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Wayman Tisdale "Hang Time" Smooth Jazz Music CD Review

admin2 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:54:07 +0000

Former NBA All Star baller, Wayman Tisdale has done it again with this, his latest smooth jazz CD release Hang Time.

“It” being, he has turned out yet another funk drenched smooth jazz CD in this his fifth offering.

Showing once again that he is at the top of his game, and in top form. Thumping out smooth jazz tracks one right after the other.

While clearly blazing his own path as an outstanding bassist, the comparisons to the legendary bass guitar playing Stanley Clarke are inescapable. It’s easy to see that Clarke certainly had some measure of influence on Tisdale.

The self taught Tisdale has elevated himself to that level of artist whom I eagerly anticipate any new project from. Clearly growing with each release as a musician and getting better with each outing. Now establishing himself as one of the top bass guitar players in any music category.

If you’ve not yet been introduced to Wayman Tisdale, the musician, this would be a great CD for you to get acquainted with him through.

On Hang Time, as is the case with each of his previous releases, Tisdale has included an impressive interpretation of an old gospel tune Glory Glory. This is an indication of his musical roots which lie in gospel music.

His new tracks are impressive but the one that will get your full attention is an outstanding version of a top R & B tune from the 70’s, Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.

From the opening track, Ready To Hang, right through the very last he brilliantly mixes his trademark funky grooves with just the right blend of mellow.

Featured on track 7, Better Days is smooth jazz legend and label Co-Owner Dave Koz. Also lending a hand on several tracks on the CD are smooth jazz notables Jeff Lorber playing keyboards, and James Lloyd from the group Pieces of a Dream.

Overall I’d say Wayman Tisdale scores big with Hang Time. Continuing his rise as a top bass guitarist. This is probably his best effort so far and is most definitely a worthy addition to any smooth jazz collection.

The standout tunes are Ready To Hang [track 1], Creative Juices [track 2], and Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now [track 4]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 7, Better Days. Very nice!

Release Notes:

This CD was originally released July 13, 2004 on the Rendezvous Entertainment label.

CD track list follows:

1. Ready To Hang

2. Creative Juices

3. Cruisin’

4. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now

5. My World

6. Hang Time

7. Better Days

8. Everything In You

9. Even When

10. The Time Is Here

11. Off Into It

12. Glory Glory

By: Tom Milson

Keiko Matsui Moyo Jazz Music CD Review

admin2 — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:34:08 +0000

The exceptionally talented Jazz artist Keiko Matsui has released her CD entitled Moyo. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Keiko Matsui fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Moyo Keiko Matsui’s artistic excellence is on full display as Matsui has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be her best work to date.

Refreshingly, this was one of those CDs I was able to just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

These days it’s a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs.

Overall Moyo is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Jazz collection. Truly an outstanding Jazz CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is simply superb.

While the entire CD is outstanding some of my favorites are track 2 – A Great Romance, track 5 – An Evening In Gibraltar, and track 6 – When I Close My Eyes

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 10 – Old Potch Road. It’s a great track!

Moyo Release Notes:

Keiko Matsui originally released Moyo on Apr 24, 2007 on the Sony Wonder label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Moyo (Heart & Soul)
2. Great Romance, A
3. Into The Night
4. Caricias

5. An Evening In Gibraltar
6. When I Close My Eyes
7. After The Rain

8. Allure

9. Black River
10. Old Potch Road
11. Um Novo Dia (A New Day)
12. Marula

Release Notes Personnel include: Keiko Matsui (piano); Richard Bona (vocals, bass guitar); Waldemar Bastos (vocals); Paul Taylor (saxophone); Gerald Albright (soprano saxophone); Hugh Masekela (trumpet); Derek Nakamoto (synthesizer, programming); Akira Jimbo (drums).

Recording information: 2006.

By: Tom Milson

Alfonzo Blackwell "Reflections" Smooth Jazz Music CD Review

admin2 — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:38:44 +0000

Reflections is the latest Smooth Jazz CD realeased by the extremely talented saxophone playing Alfonzo Blackwell who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Alfonzo Blackwell fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

I wish it weren’t the case but, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Reflections. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

The nice thing about a CD like this is with this level of talent even if Smooth Jazz isn’t your favorite genre you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.

This is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it my highest recommendation. It’s quite simply great listening. A must buy for the Smooth Jazz fan.

While this entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 3, Field Of Dreams, track 5, I Miss You, track 13, Better Days.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5, I Miss You. What a nice track!

