Tjader’s Cuban Fantasy

July 29th, 2008 by Pete

Here’s some mokin’ hot latin jazz from a virtuoso of the vibes, Cal Tjader. I wasn’t familiar with Tjader until I heard his live Cuban Fantasy album sometime last year, but the man was a vital component of the Bay Area jazz scene in the 50’s and 60’s, starting out in the Dave Brubeck Octet.

Hooking up with George Shearing’s popular quintet in the early 50’s, coupled with the mambo craze of that time, turned Tjader on to the Latin jazz sound, which he would perform straight through to his death in 1982. Carlos Santana counts Tjader as one of his biggest influences.

I’m no jazz aficionado, but this album, like I said, smokes. Here’s a hot one…

Cal Tjader - Guachi Guara (mp3)

Buy Cuban Fantasy

Cal Tjader’s AllMusic profile.

Posted in Jazz, Latin | No Comments »

Miles at the Boston Jazz Workshop, 1973

July 12th, 2008 by Pete

Miles Davis @ the Boston Jazz Workshop
October 17, 1973

1. Ife (mp3)

2. Agharta Prelude (mp3)

3. Zimbabwe (mp3)

Thank you Dark Funk (where you can pick up more live Miles).

Posted in Jazz, Rock | 4 Comments »

Jon Regen: Live!

June 10th, 2008 by Michael

Maestro (and all around nice guy) Jon Regen checked in from the road with an outstanding live recording of his single “Let It Go” from the record of the same name (which you may recall got a good bit of spin time here at Ickmusic East). Recorded in Vienna, Austria it features Jon in a trio setting burning up the keys. Jon has a couple more dates lined up in Italy and will be visiting the UK in September. Hopefully he’ll have a few US dates in there as well.

Jon Regen - Let It Go (live) (MP3)

Tour Dates:

July 19: Griziane Festival - Griziane, Italy
July 20-28: La Ghironda Festival - Puglia, Italy
September 25-27: Pizza Express Jazz Club - London, UK

Buy Let It Go: CDBaby | iTunes

Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

Posted in Indie, Jazz, Pop | No Comments »

Jon Regen – Let it Go

April 16th, 2008 by Michael

Photo: Merri Cyr

Sometimes an album just hits the mark. Let it Go is one of those records. There is something to it that just feels like home. I’ve spent two weeks soaking up the tracks, something that as Pete pointed out in a recent post is sometimes hard to do with all the music we listen to. Jon Regen has taken on the singer/songwriter genre from a point of view not often seen. The New Jersey native has a Jazz pedigree but the heart of a pop songwriter with the ability to make words and music move your heart through the arc of a relationship’s highs and lows.

From the first notes of the opening title track through to aptly titled “The Last Song” there is no emotional stone left unturned. I really struggled with what tunes to share with you all as there are no duds here. I choose the heartfelt “Better Days” and the beautiful “Finding My Way Back to Me”. Check these out and pick up the record at the links below so you can tell all your friends that you were listening to this guy before he hit it big.

*Note: I’ve reloaded the audio files and they should be working now. My apologies to those who have tried to listen.

Jon Regen – Better Days (MP3)

Jon Regen – Finding My Way Back to Me (MP3)

Buy Let It Go: CDBaby | iTunes

Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace

Posted in Indie, Jazz, Pop | 5 Comments »

Marco Benevento’s Real Morning Party

February 27th, 2008 by Pete

My latest eMusic download is Marco Benevento’s new one, Invisible Baby. Marco is a crazy-talented keyboard-man and composer from NYC, specializing in experimental effects-laden jazz-jam. I’ve been somewhat familiar with him from his work as a member of the Benevento/Russo Duo.

It’s an adventurous album - God knows how he makes some of those sounds. I’d love to see Marco live, working all the bells and whistles on his keyboards - and that’s definitely a plural - look at that setup in the pic!

Here’s a fun one that just sounds so damn retro-good to me. And just wait until the percussion madness kicks in at 2:48. Sick! (as the kids say). . . Don’t think it’s in any way indicative of the album as a whole, ’cause it isn’t. Every tune has something fresh and new (with healthy doses of strange) to offer. A must have for musical explorers.

Marco Benevento - The Real Morning Party (mp3)

Buy

MarcoBenevento.com

Posted in Jazz | 3 Comments »

Sometimes It Snows In September

September 11th, 2007 by Michael

Outside of the guitarist community there are probably not too many folks who know Israeli born guitarist Oz Noy. A long time fixture of the NYC music scene he seamlessly blends jazz, soul, funk with a dash of pop for good measure into his own very distinctive groove. His resume includes backing everyone from Harry Belafonte to Toni Braxton to Nile Rodgers but it’s his solo outings where he truly shines and his new release Fuzzy is no exception. And how pleasantly surprised was I to find a very familiar title in the track list. “Sometimes It Snows In April” is (for me) one of Prince’s masterpieces and I think that Oz pays beautiful homage.

Buy Fuzzy: | Amazon

Link: Official Site | MySpace

Posted in Jazz, Prince | 4 Comments »

First Listen: Marcus Miller - Free

August 28th, 2007 by Michael

I’ll be honest here, I did not know much about Marcus Miller before I decided to write this piece. I only knew him as the bass player for Miles Davis. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say:

… a jazz musician, composer and producer, perhaps best known as a bass guitarist with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn. Miller is classically trained as a clarinetist, and also plays bass clarinet, keyboard, saxophone, and guitar, and is a capable singer.

