Richard Blake does it again, peaking at #2 and staying on the RMR chart for 10 weeks so far in the Top 10!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Carol Morgan is reviewed by Ottawa Citizen
Opening (Blue Bamboo)
Carol Morgan Trio
Reviewed By: Peter Hum
I hadn't heard of the trumpeter Carol Morgan until I received her trio CD Opening. The disc is a fine introduction.
Morgan's crisply articulated, contained sound is well-applied on Horace Silver's Nica's Dream, which has been slowed down, and made more tender and minimalist by drummer Richie DeRosa's sparse mallet accompaniment A sprightly version of Bud Powell's Celia allows Morgan and bassist Harvie S to have some unison fun. Kenny Dorham's Prince Albert and the arrangement of Jimmy Van Heusen's Like Someone In Love are right out of the Art Blakey book.
Saxophonist Woody Witt joins in on drummer DeRosa's Dark Continent, a minor-key 6/8 groover, and Harvie S's Sizzle, a bassline-driven post-bop line.
Eschewing showiness, Opening provides a clear picture of a focused improviser with a no-nonsense take on the language and repertoire of bebop.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Dave Anderson is reviewed by LMNOP Magazine
Review By: Don Seven
Dave Anderson & Mike Wingo
Conversations (Independently released CD, Piano/instrumental)
Nice, light, melodic piano instrumentals presented simply without unnecessary ingredients muddying the mix. On Conversations Dave Anderson and percussionist Mike Wingo present their renditions of jazz standards that they rearranged as a duo. The pair are a perfect match for this style of music. Wingo's precise and appropriately restrained percussion provides a solid foundation for Anderson's free-flowing jazzy style of playing. We like the nice sparse open sound of these recordings. It's always refreshing to hear musicians who concentrate on their playing rather than trying to find ways that technology can cover up their shortcomings (!). Cool breezy instrumentals include "It Might As Well Be Spring," "Lucky Southern," "Sunrise," and "If You Never Come To Me." Nice stuff played with integrity and style...
Kathryn Smith is reviewed by Jazz Times
07/29/10 • Albums • By Wilbert Sostre
CD Review: Kathryn Smith - With every breath I take
Featured Artist: Smith Kathryn
CD Title: With every breath I take
Year: 2010
Record Label: Independent
Style: Jazz Vocals
Musicians: Kathryn Smith (vocals), Brian Conigliaro (guitar, harmonica, mandolin), Michael Goetz (bass), Dave Samuels (vibraphone), Ron Vincent (percussion), Ed Xiques (saxophone)
Review: With every breath I take is the debut CD from singer Kathryn Smith. But this album is not just another collection of jazz standards. Kathryn unique phrasing brings a new fresh sound to some of the American Songbook classics.
At first I could not identify what was so unique and different about Kathryn phrasing, until I read her CD notes. Kathryn toured England and Ireland for some time, and there is a touch of Irish accent in the way she sings. One may also hear that Irish folksy influence on the enchanting, lovely version of Joni Mitchell Urge for going.
Besides that European experience, Kathryn also studied theater and it shows on her clear voice and phrasing on the track So many stars, recorded with only voice and guitar and in the classic You go to my head.
The band swings on Hoagy Carmichael I get along you very well and the track My attorney Bernie brings the fun side to this CD with samba rhythms and the sexy but always classy Kathryn vocals.
A wonderful, elegant intro by Dave Samuels on the vibraphone takes you into For now (Time to strut), a swinging tune written by guitarist Brian Conigliaro. Guitar and vibraphone provide the perfect background to Kathryn delightful vocals on the slow arrangement of Ellington jazz standard Squeeze me.
Nothing beats the memories is another original by Brian, this time a nice Bossa. Kathryn shows her vocal range on this one with the elegance required for this music style, featuring Ed Xiques on sax providing the romantic mood. The album close in a relaxing mood with the beautiful title track, With every breath I take.
