Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Favorite Songs, Chapter 5: Ron Kalina

Ron Kalina

Ron Kalina is very special to most of the musicians and Jazz lovers here in California because he is one of the absolute best harmonica players in the country. He performs every week at many of the local venues in the Desert. Ron also plays piano and sings but his sweet spot is playing the greatest ballads out of the "Great American Songbook" on harmonica.  Recently I was with some of my  some friends,  and I asked them if they liked harmonica music?  They answered quickly that the sound of a harmonica was not something they enjoyed. I can understand this because until you hear a musical genius like Ron Kalina play ballads, you really can't appreciate how incredible he makes a harmonica sound.  I played a couple of songs from Ron's "Odd Couple" CD and they were stunned.  Audiences hearing Ron play for the first time are many times taken by surprise at how adept he is at playing and the sound he produces.

Ron plays at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel every Monday from 6pm to 9pm and I encourage all my Jazz loving friends to go to hear him!

                                Ron Kalina Shares His Top 10 Favorite Songs

1.  "Lush Life"
2.  "Round Midnight"
3.  "It Never Entered My Mind"
4.  "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me"
5.  "Laura"
6.  "Body and Soul"
7.  "Sophisticated Lady"
8.  "If You Go Away"  (Ne Me Quitte Pas)
9.  "Emily"
10."Stardust"

CD Review: "Soul Changes" By Dave Keller

Dave Keller

Dave Keller is one of the finest young soul and blues players of his generation.  He  is releasing his new CD, "Soul Changes" on April 29, 2014.  As soon as I played the first song on this CD, "Searchin' For A Sign" written by Dave, I knew I would love this CD.  It has a comfortable feel and connection with traditional Blues of the past, and, yet, still sounds fresh and new.  Dave Keller is a remarkably talented singer/guitarist and songwriter.  Dave wrote the first 6 cuts on this CD.  The CD's producer, Bob Perry, arranged to have the first 6 tunes written by Dave recorded at Willie Mitchell's Royal Recording Studio in Memphis.  This is the studio where Al Green recorded all his major hits.  There is something about recording in a studio that has produced legendary recording stars.  It has a tendency to connect the past with the present.  Perry also arranged to include on this CD two of Green's original recording backup group, Leroy Teenie and Charles Hodges who are known as the  "Hi Rhythm Section" and Stax stars Lester Snell on Keys and Bobby Manuel on Guitar.  

On this CD, Keller gets to put all his remarkable talents on full display.  His guitar playing is as good as any blues guy I have heard and his songwriting is without question soulful.  While the first 6 songs on this CD were recorded at the Royal Recording Studio in Memphis, the additional 5 cuts were recorded in Brooklyn backed by the "The Revelations".  The remaining cuts were chosen from Blues treasures from the glory days of Soul including gems by "The O'Jays, Bobby Womack, Candi Sation, Otis Clay and the Patterson Twins.

All and all this CD will thrill any Blues fan looking for traditional Blues sung by a singer with a soul voice and backed by some of the most experienced Blues playing today!

                                                      Playlist

         MEMPHIS SESSIONS

1. "Searchin' For A Sign"                                        2. "17 Years"

3. "Old Man's Lullabye"                                         4. "I Wish We'd Kissed"

5. "Lonely And I"                                                     6. "One More Time"

         BROOKLYN SESSIONS

7. "It's Too Strong"                                                  8. "Back In Love Again"

9. "Don't Look Back"                                              10. "Heart On A String"

11. "Is It Over?"

   

Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Favorite Songs, Chapter Four: Pat Rizzo

Pat Rizzo Shares His Top 10 Favorite Songs

Pat Rizzo has been entertaining audiences from New York to California for over 40 years.  Pat has a huge fan following and never fails to fill any room where he is performing.  Pat has toured with many giants of the music industry: Tito Puente, The Allman Brothers Band and funk band, War.  He toured for over 15 years with Sly and the Family Stone.  He was also one of Sinatra's favorites and performed with him in Vegas, LA and at Frank's home in Rancho Mirage. Pat's band plays at Vicky's on Tuesday nights and was voted one of the top 3 best local bands by "Mycoachella.com" in 2013.