Reflections Release Notes:

Alfonzo Blackwell originally released Reflections on Aug 28, 2001 on the Shanachie Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Funky Shuffle

2. All Blues

3. Field Of Dreams

4. Joy

5. I Miss You

6. Next To You

7. Take You Out

8. That Feeling

9. True Blue

10. Somewhere Sunday

11. Precious Love

12. Reflections

13. Better Days

14. That’s Cool

Personnel: Alfonzo Blackwell (soprano saxophone, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums); Jean Norris (vocals); David Mann (keyboards, drum programming); Bernd Schoenhart, Chuck Loeb, Mark Marino (guitar). Recorded at Blackwell Studios, New York, New York.

By: Tom Milson

Freddie Hubbard Ready For Freddie Jazz Music CD Review

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:35:08 +0000

Ready For Freddie is the latest Jazz CD put out by the richly talented Freddie Hubbard who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Freddie Hubbard fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

Freddie Hubbard has been a heavy hitter in the Jazz genre for quite a while now and Ready For Freddie is an excellent illustration as to why.

Ready For Freddie has a pleasantly varied, mix of 7 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly gifted artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are him own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

Overall Ready For Freddie is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Jazz collection. Truly an outstanding Jazz CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is simply superb.

While the entire CD is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 1 – Arietis, track 3 – Marie Antoinette, and track 7 – Marie Antoinette.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5 – Crisis. Great track!

Ready For Freddie Release Notes:

Freddie Hubbard originally released Ready For Freddie on March 9, 2004 on the Blue Note Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Arietis

2. Weaver Of Dreams

3. Marie Antoinette

4. Birdlike

5. Crisis

6. Arietis – (alternate take, bonus track)

7. Marie Antoinette – (alternate take, bonus track)

Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Bernard McKinney (euphonium); McCoy Tyner (piano); Art Davis (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on August 21, 1961. Includes liner notes Nat Hentoff and Bob Blumenthal.

By: Clyde Lee Dennis

Rick Braun RNR Jazz Music CD Review

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:32:52 +0000

Very talented Jazz artist Rick Braun has released him latest album titled RNR and Wow! It’s good.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.

RNR is a pleasantly varied, mix of 12 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly gifted artist. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Clearly drawing from what I can only imagine are him own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.

Overall RNR is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Jazz collection. Truly an outstanding Jazz CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is simply superb.

While the entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 2 – Sweet Somethin’, track 8 – Down And Dirty, and track 12 – Sao Paulo.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 9 – Two Heart Tango. Good stuff!

RNR Release Notes:

Rick Braun originally released RNR on August 28, 2007 on the ARTizen Music Group label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Rnr

2. Sweet Somethin’

3. Curve Ball

4. Stranger, The

5. Da J.R. Funk

6. Que Paso

7. Better Times

8. Down And Dirty

9. Two Heart Tango

10. Q It Up

11. Sunday Night

12. Sao Paulo

Personnel: Rick Braun (flugelhorn); Richard Elliot (tenor saxophone); Chris Standring, Dwight Sills, Randy Jacobs, John Pondell (guitar); Nick Lane (trombone); Phillipe Saisse, Gregg Karukas, Jeff Lorber, Rex Rideout (keyboards); Nate Phillips (bass guitar); Ricky Lawson, Sergio Gonzalez (drums); Lenny Castro (percussion).

By: Clyde Lee Dennis

Jazz From Goa, India

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

HP- Tell us something about yourself.

CD- I’m a Mumbai goan looking forward to being a Goa goan very soon. I’ve reached two important milestones in my career. One is, after decades of playing everyone elses music i’ve development a style of my own and the biggest compliment I get these days is when someone recognizes my bassplaying on some tune they heard somewhere, they call up to confirm and..voila! The other milestone is probably every musicians dream, to produce music out of my own studio. A dream that will come true for me within this year when I setup my own state of the art studio in Sangolda. I’ve also setup an organisation called Jazz Goa with the help of fellow musicians and jazz enthusiasts in Goa.

HP- What drew you towards jazz?

CD- Jazz is a huge word, it should be spelt jjjaaaazzzzz! Seriously though, I think jazz is the most open, alive and evolving form of music that allows a musician to be him/herself. Most other forms of music demands a musician to follow trends and tradition or create stuff that’s currently hip. Whereas a jazz musician goes about his business listening, assimilating and finally innovating with yet another genre of jazz! We now have dixiland-jazz, swing-jazz, bebop-jazz, funk-jazz, rock-jazz, pop-jazz, fusion-jazz, latin-jazz, indo-jazz, mando-jazz… to cut a long story short, there’s a -jazz attached to every genre of music. And there will be a -jazz attached to every genre that comes along. I’m a musician who’s atracted to anything that looks, feels, smells, tastes and even sounds like music, so naturally I choose jazz as I get to play it ALL.

HP- What sets apart jazz music from other genres?

