R.I.P.: Jimmy Wyble

Jimmy Wyble, an Eclectic Guitarist, Dies at 87
Los Angeles Times, January 25, 2010

Jimmy Wyble, 87, a guitarist of great range who played with country-western swing bandleader Bob Wills as well as with the Benny Goodman and Red Norvo jazz combos, died of heart failure Jan. 16 while under hospice care at his home in Altadena, according to his friend and fellow guitarist Larry Koonse.

James Otis Wyble was born Jan. 25, 1922, in Port Arthur, Texas. While working for a Houston radio station and playing guitar in western swing bands in the early 1940s, he and fellow guitarist Cameron Hill were invited to join Bob Wills' Texas Playboys.

Wyble served in the Army during World War II and later led his own jazz quintet of accordion, clarinet, bass and drums along with his guitar.

In the 1950s and '60s, he toured with Norvo, a vibraphonist, and with Goodman, the clarinetist and bandleader, as well as with Frank Sinatra during an Australian concert series.

When not touring, Wyble was a studio musician in Los Angeles, a member of Tony Rizzi's Five Guitars group and a well-regarded instructor.

CD of the Week - "Ralph Lalama: The Audience"

CD of the Week
Ralph Lalama Quartet: "The Audience" (Mighty Queen) 2010

Release Date in the USA: January 26, 2010
Rating: ***** (performance) **** (sound quality)

Ever since arriving on the New York scene in the mid-1970s, tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama has been widely recognized as a Most Valuable Player. He's been a key soloist with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra for more than 25 years, and a member of Joe Lovano's Grammy-winning Nonet since its inception in 1999. But it was only in 2008 that Lalama made his first U.S. recording as a leader, the well-received "Energy Fields" for Mighty Quinn Productions.

Now he's produced a worthy follow-up, "The Audience," that will be released by Mighty Quinn on January 26. The new CD, produced by Jerry Roche, features Lalama's working piano-less quartet, his muscular tenor sound, and his uncompromising yet tradition-grounded approach to melodies and improvisation.

"He doesn't hide behind anyone else's ideas, and speaks the truth. He can't do anything else and I love him for that!" writes Joe Lovano in the new CD's booklet notes.

Of his simpatico quartet-mates -- guitarist John Hart, bassist Rick Petrone, and drummer Joe Corsello -- Lalama observes that "John is not only a great soloist, he's a great accompanist. And Rick and Joe just lay it down. It's easy to improvise over." The foursome have been working together off and on for the last several years, and made their debut on record with "Energy Fields."

Lalama's repertoire choices on "The Audience" are a savvy mix of jazz classics and lesser known standards, including Wayne Shorter's "Marie Antoinette" (first recorded by Wayne on Freddie Hubbard's 1961 LP "Ready for Freddie"), Duke Pearson's "Minor League" (a minor blues that first appeared on the 1964 Grant Green album "Solid"), and "Love Thy Neighbor," written by Mack Gordon & Harry Revel and a big hit for Bing Crosby in 1934, although introduced to the jazz world only in 1957 by John Coltrane's version. "Kiss and Run" (from the 1956 album "Sonny Rollins Plus 4" and now recreated as a samba) and "I'm an Old Cowhand" (from Rollins' 1957 date "Way Out West") are nods to the tenor titan, while the ballad "Portrait of Jennie," covered by Nat "King" Cole, Clifford Brown, Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson and Freddie Hubbard, to name a few, is dedicated to the memory of his mother, vocalist Jennie Lalama.

There's also a surprising jazzy take on Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City," transformed into a blues shuffle, with Lalama and Hart modulating up a third for each of their two solos apiece before returning to the original key for the out chorus. It's worth to note that the CD was recorded in a single session (on July 26, 2009) at the Ambient Recording Company in Stamford, Connecticut, under the aegis of producer Jerry Roche, with the musicians together in the same room, similar to the way the would setup to play a live gig in front of an audience. "Only a few baffles were used between instruments to create some isolation between the microphones," engineer Mark Conese comments. "This approach is similar to the way all recordings were made before the invention of multi-track recording. Where it differs is each of the eight mics used were recorded to their own track, enabling the musicians to have input on the final mix or balance of instruments. 32-bit 192kHz digital technology was used for recording and mixing. Vacuum tube mics and preamps as well as ribbon and modern condenser microphones were also employed, with no overdubs."
During the 1990s, Ralph Lalama made five highly-regarded albums under his own name for the Dutch Criss Cross label, beginning with "Feelin' and Dealin'" (1991); "Momentum" (1992), with Kenny Barron, which garnered a five-star review in the All Music Guide; and "You Know What I Mean" (1995). "Circle Line" (1997) earned four and a half stars in Down Beat and a spot in the magazine's "Top CDs of the Decade." The saxophonist's final Criss Cross project was "Music for Grown-Ups" (1999), with Richard Wyands, Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington.

Lalama has also performed and/or recorded with Carla Bley, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band (now the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra), the Joe Lovano Nonet (on three acclaimed Blue Note CDs), Carmen McRae, James Moody, Joe Morello, Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, and his vocalist wife, Nicole Pasternak, among numerous others.

As a jazz educator, the Yonkers, New York resident has been an adjunct professor for the past 20 years at New York University and for the past ten at SUNY Purchase. He also is a member of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra and its educational outreach program to jazz students in that New York county's public schools. And he has conducted clinics around the world, often during tours with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Jazz fans can only hope that Ralph Lalama's exceptional Mighty Quinn outings mark a return to regular recording for this deserving-of-much-wider-recognition tenor master.
left to right: John Hart (guitar), Rick Petrone (bass), Ralph Lalama (tenor sax) & Joe Corsello (drums).

Cindy Margolis on "Inside Edition", Jan 25

January 25, 2010 at 9PM
(Check your local times at insideedition.com)

"I'm soooo excited to share some great news with everyone," Cindy Margolis says. "Next Monday, I'll be on Inside Edition talking about my new show Seducing Cindy."

Go to www.insideedition.com to check local stations and times.
Start the New Year off right, by watching the new show SEDUCING CINDY on Fox Reality Channel
Premiering Saturday January 30th at 9p/8c

SEDUCING CINDY
FANTASY GIRL SEEKS REAL MAN. Internet goddess Cindy Margolis, once the most downloaded woman on the web, is searching for a new love. Margolis’ suitors will range from the suave and sophisticated to self-confessed Internet nerds, who catapulted her to mass popularity and fame.

Over the course of eight, one-hour episodes, the newly-single Margolis will put her heart on the line, with a variety of potential partners, to find her ultimate soul mate.

Spiritual Events next week in the LA Area

See FREE calendar listing for details http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;www.SpiritualEventsLA.com
______________________
S.F.V./GLENDALE/BURBANK
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Glendale_Burbank.html

* Meditation 101 by Mark Jacobs & Harpist, Aedan MacDonnell
* Magickal Workshop: The Love Spell
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LOS ANGELES
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Los_Angeles.html

* Workshop w/ Peter Sterling "Man, Music and The Merkaba"
* "Man, Music and The Merkaba" Workshop w/ Peter Sterling
* Essential Herbs for your health
* "Where Do We Go From Here" Book Signing w/ Patricia Bonelli
* Eckhart Tolle Silent Group
* Become a Psychic Spiritual Healer ~ Healings to Everyone in Attendance ~
* Reiki Practitioner Night with Living Light Reiki Master Marla Mervis
* Living in Freedom... with Jim Dreaver
* Spirit Salon
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PASADENA
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Pasadena.html

* Work of Byron Katie Inquiry Circle
* Dream Interpretation Circle
* Psychic Faire
* FULL MOON Alchemy Sweat
______________
SANTA CLARITA
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Santa_Clarita.html

* Level 2 Reiki Class
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ORANGE COUNTY
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Orange_County.html

* Experience an Angelic Vortex of Love and Transformation
* Sunday Celebration Services - Temple of Light Spiritual Community
* Steven Farmer Earth Magic and Soul Healing
* Christ Centered Christianity Original Gnostic, Mystic and Esoteric Christian Principles
* The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You
* A Course in Miracles Support Group
* Theta Healing Basic DNA 1 & 2
* Universal Healing Touch-Level 1 Certification Course
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OUTSIDE LA
For Full Details: http://www.facebook.com/l/ad559;https://www.spiritualeventsla.com/Outside_LA.html

* Miracles Circle

Follow us for daily updates on Twitter:
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Win Shdwply showcase tickets & vinyl

Norfolk, VA's premier dealers of psychotropic bedroom pop and experimental sounds, Shdwply Records are throwing a showcase a week from this Friday (January 29) at Glasslands, featuring the Super Vacations, Sore Eros, PC Worship and Florida. You've probably already guessed that we're giving away a pair of tickets, but Shdwply are also sweetening the deal by throwing in some vinyl to the winner, including Gary War's numbered and now out-of-print New Raytheonport LP, Super Vacations' "Henry" 7-inch, and PC Worship's NYC Stone Age LP (recorded live at Brooklyn's Market Hotel and The Wallet).

Email rsvpshdwply@gmail.com to enter for tickets, and please leave your daytime phone number and mailing address.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
GLASSLANDS
289 Kent Avenue Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Mike Longo Big Band live in NY, Jan 26

You'll groove on some exciting new compositions and arrangements with straight ahead, burnin', foot stompin' jazz when Mike Longo's swingin' 17-piece Big Band, the NY State of the Art Jazz Ensemble with vocalist Miss Hilary Gardner, returns to "Jazz Tuesdays" next Tuesday, January 26 in the Gillespie Auditorium at the New York Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be 2 shows at 8:00 and 9:30. Call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.

