I have a real treat for you today. Singer, Pianist, Composer and Bandleader, John Ambrosini has recently released an inspiring new CD, "Songs For You". I usually feature songs from the Great AmericanSongbook on my blog but the popular songs that Ambrosini has included in the playlist for his new CD are going to enter the Great American Songbook as they meet the test of time. John has a warm and wonderful earthy voice and style. John plays piano as he sings and that produces a great melodic vibe that quickly puts the listener at easy. This album is a tribute to some of the greatest songwriters of today who have inspired him. The composers included on this CD are like the "Who's, Who" of greatest composers of the last 30 years. Here is a list of these world class modern day Composers: Rickie Lee Jones, Colin Greenwood, Johny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway, Thom Yorke, Greg Allman, Kim Payne, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, James Taylor, Jackson Brown, Billy Joel, Stephen Sills, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John Ambrosini is not just doing covers of these classic newer songs. His style and Arrangements are uniquely his. Ambrosini has added two of his own original compositions that fit perfectly with this classic composer playlist. John has a busy career in NYC performing, Arranging, and Composing Music. He is a brilliant musician and composer who will be at the top of his game for years to come. Ambrosini wanted to pay homage to famous popular songs that inspired him, and you will be inspired after you listen to his CD, "Songs For You".
The support cast of musicians who are featured on this CD are also terrific and make "Songs For You" one of the best new releases this year!
PLAYERS:
John Ambrosini- Piano, Keyboard, Arrangements, Lead Vocals
For any of my Jazz followers who have not discovered the wonderful Jazz Series: "Jazz for Jazz Lovers" at Pete Carlson's Golf & Tennis in Palm Desert, I think you are missing a chance of a life time to see and hear some of the best Jazz in the country. The series is possible because of the generous financial support of Pete and Edna Carlson who have put together over 40 concerts this winter season bringing wonderful performers to our area. All the non-profit concerts' proceeds go to support music education and scholarships for young musicians in the Coachella Valley.
This series of Jazz concerts has been going on since 2010 and this year represents the largest number of concerts they have ever hosted. Some may wonder how a Jazz performance can be put on inside a Golf and Tennis store, but I can assure you that the venue is perfect. Everyone gets to see and hear great Jazz close-up and even better, talk with the performers one on one after the concerts.
This year's concerts started on October 30 with the outstanding pianist Tamir Hendelman and his quartet that featured Polly Gibbons on Vocals. The last concert will be on April 2, 2016 with a Shelly Manne Tribute with Gary Foster. You can call for tickets in advance since they go quickly, 760-568-3263. Pete Carlson's Golf and Tennis is located at 73-741 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. All Jazz fans in the Valley owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to Pete and Edna Carlson for their tireless effort to bring all this world-class Jazz to us. I salute both of them and encourage you to do the same the next time you are in their wonderful golf and tennis store.
Recently I attended two events that featured two of the best Vocalists performing today, John Prouix Trio consisting of Vally favorites, Larry Holloway on Bass and Jeff Olson on Drums. John sings and plays great Jazz piano. His vocal seems like a mixture of Chet Baker and James Taylor; not a bad combination, right ? John also performed some great songs he has written that have been covered by a lot of singers performing today.
I found a "YouTube" of John Prouix singing "The Best Thing For You", the title song from his new CD. I know you will love what you hear!
JACKIE RYAN
Jon Mayer, Chris Connor and Jackie Ryan
The second outstanding Vocalist I heard at Pete Carlson's Golf and Tennis was Jackie Ryan and her trio consisting of Jon Mayer on Piano, Chris Connor on Bass and Ron McCurdy on Drums. I can't even begin to describe how great Jackie Ryan is, but I will say that she reminds me of several of my very favorite Jazz Vocalists. Her stage presence is polished and professional and her selection of songs is straight out of my list of all-time favorite standards. What a delight to listen to her sing no more that 10 feet away. Jackie has several great CDs out and I highly recommend that you pick up a few. Jackie Ryan should be on your "To Do" list of Jazz artists you need to see in person!
I found a "YouTube" of Jackie singing "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" from her great CD "You And The Night And The Music" that will give you a taste of her vocal talents.
Shanghai Jazz has been one of the foremost Jazz clubs in the country. The Jazz setting at ShanghaiJazz is perfect, large enough to seat 100 or more Jazz fans, and, yet, small enough to allow everyone in the audience to get up close to the performers. Also, as I have mentioned in the past, the excellent food and above average service from the waitstaff would make this restaurant popular even without some of the best live Jazz sounds in the East.
