http://www.midwestrecord.com World's greatest entertainment, music, dvd and more website Sun, 11 May 2008 14:09:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en MARK PUCCI MEDIA ROB ROY PARNELL/Let’s Start Something:  One of those hard working cats that is a legend in the United States of Texas, this harmonica playing bad boy is a cat that knows everyone and has worked with them all and he stirs up something heady on this Texas roadhouse ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/11/051108-happy-mothers-day/ KARI ON PRODUCTIONS SILVEROOT/Full Measure:  Tell me again how two old hippies get a hot, young fiddle chick to move across country to play in their crew.  Kicking off very much like an organic date when a player like Mark O’Connor goes uptown, this quickly becomes a spiritual tribute to the ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/10/051008/ BROOKES COMPANY PATTI ROTHBERG/Double Standards:  An act that’s been on the sidelines at the top, Rothberg has been career long hobbled by never seeming to be fish nor fowl in the public eye.  Even hanging out with the wrong crowd, she still seemed to be a nice Jewish girl and fell ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/09/050908/ BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO NATIONAL TREASURE 2-Book of Secrets:  Nobody gives sequel like Lucasberg.  Jerry Bruckheimer can pull it off with the right motivation and he gives himself a good run here.  The first “National Treasure” had that dangling ending like the first “Lethal Weapon” and pics like that are so ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/08/050808/ Hey, jazzbos, if you aren’t hip to Artist Share Records you should be.  This company let’s the fans finance records by their fave acts.  Here’s a look at noteworthy upcoming projects you may be interested in having a hand in.  In some cases you can even shape the project.  We’re ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/06/050608/ ARBORS JOE ASCIONE QUARTET/Movin’ Up:  So dis me, I like hokum like “Aba Daba Honeymoon”.  Ascione and his all star crew are out for a good time as the jazzbo veers between sass, straight covers and originals.  A dandy straight ahead pure jazz set, what it’s lacking in frills it more ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/05/050508-happy-cinco-de-mayo/ DIVINE ART KENNETH SMITH & PAUL RHODES/To Pan & Syrinx:   This flute/piano duo should actually find fans beyond the classical realm as they are very inclusive in their playing, to wit:  you don’t have to be a yuppie to appreciate their chamber music.  Picking a romantic set card and serving up ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/04/050408/ JAZZ PROMO SERVICES MICHAEL JEFRY STEVENS QUARTET/For the Children:  If you think we aren’t moving too fast these days, think about how something from 13 years ago is now part of a label’s classic series.  Downtown fave Stevens gets a look over his shoulder at a direct to DAT outing that ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/05/03/050308/ AMERICAN BEAT DAVID JOHANSEN/David Johansen;  Live it Up:  The gang over at the Beat dig up two more slabs of Johansen as a scenester away from the scene he started as the 70’s gave way to the early 80s and he was a lounge lizard under a few different names.  Letting ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/30/043008/ DIVERSIONS/Divine Art CATALINA BUTCARU/Recital:  Now that we’ve digested Gabriela Montero’s Sheryl Crow make over, how about we turn our sights to a new, young pianist that has the young Carla Bruni look down pat?  An engaging piano player from Romania, Butcaru steps up with a stellar solo work out on some ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/29/042908/ JAZZ PROMO SERVICES WALTER “WOLFMAN” WASHINGTON/Doin’ The Funky Thing:  The latest from one of those guys where you might not know his name but you certainly know his sound.  Although Nawlins to the bone, he has been providing the funk that is the funk  and inspires other funk for longer than ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/26/042608/ BOB GIBSON LEGACY GIBSON & CAMP/Homemade Music:  Did you know that Gibson and Camp didn’t know each other until Gibson came home one day and found Camp sitting in his living room?  Albert Grossman wanted his own power folk trio and saw Gibson, Camp and Jo Mapes being his version of ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/25/042508/ MICHAEL BLOOM MEDIA RELATIONS DIXON-RHYNE PROJECT/Reinvention:  With a renewed interest in B3 playing, this date is as timely as it is cool.  