This is the big band that thrilled a sold-out house this past October at Dizzy Gillespie's birthday celebration and was voted "Band of the Year" in Arnaldo DeSouteiro's 2004 Jazz Station Poll. You will be delighted by the NYSAJE's repertoire from their latest CD "Oasis", that topped the charts at # 7 in December 2004 and remained in the top 20 for an unprecedented 16 weeks. And you won't want to miss Hilary Gardner’s renditions of some jazz classics as well as some new compositions and arrangements.

Mike Longo has performed with a list of jazz legends that include saxophone great Cannonball Adderley, Henry Red Allen, Coleman Hawkins, George Wettling, Gene Krupa, Nancy Wilson, Gloria Lynn, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joe Williams, Jimmy Rushing, James Moody and many others, besides Brazilian bossa diva Astrud Gilberto.

It was in the mid-60s when Longo’s trio was playing at the Embers West, that Roy Eldridge told Dizzy Gillespie about this new pianist he had heard. Dizzy came to hear him play and soon asked him to become his pianist. This started a life-long musical relationship and friendship. From 1966 through 1975, Longo worked exclusively as Dizzy’s pianist and musical director. Mike left the Gillespie group officially in 1975 to venture out on his own, but continued to work for Gillespie on a part-time basis until his death in 1993.

Since that time Mike has recorded numerous albums and CDs on various labels with some 45 recordings with artists such as Gillespie, James Moody, etc. At present he has over 20 solo albums to his credit. He is sought after as a music instructor and is in demand for jazz clinics and concerts at universities and music schools throughout the world, and has appeared at the Lincoln Center’s new jazz room “Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.” Longo is founder and President of Consolidated Artists Productions (CAP), an independent recording label, dedicated to allowing artists to pursue the types of projects that are in line with their career objectives. Longo’s latest venture, Jazz Tuesdays, is dedicated to allowing artists to retain creative control of their work and providing students and the general public with an opportunity to hear “world class jazz at affordable prices.”

Admission is 15.00, 10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
**********
Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

"Oh No Ono" ticket giveaway

Denmark's Oh No Ono are celebrating the American release of their new album Eggs (out Tuesday on Friendly Fire Recordings) with a couple of dates in New York next week, including a show at Brooklyn's Union Hall on Thursday, January 28. The group's epic, genre-defying take on AM/FM rock and psychedelia brings to mind an unlikely pairing of Air and Flaming Lips performing ELO songs -- well, almost but needless to say it's pretty easy to get hooked. Opening the night are the Depreciation Guild and Hooray for Earth. Other Music got a pair of tickets up for grabs, just email mailto:giveaway@othermusic.com?subject=Oh. They'll notify one lucky winner on Monday, January 25.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28
UNION HALL: 702 Union Street Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

Anna Mjöll @ Charlie O's, Jan 22

One of the top 5 jazz singers of 2009, according to the Jazz Station Poll, the stunning LA-based Icelandic singer Anna Mjöll will be performing @ Charlie O's (818) 989-3110 in Valley Glen this next Friday, January 22, at 8pm!!
Backed by Andy Langham (piano), John Heard (bass), and Roy McCurdy (drums), she's promoting her debut CD, "Shadow of Your Smile," which features session top session players as Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Carpenter, Luis Conte and Don Grusin, and includes delightful new versions of Jobim's bossa classics "How Insensitive" and "Água de Beber". Hope both will be on the program.

CD-Single of the Day: "Paul V. Presents Giglian"

CD-Single of the Day
Paul V. Presents Giglian: "Tocame" (Takeshi Italy T1003 CDS) 2010

Release Date: January 18, 2010
Format: 7 track CD single
Tracks:
1. "Tocame" (Cuba mix)
2. "Tocame" (original mix)
3. "Tocame" (Padapella version)
4. "Tocame" (Pioneri & Serraglia remix)
5. "Tocame" (Tribal version)
6. "Tocame" (Silvano Del Gado & Paul Cutie remix)
7. "Tocame" (Different version)

Ed Thigpen - London Times

Ed Thigpen was born on September 28, 1930. He died on January 13, 2010, aged 79.
********
Ed Thigpen: Jazz Drummer
London Times, January 18, 2010

"Of all the drummers who ever worked for me," recalled the late Oscar Peterson, "Ed Thigpen was the neatest." Renowned for his exemplary technique with sticks, brushes and even his fingertips, Thigpen was a percussion perfectionist. Yet he never lost the ability to provide swing and movement for every group with whom he played, and his sensitive use of the kit added timbral depth as well.

Edmund Leonard Thigpen was born in Chicago in 1930 into a jazz family. His father, Ben Thigpen, was the drummer with Andy Kirk's big band, the Clouds of Joy, which achieved national fame in the US when Ed was a boy. Although his parents separated early in his life, and the boy went to live with his mother in Los Angeles, his father had a profound influence on his playing, especially in the use of the brushes, at which Thigpen excelled. His subtle brushwork earned him the nickname "Mr Taste", which he used for the title of one of his latterday records in 1991.

Thigpen began his professional career with the West Coast jazz saxophonist Buddy Collette and, after a spell playing rhythm and blues, he joined Duke Ellington's former trumpeter Cootie Williams in the early 1950s. After army service, he went to New York, and quickly established a reputation as a fine freelance drummer. He had a particular aptitude for accompanying singers and worked with Dinah Washington and Blossom Dearie. As well as playing for some of the era's leading saxophonists, including John Coltrane, Johnny Hodges, Gil Melle, Paul Quinichette and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, he played in piano trios with Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bud Powell, Lennie Tristano and Mal Waldron. At the time this was the creme de la creme of Manhattan's jazz scene, and it prepared him perfectly for the invitation to join Oscar Peterson in 1959.

Until that point, Peterson had led a trio of piano, guitar and bass for almost ten years. When his guitarist Herb Ellis left, Peterson decided not to replace him, but to add a drummer instead, and thus with Thigpen's arrival the second so-called classic Peterson trio was formed, with Ray Brown remaining as the group's bass player. If anything, this band became even more popular than Peterson's earlier group, with Thigpen's neat but propulsive drumming adding a greater drive to the band. "We always felt that each of us was playing for the other two," said Peterson. "It's what gives a group body, background and spirit."

Their albums such as Fiorello!, Live from Chicago and West Side Story all became collectors' items, and newly discovered concert recordings of the trio in action are still being issued.

In 1965 Thigpen left to join Ella Fitzgerald's backing group, and he worked with her on and off until the early 1970s, although during that time he also made plenty of freelance records with other musicians. He left in 1972 to move to Denmark, where he married a local girl and settled. After his wife's death in 1981 he decided to remain in Scandinavia to bring up his two children. As a result, Thigpen became a member of the elite group of US expatriate musicians in Copenhagen, on hand to accompany visiting soloists from all parts of the globe, and notably playing for such saxophonists as Johnny Griffin, Benny Carter and Ernie Wilkins. His years in Peterson's trio also made him a sought-after accompanist for other pianists and he toured and recorded in Europe with such celebrated players as Teddy Wilson, Duke Jordan and Kenny Drew.

Thigpen made several records under his own name after his move to Europe, and in the 1990s after his children had left home he began to visit the US again, working with a variety of former colleagues and touring with European musicians. In Europe he toured on several occasions in the mid-1990s with the all-star US saxophone group Roots.

He was a committed teacher and after moving to Scandinavia he lectured at Malmo in Sweden. He went on to teach at the conservatory in Copenhagen, and to work as a visiting teacher at several other European music colleges. He wrote a number of instruction manuals on drumming, of which The Sound of Brushes (1981) is his most distinguished. It passes on a tradition that he inherited from his father and which he was worried would die out unless his generation made efforts to pass its skills to younger players.

He was very much a traditional, orthodox player, sitting bolt upright at the drums, and his deft style was marked by his economy of movement. He always eschewed flamboyance and rabble-rousing solos in favour of subtle demonstrations of his mastery of all aspects of jazz drumming.

Although suffering from Parkinson's disease, Thigpen was still playing regularly until last October.

He is survived by a son and a daughter.

Audiosapiens live @ Manifesto Rock Bar

The AUDIOSAPIENS band will be appearing at the Festival Coletânea de Bandas next January 21, at 8pm.

For more details: http://www.coletaneadebandas.com/
The event will happen @ Manifesto Rock Bar http://www.manifestobar.com.br/
R. Iguatemi, 36, São Paulo, SP

They will perform songs from their self-titled debut CD, "Audiosapiens," produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro & Téo Lorent, and released last November.

R.I.P.: Chilton Searcy Price

Songwriter Chilton Searcy Price Dies at 96
Louisville Courier-Journal, January 16, 2010

Chilton Searcy Price, who wrote the classic 1950s love song "You Belong to Me," died Thursday at home in eastern Louisville. She was 96.

She had continued to write songs until several months ago and was honored with the Kentucky's Governor's Award in the Arts for "Lifetime Achievement" in 2009.

Price studied music at the University of Louisville during the 1930s and was a violinist with the Louisville Orchestra in her early life. She was working as a music librarian at Louisville radio station WAVE during the 1940s, writing songs as a hobby, when she was discovered by Louisville band leader Pee Wee King and his partner Redd Stewart.

With help from the two musicians, Price was able to interest recording companies in "You Belong to Me" and "Slow Poke," each of which were chart toppers. Singer Jo Stafford's recording of "You Belong to Me" was No. 1 in both the U.S. and Great Britain in 1952.