Tracks: So many stars, I get along without you very well, You go to my head, For now (Time to strut), Will you still love me tomorrow, My attorney Bernie, Urge for going, Squeeze me, Little white lies, Nothing beats the memories, With every breath I take
Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre
Dave Anderson is reviewed by Jazz Times
07/29/10 • Albums • By Wilbert Sostre
CD Review: Dave Anderson & Mike Wingo – Conversations
Featured Artist: Dave Anderson & Mike Wingo
CD Title: Conversations
Year: 2010
Record Label: Independent
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Dave Anderson (piano), Mike Wingo (percussion)
Review: Dave Anderson new album Conversations is a collection of jazz standards and some originals arrange for a duo of piano and percussion. I only remember another album recorded with this format, Michel Camilo and Giovanni Hidalgo Hands of Rhythm. This duo setting gives the pianist more space and freedom to play.
The percussion played by Mike Wingo on the first track, It might as well be spring sounds like a tap dancer, dancing to Dave piano playing and Dave style reminds me at times of the great pianist Bob James.
Dave cascades of melodies feels like raindrops on Gentle Rain one of the most beautiful songs by Bossa Nova pioneer, Luiz Bonfa. Dave gets you in a romantic mood with the lovely version of I’ve grown accustomed to her face and his nice harmonic and melodic arrangement puts a more upbeat, positive twist to Autumn Leaves.
La Fiesta is one of those Chick Corea compositions with a clear Spain influence. This is a piece that sounds great on this piano/percussion duo format. Well played by Mike and Dave capturing that flamenco feeling.
In a sentimental mood is maybe my favorite Ellington composition and Dave beautifully played version is one of the best I’ve heard.
This album also includes some of Dave originals like Song of you, with nice tempo and intensity changes, the beautiful ballad Sunrise and the classical feel of Light of darkness and Spring is here.
Conversations ends up with a wonderful version of Tom Jobim If you never come to me (Inutil Paisagem).
Tracks: It might as well be spring, Gentle Rain, I’ve grown accustomed to her face, Lucky Southern, Song of you, Autumn Leaves, Spring is here, La Fiesta, Sunrise, In a sentimental mood, Light of darkness, If you never come to me
Chris Graham Trio is reviewed by Jazz Times
07/29/10 • Albums • By Wilbert Sostre
CD Review: Chris Graham Trio - After Birth of Cool
Featured Artist: Chris Graham Trio
CD Title: After Birth of Cool
Year: 2010
Record Label: Independent
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Chris Graham (vibraphone), Alex Austin (bass), Oliver Hunt (drums)
Review: The vibraphone is not the first instrument people think about when talking about Jazz music. But the history of jazz is full with great vibraphonists, legends like Lionel Hampton and Milt Jackson. More recently musicians like Gary Burton and Dave Samuels. And in latin jazz, of course, Cal Tjader and Tito Puente.
Chris Graham is a young vibraphonist following in the steps of those great musicians. Chris has developed a technique where he grips five mallets, creating music rich in harmonies and interesting melodies.
Chris melodies and improvisations are always elegant like in the first track 471 LB. Little Girl or Salt ‘n Ice, a piece that starts with a cool, calm mood before moving into full swing. Alex Austin on bass and Oliver Hunt on drums provide the rhythmic energy to Chris flawless, graceful melodies, especially in the tracks Punchin Trout, Sirabhorn, Our Time and Icarus.
The music on this CD varies from the more traditional swinging of the track 1957, a piece reminiscent of the Modern Jazz Quartet, to the modern sounds of Sirabhorn. With his impressive technique and good compositions Chris Graham is for sure a true heir to carry on the tradition of the vibraphone in jazz music.
Tracks: 471 LB. Little Girl, Punchin Trout, 1957, Sirabhorn, Our Time, Icarus, Salt ‘n Ice
Artist's Website: http://www.chrisgrahamjazz.com
Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Kathryn Smith is reviewed by Girl Singers
With Every Breath I Take – Kathryn Smith
Kathryn Smith – With Every Breath I Take
Released – April, 2010
I’ve come to think of Kathryn Smith as the “mystery woman.” The one-sheet that came with the disc from the publicist says Ms. Smith is originally from Indiana; now in New York by way of Ireland and London’s West end.