A cross generational crew that finds a middle ground of respect and simpatico, this is a hot, high octane jazzy date that just ain’t something tossed out to keeps ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/22/042208/ GO MEDIA AVISHAI COHEN TRIO/Gently Disturbed:  A standard jazz trio that doesn’t play like a standard jazz trio is on tap here as Cohen unleashes his fourth set with the kind of eclecticism you’d expect from him at this point.  Hard charging new jazz with some young lions in tow, Cohen ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/21/042108/ JOHN BATDORF MUSIC BATDORF & RODNEY/Still Burnin’:  And we see once again that the deconstruction of everything does have it’s advantages.  Spurred by Collectors Choice reissues of the original sessions, John Batdorf came out of behind the scenes hiding and made a from the heart set that really touched the nerves ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/20/042008/ GO MEDIA ALBUQUERQUE-AMORIM-BARATA/Revolving Landscapes:  Killer Brazilian guitarist forms a new trio with some of the genre’s hitters and delivers a first class, new sound that really opens your ears.  The players have known each other for a while and something was taking root while they weren’t working together to make this ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/19/041908/ JAZZ PROMO SERVICES THE AMAZING WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN/Voice of Love: Following up “Fire” 40 or so years later, Brown is now a rootsy kind of guy digging the English country side and getting into organic things, like not getting kicked off a tour by Jimi Hendrix. His early ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/18/041808/ HARMONIA MUNDI CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA/Mahler Symphony 6 in A Minor:  Ever wonder how a Woody Allen movie would sound if it was interpreted as a piece of classical music?  Mahler’s 6th seems to come close to the golden period of Allen’s introspective, neurotic work and everything it was about.  Written when ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/16/041608/ HARMONIA MUNDI ANDREW MANZE/Beethoven Symphony #3 Eroica:  Look at it this way, the average rocker gets a bit overwhelmed by classical records.  Everybody is recording the same thing and how do you tell them apart?  The answer might be to seek out recordings like this because the answer just jumps out ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/15/041508/ ARTISTS RECORDING COLLECTIVE SUMI TONOOKA/Long Ago Today:  Right in the tradition of killer jazz piano trios, Tonooka knows her stuff and knows how to parade it in fine style.  She doesn’t record that often, but when she does, it’s a good reason to sit up and take notice.  Smart work that ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/14/041408/ BLIND RACCOON BILLY GIBSON/Live at the North Atlantic Blues Festival:  He’s made the trek from Mississippi to Memphis to the top of his game as a harmonica playing fool that blows everyone away and puts all comers on warning.  Leading his crew through a crack set, he makes it all too ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/13/041308/ 1 UP PR BASKERVILLES/Twilight:  Mitch Easter continues to bring the 60s and 70s back with this pop crew that has a blender that easily mixes Velvet Underground with Roxy into a mojito that works.  A classic pop loving crew that has that bubble up from the underground feel, all the hip ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/12/041208/ BOB GIBSON LEGACY BOB GIBSON/Funky in the Country:  With the entire folk music era being reduced to either what you can take away from “A Mighty Wind” or PBS specials with old, fat, bald guys talking about Eisenhower and McCarthy, it can be a challenge to put Bob Gibson in perspective.  ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/11/041108/ GLENNA BELL GLENNA BELL/Road Less Traveled:  Has anybody been recognized by the Texas legislature for their music since Gary P. Nunn?  Bell now joins that august rank with her tunes.  A real from the heart folk rocker, Bell may or may not reach the top of the charts with hit singles, ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/10/041008/ GO MEDIA WAYNE HORVITZ GRAVITASQUARTET/One Dance Alone:  Music that can’t be defined for people that don’t like to be pigeonholed by players that know how to roam the free range.  