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Jazz Picks |
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I
had my first taste of this album one gorgeous Sunday afternoon while touring the
mountains of Banff National Park in Alberta. To call this is a perfect Sunday
drive album though would surely short change it. Some say the listener is more
forgiving of any album when coupled with breathtaking scenery. Read
more.
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 | Chieli
Minucci has been a busy boy in his career he's played guitar on Backstreet Boys,
Marc Anthony, Jewel and Celine Dion records. If you're a true blue Smooth Jazz
fan it's hard not to have heard of Minucci. In 1982 the guitarist along with percussionist
George Jinda (Died in Jan. 11, 2001) formed Special EFX, a band who consistently
record what I call "race horse albums" - reliable, strong and with good
legs. Read
more.
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 | Much
of the music on the latest from veteran alto sax man David Sanborn relates to
his childhood in St. Louis. As the title suggests he is re-examining songs that
mean a lot to him. "Harlem Nocturne", "Sugar", "Tequila"
and "Isn't She Lovely" are clothed in David's distinctive, easy on the
ears style along with 3 originals and Joni Mitchell's "Man From Mars".
Read
more
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George
Benson's "Greatest Hits of All," Sounds redundant, huh? Has this multiple
Grammy winner done anything that hasn't been a hit? Since the release of "Breezin"
in 1976, the incredibly versatile talents of George Benson have been as reliable
as an atomic clock! Click
for more.
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Jeff
Lorber may not look it but he's one of those granddads of Smooth Jazz - you know
the type that kind of helps shape the direction of the genre without demanding
a hero cookie. In 1976 Lorber recorded his first album 'Jeff Lorber Fusion' long
before the music had a tag or slogan and long before being genre specific meant
anything. Read
More.
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 | On
his album "Live on Maui" Gabriel Mark Hasselbach showed the many sides
of his musical journey - the Traditional Jazz persona and his more mainstream
Smooth Jazz side. This time instead of trying to please everyone with on one spin
Hasselbach has releases two album's simultaneously. Read
More.
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 | Carol
Welsman's latest CD - Language of Love - was actually a labour of love for this
versatile Canadian. The idea is simple - this collection documents the evolution
of a love affair, giving Carol the opportunity to sing her favorite songs not
only from our culture, but from French, Italian and Brazilian as well!
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Canadian diamonds gain notoriety, there is another Canadian gem that is sure to
shine just as bright on the world stage. I am speaking of Ottawa born jazz artist,
Nura. Her recently released self-titled CD "Nura" is surely worth a
listen. Read
more.
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| Pop
Picks | | |
 | I
had the pleasure of interviewing former Eagle Randy
Meisner
a couple of years ago and found a guilty pleasure in digging for dirt. There have
been a few books detailing early versions of the band incorporating all the typical
rock n' roll clichés' - too much booze, drugs and young women. Read
more. |  | I've
loved Luther forever, and when I first heard "Dance With My Father"
I immediately remembered why. Talk about ripping at your heart strings, and especially
in light of his recent illness, if the title track doesn't bring a tear to your
eye, nothing will. Read
more. |
 | Welcome
to the church of Colin James! I've been hard to convert but I finally see the
light. Hallelujah! Never being a huge Blues fan Colin James' music has never really
caught my radar. Sure it's hard to deny that his more Pop oriented hits like "Just
Came Back," "Five Long Years," and "Voodoo Thing" are
catchier than fly paper but somehow up until now our path's have never crossed.
Read
more. |  | Here
Vancouver's Michael Buble' makes the album that we always thought he could - if
you've experienced his live show you will not be surprised by this effort. Thanks
to the likes of Diana
Krall,
Harry Connick Jr. and a host of other's that retro thing is quite hip and Buble'
is sure to tap in to that swingin' vein. Read
more. |
 | What
happens when you combine fourteen of the finest R&B songs every written with
one the best voices to ever bless a song? You get Motown, the latest album from
Michael McDonald. What a superb collection this is! From his gravely groove on
Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine to his melancholy take of You Are
Everything, McDonald puts his unique stamp on every track. Read
more. |  | In
High school my best buddy John could never understand how I - a rocker preferred
Barbra Streisand over Linda Ronstadt. Our typical teenaged angst played out via
rapturous arguing sessions on who was technically the better singer. Read
more. |
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Sting
has gone from being a rock'n roll rogue to spiritual wiseman in the span of just
a few years. On the cover of "Sacred Love" the singer even looks like
a saintly cat! "Sacred Love" like the albums before it has a sense of
importance, lyrical weight riding on pretty catchy tunes. Read
more. |  | Take
a little smooth jazz, some R&B, a little hip hop, a touch of rap and a few
heartfelt ballads, and you've got the musical feast that is Brian McKnight's latest
album - U Turn. This man does it all, including writing (over half the tracks),
performing and producing. Read
more |
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