Tuesday, July 21, the Jazz star was John Korba on Piano and Vocals accompanied by Julliard-trained Bassist, Hal Slapin. I hadn't heard John play and sing in person before but he was strongly recommended to me by more than a few well-respected musicians. John Korba is a multi-talented Pianist, Vocalist, Composer and Producer. I was aware that Korba had performed with Daryl Hall & JohnOates and had recorded with a Blues band called "Hudson River Rats", but I was surprised and very happy when John played and sang several classic songs out of the "Great American Songbook". He has a wonderful voice and a style that is all his. His playlist tonight consisted of songs from Stevie Wonder, James Taylor and Nat King Cole. I loved his vocals however it was his thoughtful and intelligent Jazz Piano solos that represent his greatest talent. John has a gentle touch that he applies to his piano that puts him in a class above most other performers. John just doesn't just go through the normal motions when he plays, he brings his own musical ideas that seem to just spring out of songs that have been around for years. John Korba can superbly play and sing every musical genre at a high level and keeps the total interest of his audience.
John Korba performs at Shanghai Jazz quite frequently and I highly recommend that you try to get over there to hear him. Shanghai Jazz is located at 24 Main Street, Madison, NJ and you can call for reservations at 973-822-2899. You can also check future performers at Shanghai Jazz on their site: Info@shanghaijazz.com.
I found a "Youtube" live performance of John Korba playing and singing the Hall and Oates classic, "Sara Smile" at Shanghai Jazz. I hope John will think about cutting a CD of standards in the near future.
John Pizzarelli has a terrific new CD that was born out of John's creative musical talents. For those of you familiar with John's performances, you know he always creates his own particular paths to music. Never satisfied with simply covering a great standard, John looks for new and creative ways to bring some of himself to the tune and something new to the listener. This approach is not without risk but pushing the musical envelope is what John Pizzarelli is all about. For this CD, John wanted to find a way to present some great old standards and some great old rock and roll tunes. While John has always been faithful to the "Great American Songbook", he also has a love of the great songs of the rock and roll area. However, there is no way would John would be interested in cutting a new CD of simple covers of these songs. John came up with the idea of combining two songs or different sounds from different times together.
We had the pleasure of hearing John perform some of the songs on his new CD in January at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, Ca. The songs were simply outstanding. The first song John performed and also the first song on the CD was a combination of the Lennon/McCartney song "I Feel Fine" with the Lee Morgan classic "Sidewinder". Hard to visualize what this final song would sound like but it was just outstanding. John refers to the final product as "Lennon and McCartney meet Lee Morgan". Next, John did an arrangement of Tom Watts'"Drunk On TheMoon" combined with the great Billy Stayhorn tune "Lush Life". Next, Neil Young's"Harvest Moon" was given an influence of "Shine On Harvest Moon" producing a new musical gem.
There are 13 songs on this CD and each and every one has a story fully developed on the liner notes. I have to describe one additional song on the CD that was simply breathtaking. The James Taylor song "Traffic Jam" was rebuilt with the influence of Joe Henderson's"The Kicker". John's wife, the talented Jessica Molaskey wrote some terrific new lyrics and added her voice. John's description of this tune was "James Taylor and Joe Henderson as seen through the eyes of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross thanks to Jessica Molaskey's wonderful lyrics".
John Pizzarelli has been working hard for years on his trade with much success. His guitar performances have always been top notch, but now his singing and his creative arranging abilities have brought him into a special class of outstanding musicians. This is a CD that needs to be in your collection.
List of Songs: "I Feel Fine"/ "Sidewinder" "Harvest Moon" "Traffic Jam"/ "The Kicker" "Ruby Baby" "Alison" "Rosalinda's Eyes" "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" "Drunk On The Moon" "Lush Life" "Walk Between The Raindrops" "Free Man In Paris" "Take A Lot Of Pictures" "I Can Let Go Now" "Diamond Girl"
I listen to a lot of new CDs every week, and there is always a few real musical gems that I discover in my pile. I like a lot of the new artists but I only fall in love with a very small number. RonBoustead is an artist that I have fallen in love with because of his "Mosaic" CD. Usually I have to hear a new artist several times before I get a deep feeling for the new songs and the artist. Not so with Ron Boustead and his new CD "Mosaic". This CD took a few years to produce and after just hearing it once, you will know why it took so long to complete. Everything about this CD is brilliant! The selection of songs are great, the singer is great, the mixing is great, the arrangements are great and the supporting group of musicians are superb.
Ron Boustead is a gifted vocalist and songwriter. "Mosaic" contains 4 songs he wrote and the balance of 6 songs are classics that Ron has applied his own interpretation to. I put a photo above of the credits because this CD was not created by getting a small group of musicians in a room and pumping out a CD. Ron Boustead has put many hours of thought into who he wanted for each track and used lots of different players on each one. Sometimes this can be a problem because the final product comes out uneven and not matched. Not so here, the listener is carried seamlessly throughout the entire sound ride with no clue that each track contained a different group of professional musicians. The fact that the musicians Ron has chosen are world class players made the process work.