Jazz and classical cats mix it up, but not in the 50s jazz/classical way and not in some contrived third stream ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/09/040908/ GO MEDIA POOLPLAYERS/Way Below the Surface:  Dandy dose of Euro next wave progressive music finds a bunch of Euro underground hitters joining together mixing up their electronics and other vibes into a gumbo that’s certainly off to the left.  A wild but low key fusion of so much different ground that ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/08/040808/ ARBORS JAZZ HARRY ALLEN-JOE COHN QUARTET/Stompin’ the Blues:  We’ve been driving around listening to a lot of old jam session dates lately and this baby falls right in the classic pocket.  Somebody eat some Marty Paich charts for breakfast or something?  Mixing a fair share of original Harry Allen comps with ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/07/040708/ AMERICAN BEAT IMPRESSIONS/3 The Hard Way-First Impressions; Preacher Man-Finally Got Myself Together;  This is My Country-The Young Mods Forgotten Story;  Loving Power-It’s About Time;  Check Out Your Mind-Times Have Changed:  With the exception of “Check Out Your Mind” which was Curtis Mayfield’s last album with the Impressions before turning his chair ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/06/040608/ FLARE TONY MARTIN/At the Copacabana:  Billed as a legendary night, Martin was in top form doing that 50s entertainment thing.  Hitting all the right notes on all the right songs, Martin and the Copa crew serve up vocalizing that would make Johnny Fontaine proud.  With a nice fat card of songs ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/05/040508/ SIX DEGREES GAUDI + NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN/Dub Qawwali Remixes:  Digital only taste of remixes from three of the tracks from the recent set  where these two mixed it up across time a touch.  Fans of the exotic might want to fire up the ol Itunes and check it out further. 7078 PACIFIKA/Asuncion:  ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/04/040408/ LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS PAUL RENZ/ReBop:  This date kicks off with a loopy intro that tells you right off this is a friendly jazz date.  An educator from Minneapolis, there’s something in the education system up there that is causing a bunch of cool cats to issue some sweet indy sets, and ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/03/040308/ DOLLY DOLLY PARTON/Backwoods Barbie:  When it became clear that her label, radio and music row turned their backs on Dolly and refused her the love she was due, she turned her back on them and made a series of lovely organic records that didn’t match her hallmark sales figures but sold ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/02/040208/ KARI ON PRODUCTIONS BILL HART/Subject to Change:  When you’re a kick ass guitarist already, it takes balls to call Mike Stern and have him sit in with you, but Hart is up for it.  An educator for the last 15 years, it’s time to let the dogs out and see how ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/04/01/040108/ B COMPANY TORBEN THOGER/Akasha:  A Danish new ager that’s a Spaniard in his heart, Thoger puts his slightly different spin into the new age game with music for massage and listening.  Since he walks it like he talks it, you can feel the holistic edge he has in his personal life ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/31/033108/ DECCA MORRISEY/Greatest Hits:  If you love him or hate him or are indifferent to him, this set isn’t going to change your opinion, but it is going to give you a new look at 20 years of Mozzer at the top of his game with his best loved tracks.  With some ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/30/033008/ DECCA MIKE OLDFIELD/Music of the Spheres:  The funny thing about this set you if you want to do something Pitchfork style, you are tempted to approach it like Stewie busting Brian’s balls about the novel he’s been working on for three years.  Stewie:  So, been almost 40 years since “Tubular Bells”, ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/29/032908/ DECCA DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY/Get the Party Started:  In some quarters, the next best thing to Diana Ross.  Kicking off her 70th birthday with her first new set in 10 years, the Goldfingah lady still has it.  A wildly mixed bag that finds her going from James Bond to Pink with stops ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/28/032808/ M6 JOSH BOYD & the V.I.P. Band:  At 23, he’s made it his business to have his musical heroes be journeyman guitarists that always worked but never become household words as they lit up the middle American nights when kids who should have been doing their homework for school the next ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/27/032708/ MASSIVE MUSIC THE FABRIC/Man vs. Prototype:  Ah, the prism of time.  