Debut release from hard hitting jazz quartet Gusto the Bodysnatcher.
Gusto draws influence from Australian artists such as Andrea Keller and
Scott Tinkler, with a hint of the 'new-hip jazz' of american Christian
Scott, and Swedish trio EST. It is through composed improvised music,
with the composed sections creating the context for the improvisation
that all members simultaneously contribute to.
2013 saw Gusto play throughout Melbourne at a variety of venues, from
Bennett's Lane to the Arts Centre, with the odd stop off at a pub venue
along the way. This EP was recorded in September and is a snapshot of
the path they have placed themselves on. Funding from this EP will be
going towards recording a full length album in mid 2014 that will
provide a stepping stone for the group to tour the country with.
MORBLUS (I) has been a synonym of an intriguing sound of Blues, Soul, Bluesrock and Rhythm & Blues for more than 20 years.The spirit and soul of their music does not only become apparent live on stage but also in their publications (7 CDs, 1 DVD) which mainly consist of original songs written and arranged by frontman Roberto Morbioli.There’s one thing in common: With their wide repertoire of blues classics, modern soul pieces and original compositions and with an unbridled amount of adrenaline, the quartet, around, MORBLUS evokes a unforgettable music experience which with its power and groove carries its audiences away more than any other act in the European music scene.Well known for their energetic sound, by fans and musicians alike, in Europe and beyond, Morblus has toured Italy with John Mayall, and Robben Ford and played the legendary B.B. King Blues Club in Memphis Tennessee.In their more than 20 years of band history, MORBLUS looks back at an impressing journey to the great stages in Europe and acquired a big fan community escpecially in their home country Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Luxemburg.In 2011, MORBLUS played more than 80 concerts, for example at the Sierre Blues Festival in Switzerland, the Blues’n Jazz Rallye in Luxemburg or the Trasimeno Blues Festival in Italy. MORBLUS
In 2008 nominated for a Grammy as a producer. Singer/songwriter Ira Walker has just released his much awaited Blues CD "Blame Me" which is up consideration in the 2013 56th Annual Grammy Awards. "Blame Me" - Best Blues Album and "Lets give love a try" - Best Rock Vocal PerformanceThe 12 tracks on this CD run the gamut of Blues genre, from Texas and the Mississippi Delta to Chicago. Ira’s songwriting, combined with his unique vocal style and musicianship, are central to what the blues are all about. That is bringing the listener out of their funk and into a more pleasurable state of mind. “Blame Me” is the blues meets The Blues.Ira has written and performed with a star studded list of Music Icons, including Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Eddie Money, Carlos Santana, Brian May, & Tommy Castro. He toured Europe with Keb’ Mo in 2000. In 2002, as singer/bass player, Ira recorded with the Trichromes featuring Neal Schon (Journey), Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), and legendary lyricist Robert Hunter.Working as a songwriter for 7 years with Warner/Chapel publishing he co-wrote the pop hit "I Wanna Go Back" for Eddie Money and has worked on records that include, Lenny Williams (Tower of Power), Greg Rollie (Santana), Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, Lee Ann Womack, Patti Loveless, Steve Earle, & David Lee Murphy.With 14 album producer credits to date, his new up-coming CD "Blame Me" features many world renowned players - Brent Mason, Buddy Hyatt, Steve Hunter, Jack White, Brad Gillis, Monty Byrom, and David Kaffinetti aka “Viv Savage” (Spinal Tap) to name a few.Ira’s musical pedigree has evolved into his own unique style of Blues & Southern Soul. As he says, “I’ve waited many years to be an old black man playing the Blues!” IRA WALKER