The song was later recorded by a host of other artists, including Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni James, the Duprees, and more recently, Tori Amos. It became part of the soundtracks of the motion pictures "Forbidden," "Shrek," "Mona Lisa Smile," and was used in various television series.

Price wrote the song "Never Look Back" for Doris Day in the M-G-M film "Love Me or Leave Me," and was a writer for orchestra leader Mitch Miller.

In recent years she teamed with Louisville singer Kenny Ray to produce CDs of several of her later works, which many of her fans believe are among her best.

One of her last compositions was "If I Never See You Again," which ends with the line, "I'll always be there in a song."

Price's husband of 65 years, Robert L. Price, died in 2000. Survivors include a daughter, Terrie Yaste (Jack) of Louisville, two granddaughters, Lee Yaste and Cathy Chilton Davis, seven great-grandchildren, and one sister, Frances Wheatley of Louisville.

At her request there will be a family-only memorial observance at a future date. Memorial gifts may be made to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or to Kosair Charities.

Joe Biden: We want our money back...

"Dear Arnaldo:

According to our records, you currently live in California's 30th Congressional District.

Yesterday, President Obama announced our proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee on the country's largest banks:

"My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people...We want our money back, and we're going to get it."

The fee would recover every penny loaned to Wall Street during the financial crisis and stop the reckless abuses and excesses that nearly caused the collapse of our financial system in the first place.

But the banking industry -- among the most powerful lobbies in Washington -- is already launching attacks to stop Congress from enacting the proposal.

Barack and I aren't backing down. But to win, we'll need the American people to add their voice right away.

Thankfully, OFA supporters are already signing on to a bold statement of support: "We want our money back -- and we stand with President Obama to make sure we get it."
You can add your name by clicking here.

The proposal is expected to recoup billions from the big banks, most of it from the ten largest. As the President said, "If these companies are in good enough shape to afford massive bonuses, they are surely in good enough shape to afford paying back every penny to taxpayers."

There is much more work to do to reform the financial system and create a new era of accountability. But the Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee is a crucial step. And with the banks already working to tear it down, I hope that I can count on you to speak out to show that Americans stand with us as we take them on.

Click here to add your name to the statement:
http://my.barackobama.com/Banks

Change isn't easy, but it's certainly worth fighting for. I'm glad you're in this fight with us.

Thank you for making it possible,

Vice President Joe Biden"

R.I.P.: Ed Beach

Ed Beach, Host of 'Just Jazz' Radio Show, Dies at 86
by Margalit Fox
New York Times, January 14, 2010

Ed Beach, the host of a popular jazz radio show in the 1960s and '70s, who attracted listeners in New York and elsewhere with his sonorous voice, eclectic taste, vast erudition and pleasurably irascible temperament, died on Dec. 25 in Eugene, Ore. He was 86 and lived in Eugene.

Mr. Beach died of natural causes, his son, Mark, said.

"Just Jazz," Mr. Beach's show, played on WRVR (106.7 FM in New York), the radio station of Riverside Church, from 1961 to 1976. It was rebroadcast in several other cities.

Mr. Beach had trained as an actor, and his impeccable diction lent the show a certain cantankerous gravitas. So did his voluminous knowledge of his subject: he had a background as a jazz pianist and singer, a personal collection of LPs that ran to the thousands and, his admirers said, a scholar's understanding of the social, historical and musical contexts in which jazz was made.

While there were other well-received jazz shows on the radio then, his fans said that few rivaled Mr. Beach's when it came to ardor and information.

"He was a real illustration of how to do it with class, discographical information and reverence," the jazz historian Phil Schaap said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "It hadn't been done that way before."

"Just Jazz" often devoted an entire show to a single performer or ensemble. Broadcast Monday through Saturday, it could range in a given week over Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Charles Mingus and Kid Thomas Valentine and His Algiers Stompers, a New Orleans band.

Mr. Beach supplied meticulous credits for every tune he played -- naming title, label and performers -- but otherwise kept his patter to a minimum. He reserved some choice on-air remarks for record companies, whom he took to task for underpaying musicians. From time to time he castigated his own listeners, many of whom, he knew, were taping the show instead of supporting the artists by buying their albums.

Edward Alexander Beach was born on Jan 16, 1923, in Winnipeg, Canada; his family eventually settled in Portland, Ore. As a young man he performed throughout the West with a jazz trio and in 1949 earned a bachelor's degree in theater from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

Mr. Beach did graduate work in theater at Cornell and for several years acted in summer stock, regional theater and on New York stages like the Equity Library Theater. He joined WNYC as a classical disc jockey in the late 1950s.

WRVR began broadcasting in January 1961, and Mr. Beach was hired as a classical D.J. a few months later. Before the year was out, "Just Jazz" was born.

WRVR was sold in 1976. Mr. Beach resigned not long afterward.

After an early marriage that ended in divorce, Mr. Beach married L. Karen Lafky in 1950. That marriage also ended in divorce. Besides his son, Mark Peter Beach, from his marriage to Ms. Lafky, he is survived by three grandchildren.

Mr. Beach returned to Oregon in 1977, resumed performing part time and spent a great many hours cataloging his record collection, his son said.

In 1980, WRVR became WKHK, with a country format. It is now WLTW, also known as Lite FM.

R.I.P.: Ed Thigpen

We are very sad to announce that Ed Thigpen has passed away on January 13th 2010.

A true legend and master musician has passed away. Ed Thigpen has contributed more than half a century of music to the world. As well as an entertainer, Ed was also a gifted educator in his field and a great human being.

We will miss him very much!
If you would like to share your thoughts, please feel free to visit the temporary Facebook Group here.

The very first time I remember having heard Ed Thigpen, without knowing I was listening to him, was in 1973 (when I was 10 years old), on the JB-AM radio in my native Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Simon Khoury, the radio DJ at that time, used to give a lot of airplay to Ed's song "Denise," a charming bossa nova recorded by Thigpen as a sideman on the album "Yesterday & Today" by Toots Thielemans (who whistled and played guitar in unison, one of his trademarks, on that specific track) and the underrated string multi-instrumentalist (fiddle, violin, viola, cello) from Denmark, Svend Asmussen. The Belgium Toots and the Danish Svend (known as "The Fiddling Viking") recorded that intriguing album in November 1972, backed by Ed Thigpen on drums & tambourine and Red Mitchell on bass, plus keyboardist Kjell Öhman and electric bassist Stefan Brolund. Despite the other good songs in the repertoire, Thigpen's "Denise", named after his daughter, is the album highlight.

Soon after I got many albums by the Oscar Peterson Trio, on which Ed was the drummer (with Ray Brown on bass, of course). Items like "Affinity," "We Get Requests," "Canadiana Suite" and "West Side Story" that were true lessons of jazz-brush drumming. Not to mention his work with Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Carter, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander and many others.

Oh, and I had the honor to meet him in person during the Nineteenth Annual IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) in Miami, in January 1992. While Arnaldo DeSouteiro was there to do a clinic ("Jazz and Brazilian Music: Interaction Along The History" and participate in the opening panel session about "Global Jazz Education," the Ed Thigpen Trio - with bassist Marlene Rosenberg and guitarist Tony Purrone - performed a wonderful concert at the Ashe Auditorium of the James L. Knight Center (of the Hyatt Regency Miami) the day before my main clinic.

The obituary published on the LA Times follows:
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Ed Thigpen Dies at 79; Jazz Drummer
by Don Heckman
Los Angeles Times, January 15, 2010

Jazz drummer Ed Thigpen, who often was described as "Mr. Taste" for his sensitive accompaniment of instrumentalists and singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell and Billy Taylor, died Wednesday at Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen. He was 79.

Thigpen, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, was hospitalized before Christmas with heart and lung problems. His son, Michel, noted on Thigpen's website that his father "passed away very peacefully... in the company of his friends and family."

In addition to the "Mr. Taste" label, Thigpen also was identified as a musician's drummer, a player who set a standard for blending subtle, propulsive swing with an adaptability that allowed him to function in a wide range of musical settings.

"Even though he seldom ever wanted to show all of the skills that he had -- which was a matter of his good taste and selectivity," said drummer and friend Ed Shaughnessy, "he had a great deal of ability on the drum set. He wasn't a dogmatic player. He could be as perfect as he was with Oscar Peterson, and then he could be completely different in another context."

Universally admired for the subtle range of timbres he extracted from his drum kit, Thigpen was especially adept with the use of brushes -- a technique that he believed had been largely abandoned by a younger generation of drummers.

"Since the emergence of rock, which for the most part has always required heavy drumming," he told Leonard Feather in The Times in 1986, "the brushes were set aside, or, for most of the young players who began during this period, have never been used at all. My father and many others -- Jo Jones, Art Blakey, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Shelly Manne, Elvin Jones -- all had a great influence on my use of the brushes, which I still believe must remain an important part of any drummer's performance."

Born in Chicago on Dec. 28, 1930, Edmund Leonard Thigpen moved to St. Louis with his parents, Ben and Mary, while still an infant. When his parents separated, he was taken to Los Angeles by his mother, who died when he was a teenager.

After attending Jefferson High School -- an educational launching pad for such other well-known jazz artists as drummer Chico Hamilton, trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Dexter Gordon -- he attended Los Angeles City College, then moved back to St. Louis with his father, a drummer with the Andy Kirk Orchestra. Working with Peanuts Whalum's Orchestra, he occasionally jammed with Miles Davis, a St. Louis native.

In 1951, Thigpen made the move to New York City that was vital for any ambitious young jazz player of the period. After performing with Cootie Williams' band, he was drafted into the Army, serving during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953.

