang, played & recorded the tunes, in a studio she built herself. At 5yrs old Skye was bringing the house down at Parent Teacher Associ Xmas bash! From then on she was going to be a musician. She joined grade4 choir & learnt flute, guitar, piano & classical & contemporary voice as well as studying poetry. Took up lead voice; conductor of the school Concert Band & Madrigal Choir. She studied music passing every exam with high distinctions. As a member of the Australian Girls Choir she had performed with Symphony Orchestras at Melbourne Concert Hall many times – all by age 12! By 14 She’d formed a duo called ‘Hacking Daisies’ winning competitions & playing many festivals & live shows. By 15 she had started ‘solo’ shows, including performing for the President of Hungary! No wonder the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts beckoned & she easily gained acceptance, studying with highly respected Brian Hasford, Head of Opera. Her heart lay with performing originals & she went full time at 17.She learnt every aspect of production, engineering & recorded her EP ‘Addicted’. Artists such as Renee Geyer, James Reyne & Mental as Anything booked her as support Act. Now a well established & respected artist in QLD Destined for Bigger Thiings! ABBY SKYE
Gregg Martinez—whose blend of blues, R&B and swamp pop music he describes as “bayou blues and Creole soul”—was born and raised and still lives in the Cajun country of south Louisiana—where he began singing in church at the age of eight. Ten years later, he was singing professionally. His powerhouse voice, which has been compared to Sam Cooke and Luther Vandross, took him from the bars and nightclubs of the bayou country to some of the finest resorts, casinos and clubs throughout the nation. He had an exclusive performing contract with Donald and Ivana Trump and a seven figure recording contract. By 1986, Gregg was on the brink of stardom in the music industry, yet like many great artists, somehow slipped through the cracks of the star maker machinery. The late Ed Bradley of TV’s 60 Minutes—upon seeing him perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2005—called Gregg Martinez one of America’s greatest hidden treasures. His talent is the stuff of legend and even after more than thirty years, Gregg is better than ever. He has performed throughout the U.S. and has toured South Africa, England, Wales, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Gregg has released ten recordings, Wonders Never Cease- 1991, Love Has A Voice- 1993, They That Wait- 1997, For The Ages- 1999, All The Days- 2001, Christmas- 2002, Bring Down The Thunder- 2004, Big Bad Daddy- 2006, South Of The Parish Line- 2011, and the brand new Creole Soul-2013, his first on Louisiana Red Hot Records. His music is played on radio stations in the U.S. and abroad. Gregg has shared the stage with many notable artists including Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, BTO, Dobie Gray, Shirley Caesar, Percy Sledge, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Patti Labelle, and Bobby “Blue” Bland. He is also the former lead singer of the Boogie Kings, for which, as a member of that legendary group, he was selected into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010. He wrote and recorded the title song for their final album, Never Go Away- 2007. Gregg and his band, the Delta Kings, are available to perform at selected venues and festivals. GREGG MARTINEZ
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Saxophone player with a degree in classical music, specialized in the United States on Berklee College of Music (Boston). In his career he has had many successes in different areas of music. From classical music, popular music, jazz, soul, funk, playing in various ensembles from small groups to orchestras, from club music (even playing on the street) to concert and sport halls, in fifteen years of his career, Igor Gerzina has worked with almost all important people on the Croatian music scene. Some of them are known outside Croatia such as: jazz vibraphonist Bosko Petrovic, jazz composer Miljenko Prohaska, guitarist Elvis Stanic, arranger Silvije Glojnaric. He has had more than 70 discography releases, around thirty music videos, the whole line of television shows and programs, appearances as a guest player in radio shows. He has won many awards, among which are two Porin awards, three Status awards, Crni macak award and many nominations. He has also got several awards on State competitions. IGOR GERZINA
