JAZZ TODAY: Luciana Souza's Multi-Directional Approach to Jazz Singing

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Luciana Souza is arguably the most impressive jazz singer working today. Four of her solo recordings have been nominated for Grammy awards, and she has managed to forge an instantly identifiable individual sound while still working across several disparate musical styles. Late August brings the release of two new recordings—her first in three years—that feature jazz standards on the one hand and classic Brazilian bossa nova on the other.

The operative question with Souza, in many respects, is what makes her a “jazz” singer rather than a singer in the Brazilian tradition. Ultimately, she is neither and both—just a very, very fine musician, of course—but her perspective and approach make answering this question entertaining, indeed.

I spoke to Souza in July about this question, about her perspective on these musical traditions, and about her new music. From the first moment of the conversation, she was bursting with history and humor, opinion and good-natured sass—a mile-a-minute talker who is both incredibly humble and sharply intelligent.

Souza was born and raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil, by parents who were musicians and composers. Literally exposed from birth to the initial flowering of the Brazilian bossa nova spirit, she came to the US at 18, attended Berklee for her BA and then earned a Masters in “jazz studies” at the New England Conservatory. She is authentically Brazilian and utterly jazz, utterly American at the same time.

Read my interview with Luciana Souza and the entire JAZZ TODAY column here:

Luciana Souza's Multi-Directional Approach to Jazz Singing

Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Twenty Dozen

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When the Dirty Dozen Brass Band got started 35 years ago, there wasn’t much popular call for such bands. By the early 1980s, the Dirty Dozen had not only revolutionized the genre, but they had also brought it back to a level of fascination. Appearing at parties for The Rolling Stones, at major festivals in New York and Europe, and then releasing an original debut disc in 1984, The Dirty Dozen brought the New Orleans brass band tradition to a fresh new audience.

And other brass bands followed. But 35 years later, it is also apparent that no band is quite them. The Dozen created a crisp and hip brass band sound for a new generation, no doubt, but they also fused the tradition with funk and modern jazz, managing to create a sound both more sophisticated and more earthy.

The band’s 20th album features just about everything that folks love about the Dirty Dozen. There are hip original tunes, traditional workouts, dashes of international flavor too, but also a heap of funk and soul amidst the rough-and-tumble New Orleans syncopation. It’s not the best of the Dirty Dozen — it’s maybe a little too clean in a few spots, tamer than it might be, but still a good-time groove for sure, a New Orleans party but more, a delight.

If you haven’t been following Dirty Dozen since their early years, then you need to know that they moved, a while ago, away from the purer place where they started. I remember dancing around my 1980s living room to their version of “Li’l Liza Jane”, just brass and parade drums and shouted out vocals — New Orleans Bliss with just enough bebop mixed in to please my modern jazz soul. They were always doing bop amidst the killer brass band textures (just check out their “Moose the Mooche” or “Oop Pop A Dah” from 1989’s Voodoo), but in the 1990s, they added a more modern rhythm section to their groove — a real drum kit, electric bass on occasion, guitar and organ — and they were ready to mix traditional tunes and forays into more modern sound.

The Dozen’s last album was 2006’s chilling and wonderful song-by-song, post-Katrina cover of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On, a stunner and minor masterpiece that mixed in contributions from Chuck D, G Love, Bettye LaVette, and Guru. If politics and social justice don’t play a big part in pop music these days, then it’s not something to hang on the Dirty Dozen. Their What’s Goin’ On was the best record of the band’s career.

Twenty Dozen is not nearly that ambitious or excellent, but it still represents considerable range and enjoyment. The headline, certainly, will be the cover of Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music”, which seems just about perfectly made for the brass band form, including the hip “sampling” of that great lick from Michael Jackson “Wanna Be Starting Something” — all brass punch and sputter. It’s great, with guitarist Jake Eckert playing a figure that almost sounds South African, while the whole thing shakes and jiggles with more dance cred that the original. The tenor solo, which climaxes on a couple of overblown high notes, is by Kevin Harris.

Read the entire review here: Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Twenty Dozen

Tedeschi Trucks Band: Everybody's Talkin

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You want some powerful real music, the kind of music that shamelessly moves at you with emotion and soul? Is this just the tonic for you, what the doctor ordered, the sort of juice that might put hair on your chest or perhaps a skip in your step?

Well, let me recommend something in a husky yet pliant singing voice, good with a ballad like “Midnight in Harlem” but also game and glorious on an Elmore James blues like “Rollin’ and Tumblin’”. Let me suggest that such a voice—owned and used with authority by the lovely Susan Tedeschi—is just the ticket to getting your temperature rising. It growls and shouts as necessary but is equally capable of a caress. And this quality, of being multifaceted in a world that prefers pigeonholed pop stars who sing the same song over and over again, it’s too rare lately. It’s great.

I might also suggest that you try on something in a stunning electric guitar player. Not just a guitar that is fast or loud or flashy, though Mr. Derek Trucks is all those things when he chooses to be. But rather, I suggest you look into the kind of guitar that speaks—that sings—like an actual human voice. A slide guitar that moans and bends tones and a blues guitar that lives between diatonic notes and a jazz guitar even that moves in surprising harmonic twists when surprise or coloration makes sense.

Is that a big mess of description? Then just tune in to “Nobody’s Free”, a ten-minute stretch of live music that lets a guitar do just about anything that a guitar could want to do. It could want to start with a screaming set of jacked-up chords that rip and roar, then move into gentle finger-picking that accompanies the soothing-to-gutbucket vocal. And it could play a greasy figure behind the horns in ripping unison. And it could then let the rhythm section get out of the way, be very very quiet, and begin a sculpture of a solo that starts from a few squiggled notes, moves into dramatic blues figures mirrored in near duet by electric bass, and then trades a daring figures with the drummer before ending in a set of jazz-drenched twists and turns. And what if I then told you that the guitar playing underneath the subsequent flute solo was, if anything, even more subtle and astonishing: the kind of hip and detailed rhythm playing that is so good that it almost constitutes a “solo” unto itself—a jittery, complex, riveting set of scratches and chops and thrums that frames the horn perfectly?

Yup, that Derek Trucks can play.

Read the entire review here: Tedeschi Trucks Band: Everybody's Talkin

Dave Douglas Quintet: Be Still

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Jazz isn’t afraid to mix it up with other kinds of music, and certainly an artist as bold as trumpeter Dave Douglas isn’t going to shy away from stylistic collision. Douglas’s earlier work mixed jazz with Balkan music, film music, brass band elements, electronics—so what’s the big deal in taking on a set of hymns or many elements of folk music?

But it’s rare that the particular elements that mix on Be Still, the latest from Douglas’s shimmering jazz quintet, fuse so convincingly and effortlessly. This recording, inspired by the passing of the leader’s mother and a list of hymns and spiritual folk songs that she chose for her own service, is majestic. Douglas uses his quintet in new ways to work with a different kind of source material. And the jazz group is supplemented brilliantly by Aoife O’Donovan, a young singer with a clarion but gentle gravity to her voice.

Be Still is a triumph, a beauty, a revelation. It’s as a good a jazz record as 2012 is likely to produce—and maybe it’s not quite a jazz record at all.