                                         Pat Rizzo's Top 10 Favorite Songs....In No Particular Order

1.  "Just in Time"

2.  "It Could Happen To You"

3.  "Just A Little Street"

4.  "I've Got You Under My Skin"

5.  "Hurry" (Written by Pat Rizzo)

6.  "The Nearness of You"

7.  "Dancing In The Dark"

8.  "I'll Close My Eyes"

9.  "Down In Birdland"

10."I'm Just a Lucky Guy (Written by Pat Rizzo)

Sharon Sills Stars At Woody's Burgers and Beer Jazz Club in Palm Springs

Sharon Sills

James Nation, Sharon Sills, Shelley Yoelin and David Ring

James Nation, Shelley Yoelin and David Ring

On Friday, April 18,  Sharon Sills made her second appearance at Woody's Burgers and Beer in Palm Springs.  Sharon has her own unique style that fits the Palm Springs scene perfectly.  She has a remarkable voice that is strong and clear and when combined with her wonderful stage presence makes her one of the best entertainers in the Desert.  Sharon sits in from time to time at several entertainment venues in the Valley, but I believe this is the first time she was the featured singer.

Tonight Sharon sang many great songs from the 80's including an outstanding performance on two Melissa Manchester gems, "Come In From the Rain" and "Don't Cry Out Loud".  Sharon loves Rock & Roll and  Rhythm and Blues but also sings ballads beautifully!

Backing up Sharon tonight were three highly talented musicians.  David Ring is the leader of the group and is one of the best pianist in the Desert.  Several singers I spoke to rated David as their favorite piano player.  David also is a great Jazz pianist and loves to experiment with some of the great Jazz charts he covers.  Joining David were Shelley Yoelin on Sax, Flute and Clarinet.  I love Shelley's "take no prisoners" approach to playing Sax but tonight he impressed everyone with playing his Clarinet playing which was a perfect background for several ballads Sharon sang. On Drums was Jame Nation who provided a perfect beat and tempo for the group.

All in all, tonight's show at Woody's had a cabaret feel to it.  I look forward to hearing Sharon again in the near future. 

CD Review: "With Love" Arranged And Conducted by Jeremy Fox

Jeremy Fox

The new CD, "With Love" is as much about the singers as its about the arranger, conductor, producer and engineer, Jeremy Fox.  Jeremy has gathered 10 of the most highly acclaimed voices singing today.   In order to make Jeremy's final 10, each singer had to prove they had the ability to not only understand the lyrics of each song, but prove they could deliver it with the composer's implied emotion.

For those of us who love singers who can understand and perform songs from the "Great American Songbook", this CD is a gem.  The value of the arranger of songs is sometimes overlooked by many listeners but not by experienced singers.  They all know that a good singer can quickly become a great singer with the addition of a fabulous arrangement.  One has only to review the career of Frank Sinatra and his respect and desire to record with only the very best arrangers to recognize their value.

The singers on this CD have a close relationship with the songs and lyrics they perform and the results are some great performances.  The selection of songs on this CD are also a work of art.  Jeremy put hours of work and planning into producing this CD.  He is very proud that he used the talents of over 80 talented musicians and no artificially synthesized instrumentation.  The final product has made all his effort worth it.  This is a first class CD by a first-class arranger and performed by first class singers.

              List of Songs
1.  "That Old Feeling"---featuring Kate Reid
2.  "All My Tomorrows"--featuring Kate McGarry
3.  "Three Little Words"--featuring Kevin Mahogany
4.  "Get Out Of Town"--featuring Derek Fawcett
5.  "Not While I'm Around"--featuring Sunny Wilkinson
6.  "Girl Talk"--Featuring Wendy Pedersen
7.  "Dindi"--featuring Rose Max & Ramatis Moraes
8.  "Friendship"--featuring Anders Edenroth
9.  "I'm Glad There Is You"--featuring Peter Eldridge
10."Moonray"--featuring Lauren Kinhan
11."So Many Stars"--featuring Kate Reid

  

Sunday Afternoon Jazz At Vicky's, Great Music, Great Players and Great Fun!

