A master of tone and phrasing, Robin Banks has a vocal style, strength
and clarity that has been compared to Etta James and Dinah Washington.
But match that with the charisma and boldness of a Tina Turner and
you'll understand why Robin Banks has the world on a string!Robin Banks has her roots deeply dug. Born in Canada a mere 50 miles
from Detroit, then transplanted to Dallas, and then Jamaica, Banks is a
diverse, international artist who is clearly comfortable with Jazz,
Classic R&B, Soul, even Reggae. She’s often lauded for her
captivating live performance, her confident ability to connect and
affect each member of her audience, her sincerity and certainly her
authenticity. Robin Banks has established herself as a fearless, female
force in International Blues circles recording and performing with the
likes of Duke Robillard, Doug James and a long list of legendary Texas,
West Coast and Chicago musicians. A powerful songwriter as well, Tom
Hyslop of Blues Revue Magazine was quoted as saying Banks writes
compositions "that lyrically echo the song craft of Cole Porter and the
Gershwins". ROBIN BANKS
Karen Vrijburg is a jazzvocalist/composer based in The Netherlands. A collision with jazz early in life ignited a lifelong
journey of free exploration
which she describes as ”a long and turbulent but very satisfying love
affair” with music. She occasionally performs in the Amsterdam area in
an intimate high voltage setting. She lives with her family near the
coast of the North Sea.Karen Vrijburg voice compositions ( track 1,2,3,5,9,11)
Dirk Balthaus piano, string arrangements
Marco Zenini bass,
Etienne Nillesen drums
Natalio Sued tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute
Jasper Le Clercq violin
Jeffrey Bruinsma violin
Oene van Geel viola
Emile Visser cello. Recorded at Powersound Studio, Amsterdam,
Sound Engineer - Paul Pouwer
Producer - Karen Vrijburg
Label-Distribution- Berthold Records, Germany,
Photograpy - Keke Keutelaa.
KAREN VRIJBURG
Founded in 2005 by singer and composer Andreas Schaerer, this Swiss
sextet has already grown a beard and started to stay out late.
Schaerer’s compositions slip through any easy attempts at categorization
as easily as a trout squirms free of a fisherman’s hands. The group was
finally brought ashore in 2007, when they released their first album
for the Swiss label Unit Records.
The reviews were glowing, sales were brisk, and the album had to be
re-released after being sold out in a couple of months. Since then, the band has traveled thousands of kilometers on the
Autobahn, drank many a liter of gas station coffee, and played more
solos and refrains than they care to remember — on tours in Switzerland,
Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. They’ve tickled the fancies of
audiences and expert juries alike. In May 2008 the group won the ZKB
Jazz Prize. The long and storied list of stages where Hildegard Lernt
Fliegen has performed include many a jazz club and cabaret, but also
festivals such as Jazznojazz Zürich, Cully Jazz, BeJazz Winterfestival,
Offside Festival Geldern, Suisse Jazz Diagonales, Langnauer Jazz Nights,
Dresdner Jazztage, and the Stanser Musiktage.November 2009 was no time for putting their feet up and relaxing by
the fire. Au contraire, Hildegard had a date with destiny and was
beaver-busy preparing their second album — Vom fernen Klang der Sache — appeared
as a CD/picture-book designer by the Zurich-based illustrator Peter
Baeder. Hildegard made her music video debut with the song “Seldom was
Covered with Snow and an Old Oak,” in a charmingly surrealist staging
directed by Maria Sigrist.Hildegard Lernt Fliegen made Russia their home in the fall of 2010.
The group toured for two weeks through a landscape which seemed to have
been painted just for them. Two stowaways on board — the filmmaker
Michelle Brun and sound editor Martin Ruch — recorded the highlights of
this Swiss-Soviet summit before locking themselves for a few months in
an editing studio… Meanwhile, Hildegard continued touring, returning to
Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The following fall
the band returned to their ursine hometown (Bern) to release the CD Live in Moscow and their concert tour film Tales Wander. HILDEGARD LERNT FLIEGEN
Emilia Mårtensson moved to London in 2000 to study at Trinity College
of Music. In 2010 she joined Kairos 4tet as vocalist and lyricist and
was a key factor in helping the group win Best Jazz Act at the 2011 MOBO
Awards. In 2012 she released the duo album And So It Goes... with
pianist Barry Green, and was described by The Observer as The New Face
of British Jazz. “Mårtensson invests every sound with a skimming,
rapturous lightness and clarity.” (Jon Fordham, The Guardian)
Pianist Barry Green has played with a wide-range of British jazz stars
including Don Weller, Bobby Wellins, Christine Tobin, Ian Shaw, Dave
Green and others, and is a regular member of groups led by Ingrid
Laubrock and Larry Bartley. He leads a quartet featuring Mark Hanslip,
Oli Hayhurst and Tim Giles, which plays his own compositions, and he
co-leads the quartet Babelfish, with singer Brigitte Berha. “A cerebral
swinger with a liking for unexpected harmonic turns.” (The Independent}
Sam Lasserson is a London-based bassist who is part of New York drummer
Jeff Williams’ powerhouse UK quintet, and has played with Bobby Wellins,
Anita Wardell, Martin Speake, Frode Kjekstadt and others, “Lasserson...