First, this is a record of crystalline quiet. O’Donovan sings gently, with a soft and often breathy approach. She’s no stranger to this kind of artistic fusion, having sung with the Wayfaring Strangers, Matt Glaser’s trailblazing mixture of jazz, bluegrass and klezmer, and being the main voice of Crooked Still, a hip “newgrass” outfit. Douglas’s arrangements in support of her are full of space and gentle care. On “Barbara Allen”, for example, Douglas starts by deploying O’Donovan’s voice as a wordless instrument in a chorale written out for trumpet, saxophone, piano, bowed bass, and voice. The lyrics are then supported by a very spare set of statements by the horns only, then horns and piano. O’Donovan is given lengths of as much as eight slow bars to sing without accompaniment, making the reentry to the quiet instrumental work that much more dramatic.

Not that drummer Rudy Royston has no role here. His tuneful cymbal work on “Be Still My Soul” is essential to balancing the performance. But his role on this tune is hardly that of a typical jazz drummer. Mainly, he performs as colorist, filling the atmosphere around the carefully phrased melody with a series of pings and shimmers, flinging sparks around the grounding provided by bassist Linda Oh and the transparent piano work of Matt Mitchell. Later, as Douglas takes the disc’s first improvised solo, Royston begins playing loose time, which builds to be even more dramatic under the tenor saxophone solo by Jon Irabagon. This track is arguably a masterpiece, and Royston is a critical reason for that.

But Douglas uses the band different ways on different tracks. “High on the Mountain” is essentially a bluegrass tune, and he uses a horn arrangement on the chorus that sets up the kind of drone that a different band would get out of a fiddle. Royston plays a highly syncopated train beat under the verse while the leader plays a flowing jazz counterpoint to the vocal melody. On “God Be With You”, however, the trumpet takes the first reading of the melody, loosely, setting up the stately hymn as a kind of jazz ballad. After O’Donovan’s statement of the melody, the horns come in together with a wholly separate melody that launches Irabagon into a short but surging improvisation. Each of the approaches seems just right for its tune.

Read the full review for this amazing album here: Dave Douglas Quintet: Be Still

JAZZ TODAY: Is Innovation Required In Jazz Today?

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It’s inelegant and silly for arts critics to pick fights with each other. And goodness, it’s hard to imagine a dust-up between jazz scribes making much difference in the world.

So, although I’m going to use the PopMatters review of the new recording by the Branford Marsalis Quartet as my straw man here (sorry, Max Feldman, brother—it ain’t personal), my point is not to take issue with a tepid and curious review of a recording that I very much like. Rather, the question I’m interested in is whether art—and specifically jazz—becomes irrelevant if it isn’t evolving or stepping into innovative ground.

Put another way, does a jazz musician become pointless, is each individual jazz performance or recording lesser, if it is not in the vanguard?

A Premium on Novelty?

Feldman seems to think so. His review of Branford Marsalis’s new Four MFers Playin’ Tunes is cheekily dismissive. Not because the recording stinks. “It’s not a bad record by any means,” he writes. The problem, rather, is that the music contains “not very much to set [it] apart from everything else that’s just like it that you’ve probably heard before.”

Feldman’s review makes this point over and over again. “It’s the same old studious conservatism that we know and loathe—it stands its ground and doesn’t look outside of the sadly deforested jazz jungle for inspiration.”
Read the entire column here:  Is Innovation Required In Jazz Today?

The Destined Results of the 2012 USCL Season's First Interdivision Week

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What can I say? I did a terrible job predicting last night's results. I got 0/4 match predictions right and only 3/16 game predictions right. The one match I predicted to be a draw (Seattle vs New Jersey) turned out to have the only decisive result! Tomorrow night, I will be back in the high life again though!

The Constant Underdogs: The Carolina Cobras Vs the New Powerhouse: The Connecticut Dreadnoughts that David Pruess Predicted to be the 2012 Eastern Division Champions 
IM Schroer- GM Hess 0-1 You never know with Schroer as he often does pull of some awesome upsets.. He did defeat Gelashvili in week 1. However, with a huge rating edge you have to give Hess the nod here. 
GM Kekelidze- FM Korley- 1-0  similar logic to board 1! 
FM Simpson- Harris 1-0 Harris is higher rated but Simpson has shown in previous league play, he could defeat some higher rated players! 
Colas- Swaminathan 1/2-1/2 Swaminathan will equalize out of the opening and hold his own! 
Connecticut shall continue on a path towards Pruess' prediction: Connecticut wins 2.5-1.5
Two Veteran Teams Shall Try to Break their Tied Lifetime Record: The Boston Blitz Vs the Miami Sharks
SM Sammour-Hasbun- GM Becerra 1-0 I had a very hard time predicting this results... My instincts tell me Jorge's wild complications will do him more good than harm though! 
SM Perez- FM Gulamali 1-0 A wild guess for a game between to wild players! 
Vilenchuk-FM Rodriguez 1/2-1/2 Vilenchuk is a Brandeis first year..  The last time the Boston Blitz recruited a Brandeisian was two years ago.. Who was that?--- Oh yeah, Evan Rabin, your loyal blogger. He didn't so well- got .5/2, so he got kicked off the team. Four years before that, another Brandeisian FM Steven Winer didn't do all that well in 2006 with a 1/3 score. He had a solid 1/2 score in 2005. So Brandeisians haven't had the best rep in the league, well at least on the Blitz;  GM Shankpanky has been a rock star on New England. Vilenchuk will turn the Brandeisian tide a bit; his first game, a draw will be the pivot! 
Silberman-Krasik 0-1 I don't know Silberman but with a large rating edge, I think Krasik will succeed. 
and all in all Boston shall win 2.5-1.5
Boston's Neighbors, the New England Nor'easters vs the Gmless but Strong Dallas Destiny 
GM Shankland- GM Elect Holt 1-0 Alhough Holt is improving rapidly and recently achieved his third GM Norm, with a rating edge and the white pieces, I have to give the other Brandeisian in the league an edge here! 
IM Wang- IM Vigorito 1/2-1/2 I don't know much about Wang but saw some of his results that are super solid. In the 2011 World Open, he had 6 draws and 3 wins. A draw is likely! 
Wang-FM Xiong 1-0 Instincts tell me there's going to be an upset on this board! 
Gater- Pellows 0-1. Despite being slightly lower rated, I think Pellows has an edge here. As he hasn't played much the last few years, I don't think his rating is quite up to his strength. 
and after 4 grueling games end, with margin of error in mind, New England will win 3-1
The St. Louis Arch Bishops Duke it out for the First Time with The Baltimore Kingfishers
GM Finegold- GM Huschenbeth 1/2-1/2 I never knew Huschenbeth before this season. His Fide (2536) is slightly higher than Finegold's (2493). Finegold is pretty solid and has the white pieces, so I think the game will end in a draw. 
GM Kaufman- IM Kannappan 0-1 Really a toss up between one of the best opening theoreticians in the US and a new guy in the US, who has a provisional 2481 USCF rating and drew GM Jimenez to tie for 1st in the St. Louis District Championships earlier this month. 
IM Bregadze- Wang 1-0 White pieces and rating edge here. 
Selzler-Larson 1-0 same note as board 3! 
and St Louis Wins 2-5-1.5!