A delicate soprano, Ms. Smith is best with the earnest ballads – such as “You Go To My Head,” which opens with a sparse guitar-only backing, and then opens up with Ed Xiques on sax noodling around, and then taking a stretch at the bridge. Good stuff.
Ms. Smith’s earnest interpretation of the lyrics mostly works, but sometimes seems a little out of place when (well, when I think) the material calls for a little lighter touch, such as Dave Frishberg’s silly “My Attorney Bernie,” or Duke Ellington’s “Squeeze Me.”
But a whole bunch of tracks from this one will be in the iPod rotation, including “So Many Stars,” along with the original, “For Now (Time To Strut),” written by Brian Conigliaro, who also produces and plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica on this disc. Click here for a free download of “So Many Stars” (MP3, 5.17MB)
Ron Vincent on Percussion, Dave Samuels on vibes, and Michael Goetz on Bass round out the backing group.
I’ll look forward to solving the mystery of this mystery woman before her next disc is released.
Highly recommended.
Kathryn Smith is reviewed by John Book
REVIEW: Kathryn Smith “With Every Breath I Take”
Words like “warm” and “soothing” may be cliche for some, but when it comes to Kathryn Smith, it was the first words I could think of as I listened to With Every Breath I Take (self-released). Perhaps soothing and relaxing are more apt words, for while she is being promoted as a jazz vocalist, there are soul and folk sensibilities that I really like too, and as I began listening to this, I realized whose voice she reminded me of: Annie Lennox. When I became aware of Lennox, she had the carrot hair and did a song that was techno-pop, very 80′s. Yet in concert, she would “take it to church” and truly bring it home. There are those qualities in Smith, someone who can take a familiar song and make it feel as if you’re listening to it for the very first time, or someone who is able to bring the song to a new place. She puts the same amount of passion in a Duke Ellington song as she does in a Joni Mitchell song, and since Mitchell herself is a huge jazz fan, you might be able to sense the lineage between these songs, as if no boundaries exist and Smith is a carefully-selected interpreter.
To me, Smith sounds like someone who could sing any song from any style, era, or genre, that’s a non-issue. It’s all about the song, and having a voice that is able to take you to another time, or a place you’ve never been before. In other words, it’s moving. I’d like to see her challenge herself by doing songs out of her “selected genre”, turn different songs and place them in the jazz songbook as if they were inevitably meant to go there. Keep an eye and ear out for her.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Fred Fried is reviewed by Jazz Sensibilities
Monday, July 26, 2010
Fred Fried and Core 3.0 Expanding the Sonic Palette
Fred Fried, Expanding the standard of “Six!”
Core 3.0
Review By: Jeff Becker
Year 2010
Purchase Link:http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/FredFriedAndCore
Personnel: Fred Fried (8 string guitar), Michael Lavoie (Bass), and Miki Matsuki (drums).
Fred Fried has augmented the standard 6-string guitar’s sonic palette by adding two additional strings and a world of new colors. The nylon 8-string guitar gives CORE a recognizable sound and texture. The trio always keeps “what’s best for the tune” in mind as they explore nine Fried originals.
“Leanne’s Number” is today’s focus. Beginning with the clear tones of two beautifully voiced chords, then Matsuki enters with a light straight eight figure, followed by Lavoie holding down double stops to add to the suspense. The tension is released by a fast unison figure that falls into the next statement. Fried masterfully develops the motif through this section, with ever evolving harmony and a play on notes, the listener flows through various feel changes and then the form is repeated. However, Fried surprises us with a flawless transition into a mid-up swing at the end of the form for the solos.
Fried’s solo is full of energy and motifs. His tone is warm and clear.His solo builds via single lines, building energy and interest. Fried keeps the melody in mind compositionally, with the rhythmic figure of the last bars of the melody being used during the solo section as well. Fried’s solo continues to build as he employs the use of quick moving chordal colors to finish his musical statement.