exhibit[s] a hard-driving resourcefulness ... to rival some of the
world’s best-known post- bop practitioners.” (The Guardian Online)
Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale moved to London in 2000. He has
performed with his own bands Sambura and the Adriano Adewale Group,
which released an acclaimed debut album, Sementes in 2008, and has
played with Latin jazz legends including Airto Moreira, Flora Purm and
Seu Jorge. EMILIA MARTENSSON
Recently signed by the 33 Jazz label, the Johanna Graham Quartet
comprises the elegant and hugely accomplished guitar phrasing of Martin
Bowie, an exciting and vital drumming talent in Damian Rodd, brilliant
and sensitive double bass from Tim Greenhalgh and Johanna herself on
vocals. The journey began in 2005 when Johanna discovered Martin as he
was completing his jazz degree and the pair began to work together as a
duo. In 2008 Johanna incorporated Tim Greenhalgh on bass, with Damian
Rodd completing the quartet two years ago, forming a tight and
enthusiastic team. The band are extremely popular in Cornwall having
entertained audiences in the south west for many years, and with the
release of their new album, they have been venturing further afield.
Johanna's captivating stage presence and emotive style puts a fresh spin
on jazz standards, with original compositions and modern classics
arranged in her own unique way, and together the group produce a
passionate and exciting sound. The quartet won the ‘This Is Cornwall
Best Jazz Act’ in 2012, and were nominated for Best Jazz Act in the
South West Music Awards.Johanna Graham is an emotive and accomplished singer and a dynamic
performer. Originally training and working as an actress, her passion
for jazz started with a love of old movies whilst growing up. Her
Thespian background lends sincerity and a sense of drama to her live
shows. Her sweet and mellow voice is Influenced by the likes of Ella
Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day and Julie London, and her vocal interpretation
makes every performance special and very personal.Martin Bowie is a Bachelor of the Arts in Contemporary World Jazz. An
accomplished guitarist with roots in blues, funk and acid-jazz and over
20 years experience, his influences include Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass,
Tal Farlow and George Benson. Martin has worked with artists including
New Orleans jazz ambassador Lillian Boutte, trumpet player Damon Brown
and saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft, flamenco guitarist Esteban Antonio
and Marty Wilson-Piper (guitarist in The Church and All About Eve).Tim Greenhalgh, At age 17 Tim discovered the music of Joni Mitchell
and Jaco Pastorius, which inspired him to the fretless bass, During his
20’s he performed in a wide genre of music and worked extensively in
both the festival and club scene. Tim has 25 years experience as a
bassist, performing with renowned jazz artists including Damon Brown and
Brandon Allen. He is strongly influenced by the work of John Taylor,
Palle Danielsson, Dave Holland, Charlie Haden and Scott LaFaro.Damian Rodd is son of pianist Viv Rodd. His musical career started at
14. Whilst a member of trip hop band Lowpass, Damian toured with Lamb
and Tricky, refuelling his love for electronic music and crossover
styles. Since moving to Cornwall, Damian has set up a production studio
(Big Milk) and teaches jazz to degree level. He produced the album 8am
(named album of the week in the London Evening Standard) with his father
and vocalist Kris Gayle. Damian’s influences include Vinnie Colaiuta,
Buddy Rich, Tony Williams & Jojo Mayer.The Johanna Graham Quartet have performed at the Barbican
International Jazz & Blues Festival, Birmingham International Jazz
& Blues Festival, Bude Jazz Festival, Teignmouth Jazz Festival, St
Ives Jazz Club, the Groucho Club, London, The National Trust, RNAS
Culdrose - HMS Seahawk, the Headland Hotel, Newquay and the Daphne Du
Maurier Festival as well as extensively across the South West of
England. JOHANNA GRAHAM QUARTET
Woima Collective follow up their first album with
their Frou Frou Rokko LP, and delve even further into the African
rhythms that inspire them. Building on the ground work that Woima
Collective's debut LP Tezeta laid down, this collection of tracks
goes even deeper to exploring the interlocking crossrhythms that
abound on the African continent. That's not just a figure of speech:
many of the songs were composed while band leader Johannes
Schleiermacher traveled Africa over three months last year. Passing
through Morocco, Mali, and Senegal, Johannes discovered many new
grooves and dance moves on his journey, which have all played their