Rabin Predicts the Results of the 2012 USCL Season's Week 3: Western Edition

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Ok, its true-- I wasn't quite "Back in the High Life Again" last Wednesday evening, as I promised my readers I would be. I did a mediocre job, predicting 2/4 matches and 7/16 games correctly. However, I certainly did better than two nights before that (0/4 matches, 3/16 games)! It's getting better all the time, so I'm optimistic with my predictions for tomorrow night!
 I squeezed another Beatles reference in there for the Jewish New Year.. !שׁ× ×” טובה לכול×� 
Of course most chess players won't be taking off for the holiday the next two days though, so lets get to business! 
The Miami Sharks and Dallas Destiny Shall Try to Break their 6.5-6.5 Lifetime Tied Record
13 games is a long amount to still be tied, especially in team play! 
SM Perez- GM Sadorra 0-1 Perez has yet to show his quick improvements he had in the last year or so this season. Anything is possible, but he's playing his highest rated opponent yet this season and is 0-2 so far, so I'll have to give Sadorra the edge. 
FM Getz- FM Rodriguez 1-0 My fellow New Yorker is going to bore Rodriguez to death! 
Alvarez- FM Xiong 0-1 Instincts! 
Chiang- Rosenthal 1-0 Rosenthal is one of those perennial USCL upset machines, so you never know what to expect, but something tells me Chiang is more likely to come through. 
4-0 seems like too much... with a margin of error in mind, Dallas will win 3.5-.5 
The St. Louis Arch Bishops Wants to Even Up its Lifetime Record Against the San Francisco Mechanics 
GM Finegold- GM Bhat 1-0 It took me a while to decide between Finegold winning, or drawing. He came through last week against Huschenbeth when I predicted a draw, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt! 
FM Liou- IM Kannappan 0-1 So far, I predicted he'd beat Perez and Kaufman, so why not Liou too?! ( oh yeah, that rhymed!) 
IM Bregadze- FM Sevian 1-0 Georgian school boy shall beat US young tactician here! 
FM Lee- Larson 1-0 Larson did beat Selzler last week so is obviously capable of upsets, but with the white pieces and big rating edge, you've got to give Lee the edge! 
St. Louis Wins 3-1. While San Francisco has a 70 point rating edge in this match, all of its' eggs come from one basket on board 4. On all the other boards, St. Louis has rating edges. 
Love or Hate at First Sight-TBD: The Carolina Cobras vs The LA Vibe
IM Schroer- IM Amanov 1-0 If Schroer, can upset a bunch of GMS, why not do the same to an IM?! 
WGM Abrahamyan- FM Korley 1-0 Korley often surprises me, beating the likes of Kekelidze. Instincts tell me Abrahamyan will succeed in this struggle though! 
Jones- Kavutskiy 1/2-1/2 two solid players!  
FM Casella- Swaminathan 1-0 Casella never draws in the USCL! 
LA Edges out the Victory 2.5-1.5 
Last But Not Least, The Seattle Sluggers and the Arizona Scorpions Shall Attempt to Break Their 3.5-1.5 Tied Lifetime Score 
GM Akobian- IM Molner 1-0 Akobian is fresh from helping out the U.S team at the Olympiad and probably has some opening preparation up his sleeve. In 2009, I was rooming with Molner at the Chicago Open, when they drew in a wild Caro Kann. That time Molner was white. 
IM Ginsburg- IM Orlov 1/2-1/2 Ginsburg will win the opening battle and get a reasonable advantage, but it won't lead to victory! 
Sinanan- FM Adamson 0-1 Instincts here! 
FM Atoufi- Feng 1-0 Last year, they drew when Feng had the white pieces.. With colors reversed, I think Atoufi will give his team a point! 
and Arizona will have a plus lifetime record against Seattle: Arizona wins 2.5-1.5

Rabin's Express Predictions for the 2012 USCL Season Week 3 : Eastern Edition

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I didn't do too great Monday Night. I got 1/4 match predictions and 6/16 game predictions correct. Let's see what results, we shall see tonight! As I've been pretty busy the last few days , I'm not going to explain all of my predictions this time. Just bear with me; they're all my objective predictions!

For my express predictions, why not share the Marrakesh Express?!


The New York Knights vs the Boston Blitz: a Mirror Image of the Yankee's 2-1 Score Against the Red Sox Last Week! 

GM Kacheishvili- GM Perelshteyn 1-0
FM Gulamali- SM Herman 0-1
Williams- Vilenchuk 1/2-1/2
Krasik-Katz 1-0

and just like the Yankees gave the Red Sox one more spanking last week, the NY will win 2.5-1.5

The Philadelphia Inventors and the New Jersey Knockouts Attempt to Break Their 3-3 Tied Lifetime Record

GM Erenburg- GM Stripunsky 1-0
GM Benjamin- SM Fisher 1-0
SM Minear- Wu 1-0
Burke-FM Shahade 0-1

and Philadelphia shall get a plus record against NJ! Philadelphia wins 3-1

The Manhattan Applesauce Attempts to beat the New England Nor'easters For the First Time 
( currently 2-0 NE) 

GM Ivanov- IM Vovsha 1-0
IM Schneider- FM Riordan 1-0
IM Yedidia- IM Milman 1/2-1/2
Smith- Goldberg 0-1

and New England will keep its lifetime perfect record against Manhattan: New England wins 2.5-1.5

The New Monster in the League, the Connecticut Dreadnoughts Duke it out with the Veteran Baltimore Kingfishers 

GM Hess- GM Margelashvili 1-0
GM Kaufman- GM Kekelidze 0-1
Harris- Defibaugh 1/2-1/2
Zimmer-Colas 1/2-1/2