The chordal theme is continued during an interlude that Matsuki fills with musical patterns and colors from his set. CORE returns to the original melody one time and than over the opening two chords Lavoie provides upper register melodic commentary.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Michael C. Lewis is reviewed by John Book
REVIEW: Michael C. Lewis’ “Reflection”
Reflection(self-released) is a brilliant album from trumpeter Michael C. Lewis, who at times plays with the unfiltered smoothness ofMiles Davis, but he is at his best when he puts the Miles hat on the side and just plays in the key of Lewis. The album is a nice mixture of smooth jazz with some of that quiet storm you know and love, mixing up soulful tones with a solo and walls of synth madness that immediately brings up that vibe you’re looking for in a romantic situation.
Arguably, one can just let this album go in the background but I think his playing is worthy of your attention, for while he is more than capable of putting himself on automatic, he doesn’t do that. There are a few mid-tempo songs but in this setting they’re not as good as the slow jams, yet I would love to hear how he plays in an uptempo setting with capable musicians. The mid-tempo songs only bring forward the fact that the drums and percussion are programmed. I have nothing against them, but with Lewis’ style of playing he needs genuine drums to work off of. A necessity, of course not, but this is what I would like to hear, perhaps in future projects.
If it’s romance you want, Reflection is the perfect album to suit your needs. If it’s fine musicianship from a trumpeter who knows what he’s doing, Lewis is your man of the hour.
John Book reviews the Chris Graham Trio
REVIEW: Chris Graham Trio’s “After-Birth Of Cool”
The Chris Graham Trio create the kind of jazz you enjoy hearing on albums by The Modern Jazz Quartet, as the vibraphone is the focused instrument and you can never go wrong with that. It’s a short album (7 tracks clocking in at 28:51) but one that packs a lot of strength into it, I wished they could have at least added another 16 minutes to it to be a more robust album. What it may lack in length, it makes up for in musicianship, and this is what Graham, drummer Oliver Hunt, and bassist Alex Austin show in music that is meant to show the influence of that Birth Of Cool, and how being in its presence doesn’t mean hiding behind its or anyone’s shadow. Songs like “Salt ‘N Ice”, “1957″, “Punchin’ Trout”, and “471 Lb.” just bring to mind those cherished albuns and musicians people will battle about to this day, but done with today’s mentality. That doesn’t mean it tries to update or upgrade, it’s just played with a knowledge of the music’s own history, and you hear the acknowledgment exchange throughout. Bob Katz mastered this album, so if you’re familiar with his previous works, you will get chicken skin with this one.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Bebopified Reviews David Leonhardt
Written by: Pamela Espeland
Years ago, a friend gave me a tape (I saidyears ago) of French jazz pianist Jacques Loussierplaying music by Bach. I liked it so much I went looking for more. I now have a collection of “third stream” music, a term coined by composer Gunther Schuller in the 1950s to describe a synthesis of classical music and jazz, complete with improvisation.
I’m pleased to add the recent release by the David Leonhardt Trio, Bach to the Blues (Big Bang, 2009). It’s a diverse collection of tunes that will be familiar to almost anyone with some knowledge of classical music: works by Bach, Debussy, Schubert, Satie, Beethoven, Pachelbel, Chopin, and Copland (“Simple Gifts”). The original themes are clearly stated before the trio—Leonhardt on piano, Matthew Parrish on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums—takes off and does its jazzy, bluesy thing.
Some reviewers tiptoe around this kind of music, as if the conflation of classical with jazz is bound to offend sensibilities in both camps. How is it any different from jazzing up a Sigmund Romberg tune (“Lover, Come Back to Me,” “Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise”) or turning “Someday My Prince Will Come” from Disney’s Snow White into a jazz standard? Simple answer: It isn’t any different. Any tune with good bones can be played as jazz.
Leonhardt’s arrangements are delightful. Bach’s Prelude in G Major starts off fairly straightforward (with jazz syncopations—no classical musician would play the opening in quite this way) before settling into a sweet, swinging groove interspersed with occasional straight phrases (brief reminders of the original) that act as transitions between inventive solos by all three trio members. Much of the final minute and 15 seconds is as Latin as Tito Puente. Unexpected and joyful.
Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” is played as a big, beautiful jazz ballad, with thick piano chords and depth in the bass and drums. It’s mood music with piano at the forefront. Same for Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” though it takes a long time—almost halfway through the 4:15 track—for the piano to move beyond the melody.
Satie’s “Gymnopedie No. 1” is such a simple tune, but one with endless possibilities, and this trio explores them all. (While Loussier takes a dreamy, atmospheric approach, Leonhardt is more lively and playful.) Bach’s Prelude in A minor is propelled by whispery bebop brushwork by Garnett on drums and cymbals. (I think he’s using brushes; I have also seen/heard him play with his hands with as much delicacy and precision.) The Adagio from “Pathetique,” one of Beethoven’s most tender compositions, is as poetic as one could hope for, the improvised sections only carrying the poetry further.
Leonhardt’s version of “Simple Gifts,” the Shaker melody Aaron Copland brought into his score for the ballet Appalachian Spring, leaves the melody behind at about 1:30 and ventures into more interesting (to me) improvisational territory, with cooling little cascades of piano notes, then returns to the melody with renewed energy and assertive statements from Parrish’s bass.
Two Chopin mazurkas (G minor and C major), Bach’s Prelude in B-flat, and Pachelbel’s Canon in D, round out the disc, with the G-minor mazurka emerging as my favorite, thanks to Garnett’s addition of a refreshing ting from a little bell and Parrish's lengthy, thoughtful solo. The B-flat prelude has a seriously swinging midsection that once again includes little nods to the original. The C-major Mazurka is bright and sprightly, and while I was sure I never wanted to hear another version of Pachelbel’s hoary old Canon in D, I was drawn into Leonhardt’s: slower, darker, and more measured than the original, minor-key chords given room to fade, mallets soft on drums, bass even softer. I forgot all about the Canon. The final track on Bach to the Blues is enjoyable late-night jazz, intimate and moonlit.
Here’s a video of Leonhardt and his trio playing the G-major prelude at the Iridium in New York City.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Woody Witt Update - 5 Times on Bob Parlocha's Top 40
Woody Witt is Featured on Bob Parlocha's Top 40 List (5 Times)
7/15 at #30 http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/top40/index.html
6/24 at #35 http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/top40/index.html
6/10 at #13 http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/top40/061010_jazz_releases.html
5/27 at #11 http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/top40/052710_jazz_releases.html
4/29 at #30 http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/top40/042910_jazz_releases.html
Lawrence Lebo is reviewed by Yahoo
Written By: Susan Frances
Don't Call Her Larry, Volume 3: American Roots
On The Air Records
www.lawrencelebo.com
Ms. Lawrence Lebo sings western swing with a sultry voicing that tempts the desire for elation to emerge. Her new CD, Don't Call Her Larry from On The Air Records puts listeners in the mood for love with the sensual lure of her vocal strokes and the glossy thrusts of her liquidity ascensions. Comprised of original tracks co-written by Lebo and a selection of cover tunes, Don't Call Her Larryblends nostalgic swing with a splash of modern jazz producing a décor that is sophisticated and aesthetically blissful.
The duet of Lebo and bass player Denny Croy creates soft, billowing vapors through "On Time" and "It's Not The First Time," while the chugging rhythm of "Lawrence's Working Girl Blues" injects whirling bursts that beret Lebo's slinking nuances. The Celtic-folk tint of "Rose Rose" is bowed in winding acoustics, which plunge into a continental jazz pumping in "Cowboy Swinging Boogie Woogie" reminiscent of the popular '40s act The Andrew Sisters as the rippling froths of Rick Cunha's lap steel guitar give it a hint of Americana blues. The torchlight ambience of "I Should Care" and "Was That Love" create a lulling effect, which switch to a ballroom jive in "A Promise That I Can Keep" frosted in glittery cello flutters and twinkling xylophone chimes.