Retro 80’s hair band electronica as reproduced with fond recollections letting the excess and jive fall by the wayside.  An electronic duo completes their sound hooking up with a like minded producer that brings the vision home.  Since those that ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/26/032608/ LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS FELICIA CARTER/Feather-Step Lightly:  Carter simply is one of the great moving targets of our time.  From punk to jazz to “Homicide” to whatever, she keeps moving and building her craft and resume as a performer that defies discipline and genre.  With a double jazz disc to show for ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/25/032508/ LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS DAVID JOEL QUARTET/Spiral Sky:  The Philly jazz scene has long had it’s share of notables and guitar man Joel is the latest to add his name to that crew.  With some of the crack hitters in town in tow giving a well rounded picture of what’s going on ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/24/032408/ JAZZ PROMO SERVICES PEREZ/It’s Happening:  Probably a pal of Dutch jazz great Saskia Laroo, this Harlem born jazz singer split for LA at 17 where she sung until splitting for Amsterdam for ten years and working her way around the cool jazz scene in town.  Now back state side, she rounded ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/23/032308-happy-easter/ LISA REEDY PROMOTIONS DAWN LAMBETH/Let’s Get Lost:  Something’s going on over on the west coast where a bunch of jazz singers are suddenly struck with the Boswell Sisters.  Lambeth is also a fan of that era.  This is a dandily loping set that focuses on swing tunes from the 20s to ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/22/032208/ EDITORIAL:  We’re sad to note the passing of other music publications No Depression and HARP as they pass the way of ICE before them.  Dear reader, the new paradigm can be a bitch.  The democracy of the net has made it easier than ever to take advantage of efficiencies in ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/21/032108/ KARI ON PRODUCTIONS PAUL CARR/Musically Yours:  So what does Ashley Dupre have to do with this Texas sax man’s tribute to Joe Henderson?  Nothing, we just wanted to grab 14 million new Google surfers on their way through cyberspace.  Watch this.  Perez Hilton.  Lindsay Lohan.  Probably just got Carr more views ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/20/032008/ DECCA CELTIC THUNDER:  Pretty funny calling this one for the ladies as “Celtic Women” was pretty much of a chick thing in the first place, but the producer of “Celtic Woman” pulls his version of an Il Divo with a bunch of guys herded up under the label of Thunder.  Well, ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/19/031908/ B COMPANY PARADISO/Middle Path:  It doesn’t get any more neo-hippie than this, healing didgeridoo music from San Francisco by an award wining didgeridoo tooter.  Rounding up 7 different axes, Paradiso arises from the scoffers to do his thing for those that respect and appropriately appreciate it like massage therapists and left ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/18/031808/ DECCA THREE GRACES:  In the waning moments of the music business, before Ashley Dupre’s MySpace page became the new standard of excellence, they kept the lights burning up at Decca to find the new page in the adult pop book.  Melding three thrushes with adult pop chops ranging from Broadway to ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/15/031508/ CONCORD/RIVERSIDE-KEEPNEWS COLLECTION BILL EVANS/Portrait in Jazz (30678);  CANNONBAL ADDERLEY SEXTET/In New York (30503);  BLUE MITCHELL/Blue Soul (30508);  MILT JACKSON & WES MONTGOMERY/Bags Meets Wes (30502); THELONIOUS MONK/Brilliant Corners (30501):  The latest 5 entries in the Keepnews Collection are all 24 bit remasters from the original session tapes with some bonus track ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/14/031408/ DVD SUPPLEMENT WALT DISNEY ENCHANTED:  Can Amy Adams retrofit believably a few years to play the optimistic virgin that Anne Hathaway had down so well a few years back?  Well, who cares?  In this fun family pic, Disney skewers itself gleefully with in jokes as it turns “Sleeping Beauty” on it’s head ... http://www.midwestrecord.com/2008/03/11/031108/