and Connecticut shall do some damage. Connecticut Wins 3-1

The Results-to-be of the 2012 USCL Season's Interdivision Week #2: Part 1

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To state it nicely, I didn't do the best job predicting the matches last week. I did pretty lame last Monday night, predicting 1/4 matches and 6/16 games correctly. Last Wednesday I did even worse, predicting 1/4 matches and a mere 4/16 games correctly. 
What was interesting to me however, was the fact the one match I did predict correctly was the one I was most likely to biased toward: The New York Knights, my favorite team vs the Boston Blitz, the team I rooted for during the one year I played on it in 2010. I did put up this Facebook Status last Wednesday night: 
"my predictions may have not been the best tonight: only got 1/4 matches right... However, I'm happy the two NY teams gave whoopings to the two Bahstan area teams!!" 
Enough ranting about last week's results/ my failure to predict. Let's see if things shall be better in the East or West tomorrow night! ( If you don't get the classic rock reference in this sentence, wait for the end of the blog post!
The New Jersey Knockouts and the Carolina Cobras Shall Attempt to Break Their Tied 3-3 Lifetime Record
GM Benjamin- IM Schroer 1-0 
FM Korley- GM Gulko 0-1 Korley is fully capable of being a successful underdog, as he expressed in his interview with FM Mike Klein. Last year, he beat NJ's IM Kapengut, but Gulko is on another level.
Klemm-Mu 0-1 
Swaminathan- Balakrishnan 0-1 
and NJ and Carolina will continue to have a tied lifetime score as we shall see a Drawn Match 2-2
The Veteran Teams that also Happen to Have a Tied Lifetime Score (2.5-2.5) Duke it Out: The San Francisco Mechanics vs the New York Knights
GM Kraai- GM Kacheishvili 1/2-1/2 
SM Herman-IM Naroditsky 0-1  In 2009, Herman, then rated 2275, beat Naroditsky, then rated 2371. Three years later, both players have improved significantly. Objectively, I have to give Naroditsky an edge here. 
FM Liou- FM Bodek 1/2-1/2
Katz- Viswanadha 1-0 
and SF and NY shall also still have an even lifetime score as we shall see another Drawn Match 2-2 
The First Date Between the Los Angeles Vibe and the Philadelphia Inventors 
GM Khaciyan-GM Erenburg 0-1 
SM Fisher- IM Kiewra 1/2-1/2 
WGM Abrahamyan- SM Minear 1-0 
FM Shahade- Korba 1-0 
and Philadelphia shall win 2.5-1.5 
Tit for Tat: The Arizona Scorpions Seek Revenge for their 0-1 Record against the Manhattan Applesauce
GM Romanenko- IM Molner 1-0 
IM Altounian- IM Mandizha 1/2-1/2 
Shvartsman- IM Mohandesi 1-0 
Chakraborty- Ryba 1-0 
and tit does not respond to tat.... Manhattan wins 2.5-1.5 
After Six Years of Never Playing Against Each Other, the Baltimore Kingfishers and the Seattle Sluggers Go to War
It's sort of crazy that Kingfishers have been in the league since its beginning in 2005 and the Sluggers have since 2006 and they haven't played yet. 
GM Margvelashvili- FM Cozianu 1-0
IM Mikhailuk- IM Palkidze 1-0
Balasubramanian- FM Collyer 1/2-1/2
Sinanan- Selzler 1-0 To my surprise, Sinanan beat FM Adamson convincingly with black last week, so why not predict he'll win this week?! 
and Seattle shall succeed: Seattle wins 2.5-1.5 
So for my bonus prediction, things will be slightly better in the east as the Eastern Divison will beat the Western Division 3-2 tomorrow night!


 

 

Rabin's Prognostics for the 2012 USCL Season's Interdivison Week #2, Part 2!!

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I got the following comment of constructive criticism to last night's set of predictions:

AnonymousSeptember 23, 2012 9:02 PMYour problem is that you just simply pick the favorites based on whoever has the better title or the better rating. There's not much analysis behind this.I definitely do think there's some truth that comment. There are definitely times I predict more based then titles and ratings than else when I have to predict results about players I never saw play before. Things change later into the season each year though, when I get to see the "unknowns" get their feet wet.  On the contrary, what ever my motives were for last night's predictions, I did awesome! I got my 3/4 or 75% match predictions correct and a personal record of 12/20 or 60% game predictions correct. I am now sitting on top of the world! Let's see if I'll have to get down tonight:) 
The Miami Sharks Shall Seek Revenge against New England for Its 2010 Championship Loss GM Becerra- GM Shankland 0-1 After I predicted Shanky would draw Becerra in their 2010 Championship encounter, he told me I should have predicted otherwise. Since he played a good amount of solid chess, gaining a fair amount of points in Europe this summer, I'l say my fellow Brandeisian win this time! GM Ivanov- FM Rodriguez 1-0 Alvarez- Wang 1-0 Pellows- Recio 1-0 and revenge shall not be claimed: New England wins 3-1 
The Boston Blitz Brings a Heavy Lineup Against Their Nemesis, the Dallas Destiny GM Chirila- SM Sammour-Hasbun 0-1Shmelov- GM Holt 0-1FM Xiong- Martirosov 1/2-1/2Liu-Guenther 1-0 and the Boston Blitz shall score its first win against Dallas! Boston wins 2.5-1.5
The First Date Between the Newbies, The Connecticut Dreadnoughts and the St. Louis ArchbishopsGM Hess- GM Finegold 1-0 IM Kannappan- GM Kekelidze 0-1 IM Sarkar- IM Bregadze 1/2-1/2 Karlow- Tanenbaum 1-0 and Connecticut Shall Win 2.5-1.5 

CD Review: New Buxter Hoot'n Music In "Na Na Na" EP

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San Francisco bay area rockers, Buxter Hoot’n recently released their new six-song EP entitled “Na Na Na.” This is the band’s fourth release and features some of their most intricate, atmospheric, progressive rock to date. The album starts off with the slow pulsating beat of the title song, “Na Na Na” as the sound grows with the sing-along chorus. The band adds a bid of Dave Matthews Band flair to the fiddle-laden “Kids Those Days,” before picking up the tempo with the heavy, guitar-riff filled “Fake Heart Attack.” The band jams on the southern rock, Allman Brothers Band-style of “Hung Up” that you wish would just keep-on going. The album closes with the piano driven ballad “Better Way.” Buxter Hoot’n recently performed at Viracocha in San Francisco, CA and has another show scheduled for November 15 at Bottom of the Hill. For more information on their new EP as well as tour dates, please visit buxterhootn.com.

CD Review: Connecticut's Own, The Reducers Get A Tribute

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Connecticut record label, Good Sponge Records is rolling out a tribute to one of Connecticut’s most famous unsigned bands, The Reducers. The new 24-song compilation entitled “Rave On: A Tribute to The Reducers, Vol. 1” pays tribute to the band’s 34-year legacy with some local CT acts performing songs from throughout The Reducers’ catalog.

The album opens with New York’s The Rattlers performing The Reducers best known song, “Let’s Go.” The Rattlers feature Mickey Leigh (brother of the late Joey Ramone) on vocals as the song carries that raw, pop-punk feeling that The Reducers were known for. The punk-like tempo keeps going with The Backstabbers performing “Life In The Neighborhood” and Japanese band, Rockbottom delivering a blazing rendition of “San Antone.” The female vocals Linda Bean of Frigate fit the tone perfectly on “Boys Will Be Boys,” while Dave Rave & Lauren Agnelli draw up the eighties pop sounds with “Company Man.” Local bands, The Manchurians and Paul Brockett Roadshow pay tribute to The Reducers with their “pub rock” renditions of “Fashion of the Times” and “Nothing Cool.”

The Dogmatics brings out the grunginess of “Black Plastic Shoes,” while Missy Roback shows us the country, pop side of The Reducers, performing the song “Real Gone.” The newly formed band, Birdfeeder adds their own ingredients to a soulful version of “Sound of Breaking Down.” The Rivergods show their respect to their fellow New London peers with a great, clean sounding version of “My Problem.” The album closes with the Male Curriers adding some surf guitar instrumental to “Endless Bummer.”

The Eugene O’Neil Theater Center in Waterford, CT will be hosting a CD release party on Saturday, September 22. This was the first venue that The Reducers performed at back in 1978. The night will feature performances by Heap, The Dogmatics, The Manchurians, Paul Brockett Roadshow, The Rivergods, The Clothespins, Jes Farnsworth, Matt Gouette, Blonde Furniture and Missy Roback. For more information on this release, check out thereducers.com.

CD Review: Amy Cook Sheds Her "Summer Skin" With Help From Friends

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From California comes singer/songwriter Amy Cook with her latest release “Summer Skin.” The album was released back in August on Roothouse Records and features guest artists including Ben Kweller, Patty Griffin and the legendary Robert Plant. Cook found her first success in 2005 with songs appearing on the shows “Dawson’s Creek,” “Veronica Mars,” “Laguna Beach” and “The L Word.” She found the limelight again in 2010 with her single “Hotel Lights,” which found praise in the magazines, Rolling Stone and The Austinist. Now, after years of performing in coffeehouses and clubs, Amy Cook is ready for the bright lights of stardom with her new release.