Returning to New York, Thigpen soon established himself as one of the up-and-coming jazz drummers. His ability to play a creative supportive role made him the drummer of choice in a wide range of musical settings.

In the mid-'50s, his performances and recordings reached from singer Dinah Washington, saxophonists Johnny Hodges and Paul Quinichette to such cutting-edge artists as Lennie Tristano and Gil Melle.

From 1959 to 1966, he joined with bassist Ray Brown as the rhythm team for Oscar Peterson, forming one of the classic jazz trios, recording dozens of albums with the high powered pianist.

"When you're in a band like Oscar Peterson's," said drummer Bobby Colomby, "it's as much supporting as it is getting out of the way, which, for a drummer, is quite a talent. And Thigpen added something that was perfect for the context of that situation, and for whatever music he was playing."

After his relocation to Copenhagen in 1972, Thigpen became the drummer of choice for touring American jazz artists while balancing his performance schedule with an active career as an educator and clinician.

Teaching in the conservatories of Copenhagen and other European cities, he sometimes included seminars at U.S. universities during his occasional American tours. Articulate and soft-spoken, he was an imaginative teacher whose insights enlightened his student musicians with a mixture of practical advice and metaphoric insights.

"The role of a drummer," he told Mike Zwerin in the International Herald Tribune in 2000, "is like that of a chariot driver who 'has to hold all those horses in rein. Your ears have to be open to everybody.' "

Thigpen supported his quest for a revival of brush technique with the instruction book, "The Sound of Brushes." He also wrote extensively about other aspects of jazz drumming in the books "Talking Drums," "Rhythm Analysis and Basic Coordination" and "Rhythm Brought to Life."

In addition to his dozens of recorded performances with other artists, his own albums include "Out of the Storm," "The Element of Swing," "It's Entertainment" and "Mr. Taste."

In addition to his son, Thigpen is survived by a daughter, Denise; and a granddaughter, Nikita.
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Man kannte ihn als vitalen Swingbopper und eleganten Modern Jazzer: Ed Thigpen. Am 13. Januar starb der Drummer, der jahrelang im Trio mit Oscar Peterson in der Welt unterwegs war, in seiner Wahlheimat Kopenhagen im Alter von 79 Jahren.

Ed Thigpen stammte aus Chicago, wuchs in Los Angeles auf und schaffte es aufgrund seiner profunden Musikalität und stilistischen Flexibilität schon als junger Mann, in der ersten Liga der Bebop- und Hardbop-Drummer mitzuspielen. In Los Angeles kam er mit den Größen der West Coast Szene zusammen, arbeitete mit Cootie Williams, ging dann nach New York und gehörte schnell zum Kreis um Bud Powell, Lennie Tristano, aber auch Dinah Washington und Johnny Hodges.

Anno 1959 buchte ihn Oscar Peterson für sein Trio, woraus sich nicht nur eine kreative Zusammenarbeit, sondern auch eine lebenslange Freundschaft entwickelte. Nach einer intensiven Zeit als Begleiter von Ella Fitzgerald siedelte Ed Thigpen 1972 nach Kopenhagen in Dänemark über. Von dort aus wirkte er nicht nur als Musiker und Impulsgeber für die moderate europäische Jazz-Szene, sondern auch als Pädagoge und Bandleader junger Combos, der zahlreiche europäische Newcomer auf den Weg brachte. Vergangenen Mittwoch starb Ed Thigpen, ein großer Inspirator und Jazzdrummer der alten Schule.

Die Thigpan-Familie hat zum Gedenken an den Musiker eine Facebook-Seite für Kondolenzbotschaften eingerichtet: "In Memory of Jazz Musician Ed Thigpen".

Santi Debriano returns to NY, Jan 19

You'll love the groove of bassist Santi Debriano's Latin Jazz Quartet on Tuesday, January 19 at Jazz Tuesdays in the Gillespie Auditorium. The Quartet features Roni Ben Hur (guitar), Abraham Burton (sax), Mauricio Zotarelli (drums) and Santi Debriano on bass. There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

The son of a Panamanian composer, Santi Debriano is one of the busiest jazz bassists in the New York area. In addition to leading his own bands, Debriano has been a member of the Don Pullen Trio, the Pharoah Sanders Group, the Sonny Fortune Group, the Billy Hart Band, the Louis Hayes Quintet, the Larry Coryell Group, and the Archie Shepp Quartet. As a sideman, Debriano has performed with Chucho Valdés, Hank Jones, Cecil Taylor, Randy Weston, and Freddie Hubbard.

A member of the Archie Shepp Quartet in the late '70s, he was featured on four albums and appeared in the documentary film Imagine the Sound. Moving to Paris, Debriano spent three years with the Sam Rivers Trio. Upon his return to the United States, he quickly made his presence felt on the jazz scene in New York.

As a bandleader, Debriano has presented his music in a variety of contexts. In addition to his Quartet, he led a two-bass quintet and a trio during the late '80s and played Latin music as a member of the Panamaniacs. Debriano has been equally influential as a music teacher. As the music director for the performing arts program at Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood, NJ, he placed an emphasis on African, Afro-Caribbean, Latin American, and African-American music. He received a jazz educator award from New York University in 2001.

Admission is 15.00, $10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
**********
Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

R.I.P.: Teddy Pendergrass

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/arts/music/15pendergrass.html?ref=obituaries
Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59
By JON PARELES, New York Times
Published: January 14, 2010

Teddy Pendergrass, the Philadelphia soul singer whose husky, potent baritone was one definition of R&B seduction in the 1970s but whose career was transformed in 1982 when he was severely paralyzed in an auto accident, died on Wednesday night in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 59.

His death was confirmed by his publicist, Lisa Barbaris, who said Mr. Pendergrass had been treated for colon cancer since August at Bryn Mawr Hospital and had suffered many complications.

As the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and in a solo career in which he sold millions of albums, Mr. Pendergrass brought gospel dynamics to bedroom vows in songs like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” “The Love I Lost,” “Close the Door,” “Turn Off the Lights” and “Love T.K.O.”

His performances rose from breathy whispers to gutsy exhortations, making his voice the deeper, more aggressive counterpart to the styles of 1970s soul men like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. It was the flagship sound for Philadelphia International Records, riding lush strings and big-band disco from the producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

Philadelphia International’s songwriters provided Mr. Pendergrass with material that was forthright but never crude, promising nothing more explicit than a back rub.

“Teddy had that big, booming baritone voice, but he was a tender man,” Mr. Huff said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He was very lovable. You could hear it in his music.”

By the late ’70s, Mr. Pendergrass’s concerts — some of them presented for women only — drew screaming, ecstatic crowds. Women would fling teddy bears and lingerie onstage. Mr. Gamble called Mr. Pendergrass “the black Elvis.”

Mr. Pendergrass was a hitmaker for a decade. Then, on March 18, 1982, on a winding road in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass’s Rolls-Royce smashed into a highway divider and a tree, a result of either brake failure or a faulty electric system that had disabled the power steering. Spinal cord injuries left him paralyzed from the chest down at 31.

But after extensive physical therapy he resumed his recording career and had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the ’90s. His voice was less forceful but still recognizable, as he substituted nuance for lung power. Though he could no longer tour, a worldwide television audience saw him sing at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985, and he returned occasionally to the stage in the 1990s and 2000s.

Theodore DeReese Pendergrass Jr. was born on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, S.C., and moved to Philadelphia as an infant with his mother, Ida Pendergrass. She survives him, along with his wife, Joan; his children, Teddy Pendergrass II, Trisha Pendergrass and La Donna Pendergrass; and four grandchildren.

Growing up in North Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass was steeped in both gospel and soul music. He was 2 years old when he first stood on a chair to sing at a storefront Holiness church, and with his mother’s encouragement he often attended church seven days a week. But he was also drawn to the Uptown Theater, which presented top performers on the R&B circuit. When he was a teenager his mother gave him a set of drums, and he taught himself to play them.

Mr. Pendergrass dropped out of high school to become a musician, working with R&B and doo-wop groups. In 1969 he joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, a vocal group that had been working in Philadelphia since the mid-1950s.

He soon moved from the drums to lead vocals. Mr. Huff said he had noticed Mr. Pendergrass while preparing for a Blue Notes recording session, when Mr. Pendergrass was still the band’s drummer. “We was just messing around in the rehearsal room,” Mr. Huff said. “I heard that voice, and my ears perked up. That rich baritone voice was just ringing through.”

Signed to Philadelphia International, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes had a string of hits in the ’70s with Mr. Pendergrass singing lead, including “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” in 1972, “The Love I Lost” in 1973 and “Bad Luck” and “Wake Up Everybody,” both in 1975. But there was increasing friction between Mr. Pendergrass and Mr. Melvin, and in 1975 Mr. Pendergrass left the group.

His solo career was an immediate success. His first solo album, “Teddy Pendergrass,” released in 1977, sold more than a million copies, and so did the two that followed it, “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” in 1978 and “Teddy” in 1979. A concert album, “Teddy Live! Coast to Coast,” went gold, selling more than half a million copies, followed by another million-seller, “TP,” in 1980, and the gold “It’s Time for Love” in 1981. Mr. Pendergrass’s singles were fixtures in the R&B Top 10.

At his concerts for women, audience members were given chocolate teddy bear-shaped lollipops to lick. In later years, Mr. Pendergrass would say he was slightly embarrassed by those shows.

“As outgoing as I am, I’m still a country boy,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002. “It was complimentary, but it was also hard to handle.”

