Recording News

Hiromi Kanda Transforms the Great American Songbook

Source: Michael Ricci
March 15, 2010

Hiromi Kanda doesn't just sing the standards, she embodies them. On her new album, Hiromi In Love-to be released March 16th on the Music Gate label -and the sensational videos that accompany the recordings, due April 13th on DVD, the stirring vocalist transforms each classic into a work of art. With an elegant visual style that matches the grandeur of the songs-timeless Great American Songbook gems such as “My Funny Valentine, “ “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning, ...

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Feeling the Beat of the City: Debut Disc from R&B-Pop Saxophonist Michael J Thomas Winning Raves

Source: Great Scott P.R.oductions
March 15, 2010

City Beat debuts at #7 on Amazon; top 5 single at Smooth Jazz Now; album tracks reign over the Weather Channel Destin, Florida: A humble small town boy from the land of country music is paving his own path with the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album of sweaty, sultry and saccharine R&B-pop gems. Cecilia, Kentucky native Michael J Thomas roared into March with his self-released CD, City Beat, which was warmly welcomed with rave reviews. On its day of ...

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Weekend Special: PDXV

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
March 14, 2010

PDXV, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Heavywood).

Five years ago, Trumpeter Dick Titterington brought together for one engagement saxophonist Rob Davis, pianist Greg Goebel, bassist Dave Captein and drummer Todd Strait. They discovered that their combination worked and decided to keep it going. For their name, the quintet added the Roman numeral V to the FAA acronym for the airport in Portland, Oregon, their home base. PDXV quickly developed cohesiveness, stylistic range and an identifiable sound that make them more ...

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A Jazz-Pop Encounter: The Sequel

Source: Michael Ricci
March 13, 2010

BROWS furrowed, Brad Mehldau and Jon Brion wore the same look of concentration here one evening last spring, perched on Aeron chairs in a mixing room at Ocean Way Recording studios. Mr. Mehldau, the acclaimed jazz pianist, was listening to a piece he had recently recorded in the adjacent room. Mr. Brion, the independent-minded pop producer and composer, had his hands on a console, tweaking and toggling, adjusting and readjusting the sound. Mr. Mehldau, concerned about the bright ambience of ...

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Hidden Jazz Downloads (Vol. 11)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
March 13, 2010

Every so often I cruise through iTunes to see what has slid quietly into the e-bins. Recently I noticed two encouraging trends: First, albums that had been part of box sets and were off the market are now re-emerging as stand-alones once those sets fall out of print. Which is good news for those who only want only one particular album. Second, I see that many killer albums from the 1950s that were long out of print are bouncing back ...

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Tia Fuller - Decisive Steps (Mack Avenue)

Source: Master of a Small House
March 13, 2010

Being Beyonce's touring saxophonist may bring in bushels of bread, but it doesn't exactly help with earning jazzhead street cred. Tia Fuller confronts the double-edged sword of her lucrative side gig on this follow-up solo album for Mack Avenue in much the manner she did on her first. Naysayers need not bother, there's no sophomore slump to knock here. If anything the set is an even more cohesive product than its predecessor. Fuller's working band consists of fellow sisters drummer ...

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Rale Micic's Album "3" Available Now

Source: Michael Ricci
March 12, 2010

New York, March 12, 2010 - CTA Records has released a new album by guitarist and composer Rale Micic entitled 3, which explores interaction between Micic's musical roots in Serbia and his extensive knowledge of Jazz, with his trio consisting of New York's hottest rhythm section, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. “Micic is bringing an intriguing new perspective to the jazz guitar" wrote Don Heckman in LA Times. The album “3" has many compelling facets of Micic's music, ...

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Sones de Mexico Ensemble Creates a Fiesta Mexicana for Children

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.
March 12, 2010

Ancient Aztec Myths, Cowboy Mice, and Dancing Iguanas: Sones de Mexico Ensemble Creates a Fiesta Mexicana for Children

What do a crawfish, a cowboy mouse, and a 100-year-old woman have in common? They are all characters in Fiesta Mexicana: Mexican Songs & Stories for Ninos & Ninas and their Papas & Mamas (release April 24, 2010), the latest recording by Sones de Mexico Ensemble. The same band that three years ago ventured into uncharted waters with Mexican folk retoolings of ...

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