Her slightly smoky voice fits in so comfortably with the music on the opening track “Waiting For The World” that you instantly find yourself a fan. The harmonies supplied by Robert Plant on “It’s Gonna Rain” easily makes this one of the stand-out tracks on the album with Amy’s gentle flowing heartfelt lyrics. Her tone gets a little darker on the moody, six-minute, Doors-type rocker “Airplane Driver,” which features guest vocals by Patty Griffin. Amy Cook gets playful with her lyrics on “Hello Bunny” and simplifies her sound on the acoustic “Levee.” The album closes with “Heart Is A Ghost” as Amy’s vocals matches the lyrics and mood of the song perfectly.

Amy Cook is currently on tour in the Midwest before heading back out to California in October. For more information on her new album “Summer Skin,” please visit amycook.com.

Concert Review: The J. Geils Band Turns The Mohegan Sun Arena Into A "Houseparty"

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The J. Geils Band is one of your typical blues-rock, barbands from Boston that hit it big in the 70’s and 80’s with the live albums “FullHouse,”  “Blow Your Face Out” and “Showtime.”The albums displayed how great their music was when performed live and how muchfun a J. Geils Band show was. Now into their 45^th year together, theJ. Geils Band embarked on their Houseparty 2012 Tour which brought them to theMohegan Sun arena last Sunday evening.

As the members of the band filed onto the stage, the showbegan with the introductory instrumental “Sno-Cone” as each band memberreceived a short one minute solo. Lead singer Peter Wolf, one of the moreiconic members of the J. Geils Band, did not appear on stage until thefollow-up song, “Wait” which dates back to the band’s first album. Wolf, accompaniedby the two female back-up singers, received a huge applause as he instantly transformedinto one of the great frontmen in rock n roll. His dance moves mirrored fellowBoston frontman Steven Tyler during the jams of “Night Time” and “SouthsideShuffle.” Also joining the J. Geils Band that evening was The Uptown Horns, beginningwith the “Peter Gunn Theme,” before making their presence heard on the song “Homework.”Harmonica player Magic Dick stepped to the front of the stage for his solos in “GiveIt To Me” and “I Do” which turned the concert in one big party as the crowdcouldn’t help themselves, but to dance along. J. Geils Band paid tribute to theearly days of rock n roll with “Pack Fair & Square” as Wolf invited a womanfrom the audience to get up on stage and dance along with him. The band playedon all their strengths, showing off their blues prowess on “One Last Kiss,”before heading into their “MTV video” phase with hits like “Freeze Frame,” “Centerfold”and “Love Stinks.” The J. Geils Band was running on all cylinders for theinstrumental “Whammer Jammer,” led by Magic Dick’s harmonica, before endingtheir set with a blazing version of “(Ain’t Nothin’ But A) Houseparty.”

The band’s five song encore began with another tribute tothe early days of rock n roll with a cover of The Supremes’ “Baby Where Did OutLove Go.” From there, the J. Geils Band dove back to their first album for arare performance of “First I Look At Your Purse.” Then Peter Wolf acted out hislong, but classic "wooba gooba" introduction to the fan favorite song,“Must Of Got Lost,” which found Peter Wolf strolling through the audiencesinging the chorus as the band jammed on stage. They continued with the deepcut, “Start All Over Again,” before closing out the party with a cover of thesong “Land of 1000 Dances.” As all twelve members of the J. Geils Band’s liveshow stood arm in arm and bowed “good night,” the two-and-a-half hour showcertainly gave all in attendance their money’s worth that evening.

Fellow Boston musician Jesse Dee began the night with a 40minute set of soul, R&B, and classic rock n roll originals to get the partystarted.

Setlist: Sno-Cone, Wait, Hard Drivin’ Man, Peter Gunn Theme,Homework, Night Time, Southside Shuffle, Cry One More Time, Sanctuary, PackFair & Square, Give It To Me, I Do, Just Can’t Wait, One Last Kiss,Surrender, On Borrowed Time, Freeze Frame, Detroit Breakdown, Centerfold, LoveStinks, Looking For A Love, Whammer Jammer, (Ain’t Nothin’ But A) Houseparty
Encore: Baby Where Did Our Love Go, First Time I Look AtYour Purse, Must Of Got Lost, Start All Over Again, Land Of 1000 Dances

CD Review: New Live "Magic" From Medeski, Martin & Wood

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From Brooklyn, New York comes the American jazz trio,Medeski Martin & Wood with a new live album titled “Free Magic.” For thisrelease, the trio revisits their archives to release songs from their acoustictour back in 2007. Also on the heels of this release, the band will embark onan 11-date acoustic tour of New England.
The five songs on “Free Magic” truly capture what this improvisationaljazz trio love to do. They just let the music take them on a journey throughsound as they feed off each other’s energy and performance. The album beginswith “Doppler” from their anniversary album, “20.” The music on the openingtrack is just outstanding with John Medeski’s piano leading the way over analmost tribal rhythm supplied by Billy Martin. The song “Blues For Another Day”sounds like a “free for all” as each member seems to be going off on their ownsolo before it all comes together around the four minute mark before almostgoing off the rails again. The quietness of the title track allows for ChrisWood to expand his sound on the bass in this live setting. At over sixteenminutes, “Where’s Sly” is full of ups and downs in the tempo as this rock-jazzfusion seems to please the audience as well as the listener. The album closes withthe shortest song in the set, the nine-and-a-half minute flashback cover ofCharles Mingus’ “Nostalgia In Times Square” which flows into Sun Ra’s “AngelRace.” A great finish as this trio of great musicians pays tribute to theirelders.
Medeski Martin & Wood will begin their tour in FallRiver, MA on October 3^rd before hitting the Ridgefield Playhouse inRidgefield, CT on October 10^th. For more information on their newalbum “Free Magic” and for a complete list of tour dates, please visit mmw.net.

CD Review: New Music From New York Artists Generator Ohm And Vajra

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From New York comes the trio of Ernest D’amaso, Willie Chen and Mikopolis Morales known as Generator Ohm. Their debut album, “Upon The Me Om I” was recently released and a second album is already in production. Their music combines the grunge of the nineties with a futuristic, electronic rock sound that sounds almost like a new progressive rock movement. The quick pace of the album’s opening song “Lemming Shuffle” shows the great musicianship this trio has. You instantly notice the different fills as the music never contains any gaps. When the band pushes their songs past the five-minute mark as in “They Can See Us” and “First Encounters of the Worst Kind” is when their sound becomes more experimental and sounds unlike anyone else. Their shorter songs like “Smoke Eater” and “Marginal Hop” draws in parts of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden which give their songs a more familiar sound. Generator Ohm recently performed in Brooklyn, NY and currently has no further dates on the schedule. Please visit http://www.reverbnation.com/generatorohm to find out more about this rising underground band. Also from New York comes Vajra with a melodic hard rock sound similar to Lacuna Coil, but with a touch more of a progressive metal feel. Their debut album, “Pleroma” was released back in June with a show at The Bowery Electric in New York. The vocals of Annamaria Pinna are mesmorizing in the opening song “Inside The Flame.” The band rocks with the addition of some Middle-Eastern influences in the song “Intuition.” The song “Blind” has a lot of mainstream rock appeal, while Pinna gives her strongest vocal performance in “3.14.” The album closes with the eight-minute epic “The Apple,” which shows once again that this band can rock as they blast out the chorus. Vajra just performed at The Roxy in Los Angeles, CA and at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY. They currently have no other live dates scheduled at the moment, but be sure to check out thevajratemple.com for updates.

