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OUR FIRST CONTEST!!!!!!!
Our pals at ABC Studios noticed that we just don’t run enough contests around here and generously provided us with two copies of “Eli Stone-The First Season” on DVD to feed the fire and have our first contest. Ok, so now we have the prizes, what hoops will we make you jump through to get them? How about a good old fashioned essay contest? In 50 words or less, tell us why you should win a copy of Eli Stone. Entries must be received by Sept 13 to be considered. Neatness counts. Judgment of the judges is entirely subjective. Every bit of legal mumbo jumbo that every been written about contests that covers our butts is incorporated by reference whether you’ve ever read it or not. Now start submitting!
JAZZ PROMO SERVICES
JAMES MOODY & HANK JONES QUARTET/Our Delight: Any time you have the chance to hear a new Hank Jones date, you better hop to it. The master piano man teams up with James Moody for the first time in their zillion years in jazz and these two survivors take a walk down memory lane playing tunes they played when they were coming up with cats like Tadd Dameron when a name like that was big one rather than footnote. Ever the gracious sideman that knows how to provide the setting, even though this is mainly a duo set, Jones let’s this be more Moody’s show giving the sax man a shot at a late career masterpiece. Straight ahead jazz at it’s very finest by two monster cats that need no introduction or instruction. Check it out when it lands in November.
1013 (IPO)
KARI ON PRODUCTIONS
TONI JANNOTTA/Is It Magic?: Jannotta takes almost everything into her own hands and wears the responsibility better than some others in the national spotlight recently. At least she doesn’t remind you of your first ex-wife. Writing, producing and playing, Jannotta crafts an original, new jazz work that doesn’t exactly find her sliding into easy pigeon holes as she keeps things moving forward and interesting. Taking a different tack for a contemporary jazz singer, Jannotta is on point with this relaxed date throughout. It’s not often that an original work that flies in from under the radar has so much on the ball so succinctly. Simply put, this set sounds as good as she looks in a slip dress (check out the back cover).
Aerie (www.tonijannotta.com)
KATE REID/Sentimental Mood: What is it that grabs you about Reid right out of the box? She’s got a voice that has a lot of similarities to Diana Krall or Kim Carnes, but it doesn’t have that torn silk/honeyed scotch/nicotine stained quality that grabbed your ear with those two ladies in the first place, and for some reason Reid grabs you harder for the lack of it. A well seasoned swinger that is in demand behind the scenes, known and loved by hipsters and insiders around the world, she takes songs your were ready to never hear again and makes them into something fresh and special. Having Ernie Watts and Ron Eschete in the background with the right vibes doesn’t hurt either. A totally dandy classic styled jazz vocal date that genre fans should not miss.
www.katereidmusic.com
MASSIVE MUSIC
ALLAN LOPES/White Picket Fence: A winner in a Colgate country music challenge, this Americana driven cat checks in with an ep giving a taste of what’s to come. Freely drawing from cool country cats that have come before him, he serves his Americana gumbo with a nice taste in a nice bowl. He falls right in the genre pocket in a nice way.
(Plaid Star)
TRUE NORTH
MURRAY McLAUCHLAN/Songs From the Street-Best of: When you are doing a 40 year retrospective, there’s bound to be some people pissed off about the songs left off (cough**Gypsy Boy**cough), but what are you going to do? You’re covering 40 years. On to the next gripe. In Canada, they talk about this guy in the same breath as favorite scions like Lightfoot and Krall but he’s never really gotten any traction stateside outside of hipster folkies, and that’s a mighty shame. Positioned as something of a poet of the streets, his word paintings were often more literate and longer than the pop glories of Lightfoot, but they were no less compelling. This twofer is loaded with one hard hitting high point after another, and if you are new to the game, check this out, then hunt down “Boulevard” and become a fan. His reverence should be more than regional, and even though you can hear pre-60s Canada bred into his music, you don’t have to be a jingoist to enjoy it. A winning set from start to finish.
500
Volume 31/Number 311
September 6, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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