Madrid born vocalist and composer Rebeca Vallejo is a most versatile and innovative performer. Known for combining her ancestral Flamenco roots, her deep love and understanding of Brazilian music, with the language of Jazz, Rebeca Vallejo deftly weaves all these elements into a sound that is truly unique. Equal parts nomad and musician, Rebeca Vallejo’s life has led her across several continents and infused her music with an awareness and understanding of a multitude of cultures. Born into a family of singers in Madrid, Spain, Rebeca was immediately immersed in the rich musical language of Flamenco, learning at the feet of her grandfather, himself a Flamenco singer.Beginning her public performances at the age of four, the musical journey that started in an urban neighborhood of Madrid eventually took Ms. Vallejo to Great Britain, where she developed a deep passion for Jazz. Arriving in New York in 2000, Rebeca began collaborating and performing with the most sought after musicians of the Latin-Jazz scene. Through this exposure, she uncovered the emotional beauty and rhythmic complexity of Brazilian music. It was there that she discovered the third corner of a musical triangle that, together with Jazz and Flamenco, would shape her musical foundation. In addition to being an acclaimed performer, Rebeca Vallejo is the creator and bandleader of the musical projects EuroLatinJazz and EuroLatinFunk, an accomplished composer/Jazz arranger (among her composition projects are 300 children songs written for the national franchise “The Language Workshop”) and for two years she was the main vocalist of the Flamenco Dance Company “Día Flamenco”.Since 2012 Rebeca Vallejo has been an active performing member of the Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale. In 2009 Rebeca Vallejo was granted a scholarship to the prestigious Flamenco institution Cristina Heeren in Seville, Spain, where she focused on the study of Flamenco repertoire and Flamenco singing techniques. During the year of 2012 Rebeca Vallejo served as the director of SMINYC, a collective of musicians from Spain residing in New York, sponsored by the Spanish Cultural institution Centro Español. The mission statement of SMINYC was to support and promote musicians from Spain in New York by producing monthly events where projects of all musical genres are showcased. Through the success of the events organized by SMINYC, Rebeca Vallejo nurtured a lasting relationship with the Spanish Embassy in Washington and Spanish Consulate in NY (which became official sponsors of all her musical presentations) as well as with the world-wide prestigious cultural institution of Instituto Cervantes Among Rebeca Vallejo’s musical accomplishments are numerous performances in renowned events (Jazz Aspen Gala accompanied by Chucho Valdes’s band, Havana, Cuba), festivals (Gentse Feesten, Gent, Belgium), and venues such as the Modern Art Museum in Salvador, BRAZIL, The Kennedy Center (Washington), Carnegie Hall (with the NY Youth Orchestra, NY), and the United States Capitol (accompanying Gospel Grammy award winners Yolanda Adams and Dorinda Clark at the “Unveiling of Sojourner Truth’s bust”).Rebeca is currently promoting and touring her third studio album entitled “Azúcar Canela” The album is being brought to life under the direction of Grammy Award Winning producer John Seymour (Santana, U2, Dave Matthews Band). “Azúcar, Canela” develops an interestingly raw multi-cultural “concept trio” of piano–drums/percussion– voice. Accompanied by George Dulin (Kenny Werner, Chris Potter, John Scofield) at the piano, and David Silliman (Cassandra Wilson, Edmar Castañeda, Al DiMeola) playing drums/ percussion, this trio delivers a powerful and poignant live performance experience. REBECCA VALLEJO
The formation of The Revivalists was all about chance, but everything
since then has been a combination of hard work, awesome music, and
friendship. The septet has been playing nonstop since 2007, crafting a
genre-hopping sound that rounds out traditional rock instrumentation
with horns and pedal steel guitar and mixes the divergent backgrounds of
its individual members with the humid, funky undercurrents of the
band’s New Orleans home. The result is like English spoken with an
exotic accent: familiar, yet difficult to pin down.Religion aside, a revival is all about the tangible electricity that
can only be created when enough like minds are crammed under a single
roof for a singular purpose. It’s a spiritual spectacle, a carnival of
the divine, a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The same could
be said for The Revivalists’ searing live performances. The band has a
knack for bringing music to life on a stage, and they have tuned their
talents to Swiss-watch precision over years of relentless touring. Their
bombastic showmanship is the outgrowth of a desire to connect with
audiences on a personal level, and that intimate connection is what
elevates their shows above simple entertainment.True to their name, The Revivalists lean more heavily on the older