Lebo's lyrics are relationship-centric reflecting on both the up side and down side of love. In "It's Not The First Time," she is ready to kick her lover to the curbside when she tells, "Here's a little secret he doesn't know / I've already got me another beau." Other lyrics reveal being able to reach the brink of ecstasy like in "Was That Love" with verses that illuminate, "Was that you / Was that me / Was that love... Was it a dream or the real thing?" A bit more bouncy is "Lawrence's Working Girl Blues" with words that show her flare for the blues, "Boss man sends me out to work all day / I can't come back till I brought my pay / He takes my money / Takes it all the way / Boss man says he'll give it back someday."
Melding western swing and Americana blues, Lawrence Lebo crafts a mix that modernizes old time jazz. Infusing sunny swing with bluesy hues, Lebo has an instinct for sultry jazz and the confidence to carry it.
Tracklisting:
On Time, Cowboy Swinging Boogie Woogie, It's Not The First Time, Rose Rose, Lawrence's Working Girl Blues, Was That Love, Walking The Back Streets, I Should Care, A Promise That I Can Keep
Personnel:
Lawrence Lebo - vocals, Denny Croy - upright bass, Rick Cunha - lap steel guitar, Nicholas Kirgo - acoustic guitar and dobro, Tony Mandracchia - guitar, Phil Parlapiano - accordion, Steve Muggalian - drums, Larry David - piano, Mike Acosta - saxophone, David Strother - violin, and Craig Fundyga - vibes
Woody Witt makes Bob Parlocha's Top 40 list 4 times in a row
Woody Witt makes Bob Parlocha's Top 40 list for the 4th time in a row, peaking at #13 so far!
| 1 JIM ROTUNDI LIVE AT SMALLS SMALLS LIVE 2 W. WEISKOPF SEE THE PYRAMID CRISS CROSS 3 JOHN FEDCHOCK LIVE AT RED SEA.. CAPRI 4 YOTAM RESONANCE JAZZ LEGACY 5 PETER BERNSTEIN LIVE.. SMALLS LIVE 6 VEGA/MARRIOTT ..TRUMPET SUMMIT ORIGIN 7 W. GORDON CONE & T-STAFF CRISS CROSS 8 DAVE HOLLAND PATHWAYS DARE2 9 CARRIE WICKS I’LL GET AROUND TO IT OA2 10 DAVID HAZELTINE INVERSIONS CRISS CROSS 11 HIROE SEKINE A-ME SEKAI MUSIC 12 DAVE PECK MODERN ROMANCE LET’S PLAY 13 VARIOUS JAM SESSION 29 STEEPLECHASE 14 TIM WARFIELD SENTIMENTAL.. CRISS CROSS 15 L. CIOFALO DANCING W/ JOHNNY LUCKY JAZZ 16 KEVIN HAYS LIVE AT SMALLS SMALLS LIVE 17 L. ANTONIOLI AMERICAN DREAMS INTRINSIC 18 VARIOUS MUSIC OF THE SPHERE HIGHNOTE 19 CEDAR WALTON CEDAR CHEST HIGHNOTE* 20 JOE CHAMBERS HORACE TO MAX SAVANT 21 SEAMUS BLAKE LIVE.. SMALLS LIVE 22 DAVID KIKOSKI LIVE AT SMALLS SMALLS LIVE 23 REED/CHESTNUT PLENTY SWING..SOUL SAVANT 24 ALEX SIPIAGIN GENERATIONS.. CRISS CROSS 25 RYAN KISOR LIVE AT SMALLS SMALLS LIVE 26 GREG ABATE LIVE..MONTEREY WAVE STREET* 27 E. WATTS FOUR PLUS FOUR FLYING DOLPHIN 28 STEVE DAVIS IMAGES POSITONE 29 BRUCE BARTH/STEVE WILSON HOME WASJS 30 WOODY WITT FIRST IMPRESSION BLUE BAMBOO 31 B. CHARLAP/R. ROSNES DOUBLE.. BLUE NOTE 32 CHRIS BYARS BOP-OGRAPHY STEEPLECHASE 33 KEITH JARRETT/CHARLIE HADEN JASMINE ECM 34 W. RONEY IF ONLY FOR ONE NIGHT HIGHNOTE 35 MIKE CLARK CARNIVAL OF SOUL OWL STUDIOS 36 FRED HERSCH WHIRL PALMETTO 37 CURTIS FULLER I WILL TELL HER CAPRI 38 CHAD EBY BROKEN SHADOWS CELLAR LIVE 39 AVERY SHARPE TRIO LIVE JKNM 40 JACKY TERRASSON PUSH CONCORD 41 GERI ALLEN & TIMELINE LIVE MOTEMA 42 STEIN/GILL TURN UP THE QUIET WHALING CITY 43 BARRY FINNERTY BLUES FOR TRANE FINN* |
Friday, July 16, 2010
Harvie S is reviewed by Jazz Times