CD- Jazz is the only form of music that embraces all other forms and it is no longer American music. Today jazz can safely be called world music.

HP- What led you to become a jazz artiste?

CD- From amoung all the different genre’s of music I grew up listening to, for some reason it was always jazz that struck those extended chords within me. I could always hear the human and very often super human element in a jazz rendition.

HP- Your favourite jazz aristes/tracks.

CD- You’ll need to extend this interview by a few thousand pages to answer that. My all time favourite however was a bassplayer called Jaco Pastorius who revolutionised bassplaying taking bass right upfront, over, under and right through a song.

HP- To whom would you attribute your credentials as a jazz musician?

CD- To everyone i’ve worked with and everyone I would like to work with someday.

HP- Where and how did you train to be a jazz artiste?

CD- I have no formal training in music, I learnt music listening to other musicians, assimilating what I liked and using it consiously or subconsiously in performance until i developed a style of my own. Once I decided to play professionally though, I did study the technicalities through some great music books that are easily available these days.

HP- How do you prepare for a gig?

CD- I make sure there’s enough soda to go with the whisky…just kidding! It depends, if it is a concert where I would be performing my own compositions, I get the tunes composed, then get the band to rehearse and sound the way I heard it in my head. As it often turnsout, input from the rest of the band takes the tune to a dimension I would never have imagined. So you see, music is all about connecting and collaborating, don’t believe any of those fantastic one man bands. They’re faking it for monetary reasons, not that I have anything against it. All is fair in love, war and music.

HP- Talking about gigs, where and when did you first perform/how long have you been into jazz?

CD- Like most musicians I first got into music with school/college bands. I then graduated into fivestar hotel resident bands whose repertoire was made up mainly of jazz standards. I did that for ten years, playing music every night made me a musician.

HP- What is the jazz scene like in India, and Goa in particular?

CD- The jazz scene in India, Goa or anywhere in the world is the same. There’s a niche group of performers and listeners that grows all the time. Hopefully with jazz’s open armed evolution, it will grow into the global sound of music.

HP- What have been your highs and lows in your career thus far?

CD- The highs have always been the applause at the end of a track performed, the lows would be finding out that the applause was actually for the sixer Sachin hit on the big screen just besides the stage at Jazz by the Bay in Mumbai.

HP- How would you explain your role as a jazz musician in society?

CD- A jazz musician gives people a nicer high than some other interesting social highs.

HP- Define jazz.

CD- Jazz is improvised music. Sometimes structured, sometimes orchestrated, sometimes free of form and almost always, spontaneously created.

HP- Notable gigs/performances.

CD- The world reknowned Hennessey XO jazz tour has always been featuring jazz artistes signed by the American Blue Note label. Last year for the first time a jazz band outside the label, from far away India, was selected for this prestigious international tour. I was the bassplayer for that band. An unforgettable experience for sure. More recently my indo-jazz fusion band ‘The Brown Indian Band’ has been approached to open for Sting’s European tour this year. Fingers are crossed about that one.

HP- Collaborations with other musicians.

CD- I am contineously collaborating with musicians from all over the world thanks to the internet and my website http://www.hullocheck.com

HP- I understand you have been into different genres of music and worked with various ensembles. Tell us more.

CD- As I mentioned it before, when it comes to music I want it ALL. Name the genre and chances are, i’ve been there. You’ll find traces of just about every genre in my own music. There are very few musicians in the world today, who would match the number of bands and musicians I have worked with.

HP- Currently performing at…

CD- I currently perform on two resident contracts in Mumbai at the JW Marriott hotel in the afternoons and the Taj Lands End hotel in the nights. I also take timeoff from these two gigs to perform at concerts and corporate events in India and abroad. So that averages some sixty gigs a month!

HP- Your hobbies/interests…

CD- My main hobby and interest is my profession today. Everyone else works for a living, I play for mine. Someone once told me ‘All play and no work makes…makes me tick!’ Seriously though, I am very keen on improving the plight of most goan musicians in Goa. I was one sometime ago so I should know the raw deal most of them get. My plan is to set up Jazz Goa as an umbrella organisation for not just jazz but all the other immense artistic talent in Goa. To start with my studio in Sangolda will record and produce deserving artistes. Jazz Goa will then launch the best from there at a global level. Jazz Goa has already produced four audio CD’s and a DVD that is available in Goa exclusively at Vibes Music in Margao and online at http://www.jazzgoa.com

By: Jazz Goa

Jazz Piano

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:36:00 +0000

Jazz piano is one of the most vibrant, energetic, specialized types of music. Famous jazz artists you may want to listen to are Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarret, Bill Evans, to name but a few. To learn jazz piano you need to take some time to listen to jazz CD’s and maybe watch DVD’s as well. To learn jazz piano, one needs to be very patient and dedicated to practicing the genre.