styles and warmer sounds of the golden age of rock ‘n roll, but the band
isn’t afraid to dabble in electronics and sleight-of-studio when it’s
right for the song. The group tends not to bother with questions like
“does this sound like us?” or “does this fit with our other stuff?”,
instead allowing songs to define themselves and take shape organically,
each on its own terms. Is this a dark, heavy rock manifesto driven by a
steel guitar line that borders on electronica, or is it an airy,
acoustic story about star-crossed lovers, rich in vocal harmony and
sparsely arranged until the coda? This one’s funky, that one’s sweet,
this one’s heavy….THE REVIVALISTS
Baby If I Review From Fred "Virgil" Turgis - Jumpn from 6 to 6: You'll find a wide variety of genres on Dawn Shipley's second album. The opening track Bear With Me Baby is a solid rocking song with an early 60's beat. Of course, there's a majority of Rockabilles like Anyone But You (nice guitar work with some Scotty Moore echoes in it), the frantic rhythm of Baby If I, the cover of Glen Glenn's One Cup Of Coffee and on the rural edge full Moon Keeps On Shining. Empty Stretch Of Highway a haunting country song with echo on the guitar has some more modern vibes in it. I's probably one of the best cut of the album and I suppose I'm not the only one to think that because you find an alternate take more acoustic and slower that ends the album. On the traditional country side Make Believe is a true and classic Honky Tonk with good steel throughout and Patsy Cline's Crazy Dream is slightly played faster than the original, but is still a great country weeper. Warm voice, slight rhythm and jazz chords on the guitar are on the menu of Goin' Crazy a love song a la Fever. Sharp Shootin' a fine hillbilly instrumental is another occasion for guitarist Joel Morin to shine on picking guitar and on steel. The rest of the band has to be credited too for their solid work on the album: Tony Macias on bass and Tony DeHerrera on drums. Good job.Baby If I Review From Midwest Records: DAWN SHIPLEY & the Sharp Shooters/Baby If I: A thoroughly modern gal from Texas with a rockabilly/hillbilly streak doesn't channel the 50's energy of Wanda Jackson so much as an amped up Patsy Cline. Loaded with sincere handmade charm, Shipley and her crew love their work and do everything they can to make it sound like play. Like the lo-fi stuff Ray Campi and that rockabilly bunch from the 70's did, Shipley is building her own thing from the ground up and we're all having a grand time as the building goes up. Certainly a tasty slab of fun from todays rockabilly underground. DAWN SHIPLEY & THE SHARP SHOOTERS
Artist, Cellist, Singer, Lyricist, Community Activist and Healer;
these are a few titles which could be used to describe Monica McIntyre.
As a musician Monica weaves a beautiful tapestry of colors and sounds so
vivid and unique that one genre simply cannot cover it all. She
seamlessly blends: Blues, Soul, Classical, Jazz, Reggae and Middle
Eastern sounds with the unique cello techniques of: slapping, plucking
and strumming, into an unforgettable musical landscape.
Seeing her perform onstage is an enthralling experience and before
you know it you'll be swaying or stomping your feet alongside the
mesmerizing sounds of her cello. The meticulous storytelling, metaphor
and word play that dominate her lyrics cause her songs to be seen and
heard as succinct novellas. Her voice, with it's smoky texture and
emotional quality, has left audiences crying, dancing, laughing and
testifying.
So who is Monica McIntyre? She is equal parts Jamaican
metaphor-laden mother and read-the-dictionary-for-fun father; a perfect
writers combination. Originally from Hyattsville, MD, she began her
cello career in classical studies; honing her craft through private
lessons and orchestral ensembles with the District of Columbia Youth
Orchestra (DCYO). After graduating from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in
Greenbelt, MD, Monica migrated to Philadelphia, PA to study Fashion
Design at Drexel University. In 1999 she earned a BA from the Nesbitt
College of Design Arts.Living in the city of Brotherly Love, where she was immersed in:
Funk, Soul, R & B, Jazz, and World Music; brought her back to her
first love, music. In October 2003 she released her debut album Blusolaz
-- a collection of original songs which fused the genres of Blues, Soul
and Jazz. Bars of Gold, her first single, was released in August 2005.