After the car crash and physical therapy, Mr. Pendergrass resumed his recording career with “Love Language,” a gold album that included an early appearance by Whitney Houston on the album’s R&B hit single, “Hold Me.”

With his 1985 album “Workin’ It Back,” Mr. Pendergrass began writing some of his own songs. His 1988 album “Joy” went gold, and its title track became a No. 1 R&B hit. “Voodoo,” a single from his 1993 album “A Little More Magic,” was nominated for a Grammy Award. (Though he was nominated more than once for the award, he never received one.)

Mr. Pendergrass toured in 1996 in a revival of the musical “Your Arms Too Short to Box With God,” singing “Truly Blessed,” a song about him that had been added to the show. He used the same title for a 1991 album and for his 1998 autobiography, written with Patricia Romanowski.

In 2000 he sang “Wake Up Everybody” at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Two years later he performed a concert tour, singing from his wheelchair. In 2008 “I Am Who I Am,” a musical based on Mr. Pendergrass’s life story, was performed by the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago.

Mr. Pendergrass became an advocate for people with spinal cord injuries, forming the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a nonprofit group, in 1998 to help them. In 2007, 25 years after his accident, he appeared at “Teddy at 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope and Possibilities,” a benefit concert for the group in Philadelphia.

Mr. Pendergrass’s romantic approach was a touchstone for younger generations of R&B Romeos, from Gerald Levert to Maxwell (who did his own ladies-only concerts), and his music has been sampled by rappers including Ghostface Killah and Kanye West. Ahmir (Questlove) Thompson, from the hip-hop group the Roots (formed in Philadelphia), responded to news of Mr. Pendergrass’s death on Twitter declaring, “Soul will never be the same.”

R.I.P.: Dick Johnson

Dick Johnson, 84, Jazz Artist with Artie Shaw, Tony Bennett
by Talia Whyte
Boston Globe, January 13, 2010

As one colleague saw him, Dick Johnson was the Statue of Liberty among local jazz musicians.

The former director of the Artie Shaw Orchestra, a musician who played alongside Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and many other noted singers, died Sunday of unknown causes at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He was 84 and had multiple illnesses.

"Nobody ever treated musicians better than Dick Johnson," Bennett wrote in an e-mail yesterday. "Artie Shaw called him the greatest clarinetist he ever heard. I'll really miss him. He was the best."

Mr. Johnson was best known in the music industry for his showmanship and his love for life. "I don't know anybody else who had a bigger passion for music," said his daughter, Pamela Sargent of Waltham. "He lived and loved playing and enjoying music."

Born in Brockton, Mr. Johnson grew up with music. As a child, he would gather around his mother's piano with his sister and friends while other family members played and sang. His musical roots extended to his uncle, Mayhew Lake, a noted arranger.

After graduating from Brockton High School in 1942, Mr. Johnson served in the Navy for two years on the USS Pasadena during World War II. He joined the Navy band and mastered the clarinet, flute, and saxophone.

After the war, Mr. Johnson toured the country with the big bands of Charlie Spivak and Buddy Morrow before settling down in Brockton. He joined his childhood friend Lou Colombo in a jazz sextet that lasted 10 years. Mr. Johnson also formed his septet, Swing Shift, a staple on the Boston music scene for years.

"He was the best because he practiced more than six hours a day," said Colombo, of Yarmouth.

Mr. Johnson also either performed with or recorded over the years with such music greats as Dave McKenna, Herb Pomeroy, Nat King Cole, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Buddy Rich. Mr. Johnson recorded his own albums on the EmArcy, Riverside, and Concord jazz labels.

Boxing champion Rocky Marciano, a fellow Brockton native, was a good friend. According to Mr. Johnson's son-in-law Gray Sargent, Mr. Johnson drove Marciano to many of his early matches in the region before the pugilist gained fame in the sport. Mr. Johnson even played the music at Marciano's wedding.

Ron Della Chiesa, a radio personality with Boston's WCRB-FM, met Mr. Johnson in the late 1950s and was amazed by his charisma.

"Dick was a great in jazz music," Della Chiesa said. "He would be scheduled to be on my radio show for only five or 10 minutes and end up staying for nearly an hour. He was a joy to talk to, and he played great music on the air."

One of the highlights of his career was being tapped by his mentor to restart and be the director of the Artie Shaw Orchestra, which Mr. Johnson led from 1983 to 2006. "It was the thrill of Dick's career to revive the band," said Gray Sargent. "This helped bring Artie Shaw to younger audiences."

Shaw, who had retired from playing his clarinet in the early 1950s, occasionally joined Mr. Johnson and the orchestra.

Another highlight was the long list of musicians Mr. Johnson mentored, including Greg Hopkins, a professor of jazz composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Hopkins met Mr. Johnson in the late 1970s, and the two played gigs across the region. He remembers Mr. Johnson for his ability to play diverse types of music, from swing to big band to smooth jazz.

"Playing with Dick was the most uplifting experience in my career," Hopkins said. "He was the Statue of Liberty of Boston's jazz scene. He wasn't a formal music teacher, but gave a lot of lessons to other aspiring musicians."

In addition to his daughter Pamela, Mr. Johnson leaves his wife of 59 years, Rose of Brockton, and a son, Gary of Easton.

A remembrance service will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow in the Conley Funeral Home in Brockton. A celebration of Mr. Johnson's life will be held at a later date.

Anna Mjoll @ Vitello's, tomorrow

Tomorrow night only! Groovin' Jazz night with Anna Mjöll's sextet!

VITELLO's Studio City - January 13, 8pm

Anna Mjöll (vocals), Randy Waldman (piano), Chuck Berghoffer (bass), Larry Koonse (guitar), Aldo Bentivegna (drums) and Bob Sheppard (sax).

Call for reservations: (818)769-0905

Winter JazzFest - NYT

Catching Late-Night Zzzs: Jazz and Buzz
By BEN RATLIFF, NYT

Winter Jazzfest occupied the center of Greenwich Village, holding down five clubs in a two-block radius, imposing its thoughtful ruckus on the normal Bleecker Street weekend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/arts/music/11jazzfest.html?th&emc=th

R.I.P.: Dudu Caribé

I am schocked and saddened with the sudden death of guitarist and composer Dudu Caribé at age 39. I had the honor to work with him in several occasions between 1998 and 2001, a period of time on which he was touring worldwide with Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil, having also recorded with many Brazilian stars of different styles - from samba masters Almir Guineto and Dudu Nobre to fusion keyboardist Marcos Resende to Guilherme Isnard's rock band Zero.

Dudu also took part of Jorge Pescara's "Grooves in the Temple" album, which was produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro for the JSR (Jazz Station Records) label. On his brilliant liner notes for the CD, jazz historian Doug Payne wrote about the track "Power of Soul": "Note the incandescent solos of vocalist Ithamara Koorax (whose amazing voice evokes here the sound of a guitar), keyboardist Paula Faour (whose debut solo album, Cool Bossa Struttin' was released with critical acclaim by JSR/King Records in December 2002) doing a ferocious mini-Moog solo, and guitarist Dudú Caribé (who spars with Pescara in homage to Hendrix and whose fuzz guitar early on also suggests Joe Beck’s performance on Idris Muhammad’s version)."
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Born Eduardo del Águila Caribé on December 11, 1970 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Died on January 9, 2010 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Years Active: 80, 90, 2000
Genre: Jazz, Pop, Rock
Styles: World Fusion, International, Brazilian Jazz, Brazilian Traditions
Moods: Elegant, Fiery, Hypnotic, Intense, Visceral, Cheerful, Passionate
Instruments: Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)

Influenced By:
Jimi Hendrix
John Abercrombie
Larry Coryell
John Tropea
Al DiMeola
John Scofield
Santana
George Benson
Mike Stern
Allan Holdsworth
John McLaughlin

Similar Artists:
Bill Frisell
Ricardo Silveira
Steve Vai
Kevin Eubanks
Pat Metheny
Charlie Hunter
Victor Biglione
Steve Morse
Scott Henderson
Joe Satriani

For more details (in Portuguese):
http://www.dicionariompb.com.br/verbete.asp?tabela=T_FORM_A&nome=Dudu+Carib%E9

CD of the Day - "Carlos Barbosa-Lima: Chants For The Chief"

CD of the Day
Carlos Barbosa-Lima with special guest Thiago de Mello: "Chants For The Chief" (Concord Picante CCD-4489) 1991

Liner Notes by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
Original CD Release Date: December 17, 1991

Recorded at Nola Recording Studios, New York City, NY, September 1991

Tracks:
Chants for the Chief - Music & Lyrics by Gaudencio Thiago de Mello
1. A Chamada dos Ventos/Canção Noturna
(Wind Call/Nocturne) (3:29)
2. Uirapurú do Amazonas
(The Uirapurú of the Amazon) (3:43)
3. Cunhã-Tan do Andirá
(Little Girl from the Andirá River) (2:46)
4. Varando Furos
(Cutting Waters) (2:24)
5. Canto dos Esquecidos/Yara Levou Meu Amor
(Chant of the Forgotton Ones/Yara Took My Love) (6:28)
6. Canto do Missionário
(Chant of the Missionary) (2:38)
7. Ventos do Sertão
(Winds from the Backlands) (2:18)
8. Canto da Alvorada
(Chant of the Sunrise) (3:29)
9. Canto do Verde Amado
(Chant for the Beloved Green) (3:43)
10. Canoa Furada/Canção Noturna/A Chamada dos Ventos - Epílogo
(There is a Hole in My Canoe/Nocturne Song/Wind Call - Epilogue) (3:21)
Bonus Tracks
11. Cajita de Música (Isaias Savio) (2:22)
12. Impressão de Rua (Isaias Savio) (3:17)
13. Sonha Yaya (Isaias Savio) (3:08)
14. Teotecacinte (Thiago de Mello) (3:18)
15. Fantasy on a Hawaiian Lullaby (Byron Yasui) (6:00)
16. Batucada (Isaias Savio) (4:37)