Kate Campbell

Kate Campbell

Nick Mancini

Nick Mancini

Allen Goodman

Don Shelton

Larry Holloway & Chip Smith

Chip Smith

"Jazz Time" at Vicky's in Indian Wells is a wonderful Jazz series that has been running on Sundays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm for over 8 years.  That's a long run for any musical group!  So what makes these Sunday Jazz events so special?  First, the leader and Drummer of the group, Allen Goodman assists in selecting some of the most experienced and talented musicians available to join his group. Don Shelton performs vocals and plays Soprano and Alto Sax, Clarinet and Flute. Desert favorite, Larry Holloway plays Bass and Tom Kennlyside plays Tenor Sax and Flute.  Second, these 4 marvelous musicians love having the opportunity to play real Jazz.  And fourth, Allen Goodman and Bobbi Goodman have set up a format that adds new world-class Musicians and Singers every week.  Their motto is: "Don't miss a Single Sunday-You Never Know What Great Thing Can Happen, Just That It Will."  Bobbi Goodman takes care of the organizational business for the group and deserves major credit for lining up outstanding Jazz musicians and vocalists every single week.  This is a difficult time-consuming task. Bobbi has been able to bring over 100 great guests to appear in their 8 year run.  Combining Allen's musical skills and contacts with Bobbi's great managerial skill is a hard combination to top!

Drummer Allen Goodman has years of experience from NY supper clubs to Carnegie Hall to NBC TV.   He has played for the following TV Shows: "The Tonight Show", "Laugh In", "Flip Wilson",  "Name That Tune" and "The Dean Martin Show". He has also toured with world-class musicians and singers like Dinah Shore, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee, Liza Minnelli, Vikki Carr and Matt Monro to name just a few.  Don Shelton plays wonderful winds and does vocals and has a glorious Jazz history.  Don has vocalized with the Hi-Lo's and Singers Unlimited.  He recently played with Barbara Cook and has worked in sessions for Prince, Michael Jackson, and Robert Palmer.  Larry Holloway provides a strong foundation for the group. Larry creates wonderful tones from his vintage Bass that was built in the 1890's. Tom Keenlyside was out touring this week but he is a regular in this Jazz group. Tom has played with many of the biggest names in the music business: Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Natalie Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme and Tom Jones.

Today's special guests were Nick Mancini on Vibes, Vocalist Kate Campbell and Pianist Chip Smith.  Nick Mancini is the best vibes player I have heard in years.  His virtuosity is marvelous to witness.  He just doesn't just play the vibes, he attacks them.  At times, when listening to Nick play, it almost seems like he is slightly ahead or slightly behind the beat. During today's entire 3 hour performance, Nick was always on target, putting his own personal emotional spin to some classic Jazz songs. I was most impressed by his approach and touch with ballads.  Nick is a member of the rare club of instrumentalists that can produce the emotion of the lyric through his instrument.  I don't use the word brilliant too often, but Nick Mancini brings brilliance to the Vibes.

Kate Campbell is not only a wonderful singer she is also a fine actor.  She has the ability to transfer her emotional energy into the lyrics of the songs she loves from the "Great American Songbook", making the stories the composers developed come to life.  It is very refreshing to witness a young singer who not only understands the story of the lyric but can express that emotion to her audience.  Kate Campbell has a very bright musical future.  Chip Smith has earned a living for the past twenty years as a commercial composer in Los Angeles.  He has written for clients like Michael Buble' and Universal Studios, the Discovery Channel and Bush Gardens. He plays piano with simple clarity and his solos are fresh and inventive. It was a real pleasure listening to Chip.

  I highly recommend that you make plans to be at Vicky's on Sunday afternoons.  Vicky's will be closed for Easter Sunday but "Jazz Time" will be back in the house through May.



   

Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Favorite Songs, Chapter Three: Steve Madaio

Steve Madaio

This is the third in a series of blogs about the top 10 favorite songs of some of the best musicians performing today.  Steve Madaio is a music legion.  Steve along with David Sandborn performed on stage at Woodstock with the Butterfield Blues Band. He has toured and recorded with the legendary Janis Joplin, and enjoyed two world tours with The Rolling Stones.  Steve has also toured and recorded with Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Madonna and Barbra Streisand to name just a few!

Steve loves the "Great American Songbook" especially the ballads.  Often when performing, he mentions when a particular song is on his personal top 10 list.  His fans, and I'm one of them, can now see his list----in no particular order.

                                        Steve Madaio's Top 10 Favorite Songs
1.  "Tenderly"
2.  "I Can't Get Started"
3.  "Smile"
4.  "Shadow of Your Smile"
5.  "When I Fall In Love"

6.  "The Nearness of You"
7.  "Body and Soul"
8.  "Over The Rainbow"
9.  "Imagine"
10. "Alfie"