07/16/10 • Albums • By Wilbert Sostre
CD Review: Harvie S - Cocolamus Bridge
Featured Artist: Harvie S
CD Title: Cocolamus Bridge
Year: 2010
Record Label: Blue Bamboo Music
Style: Various Jazz Styles
Musicians: Harvie S (bass), Chris Cortez (guitar), Woody Witt (sax),
Jose Miguel Yamal (piano), Joel Fulgham (drums), James Metcalfe
(Percussion)
Review: Harvie S is a master bass player, composer, arranger, producer
and educator. His experience includes recordings with jazz greats like
Chick Corea, Anat Cohen, Mike Stern and John Scofield.
Cocolamus Bridge starts with a bass solo track. It is hard to keep the
listener attention in a seven minutes piece with only bass. Harvie does
just that with a very interesting arrangement of the Irish folk song Eili
Gheal Chiuin. On this track Harvie shows his virtuosity, creativity and
impressive technique.
Cocolamus Bridge is a fascinating melodic tune with nice harmonies
by Harvie on bass and Woody Witt on sax.
Chris Cortez on guitar joins Harvie and Witt providing some cool
improvisations on Courage, a fun, rhythmic, challenging tune.
Harvie learning experience on Cuba comes out in the latin flavors of
Coco Loco, a latin jazz with great contributions by the rhythm section,
Chris on guitar, José Mangual Yamal on piano, Joel Fulgham on drums
and James Metcalfe on percussion.
Night Dreamer is a bass and sax duet with Woody playing some
powerful solos on sax. Chris and José Miguel play most of the melodies
on To Bea, a beautiful samba dedicated to Harvie mother.
Ike (take a hike) is another latin influenced piece where you can
clearly hear the “clave”, a rhythmic figure typical of Cuban music
and also essential in Salsa music. Truth and Beauty gentle melodies
slow downs the tempo to end this CD in a nice, relaxing mood.
Tracks: Eili Gheal Chiuin, Cocolamus Bridge, Courage, Coco Loco,
Night Dreamer, To Bea, Ike (take a hike), Truth and Beauty
Artist's Website: http://www.harvies.com
Reviewed by: Wilbert Sostre
Denise La Grassa to perform at Nothin' But the Blues Fest
Nothin' But the Blues Fest: This one's for 'Tap'
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BLOOMINGTON -- The man called "Tap" won't be physically present at this weekend's edition of the Nothin' But the Blues Festival.
But you can rest assured his gregarious spirit will be hovering over the two-day event -- the homegrown one he founded nine years ago and ran, most will agree, single-handedly.
Indeed, Eric Dean "Tap" Tapley was such a force of nature and a wellspring of life that it couldn't really turn out any other way.
Some of the many who knew him believe he'll figure out the means to keep a hand in things this weekend; where there's a will, there's a way.
And if nothing else, Tap had the will.
"His personality was one that we were always drawn to," says close friend and associate Debi Hoelscher, who helped coordinate the festival alongside him from the very beginning.
The public at large never knew of his involvement because of the low profile he insisted on maintaining through each year's event.
"He never wanted me to go on stage and give him credit or anything," says long-running festival emcee Frank Black, WGLT's "Blues Doctor" for the past 25 years.
Tap "only wanted the sponsors (including The Pantagraph) to be given the total credit," adds Black.