Credits:
Carlos Barbosa-Lima - Guitar, Producer
John Burk - Production Coordination
Jim Czak - Recording Engineer
Thiago de Mello - Percussion, Vocals, Producer
Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Liner Notes
Phil Edwards - Mixing Engineer
George Horn - Mastering Engineer
Carl Jefferson - Executive Producer
Kent Judkins - Art Direction
John Post - Recording Engineer
Tana Powell - Artwork
Mark Sullivan - Assistant Engineer

Liner Notes by Arnaldo DeSouteiro:

Internationally acclaimed as one of the world's finest guitarists in the contemporary scene, Carlos Barbosa-Lima has carved his brilliant path from a daring artistic posture. Since his early experiences as a professional musician in his native Brazil, where he recorded his first album and gave his first concert at the age of eleven, Barbosa-Lima used his perspective to develop, along with his classical training, a special ability to recreate some of the traditional Brazilian gems of the popular repertoire. Putting aside the unavoidable restrictions imposed by more conservative minds ("I always found the rigid distinction between the classical and the popular ridiculous" he says), Carlos Barbosa-Lima has kept his disposition to challenge labels and break musical boundaries. This attitude is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the enormous success of his career and for the admiration of his work which comes from all areas of musical expression.

Always trying to expand the repertoire for his instrument, Barbosa-Lima put his unlimited inventiveness to the arduous task of transcribing pieces which have become recognized as historically important today. From Bach to Brubeck, Scarlatti to Joplin, Jobim to Gershwin, Bonfá to Porter, and Debussy to Villa-Lobos, Barbosa-Lima has applied his incomparable mastery to their works.

This has been well documented on a series of quintessential albums, most of them on Concord Records, the label which has given him full support for his creative adventures during the ten years he has been recording with them. His magic touch has been captured on solo albums, as well as on duo projects with the talented Sharon Isbin (with whom he recorded his astonishing "Rhapsody in Blue" (CCD-42012) adaptation for two guitars), and in a swinging three-guitar setting with Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd (CCD-4389).

The most recent example of Barbosa-Lima's quest for challenge is "Chants for the Chief," which finds him in a surprisingly fascinating collaboration with fellow Brazilian composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Gaudencio Thiago de Mello. The first time they performed together was at Carnegie Hall's "Guitarstream" Festival in 1985 marking the beginning of the artistic partnership which has culminated in the production of this superb album. Its main theme, Thiago de Mello's "Chants for the Chief" was premiered by Barbosa-Lima and the composer in April, 1991, at St. John Smith Square in London. "I fell in love with these chants the first time I heard them," says the guitarist. "They have a primitive feeling, linked to the basic expression of the human soul."

Since these pieces express some elements of ancient rituals and religious symbolism, Barbosa-Lima and the composer agree that the word "chant" seems more appropriate than "song." The music confirms this, reflecting Thiago de Mello's childhood in the Brazilian Amazon where he grew up listening to indigenous folklore as well as hymns and spirituals brought by the missionaries into that region. These elements - together with the sounds of nature such as the whistling of the wind, the song of the birds, and the roar of the rivers - are reflected in each and every note (and in each and every silence) and are indeed the essence of this work.

The singing guitar and the melodic percussion are totally integrated, but in an unconventional manner. They interact without the constraints of the usual format of guitar soloing over rhythmic accompaniment. They sound as one instrument, along with Thiago's voice which gives a mysterious mood to the performance.

"Chants for the Chief" reveals not only the beauty of the Amazon, but also translates all its secrets, its sadness and the rich cultural heritage of its people. The music touches the listener deeply with its direct appeal, establishing a heart-to-heart connection with its apparently simple melodic lines and captivating structure. Everything is explored with complete control by Barbosa-Lima's sensitive guitar, often using the "space" as a musical element.

As a "percussion orchestrator," Thiago de Mello is gifted with a unique approach - coloring, enhancing and thrusting the guitar forward. This is felt throughout - as much in the evocative moods of "A Chamada dos Ventos" and "Uirapurú do Amazonas" (the latter recorded by Thiago on Paul Winter's Grammy nominated album "Earth, Voices of a Planet"), as in the contagious beat of "Varando Furos," an example of Thiago's architectonic conception of percussion.

There is also a subtle inherent sensuality in the music as shown in these new versions of "Cunhã-Tan do Andirá" and "Ventos do Sertão," previously recorded by Barbosa-Lima as solo guitar pieces on his "Music of the Americas" (CCD-4461) album. On the other hand, "Canto dos Esquecidos" brings out the strong influence of the northeast of Brazil.

Another Thiago de Mello composition, "Teotecacinte," was written during one of his visits to Central America in the 1980s. "Its title is the name of a small town in Nicaragua, which was constantly bombed by the Côntras for many years," explains Thiago. "This song is dedicated to the heroic people of that tiny place and their pursuit of a better life. I tried to get as close as possible to their own rich rhythm called SONNICA - a 3/4 pattern with the accent on the 2nd and 3rd beats."

Barbosa-Lima pays tribute to his master, Isaias Savio (a Uruguyan-born guitar teacher who lived in Brazil) through "Batucada," "Impressão de Rua" (both from the "Cenas Brasileiras" series, written in the early '40s), "Cajita de Musica" and "Sonha Yayá."

"Luiz Bonfá studied with Savio and recommended me to do the same," remembers the guitarist, who had recorded these pieces more than 30 years ago in Brazil. In "Batucada" Thiago applies his creative touch by adding an introduction and a short chant as a coda.

"Fantasy on a Hawaiian Lullaby," written by Byron Yasui, is based on a well-known theme from his native Hawaii - "Pupu Hinu Hinu," by Helen Beamer. "Byron recreates with mastery the slakey-guitar style, with its typical tuning of the 5th string in G and the 6th string in D" says Carlos. "It extends the original theme with a central section using a contrapuntal 4-part harmony. At the end, the lullaby feeling is reinforced by the use of double harmonics."

Showcasing successive examples of how to put virtuosity at the service of musicality, the outstanding Carlos Barbosa-Lima adds one more triumph to his brilliant recording career.

- Arnaldo DeSouteiro, September 1991
(Tribuna da Imprensa - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Cuadernos de Jazz - Spain; International Association of Jazz Educators - USA)

Claudia Hayden @ Gillespie Auditorium, Jan 12

Help us welcome flautist Claudia Hayden on Tuesday, January 12 at Jazz Tuesdays in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium in the New York City Bahá'í Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway. There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

The Claudia Hayden Project:
Claudia Hayden – Flute & Percussion
Jonathan Lefcoski – Piano & Keyboard
David Jones – Bass
Camille Gainer-Jones – Drums
Avi Rothbard - Guitar
Renaissance – Percussion

Composer and flutist Claudia Hayden has got a sound which is funky, sassy and smooth as silk! Her band, aptly named ‘The Hayden Project’ has taken audiences to heights which have them standing on their feet with applause at venues around the country.

Claudia’s talents were honed while studying with the renowned Alvin Batiste and flautist Kent Jordan and also, while performing with other amazing talents like Joe Sample, Marc Cary, Roy Hargrove just to name a few!

True to her New Orleans roots, Ms. Hayden has developed a musical style that is velvety yet, energetic; while her tone has a hypnotic, almost vocal quality. Taking cues from World Music while serving up some fiery licks from Jazz and Funk, ‘The Hayden Project’ soars with body rockin’ classics and soul stirring original songs penned by Claudia herself.

While it’s easy to find reviews and critical acclaim of her dynamic sound and performance style in Essence, Times Picayune-New Orleans and TimeOut NY; Claudia herself sums it up best when she says: “…the music I share with my audience is spontaneous and as smooth as water but, with an earthy edge as real as life…my life.”

Most recently, Claudia, a composer and publisher member of ASCAP; took out time to write and produce music for not one, but two CDs to be released in 2010 – the enigmatically titled “Abstract” (a Contemporary Jazz offering) and “The Spirit Speaks” (a cohesive collection of Native American Flute/Meditative music). Eet with applause at venues around the country.

Admission is 15.00, $10.00 for students.
Tickets will be sold at the door, or call 212-222-5159 for reservations and information.
*********
Jazz Tuesdays
in the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium
The New York Baha'i Center
53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway)
Two shows: 8:00 and 9:30 p.m.

CD of the Day - "Street Angels"

CD of the Day
"Street Angels" (Mr. Bongo CD STA1/MRBCD016) 1999

A benefit album for the street children of Brazil
Produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro for Mr. Bongo

Liner notes from the back cover:
This is a benefit recording for the AMADA Project in Itapuã, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. All recordings are exclusive to this album and have been donated by the artists.
In northeast Brazil, more than 77% of the population live below the poverty line. 30% of children below the age of five suffer from malnutrition and 2 million children receive no education.
These children also face the threat of execution at the hands of hired killers and policemen.
Amnesty International lists street execution as the third largest cause of death for Brazilian children.