part in the developing Woima sound. The title Frou Frou Rokko comes
from Johannes' Bamako base, a friendly community house. "The people
are very hospitable, and because I came as a musician, I had a very
good connection with them. Then when I played with them, it just got
better. They were really happy when I adapted to their style, and
they loved it when I caught some phrases of theirs!" Johannes
explored new rhythms as he went, using them as inspiration to create
his own grooves. "For me, the groove's the most important thing," he
insists. "Melodies are always pushing the tracks forward, but the
groove is what gets you in the mood! The music in Mali often has no
climax, it can go on for a very long time, repeating yet it doesn't
get boring. It's a different approach to what we might be used to in
Europe. I think you can hear those longer, more hypnotic influences
on this record." Some of the tracks are dedicated to specific
events, like the song that Johannes wrote while he was dosedup on
Malaria medicine, or Brain Clear Heart, about the incurable romantic
he met on the border to Senegal, who dreamt of all cultures around
the world playing music together. The lineup is almost exactly the
same as the previous album, with a couple of extra guests for good
measure. Also the band had some time to play around with the new
material before recording at Berlin's Lovelight facility a luxury
they weren't afforded on the first LP. Combine this extra testing
time with the fact that the band have settled into their own skin,
and the result is a lot more open, with longer solos and improvised
passages. Upfront, yet stretched out, Woima Collective have put
another twist on their modern day africaninfluenced ensemble, and
dive even further into their own sound. WOIMA COLLECTIVE
Michael
Zigon is an L.A based Musician who incorporates
Blues,Funk.R&B,Bluegrass,Folk and Psychedelic Rock in to his sound.
When asked about his eclectic style of music Michael had this to say. "I
never listened to one type of music. I was always jumping from style to
style. I remember when I was eleven or twelve I went in to my local
record store with my mom. I asked the store keeper for a Blink 182 CD
and after he got it for me I asked him for a Grateful Dead album. I
remember the shop keeper just laughed saying "ok Blink 182 and Grateful
Dead I've never sold those together". " but thats what I love about
music you can make it anything you want it to be and it is impossible to
be wrong because there is no right way to do it". As you can see
Michael approaches his music in a way that nobody gets left out. there
is something for everyone. MICHAEL ZIGON
The Debut EP from Joe Taylor.Joe has the spent the last few years studying at the prestigious Leeds
College of music, performing in bands and session work, and developing
his own sound as a solo artist.
Joe Taylor's EP draws on his influences of soul, blues and pop. Hailing
from Yorkshire, Joe grew up listening to artists such as Curtis
Mayfield, The Temptations and Ray Charles.
Heavily involved with all areas of the production on this EP, he has
crafted a distinctive and personal sound, launching him as a credible
and contemporary soul artist. Joe Taylor & Xerxes – Producer
Xerxes – Mixing Engineer
Adam Taylor - Drums
Joshua Pamplin - Bass (Blossom Avenue)
Thomas Orrell - Bass (Losing You Was Everything)
Luke Ledger – Baritone & Tenor Saxophone
James Duckworth – Trumpet
Joe Taylor, Matt Glover & Thomas Battye – Brass Arrangement (Blossom Avenue)
Emily Lynn – Backing Vocals
Local husband and wife folk blues duo Good
Diction is a great example of the kind of group that reaffirms my
commitment to independent music and provides an ever welcome source of
inspiration.The key to the blues (or any style really) is
authenticity. Frontman Peter Bodurtha’s lyrics have strong mythical and
literary qualities to them. At the same time, songs like If I Were a
British Man or I Just Want to Talk display an earnest sense of wit and
cleverness that make their stories personal.Much like Meg White (and I mean that in the best
way possible), Percussionist Julie Bodurtha’s minimalist approach adds a
certain amount innocence and playfulness to the music that really ropes
the listener in and highlights the nuances. As the lengthy
stomp-fest 1789 W Broadway Ave Blues demonstrates, all of the
intangibles are present and Good Diction successfully accomplishes what
all good blues bands must do: trick you into not realizing your hearing
the blues.
Wholehearted showmanship goes a long way and the
overall effect is the temporary illusion of experiencing something new, vai
raw, undiscovered, and—most importantly—real. GOOD DICTION