CD Review: More New Music Coming From Indie Artists Tyne Darling And Sixstep

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Singer/songwriter Tyne Darling started out in Milwaukee as a member of various punk bands, but many of the songs he had written didn’t fit into that scene. In November 2010, the roots were planted of what became his new solo album, “The Secret November.” Many of the songs on this album have been licensed to MTV, VH1, E!, Discovery and Bravo networks for use in shows. The album begins with the slow, Americana, blues rock of “L.E.S.” as you get a feel of how meaningful his lyrics are to hear. The mellowness of “Echo/Gold” puts all of the focus on Darling’s vocals as you notice a slight gruffness in his voice, which gives off an experienced feel to his overall sound. At times, he sounds like a younger Elvis Costello as in “The Highline” and “Untitled.” The Tyne Darling finds himself repeating the same slow, laid-back groove, all the way until the accapella-filled finish of “The New York Palace.” Tyne Darling has some live dates on his schedule including the Midpoint Music Festival in Cinncinnati, OH and the M.E.A.N.Y. Festival in New York. His new album “The Secret November” is available now. For more information, please visit tynedarling.com. From Orange County, CA comes Sixstep with their new album “House of Cards.” Their music blurs the lines of rock, funk, punk and jazz. The album begins with the mainstream ska sounds of “Ministry” as their music moves you to get up and enjoy the beats. They fuse together rock and funk on “Get In Line”and “Klown,” before visiting their jazzier side on “Party For Steven.” They return to the mainstream rock of “In the Rain,” before closing the album with the dop-wop of “Enjoy The Free Fall” which goes on to show how diverse this band performs. The Sixstep just wrapped up a show at The Coach House in California and they have one more show scheduled at the moment at Knuckleheads on September 28. Their new album, “House of Cards” is available now. For more information, please visit sixstepmusic.com.

CD Review: New Experimental Music From Underground Artists Infaux And Fertanish

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From South Dakota comes the synthesizer-fueled, industrial rock band Infaux with a new album entitled “Regret: Zero.” The seven-song release shows the band’s love for 80’s electronic pop as they add a brand of industrial metal to make it rough around the edges. Songs like the opener “Shotgun Formation” and “Oz” show the band’s love for the 90’s industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails and The Prodigy as the vocals just get shredded through the crashing of synthesizers. The band draws up their 80’s influences on the mellow flow of “Somniphobia (A Lullaby)”and even shows another side to their sound on the acoustic “Composure.” The album ends with a couple of remixes, one by DJ Skrilla that is definitely geared toward the club scene, while “Gingers (Just Want To Have Fun) –Landmines on Mainstreet Remix” is more about experimenting with sounds. For more information on this underground industrial rock band, please visit their facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/infaux). From Washington D.C. comes Fertanish with a new album entitled, “Contemplating Silent Wishes.” Fertanish is the brainchild of Bill Murphy, who combines rhythms and noises to create a very eclectic soundscape. This release follow the heavy drum filled experiment, “Zero, Zero, Three,” which was released in December of last year. The new release contains only one track that runs for almost 79 minutes. It is not a musical piece that will blow you away with its artistry, but will gradually grow on you as it moves through its different phases. At times, the song sound like Murphy took some hints from the Blue Man Group and other times, it sound like it was recorded underwater as the different tones start to come together. It is very much a “methodical composition” as you began to assume the pattern, but there are very subtle sound waves that keep you interested. For more information on Fertanish and the new album “Contemplating Silent Wishes,” please visit fertanish.com.

CD Review: Scrapomatic Brings "A Stranger" To Connecticut

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From New York City comes the blues, roots band Scrapomatic with a brand new album entitled “I’m A Stranger And I Love The Night.” The album was released back in August through Landslide Records and hit #3 on the iTunes Blues Chart and #1 on the Finnish iTunes Blues Chart. Singer/songwriter Mike Mattison started Scrapomatic thirteen year ago with fellow singer Paul Olsen. As the band’s popularity grew, Mattison received a call from The Allman Brothers’ guitarist Derek Trucks to join his new outfit the Tedeschi Trucks Band as a singer and songwriter. He won a Grammy with the band last year for 2011 Best Blues Album and put that renewed energy into Scrapomatic’s latest release. The album begins with the blues romp, “Alligator Love Cry” which is a new song with a title that was carried over from the band’s previous release of the same name. Mattison’s gruff vocals start off a little bit like fellow bluesman Jonny Lang before settling in with Dave Yoke’s guitar. Olsen turns in a more R&B sound on the title track, before the band attacks “Rat Trap” as a Little Richard-type early rock n roll classic. The band opens up their sound on the Americana, country acoustics of “Don’t Fall Apart On Me,” before bringing out the bluesy ballad “I Surrender.” Scrapomatic rocks on the fun sounding “Mother Of My Wolf,” before ending the album with the acoustic country-blues ballad “Gentrification Blues.” Scrapomatic will be opening for the Tedeschi Trucks Band on their next six tour dates, beginning on September 25 in Roanoke, VA. The tour will be hitting Connecticut on Friday, September 28 with a show at The Palace Theater in Waterbury before taking a break until mid-October. Mike Mattison will be performing double-duty on this tour as lead singer for Scrapomatic and back-up singer for the Tedeschi Trucks Band. For more information on Scrapomatic’s new album “I’m A Stranger And I Love The Night” please visit scrapomatic.com.

CD Review: Travis T. Warren Finds Freedom "Beneath These Borrowed Skies"

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Singer/songwriter Travis T. Warren is finally releasing hisdebut solo album, “Beneath These Borrowed Skies,” after years of fronting thebands The Lookout Kids and Blind Melon. Travis became the lead singer of BlindMelon eleven years after the death of Shannon Hoon. He released his first albumwith the band back in 2008 (“For My Friends”) and toured for the next coupleyears. His new solo disc was written and produced by Travis and was released onSeptember 25 through Iron Ridge Road Recordings.
The album begins with “From The Depths” as Travis’ voicebecomes instantly recognizable, while, the mellowness of this and many of the songson this album shows off more of Travis’ songwriting talents. Not to worry BlindMelon fans, Travis also brings in the sounds he’s learned from his fellowbandmates on “Golden Lives” and “Bones And Times.” Travis rocks on the song “WarToys” as he displays the power in his voice, while the gentleness of “A WintersTale” is a great folk, storytelling song. The album closes with the acoustic “HandMe Down” as you truly feel the hope he has that this album proves how good ofan artist he truly is.
For more information on Travis T. Warren and the new album,please visit travistwarren.com.

CD Review: Glen Campbell And Jimmy Webb Share Stories While "In Session"

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The Concord Music Group is preparing to release another volume in the “In Session” series. The first release in this series featured legendary blues guitarists Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. This time around we get to hear songs performed by country legend Glen Campbell along with his favorite songwriter, Jimmy Webb on piano.