Tracks:
1. Danilo Caymmi & Marcelo Salazar: "Street Angels" (Marcelo Salazar/Danilo Caymmi)
2. José Carlos Ramos: "Porangaba" (J.C. Ramos/Fernando Moraes)
3. Clave de Soul: "Think About the Children" (Gerson King Combo/Clave de Soul/Mr. Bongo)
4. Joyce: "Maracangalha" (Dorival Caymmi)
5. Otto: "O Celular de Nanã" (Otto)
6. Filhos do Capoeira: "Capoeira Um" (DR)
7. Ithamara Koorax: "Cala Boca Menino" (Dorival Caymmi)
8. Batucada Groove: "Brazilian Grace" (Marcelinho DaLua/Marcelo Salazar)
9. Dom Um Romão: "Sem Terra" - Ben Mitchell Remix (Dom Um Romão)
10. Pingarilho: "Samba Tempo" (Carlos Pingarilho/Marcos Vasconcelos)
11. Ile Aye: "Batmacumba" (Gilberto Gil)
12. Arakatuba & Fila Brazilia: "Sócrates" (Arakatuba)
13. Luiz Bonfá & Lord K: "Strange Messages" - Mad Monkey Mix (Luiz Bonfá/Lord K/Teddy Kumpel)
14. Billie Godfrey featuring Mr. Hermano Band: "Where Are We Gonna Go?" (Ben Mitchell/Billie Godfrey)

Credits (in alphabetical order):
Nelson Ângelo - Arranger, Keyboards
Apollo 9 - Producer
Arakatuba - Performer
Ile Aye - Performer
Mick Ball - Trumpet
Toninho Barbosa - Recorder, Co-Producer, Mixing
Paulinho Black - Drums
Luiz Bonfá - Guitar (Electric)
João Carlos - Cello
Jorjão Carvalho - Bass (Electric)
Danilo Caymmi - Flute, Arranger, Vocals
Clave de Soul - Performer
DJ Marcelinho da Lua - Turntables
Hudson Delduque - Keyboards
Bosco de Oliveira - Percussion, Drums
Arnaldo DeSouteiro - Percussion, Arranger, Producer
DJ Soul Slinger - Co-Producer
Brian Dunne - Drums
Elliot Erwitt - Cover Photo
Paula Faour - Synthesizer, Keyboards
Marcelo Ferreira - Guitar (Electric)
Fila Brazillia - Performer
Gesiel - Trumpet
Anne Marie Gilkes - Vocals
Billie Godfrey - Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Mauro Gomes - Percussion
Jovi - Percussion
Joyce - Guitar (Acoustic), Arranger, Vocals
Ithamara Koorax - Vocals
Teddy Kumpel - Guitar, Arranger, Co-Producer
Dave Laudat - Vocals (bckgr)
Luciano Lopes - Bass (Electric)
Rodrigo de Castro Lopes - Mastering Engineer
Lord K - Percussion, Arranger, Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Junior Mansilva - Trumpet
Anne Marie - Vocals (bckgr)
Tinho Martins - Sax (Alto)
Ulisses Martins - Vocals (bckgr)
Marcio Matias - Percussion
Ricardo Mendes - Guitar (Electric)
Cesar Miquiles - Vocals
Zé Paulo Miranda - Cavaquinho
Mr. Bongo (Dave Buttle) - Executive Producer, Liner Notes
Mr. Hermano - Performer
Ben Mitchell - Percussion, Co-Producer, Remixing
Fernando Moraes - Piano, Arranger
Klaudia Moras - Vocals (bckgr), Co-Producer
Neco (Daudeth Azevedo) - Guitar (Acoustic)
Otto - Percussion, Vocals
Jorge Pescara - Bass (Electric), Stick
Carlos Pingarilho - Guitar (Acoustic), Arranger, Vocals
José Carlos Ramos (Zé Bigorna) - Flute, Arranger, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)
Fernando Rebelo - Engineer
Dom Um Romão - Percussion, Drums, Vocals (bckgr)
Richard Sadler - Sax (Baritone)
Marcelo Salazar - Percussion, Arranger, Programming, Co-Producer
Tony Scherr - Bass (Electric)
Marco Valério - Engineer
Erasto Vasconcelos - Percussion
Naná Vasconcelos - Percussion
Jeff "The Funkmaster" Walker - Bass (Electric), Guitar (Electric)
Richard Wargent - Sax (Tenor)
Pete Z - Keyboards

Vinyl of the Day - "Street Angels"

Vinyl of the Day
"Street Angels" (Mr. Bongo MRBLP16) 2000

LP Release Date: June 5, 2000
A benefit album for the street children of Brazil
Produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro for Mr. Bongo

Liner notes from the back cover:
This is a benefit recording for the AMADA Project in Itapuã, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. All recordings are exclusive to this album and have been donated by the artists.
In northeast Brazil, more than 77% of the population live below the poverty line. 30% of children below the age of five suffer from malnutrition and 2 million children receive no education.
These children also face the threat of execution at the hands of hired killers and policemen.
Amnesty International lists street execution as the third largest cause of death for Brazilian children.

Genre:Electronic
Style:Latin, Downtempo, Jazzdance

Tracklist:
Side A
1 Danilo Caymmi & Marcelo Salazar - Street Angels
2 José Carlos Ramos - Porangaba
3 Clave de Soul - Think about the Children
4 Joyce - Maracangalha
Side B
1. Otto - O Celular De Nana
2. Batucada Groove - Brazilian Grace
3. Ilê Aiyê - Batmacumba
4. Arakatuba & Fila Brazillia - Socrates

CD of the Week - "Reut Regev: This is R Time"

CD of the Week
Reut Regev: "This Is R Time" (Ropeadope) 2009

The stunning debut solo album by the superb NY-based Israeli trombonist Reut Regev. All tracks are originals by Reut herself, a couple of them co-written by her drummer & husband, Igal Foni, who wrote alone "Nutcase Scenario." Other musicians on Regev's keyboardless group are David Phelps (guitars) and Brad Jones (acoustic & electric bass), plus special guest percussionist Eddie Bobé. Besides the slide trombone, the leader also plays flugabone and percussion. You'll not believe in your ears! Contemporary-progressive jazz of the highest caliber.

It's worth to mention that Reut was voted #1 Best New Talent and #2 Best Trombonist in the 31st Annual Jazz Station Poll. For more details, please check:
http://jazzstation-oblogdearnaldodesouteiros.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-jazz-of-2009.html

Btw, she was also elected "Best New Discovery of 2009" (according to Troy Collins' Best of 2009, AllAboutJazz) and "Best Debut of 2009" by jazz historian David R. Adler on his "Top 25 of 2009" list.

And here's what JazzTimes magazine (December 2009 issue) wrote about "This Is R Time," which, btw, just got another rave review this week, in the January 2010 issue of Cadence magazine.

Obama: "What's next in 2010?"

"Dear Arnaldo:

Our records show that you currently live in California's 30th Congressional District.

Last Friday marked our passage into a new year, and a new decade.

2010 will be a year of new, exciting challenges. We'll be working hard with President Obama to finish the fight for health insurance reform, put more Americans back to work, and get our economy running strong. We'll fight to protect consumers and our economy from Wall Street abuses, improve transparency in Washington to elevate the voices of the American people, and create a vibrant, clean energy economy. And we'll stand up for the President's allies at the ballot box.

As we've always known, change this big must come from the bottom up. Organizing for America was founded last year based on your feedback, and OFA supporters are at the core of everything we do.

So as we wrap up one year and prepare for the next, we want to hear your reflections on our work together in 2009 and how you want OFA to move forward in the new year.

Can you take a minute to fill out our quick survey on what's next in 2010?

There's no limit to what we can accomplish this year, if we keep working together.

Can't wait to get started:

http://my.barackobama.com/2010Survey

Happy New Year,

David Plouffe"

CD of the Day - "Moraine: Manifest Density"

CD of the Day
Moraine: "Manifest Density" (MoonJune) 2009

Rating: **** (4 stars)
To order: http://www.moonjune.com/MJR028.htm
$12 US/Canada (FREE shipping)
$14 Elsewhere (FREE shipping)
(4 panels digipack cover)

Tracks:
1. Save The Yuppie Breedeing Grounds 4:12
2. Ephebus Amoebus 4:55
3. Nacho Sunset 4:29
4. $9 Pay-Per-View Lifetime TV Movie 5:51
5. Manifest Density 3:55
6. Uncle Tang's Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 4:01
7. Disillusioned Avatar 5:15
8. Kuru 5:02
9. Revenge Grandmother 5:11
10. Staggerin' 4:41
11. Middlebräu 6:46

Featuring:
DENNIS REA electric guitar; RUTH DAVIDSON cello; ALICIA ALLEN violin; KEVIN MILLARD bass guitar, baliset; JAY JASKOT drums.

Recorded in Seattle, WA, betwen August 12 and 14, 2008.
Produced by Dennis Rea.

Press Release:
You could describe the output of this towering electric string quartet-plus-drums as “heavy chamber music.” With its several writers and full complement of ace instrumentalists, arrayed in striking combination, Moraine achieves a coherent sound while drawing on forms ranging from math-rock to fractured bebop to Chinese folk music to unleashed, plugged-in power jazz, and more.

You have to love a band that lists its influences as Mahavishnu Orchestra, King Crimson, Terje Rypdal, John Abercrombie, Oregon, Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Dr. Nerve, traditional East Asian music, and hurdy-gurdy music. Particularly one that adds plenty of its own to that diverting mix. At the center of the sound are Dennis Rea’s stellar guitar inventions. The much-praised veteran has deployed fierce, elusive imagination to build on decades of engagement with countless musical styles of multiple regions of the globe. He creates a dynamic, lyrical, enigmatic blend of modern jazz, boundary-pushing rock, experimental music, and world musical traditions.