Jazz piano is characterized by a lot of improvisation. A jazz musician can be given a fake music sheet or chord chart and he can improvise on the spot over those chord progressions. It is recommended that a jazz musician know or have standard songs in their repertoire. Standard songs include songs like “Willow Weep for Me,” “Summertime,” and “Georgia on My Mind” to name but a few. Standard songs are songs that have been covered by many recording artists in the past, usually every year. For example one may consider the gospel song “Amazing Grace” a standard gospel song because a lot of artists have covered the song throughout the years.

Knowledge of scales and chords are essential tools needed to be a good jazz musician, let alone the technique needed to play this genre. As a jazz musician you will need to practice different types of scales, chords, arpeggios, staccato playing, legato playing, playing chords on the left hand while playing scales in the right hand at the same time.

To learn jazz you need to start with the basics: minor and major scales and minor and major chords. Once you master these then you can go forth to learning advanced chords(jazz chords) and scales. These chords include diminished, dominant, major nine, tritone chords, etc. Advanced scales will entail learning lydian, diminished, chromatic, melodic minor scales, for example.

You must remember that when it comes to playing the piano, it is not how you play but how you play is very essential as well. This is the reason why you need technique: how hard or soft do you play the notes, how you sit at the piano, breathing, how you position your hands and fingers on the piano, playing chords and scales, etc.

You will definitely need resources to play the piano, someone to hold you by the hand. The key to mastering jazz piano is to learn (get as much information as possible), patience and practice!practice!practice!

By: Jay Mtimkulu

Hiroshima "Obon" Smooth Jazz Music CD Review

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:24:39 +0000

Obon is the latest Smooth Jazz CD released by the highly talented group Hiroshima who once again have delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Hiroshima fans, and Smooth Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

I wish it weren’t the case but, it’s not everyday that I get a CD from an artist or group that I can just pop in and comfortably listen to from beginning to end. There is usually a song or two that I just can’t force myself to get through. Not at all the case with Obon. Every track is enjoyable and was pretty easy for me to listen to from start to finish.

The nice thing about a CD like this is when the talent is this rich even if Smooth Jazz isn’t your favorite style you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the players.

Listen to this CD and I believe you’ll find there’s not much to dis-like about it. The songs are inspired, and the production is simply outstanding. If you’re even mildly into Smooth Jazz music you’ll enjoy this CD.

My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 10, The Lighthouse. Great track!

Obon Release Notes:

Hiroshima originally released Obon on Apr 26, 2005 on the Heads Up Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Swiss Ming

2. China Latina

3. Kototsu-Han (San Kyoku)

4. Atomic Cafe

5. Obon Two-Five

6. One Thursday Morning

7. Mr. Robben

8. Paris (Ici Avec Moi)

9. Pharoah

10. The Lighthouse

11. Heritage

Hiroshima: June Kuramoto (koto); Dan Kuramoto (flute, shakuhachi, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, keyboards); Kimo Cornwell (piano, keyboards); Dean Cortez (bass instrument); Danny Yamomoto (drums); Shoji Kameda (taiko, percussion). Additional personnel include: Allen Hinds (guitar); Munyungo Jackson, Richie Gajate Garcia (percussion); DJ T-Rock (scratches).

By: Clyde Lee Dennis

Andre Ward Crystal City Jazz Music CD Review

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:56:51 +0000

Crystal City is the latest Jazz CD released by the highly talented Andre Ward who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Andre Ward fans, and Jazz fans alike will be pleased with this one.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn’t a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.

These days it’s a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs.

Overall Crystal City is an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up and is most definitely a worthy addition to any Jazz collection. Truly an outstanding Jazz CD. One of those that is completely void of any wasted time, as each track is simply superb.

While the entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 2 – Wishful Thinking – (with Barbara Fowler), track 3 – Andre’s Theme – (with Yasha), and track 10 – I Dont Want To Be In Love – (with Marc Nelson).

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 12 – When Nightime Comes. This is a great track!

Crystal City Release Notes:

Andre Ward originally released Crystal City on April 24, 2007 on the Orpheus Records label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. They Keep Calling Me

2. Wishful Thinking – (with Barbara Fowler)

3. Andre’s Theme – (with Yasha)

4. Chicago (Here We Go)

5. When You’re Alone

6. Abstract

7. It’s Written All Over Face

8. New Orleans Lights

9. More Than Friends

10. I Don’t Want To Be In Love – (with Marc Nelson)

11. Crystal City

12. When The Nighttime Comes

By: Clyde Lee Dennis