"‘But don't say anything about me,' he'd say. He didn't want the big head - but he did so much for Bloomington-Normal besides the blues festival."
The list goes on and on, and includes everything from the Minority Golf League to the Community Resource Council to the Western Avenue Community Center.
A premonition fufilled
Less than two months before this year's event at Tri-Lakes, Tap's expectation that his life would be a short one came all too true: He died unexpectedly a month shy of his 51st birthday, on May 22.
"He didn't think he would live very long," Hoelscher says. "I just don't think he could have lived that long so intensely. He went all the way at 100 mph, and he started a lot of things in this town that he never got credit for."
"No, he never saw himself living a long life," agrees Tap's elder brother, Fred, of Chicago, where the boys grew up. "He probably never thought he would even live to be 50. I can't say why."
Most of us, says Fred, "don't want to look that far ahead; I can't say why Eric did. But the more you think about how much time you might have, the more you can give to life and get out of it."
Most will agree that he did just that, from friends to family to the patients and staff at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, where he worked as nurse and became something of a care-giving legend in his relatively short time there (around four years).
"They've gotten tons of letters from people about the care he provided," says Hoelscher, of the Eastland Chiropractic and Wellness Center in Bloomington.
More than anything, "he showed that people of many diversities can come together and listen to music that's American-made-and-grown and beloved by all age groups," says veteran Twin City bluesman Steve "The Harp" Mehlberg.
Carrying on
Mehlberg, famous at the Nothin' But the Blues Festival for his annual harmonica workshops, was a friend of Tap's for 30 years, down many roads of life, from crossing paths at their alma mater, Illinois State University, to working together in the BroMenn Medical Center emergency room.
Their sons played together on the Bloomington High School football team.
And, in a passing of the baton, that son of Tap's, Eric Tapley Jr., all of 23, has taken over his father's mantle at Chances Entertainment, the promotional company behind Nothin' But the Blues and other local entertainment events.
"I had no idea how much work is involved," he confesses, the festival just a week away. "When my dad was living, I'd helped him since the beginning, passing out flyers and that kind of thing. But I was never really involved with the business aspect."
He admits that "dad controlled everything."
Eric Jr. is receiving more than a little help from his friends and family, including mother Linda Foster and godmother Hoeschler.
Many of Eric Jr.'s helping hands have a history with the festival, which began nine years ago, says Hoelscher during an informal business networking session at Bloomington's Interstate Center.
Tap proposed a blues festival, and six weeks later the first Nothin' But the Blues Festival - a single-day event on the Interstate Center grounds - came off, successfully.
A chain forged
In the years since, it has grown and traveled, from the Interstate to the Bloomington Sale Barn to its current Tri-Lakes base.
Along the way, it has forged a chain of blues legends who, says Dr. Black, might otherwise have never performed here: Koko Taylor, Johnny Winter, Honeyboy Edwards, Pinetop Perkins, C.J. Chenier, Hubert Sumlin, this year's 77-year-old Lazy Lester, and on and on.
Tap also kept his antennae up for fresh local talent, including this year's first-time festival performer Denise LaGrassa, the Chicago native who emigrated south several years ago.
After catching her at the Redfire Grille, Tap was taken by her "big voice" and suggested going from jazz into a full-blown blues mode.
LaGrassa will memorialize him with the opening set Friday night and her own composition, "Davina's Song," written for a terminally ill coworker at WILL in Urbana, but applicable in every way to Tap, too, she says.
"He lived a kind of selfless journey, doing so much for others, and all the time living a real Christian life, not just in word, but in action," she says.
Above all, "Eric brought an enthusiasm for the community to the festival," says the event's stage manager Randy Hoffman, also president of the local Blues Blowtorch Society.
"He maybe didn't have the same passion for the blues that I have, but he did have a passion for bringing the music to the community. And that's what made him special."
"The biggest thing to me is what a huge heart he had and what a love for life," says Deborah Mehlberg, talent coordinator for the fest.
"Really, if we could all live our lives the way he did, we'd be so much better off, laughing and loving and living every day to its fullest."
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