In other contexts – stay tuned for his next MoonJune Records’ release, "Views from Chicheng Precipice" – his output reflects the three years he spent in the two Chinas, where he was among the first wave of Western creative musicians to venture behind the tattered curtain of the devastating Cultural Revolution. (He is the author, in addition, of the fascinating Live at the Forbidden City: Musical Encounters in China.)

On the band’s debut CD "Manifest Density," Rea enjoys ideal support from all quarters in what is truly a collaborative endeavor of composition and performance: Ruth Davidson’s cello and Alicia Allen’s violin slash and singe with uncanny unity of purpose and design. Bassist Kevin Millard and drummer Jay Jaskot boast drive and thrust ideally suited to the task. All that begins to explain why Moraine has been embraced by audiences ranging from jazz aficionados to metalheads. The band squalls, sears, soars, and lilts over a novel musical terrain.

Artist Profile

Moraine is an omnivorous Seattle-based instrumental quintet led by guitarist Dennis Rea, whose past collaborators include Jeff Greinke (LAND), K. Leimer (Savant), Earthstar, Stackpole, Hector Zazou, Han Bennink, Stuart Dempster, Chinese rock megastar Cui Jian, Klaus Schulze, Amy Denio, Wally Shoup, and Bill Horist, as well as members of King Crimson, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ministry, the Sun Ra Arkestra, and many of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese music. The group began as a collaboration between Rea and cellist Ruth Davidson and eventually coalesced into the simpatico lineup heard on Manifest Density, featuring violinist Alicia Allen, drummer Jay Jaskot, and bassist/baliset player Kevin Millard. Moraine’s expansive original repertoire spans avant-rock, modern jazz, deconstructed Chinese traditional music, and the unclassifiable. In a typical Moraine performance, haunting melodies cohabit with crushing riffs, lush textures, propulsive swing, and explosive improvisation to create a galvanizing listening experience.

Dennis Rea's adventurous guitar playing blends modern jazz, creative rock, experimental music, and world musical traditions into an approach that is uniquely his own, embracing haunting lyricism, enigmatic textures, agile improvisation, and the raw dynamism of rock. He has performed on three continents at such venues as the WOMAD Festival, Beijing International Jazz Festival, Sichuan-China International TV Festival, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Columbia Gorge Amphitheater, and Earshot Jazz Festival. Over the years Dennis has led or been a key contributor to numerous innovative groups, including Moraine, Land, Stackpole, Axolotl, Savant, Earthstar, Identity Crisis, Iron Kim Style, and Ting Bu Dong. He has performed or recorded with such prominent creative musicians as European free jazz legend Han Bennink, Chinese rock megastar Cui Jian, acclaimed French composer Hector Zazou, German electronic music pioneer Klaus Schulze, trombone virtuoso Stuart Dempster, and jazz mainstay John Clayton, as well as members of King Crimson, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ministry, and the Sun Ra Arkestra.

He has collaborated with many of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese music and was one of the first Western musicians to record an album for the state-owned China Record Company. His activities have included film, theater, radio, and modern dance, and he has appeared on more than two-dozen recordings to date. He was a finalist for Best Guitarist in the 2005 Seattle Weekly Music Awards, and won a Golden Ear Award for Best Northwest Outside Jazz Group in 2000 as leader of the improvising quartet Stackpole. He is also an accomplished author whose most recent work is the book Live at the Forbidden City: Musical Encounters in China and Taiwan, a portrait of the emerging Chinese rock and jazz scenes and a chronicle of his musical adventures in the Far East.

Artist's website:
www.myspace.com/moraineseattle
www.dennisrea.com

Reviews:

“…with its combination of rock energy, chamber classicism, and sophisticated jazz harmonies, Manifest DeNsity is simply good music—at times, great music—played by an unusually configured collective. Like a square peg and a round hole, Moraine defies reductionist categorization…” - John Kelman, All About Jazz

“…Dark timbres, dense harmonic aggregations, and exotic melodies abound … while the emphasis here is clearly on ensemble playing, Rea’s guitar work continually imbues the proceedings with splashes of color from his global grab bag of stylistic goodies—including liberal dashes of oriental intrigue.” - Barry Cleveland, Guitar Player

"[Moraine] morph the best of various musical worlds here, amid turbulent strings passages, thrusting rhythms, and jubilantly executed melody lines. The band conveys a myriad of emotive attributes via these resonating compositions. ... There’s a lot to sink your mind’s eye into here, but the ensemble equalizes the cerebral factors with hearty melodies and pumping jazz-rock grooves. ... A musical highlight for 2009, regardless of genre or rigid categorizations…" - Glenn Astarita, Jazz Reviews.com

"Even more than the inspired solos it is the exotic melodies and crafty arrangements that make this band special. … quirky, creative & filled with surprising twists and turns, well worth checking out no matter what you are into." — Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery, NYC

"The instrumental Rock ensemble Moraine combines a dark palette with unique instrumentation and driving, sprawling architectonic musical structures. … It is one of those CDs that immediately gets your attention from the opening bars of the first cut. … They achieve a continuously compelling group sound that grabs you by the ears and does not let go. …Mr. Rea and company have achieved orbit status. ... This band could pan out to be the biggest Prog thing since Beefheart, Crimson, Gary Lucas and/or the Softs." - Gregory Applegate, Gapplegate Music

(4 stars) "Moraine ... provides instrumental music that is passionate and emotional but complex, challenging, and abstract. ... Moraine's appreciation of world music is definitely one of their strong points; during the course of this 54-minute CD, they incorporate elements of everything from Asian music to Middle Eastern/Arabic music to East European gypsy music - and those world music influences only add to Manifest Density's richness. ... adventurous listeners who have some patience will find that the more they listen to Manifest Density, the more this album reveals its excellence." - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

"Moraine is really the kind of music that can save progressive music from clichés" - Michel Delville, The Wrong Object

"Incredible jazz chamber rock fusion ... Moraine will intrigue and energize the listener as they obliterate all boundaries. ... people looking for something new and different will enjoy this powerful and intelligent music." - Brad Walseth, JazzChicago.net

"...overall, this is an album destined to be declared an instant classic by listeners & reviewers worldwide! I give it my MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, & declare it the pick of this year for 'most creative and inspiring musical experience!'" - Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation

“…a masterfully twisted quintet crushing five pounds of prog and symph-metal into a two-pound neoclassicalist bag. … There's not an ounce of ego or gloryhogging anywhere, just the sheer exuberance of playing in ensemble. … Any track here is a sure-fire attention getter.” - Mark S. Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

"Excellent, original, fresh, personal, experimental ... in short a fantastic disc and absolutely captivating from beginning to end. ... A brilliant CD absolutely recommended for lovers of progressive, Canterbury, experimental, and RIO. ... Highly recommended." - Gustavo Bolasini, El Retorno del Gigante (Argentina)

“The band stands alone as one of the few acts that can put forth a contemporary sound without including vocals; the strings and various ancillary elements pop up through Manifest Density to tell a narrative as rich as any heard this year. … listeners will eagerly be anticipating anything that Moraine may do in the future...” - James McQuiston, Neofutur

(4 stars) “Manifest Density is like a head-on collision between the Mahavishu Orchestra, Univers Zero, King Crimson, Present, and Dr. Nerve. ... Moraine is hard to classify yet impossible to ignore. …for those who are feeling brave and in the mood for some experimental sounds, this will be a ride worth taking over and over again." - Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility

“This would be the best fusion jazz record of 2009, except that it’s not quite fusion jazz. Then again, that’s what makes it the best fusion jazz record of 2009! ... Intelligently written, brilliantly executed, with gusto and just enough good sense. ... I can’t find another band to compare them to - and that’s huge. ... Oh, so rich. Bravo.” - Francois Couture, Monsieur Délire

“If you take time to capture the complex compositions, your efforts are rewarded with an absolutely unique sound and music that has, even after the umpteenth hearing, more and more refinement to offer ... One quickly realizes that, despite the fact that this is their debut album, these are no beginners. … Manifest Density is a great work. ... Absolutely recommended!” - Ingo Andruschkewitsch, Musik an Sich (Germany)

(4 stars) “music that seems modern in every way." - Don W. Seven, babysue.com

"…very satisfying on all sorts of artistic and musical levels. … ‘Uncle Tang’s Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ is a Rea composition that I’m sure the late great Frank Zappa would look down on with admiration and perhaps a little puzzlement at a mesmerizingly good band that pulls no punches!” - Acid Dragon (France)

“The band led by guitarist extraordinaire Dennis Rea is a powerhouse of individuals with advanced musical ability and compositional prowess but instead of cramming every nook and cranny with musical schizophrenia, they choose a different path. … There is enough amazing playing here to satisfy even the most ardent fan of titanic technique but with enough melody to give casual listeners something to get their ears around.“ - Rob Hudson, modmove.com

“Manifest Destiny is one of those CDs that captures your attention right from the start of the first section; here is something exciting, different, and innovative that is challenging and complex. Adventurous listeners who possess a little patience will find more and more in this release with every listen. ... Fantastic!” - JazzNet Denmark

“With Manifest Density, the instrumental debut release from Moraine, the band completely destroys the boundaries of several hugely differing genres to create something totally unique. … While lacking a vocalist, Moraine still manages to recreate a voice-like quality where vocals would be most expected. … A very noteworthy ability that Moraine possesses is the skill to relay feelings throughout their music. … Moraine succeeded in literally creating their own unique but refreshing genre of music.” - Sara Cooper, MuzikReviews.com