Padam Swing is a highly unique New York gypsy jazz band which delivers a mix of classic American 30′s and 40′s jazz standards, Bossa Nova and French Songs. With a line-up of virtuoso musicians this ensemble features captivating violin and harmonica melodies, dazzling guitar stylings, and the sultry sounds of upright bass.Formed in 2013 Padam Swing is a unique Brooklyn-based “french gypsy jazz” band leaded by top-notch harmonica player Yvonnick Prene about to take the New York music scene by storm! Their incredibly thrilling music showcases virtuosic technique, electrifying improvisation, rapid tempos, daring key changes and eclectic musical literacy. Padam Swing melds the spirit of traditional gypsy jazz and french songs with modern grooves, improvisation and east coast attitude. Inspired by the music of Parisian genius Django Reinhardt during the 30′s and 40’s, they continue the heritage while also showcasing original tunes written by their members. YVONNICK PRENE & PADAM SWING
Born in 1997 from the myriad of sounds that comprise the New Orleans music scene, Aural Elixir's eclectic piano and vocal jazz-rock-folk fusion has been delighting audiences for over fifteen years. Often compared to Tori Amos & Joni Mitchell, Jesse Maclaine's performance as Aural Elixir delivers versatile, soulful music that is both accessible and defies categorization. "Partially Domesticated Amazon: Exposed!" is the 1st in a series of 3 records entitled "Aural Elixir Three Ways." This series explores three different approaches to making an album from the same studio sessions. This first version is a live trio, 3 real time performances with no overdubs or other types of extreme electronic manipulation. With this CD, we pay homage to our musical ancestors. The few who were blessed with the opportunity to record their music did not have the luxuries afforded us by modern technology. They all gathered in one room and recorded their songs into one microphone, no computers, no special effects, no Auto-Tune, only people making music together in the same space and time."Partially Domesticated Amazon:Exposed!" shows our creativity, our strengths, our flaws, our individuality, our improvised synergistic convergences and captures the real moments involved in the mystical process of making music. AURAL ELIXIR
Based in the wonderfully named Fort Dodge in Iowa, Erick Hovey learnt the basic blues scale when he was only eight years old. Erick has improved on this in such a stupendous way that this album makes you wonder why you haven’t come across his name before? Out of these dozen tunes, the delightful Patchouli certainly grabbed my attention. It is songs like this which make you yearn for an extended version as this groove never becomes tiresome. Fight That Monkey opens with guitar but this is soon joined by vocals which blew me away. Pronounced by Real Blues Magazine as being among their top hundred new releases for 2009, I would urge others to follow their and my own advice to try their utmost to track down a copy of this very distinguished The opener on the Blues Farm CD, “Ball and Chain,” has a slow, moody, funky backdrop with some terrific understated guitar work. “Know Who You Are” is more upbeat, almost blues/rock with Hovey’s ragged but right guitar, and features some tasty harmonica from Andy Blumenthal and keyboards from Tom Gary. “Soda Pop Girl” is a gentle swinger about a girl who drives our protagonist around town while he drinks, and “Patchouli” is highlighted by Hovey’s stinging guitar fills. Other highlights include the atmospheric “Runnin’ With A Full Moon,” the jazzy workout, “Fight That Monkey,” “Missing Part,” and the guitar-driven shuffle, “I’m Through.” Hovey’s a fine guitarist and his vocals are solid and suit the material well, and he gets excellent support from Blumenthal (harmonica), Gary (keys), Jeff Foreman (drums), Dan Lodden (bass), and Heather Kelly (vocals). This is a pretty solid set of Midwest blues that will please most blues fans. Graham Clarke / Blues Bytes / MS, USA ERICK HOVEY
Elliott Ranney is a Jazz musician and recording artist. His album, An Aging Sailor’s Dream, was released in the Spring of 2001 through Wildstone Media, based in St. Louis, Mo. The recording was recently re-released internationally in 2012 through Inpartmaint, LLC, on the Rip Curl Records label, based in Tokyo, Japan. Ranney released his second album of original songs, Bellevue Shuffle, in Autumn of 2013. Elliott performs finger style classical guitar, backed with his cool mellow vocals. His original music is derived from Bossa, Swing, Ballads and popular Jazz standards. In his live show, Ranney covers all the bases with an energy that is laid back, yet engaging and in the groove. His brand of sound can be described as a Jazz/Acoustic hybrid, with undertones of Latin and Swing. Like a warm soft breeze blowing your troubles out to sea, if only for a little while. Elliott has shared the stage with Folk Rock icons: Brewer & Shipley, Shawn Phillips, and singer/songwriter, Jonatha Brooke. He is a regular performer at Blue Sky Vineyard, near Carbondale, Il.; Peaceful Bend Vineyard in Steelville, Mo.; and Picassos Coffee House in St. Charles, Mo. From time to time, Elliott is joined on stage by his wife, Ellen Claire Ranney on vocals his sons Stephen Ranney on upright bass, and Bryan Ranney on mandolin, and his long-time friend and superb Latin percussionist, Patrick Rodriguez. ELLIOTT RANNEY
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