Monica has been featured at numerous events throughout the world most
notably: Soul Sista's Jukejoint (GA) 2005, The 215 Festival (PA) 2005,
Sistahood Celebration (Vancouver) 2008, The Philadelphia Fringe Festival
(PA) 2008 & 2009, The Black Women's Art Festival (PA) 2009,
Sisterspace (MD) 2009, Ladyfest New Orleans (LA) 2010 & 2011, New
Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (LA) 2013, and The French Quarter
Fest (LA) 2013. Most recently Monica was a featured artist on the online
International music show "Balcony TV".
Trumpeter Jay Phelps is at the forefront of the young and creative generation of jazz musicians in the UK, with an instantly recognisable warm and projecting tone. A Vancouver-born Canadian, Jay was tutored by the city’s top jazz and classical trumpeters and distinguished himself early on as the youngest band-leader in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s history.In 1999 aged 17, Jay moved to London, determined to immerse himself in the jazz scene and immediately attracted the notice of Gary Crosby who offered him work with Jazz Jamaica in 2002, the opportunity to be a Tomorrow’s Warriors. Citing Louis Armstrong, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown and Miles Davis as his main influences, Jay went on to create and co-lead the young and hip jazz sensation Empirical, where he spent two years touring major festivals and events with their self titled debut album, while garnering worldwide media attention that UK jazz musicians haven’t enjoyed for years.Jay has performed and recorded with a veritable who’s who of both UK and international jazz artists such as; Courtney Pine, Andrew Hill, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Brown, John Hendricks, Nasheet Waits, George Benson, Jamie Cullum, Sir John Dankworth, Dennis Rollins, Guy Barker, Amy Winehouse, Charlotte Church, Hugh Masakela and Jazz Jamaica.Jay Phelps has never been work shy and over the years has toured and is featured in a diverse range of bands such as Soweto Kinch The New Emancipation project and new project The Legend of Mike Smith, Skatroniks, Ska Cubano, Courtney Pine’s Jazz Warriors project, and leads his own Jay Phelps Big Band project featuring BBC Radio 2’s Clare Teal.He has guested with Wynton Marsali’s Jazz at Linclon Centre Orchestra for Marsalis’ epic, Congo Square. Then later that summer proceeded to have two sell out nights featuring the Jay Phelps Big Band at the world renowned Ronnie Scott’s jazz venue in London. Then capped off that year playing in the London Jazz Festival with David Murray Big Band featuring Macy Gray and supporting the performance with his own quartet.Jay expanded his wings into TV where he featured in an 1930s band on BBC’s Dancing on The Edge.Jay will be touring in winter/spring 2014 tour with his project Projections Of: Miles featuring American alto saxophonist Logan Richardson around the UK and is recording his new album. JAY PHELPS
Benjamin Herman got his first saxophone at the age of twelve. At
thirteen he was already playing on the professional club circuit. Within
a few years he was appearing with different groups around the world and
initiating projects of his own. His fame spread beyond jazz circles in
the 1990s when he formed the groundbreaking ensemble New Cool
Collective. Having made a name as soloist while still a teenager,
Benjamin Herman has appeared on over a hundred records with all kinds of
artists, from Candy Dulfer to Misha Mengelberg. Herman has also built a
career in Holland and abroad as a composer. With New Cool Collective as
well as with his smaller band’s his gigs are inspired by dance floor
jazz, surf and punk music, free jazz and traditional music from all over
the world, attracting music fans of all genres as well as straight
ahead jazz aficionados. At the same time he has explored in depth the
repertoire of composers such a Byard, Monk and Mengelberg.Today Benjamin Herman is one of the most original and productive jazz
musicians in the Netherlands exploring influences beyond the confines
of the jazz world. After signing to DOX Records in 2005 Benjamin Herman
produced a series of cd’s and vinyl’s. He also won his third Edison for
the album ‘Campert’ (featuring Dutch poet Remco Campert), He recorded
and toured with Paul Weller, programmed several festivals, toured in
Brazil, Argentina, Kenya, Russia, Britain, Canada, England, Ireland and
Japan and worked on numerous projects in the Netherlands. In 2006 he
received the prestigious VPRO/Boy Edgar Award and was voted ‘Best
Dressed Dutchman of 2008′ by Esquire magazine. BENJAMIN HERMAN