This release features a CD of the nine full songs recorded during this meeting on December 9, 1988. As a bonus, you also receive a DVD which is the true treasure of this collection. On the DVD you get to see conversions between the two artists, including how Glen Campbell met Jimmy Webb for the first time and didn’t care much for him. It is great to see when the two of them discuss the origins such songs as “Galveston” and “Where’s The Playground Susie.” Webb also discusses the origin of his massive hit “Wichita Lineman,” which became one of Glen Campbell’s biggest songs. Right after each discussion, you get a “one of a kind” performance of the song featuring Campbell on guitar and vocals, and Webb on piano. You truly feel as if you are in the studio with these great artists. One of the special things about this release is you get Glen Campbell’s only known recording of the song “Sunshower” which was originally written by Jimmy Webb for soul singer Thelma Houston.

As Glen Campbell embarks on his “Goodbye Tour,” it’s nice to see and hear him in his prime. This “In Session (CD/DVD)” will be released on October 9 through Fantasy Records. For more information, please visit concordmusicgroup.com.

CD Review: Autumn Begins With More From Metal Blade Records

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California heavy metal band, As I Lay Dying is preparing the release of their sixth album entitled “Awakened.” Last year the band celebrated their tenth anniversary by releasing the compilation album, “Decas” and they are now ready to unleash some new music onto their fans. The new album was produced by Bill Stevenson (The Decendents drummer) and will be released on September 25 through Metal Blade Records.

The album leads off with the first single “Cauterize” as the band still knows how to blast your eardrums, but have also matured in their songwriting. The music and vocals are still aggressive, but they add some harmonizing to the chorus that shows growth within the band. This also appears on “The Great Foundation,” while As I Lay Dying mixes up tempos on “Resilience.” The song “Overcome” begins with a flowing guitar solo before the bands come crashing in, while the machine gun-like drumming on “No Lungs To Breathe” motors the songs screaming vocals. The album finishes with the epic sounding “Tear Out My Eyes.”

As I Lay Dying will begin their tour in October over in Europe, before hitting the U.S. shores in November. For a complete list of tour dates and information on the new album, please visit asilaydying.com.

From Greece comes your direct connection to the lord of the underworld as Satan’s Wrath are preparing the release of their debut album “Galloping Blasphemy” on September 25. The band is made up of Tas Danazoglou on vocals, drums and bass and Stamoz K on guitars. The music on this release is amazing, knowing it comes from just two musicians.

The album leads-off with the growling vocals of “Leonard Rising – Night of the Whip” and “Between Belial and Satan” as the metal pounding drums motors the songs. The short two-and-a-half minute instrumental, “Galloping Blasphemy” shows off the great musicianship these two have to offer without any vocals to distract the listener. The album closes with the over six-minute theme song “Satan’s Wrath” as you get an idea of what they band stand for.

For more information on Satan’s Wrath, check out http://www.metalblade.com/satanswrath/.

CD Review: Jerry Garcia And Merl Saunders Are Finally "Complete"

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For the first time on CD, we get “The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings” by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders. This 4-disc box set presents the two shows that were recorded live on July 10 and 11 at the Keystone Club in Berkeley, CA. This new release co-insides with the 70^thanniversary of Garcia’s birth and features seven presviously unreleased songs. Some of these recordings have been released twice before as “Live At Keystone” in 1973 and “Live At Keystone, Volume 1 & 2” in 1988. This release features all 25 songs that were recorded during that two-day run of live shows, remastered and put in the order in which the songs were performed. Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders began doing weekly jam sessions at San Francisco’s Matrix club back in December of 1970. Garcia would introduce Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and “Positively 4^th Street” into their sets, while Merl Saunders would bring in the standard “My Funny Valentine" and the jazzy "Merl's Tune." This just showed how vast their repertoire was and how well they fed off each other’s energy in performing live. Jerry Garcia was quoted as saying that Saunders “taught me music” and Saunders was even by the guitarist’s bedside after his near fatal coma in 1986. This wonderful friendship lasted all the way until Garcia’s death in 1995. Also included in this box set is a full color 28-page booklet features vintage photos and newly written liner notes by Grateful Dead expert David Gans, a poster, a coaster from the Keystone Club, a button and a “scratchbook” which replicates the design of the original album’s promotional matchbook. This box set will be available on September 25 through Fantasy Records. Fantasy Records will also be releasing a reissue of the original album, “Live At Keystone” on multi-color double vinyl on that same day. For more information on this wonderful release, please visit concordmusicgroup.com.

CD Review: Sybreed Gives Us Their Thoughts On "God"

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From Switzerland comes the industrial metal band, Sybreed witha new album, “God Is An Automaton.” The new album will be released throughListenable Records in Europe on September 24, then in North America on October2.
Beginning with the powerful of energy of “PosthumanManifesto,” the band is on a mission to prove that they are one of the topmetal acts in the world today. The chorus on “No Wisdom Brings Solace” soundslike a flashback to early Queensryche, while “Red Nova Ignition” is pure,straight-up industrial metal. Sybreed add the progressive metal song “God Is AnAutomaton” to their catalog, expanding their sound and musicianship. Then, thealbum just runs through a massive attack of thrash-type metal with “Downfall Inc.”and “Challenger.” On the closing song, “Destruction And Bliss” the band stretchesout the length of its metal pounding sound past the nine minute mark.
Sybreed has one date scheduled for Halloween over in theirhome country of Switzerland. Watch for more dates to be announced soon, oncethe album gets released. For more information on Sybreed’s new album, “God IsAn Automaton,” please visit sybreed.com.

CD Review: New Music Coming From Southern Connecticut

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First up from New Milford, CT is the post-punk sound of Finswith a new 4-song EP entitled “Lawnmower.” The band carries a very raw soundwith a lot a punk energy as heard in the opening track “Foxfire.” Fins let looseon the title-track as the song almost gets carried away with the chorus, butstays on course with some interesting guitar riffs. The guitars in the song “Hags”sound very dirty like the early days of English punk. The EP closes with “Hold”that keeps the energy flowing as the music overtakes the vocals.
For more information on Fins and their latest release, “Lawnmower,”check them out at http://www.obscuremerecords.com/p/fins.html.
Another independent band from down near the shore in Mystic, CTis Slander with a new 3-song EP entitled “World As Museum.” Slander was alsonamed “band of the month” in the New England magazine “The Deli.” The albumbegins with “Device” as lead singer; Julia Farrar draws you in with her voice asthe band’s modern alternative rock sound fits her vocals perfectly. The duet of “Trial”doesn’t quite have the same appeal, while the edgy rocker, “Magnets” hits themark with its 80’s pop sound.
For more information on Slander, please visit http://www.portfire.org/slander/.

NEW RELEASES - LONNIE LISTON SMITH, MFSB, BETTYE LAVETTE

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LONNIE LISTON SMITH – COSMIC FUNK & SPIRITUAL SOUNDS

Righteous jazz, with plenty of soul – a killer collection of the mid 70s work of Lonnie Liston Smith – all based around his legendary recordings for the Flying Dutchman label! Lonnie got his start on the hippest side of the jazz spectrum – including work with Pharoah Sanders on Impulse – but by the time of these tracks, he'd found a way to beautifully mix the righteous energy of his roots with some sweet mid 70s jazz funk touches – all served up in a sublime blend of electric keyboards and acoustic piano, and often expanded with lyrics that helped Smith cross over into a soul audience too! Few artists ever handled the balance as well as Lonnie – although this work certainly inspired dozens of others to try – and the set's a beautiful testament to his lasting power, with 15 great tracks that include "Visions Of A New World", "Cosmic Funk", "Get Down Everybody", "In Search Of Truth", "Expansions", "Beautiful Woman", "Golden Dreams", "Astral Traveling", "Meditations", "Devika", "Shadows", and "Sunbeams".