Well hot damn! He’s won a Grammy for his solo efforts and has played with a veritable “who’s who” of Jazz and Blues musicians. I stumbled upon his latest release while browsing through my Miles Davis links. It immediately grabbed me with it’s raga-inspired lead off track “Blast” and held me down tight delivering funk, soul and some of the tightest bass licks I’ve heard. Here’s a sample of the soulful side of this record featuring the beautiful Corinne Bailey Rae covering the 1977 Deniece Williams track “Free”.

Marcus Miller (feat. Corinne Bailey Rae) – Free (MP3)

Buy: Free (I highly suggest checking your local jazz/soul shop first!)
Link: Official Site | MySpace

Posted in Funk, Jazz, Soul | No Comments »

Ickmusic Giveaway: Miles Davis Quintet on Monterey Jazz Festival Records

August 21st, 2007 by Pete

It’s a giveaway frenzy here lately, so I have no choice but to once again bestow quality goods upon you people. The latest item will make any jazz fan happy. Even those who aren’t into jazz know a cool motherf**er when they see one, and Miles Davis was just that.

Well the Monterey Jazz Festival has launched their own label, aptly named Monterey Jazz Festival Records, and their first wave of CD’s were released today. They launched into their live archives, and are debuting with releases from Sarah Vaughan, Thelonius Monk, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles. Future releases will also feature contemporary artists, projects and special events recorded at the festival.

So leave a comment down below, folks, and have your chance to win this CD. Did anyone out there ever have the honor to see Miles play live? What’s your favorite Miles Davis album? Are you down with electric Miles?

Speaking of cool mofos, check out his quintet circa 1963: Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, George Coleman. Sheesh…

Miles Davis Quintet - Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival

(September 20, 1963)

Miles Davis - trumpet
George Coleman - tenor sax
Herbie Hancock - piano
Ron Carter - bass
Tony Williams - drums

1. Waiting for Miles
2. Autumn Leaves (streaming Quicktime)
3. So What
4. Stella by Starlight
5. Walkin’
6. The Theme

Some other streaming goodies:

Louis Armstrong - Mack the Knife
Thelonius Monk - Rhythm-a-Ning
Dizzy Gillespie - Poor Joe
Sarah Vaughan - Round Midnight

Monterey Jazz Festival Records: Official Site | MySpace

Visit Concord Music Group’s Online Store to purchase.

Good luck!

Posted in Giveaway, Jazz | 16 Comments »

Swamba Redux

July 21st, 2007 by Pete

Who would’ve thought that three months after getting a brand spanking new, $2000 Apple iMac, that the most reliable computer in the house would be my 3 year old Dell? You know the ad with the cool Mac guy and the geeky Windows guy? The way I feel right now, I’d punch the smirking Mac guy in the face and take Mr. Windows out for beers. My Mac has been nothing but trouble since day one: freezing up with the “spinning beach ball of death” at random times, and lately, some programs deciding just not to open. FRUSTRATING! So after months of troubleshooting with the Apple folks, I’m off to an appointment with an Apple “genius” tonight over at the local Apple store. Meanwhile, hello XP, old friend… (Not how a new Apple owner is supposed to behave, is it?). Make it right, Mr. Jobs!

So thanks for enduring my whining, and on to the music. Bay area 8-string guitar wiz Charlie Hunter has been featured here before. The trio - Charlie on guitar, John Ellis on tenor sax, bass and wurlitzer, and Derrek Phillips on drums - move beyond a mere jazz trio, infusing ample doses of funk and rock. Charlie is also a big Prince fan too, so he gets bonus points right away from me.

Here’s one I heard recently on Sirius, off of last year’s Trio release, Copperopolis. Take in some laid back, Middle funkin’ Eastern style.

Charlie Hunter Trio - Swamba Redux (mp3)

• Buy Copperopolis.
• Preview the whole album here on Charlie’s site.
• Download more mp3’s here.

Watch Charlie perform “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”:

Posted in Jazz | 3 Comments »

Nels Cline Singers: Draw Breath

July 12th, 2007 by Pete

Many people heard of Nels Cline for the first time when he accepted Jeff Tweedy’s offer to become Wilco’s new lead guitarist in 2004. But Nels’ stature in the improvisational music community was already well established. One of his ongoing side projects (I guess you’d call it) is the Nels Cline Singers - a misleading moniker if there ever was one because, well, ain’t much singing goin’ on in the Nels Cline Singers. What the Singers do is assault the listener with sounds you don’t often hear emanating from a guitar, a bass, and a drum kit. Accompanying Nels’ guitar is Devin Hoff on stand-up bass, and Scott Amendola on drums and assorted electronic gizmos.

These aren’t carefully crafted pop songs. These are wild, spontaneous, very in-the-moment improvisational pieces that range from 3 to 16 minutes.

If you want to explore the outreaches of your musical horizons, and hear Wilco’s guitarist completely unrestrained and in his element, pick up Draw Breath, the new CD from the Nels Cline Singers. This one is the most rock-oriented of the bunch.

Nels Cline Singers - Confection (mp3)

• Buy Draw Breath.
• Visit Nels Cline’s web site.
• Visit Wilco’s web site.

Posted in Jazz, Rock | 1 Comment »