Ron sings and writes music in the same spirit that brings to mind some of the greatest songwriters of popular music today like Carole King, James Taylor, Jon Lucien, Bill Withers, Billy Larkin andcontemporary Brazillian composer Leo Minax. This terrific CD will be available on September 3, 2013.
MOSAIC
1. Moon Song 6. Careless Wind
2. You're Sensational 7. Every Monent Of You
3. No Me Without You 8. Everything Be Ok
4. Wishful Thinking 9. Whatever Happens
5. And Now? 10. Secret 'O Life
I found one of the songs on the CD, "Moon Song" on Youtube and have attached it so you can hear Ron Boustead for yourself. Enjoy!
I have been a big fan of Carole King ever since I first heard her "Tapestry" album. Over the past years I have learned bits and pieces of her musical and personal life so I was delighted when Carole wrote her memoir, "A Natural Woman". Carole King, unlike most musicians, wrote her autobiography entirely on her own. Her writing is excellent in both construction and style and has produced a book that tells a very beautiful and personal story laying out the major influences in her life and painting a clear picture of what made her one of the greatest singer/songwriters of modern times. I especially liked the stories she recalls about the relationships with fellow musicians who helped her develop into the singing/songwriting genius that she has become. She was a major creator and participant of the music of the sixties and has continued to have an impact on the music scene.
In my mind, as an artist, Carole will also always be musically linked to James Taylor. They share the same feel for melody and lyric and perform as if they were born as musical twins. Carole relates stories of how she performed as a sideman for Taylor in their musical beginnings at the Troubadour. Carole also gives us the complete story of how she was literally pushed out on the stage by Taylor , an event she credits for starting her solo career.
For anyone coming of age during the sixties, this book and the music of Carole King will touch many emotional buttons and is a must-read. Her "Tapestry" album holds the record for the longest time for an album by a female to remain on the charts and the longest time for an album by a female to hold the #1 position. She has won four Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She has recorded over twenty-five albums and is still touring the country today.
I have attached two "YouTube" videos for your listening pleasure. The first is a duet with Carole and James Taylor singing "Up On The Roof" a song written by Carole and Gerry Goffin. The second is Carole alone singing her classic song, "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman". BOOK REVIEW The Music Man awards this book "4 Quarter Notes" 4 Quarter Notes= Excellent, Must Read 3 Quarter Notes= Good Read 2 Quarter Notes= Somewhat Interesting 1 Quarter Note = Save Your Time and Money
Steve Tyrell has been a favorite of mine ever since he recorded his first "Standards" CD and I love everything he has recorded. In addition, he is a great supporter of the "Great AmericanSongbook". I recently came across a Blog called "Wentzville Patch" that published an article about Mr. Tyrell and his upcoming May 15 performance at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Mo. I was surprised by Mr. Tyrell's answer to the following question: "In your opinion, what is the difference between the "Great AmericanSongbook" and "Contemporary American Music" that includes the music of Motown, Paul Simon, James Taylor and Elton John?" Mr. Tyrell answered, "The biggest difference--and I'm not knocking them in any way, shape or form--"Fire and Rain" is as good as it gets. But you don't want to hear anybody else sing them". "That's the difference", he said. "I mean, I couldn't make an album of James Taylor songs, you know? Nobody would want to hear it. Even The Beatles, you don't want to hear somebody singing The Beatles' songs. But there's been a million versions of Cole Porter songs. Then hundreds of versions, thousands of versions, of the Gershwin songs, or Harold Arlen. And they've been done in every genre you can think of. And you can love 25 versions of the same song." I have heard other artists make similar statements and with all due respect to Mr. Tyrell and those other artists, I totally disagree with this opinion on the subject. Let's use The Beatles Songbook as an example. I put together a songlist of Beatles' songs titled "The Beatles Minus The Beatles Plus Paul" that I think in many cases are at least as good or perhaps even better than the orginial Beatles' recording (My apologies to those Beatles' fans that can't deal with this possibility). My playlist has two songs sung by Paul McCartney because no one does them better than Paul! Before you reject this possibility, head to iTunes and check out these versions of Beatles' songs!
Side note to Steve Tyrell: I am absolutely sure that you could do a great new CD of songs from James Taylor and Elton John adding the Tyrell touch and style to them. "Steve Tyrell does James Taylor andElton John". Please give this some consideration. I would love to see how you would approach some of the wonderful songs these great performers have recorded. I would be happy to work on a draft playlist if you had any interest.
1. Help Little Texas
2. With A Little Help From My Friends Joe Cocker
3. Yesterday Eva Cassidy
4. Nowhere Man Randy Travis
5. Can't Buy Me Love Shenandoah
6. Come Together Delbert McClinton
7. Something Tanya Tucker
8.The Long And Winding Road Ray Charles and Count Basie