MFSB – LOVE IS THE MESSAGE

A key moment for the Philly soul scene of the 70s – and the first album to feature the MFSB backing group as a solo act on their own! The ensemble were responsible for key sounds on countless soul singles of the time – yet also find a way to soar beautifully on their own – in a sweet instrumental groove that matches the strength of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, and which was definitely a key inspiration for the sound of the Salsoul Orchestra! There's definitely a bit of early disco in the mix, but the style's more uptempo east coast overall – that pre-disco groove that was going down in the clubs – with larger strings added to a core group of funky rhythm players. Gamble & Huff production make the whole thing sparkle, and arrangements are by Vince Montana, Bobby Martin, and Jack Faith – on titles that include "Love Is The Message", "Cheaper To Keep Her", "TSOP", "Zack's Fanfare", "Touch Me In The Morning", and "My One & Only Love". CD features bonus tracks – "Love Is The Message (single version – with Three Degrees)", "TSOP (with Three Degrees)", and "Love Is The Message (Tom Moulton mix)".

BETTYE LAVETTE – THANKFUL N' THOUGHTFUL

Bettye Lavette's best record yet for Anti- – a modern classic from a bonafide legendary southern soul singer – and she sounds as wonderful as she has in years! If her voice has picked up some grit over the years, it's no less beautiful – and the experience only enhances the material. The song choices are terrific – kicking off with the somewhat overlooked Dylan treasure "Everything Is Broken" – and several others eclectic, classic-level songs that span a number of genres – adapted masterfully into a timeless sound that's distinctly southern, but it eschews he retro revival style, for a unique vibe of it's own. Producer Craig Street and the tight group of musicians assembled for the record deserve a lot of credit, but none more than the inspiring Bettye Lavette! Includes "I'm Not The One", "Dirty Old Town" (plus a great closing slow version), "Yesterday Is Here", "Thankful N' Thoughtful", "Time Will Do The Talking", "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and more. (Vinyl comes with the full album on CD.)

:::: SOURCE: Dusty Groove ::::

NEW RELEASES - TIA FULLER, ANGIE STONE, DIONNE WARWICK

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TIA FULLER – ANGELIC WARRIOR

Tia Fuller's always a player who really grabs our ears – and an artist who always manages to work with a surprising degree of depth, despite the sometimes sexy look of her album covers! Take this set – which has kind of a "smooth jazz" look on the front, but burns with intensity right from the start – a soaring, righteous style that's right up there with the most soulful indie jazz around – served up by Fuller on alto, soprano sax, and flute – in a hip combo that features Shamie Royston on Fender Rhodes, Mimi Jones on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. The set boasts a bit of guest work – Terry Lyne Carrington on three tracks, John Patitucci on six, and Dianne Reeves on one – but the real star here is definitely Fuller – a wonderfully soulful talent, especially on the alto – and a heck of a great leader too. Titles include "Ralphie's Groove", "Body & Soul", "Lil Les", "Angelic Warrior", "Tailor Made", "Core Of Me", and "Simpli-City".

ANGIE STONE – RICH GIRL

Angie Stone's first for Saguaro Road – one that she's calling a more personal project than some of her recent work – and sure enough, it's a good one! We actually dug Angie's couple of albums for the rebooted Stax label in the late 00s – but you know what, if Angie's happier with this one, we are, too. It's filled with solid songs, from easygoing modern soul ballads, to some classic dancefloor soul inspired gems, and beyond – and it's all done with Angie's true soul vocals out front. It’s well produced, but done with an eclectic, indie soul spirit that's indeed a bit less pop than some of her later recordings. A win! Includes "Do What You Gotta Do", "Backup Plan", "Proud Of Me", "First Time", "Guilty", "Alright", "Livin' It Up", "Right In Front Of Me", "Rich Girl", "Push 'N'Pull", "U Lit My Fire", "Sisters" and more.

DIONNE WARWICK - HEARTBREAKER

Sweet 80s soul from Dionne Warwick – an album that features a fair bit of production work from Barry Gibb – and a sometime sound that definitely shows his presence! The style here is smoother than Dionne in earlier years – with a nice undercurrent of jazz in the instrumentation, one that helps keep things hipper than you might expect – and which avoids a lot of the cliches of early 80s pop soul that might muck things up. Gibb's touch helps things glide nicely at times – a bit of that soulful Bee Gees flourish – and tracks include "Heartbreaker", "It Makes No Difference", "Take The Short Way Home", "Just One More Night", "You Are My Love", and "Our Day Will Come".


:::: SOURCE: Dusty Groove ::::

NEW RELEASES - ROBERTA FLACK, BOBBY LYLE, WILL DOWNING

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ROBERTA FLACK – ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES: FIRST TAKE / QUIET FIRE / KILLING ME SOFTLY / FEEL LIKE MAKIN’ LOVE / BLUE LIGHTS IN THE BASEMENT

An incredible legacy in soul music – the first five solo albums by Roberta Flack – all packaged together in one hip little set! Roberta is one of the most unique artists of her time – a soul singer who burst on the scene at the start of the 70s with righteous roots in jazz, yet a way of reaching out to a much wider audience without ever losing her groove – a balance that's heard perfectly in the records First Take, Quiet Fire, and Killing Me Softly – all of which are essential records that should be in just about any music collection – soul or not! Feel Like Makin Love and Blue Lights In The Basement have Flack hitting some slightly smoother sounds, yet still sounding tremendous – picking up some influences from Eugene McDaniels, who helps out a bit on these records. Mainstream soul has never sounded more righteous – and the five records work perfectly together in this set – all served up in tiny LP-styled sleeves, too.

BOBBY LYE – NIGHT FIRE
A stone classic from Bobby Lyle – and a record that really has him stepping out strongly, both as a keyboardist and a singer! Bobby's strength at this point is undeniable – and he's got a perfect sense of balance that rivals contemporaries like Roy Ayers or Webster Lewis – both of whom work in a similarly jazzy groove! Lyle plays some great Fender Rhodes on the set – plus other more way-out keyboards too – and production is by the At-Home team, who really know how to bring in a strong sense of focus to the grooves, while still letting the best jazzy elements flourish. Titles include "Space Place", "Stop Running Away From Love", "Getting Into Love", "Dream Lady", "Stop Running Away From Love", and "For Love".
WILL DOWNING - TOMORROW
Will Downing, the next chapter – quite possibly the greatest entry in his trilogy of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow albums – and filled with fresh grooves that really let Will take off strongly! The vocals are sublime (could we expect anything less from Downing?) – and the rhythms have a lean, crispy, 21st Century soul vibe that turns out to be a perfect fit for Will's singing – one that's handled by the mature singer without any sense of cliche, and great care to keep things from ever getting too commercial or heavy handed. A brilliant third act from the master – with cuts that include "Here I Go", "Side To Side", "Only One", and "Falling".

:::: SOURCE: Dusty Groove ::::