Bill Saitta Produces A Great New Sound: JazzGrass" at Palm Desert Greens Country Club

Jeremie Levi Samson, Bill Saitta and Bob Hamilton

Barnaby Finch, Don Reed, Jeff Olsen,Lily McCabe, Bill Saitta and Sean Longstreet

                                                Bill Saitta, Don Reed, Lily McCabe. Sean Longstreet

On Saturday night, January 16, "Bill Saitta Music" presented a wonderful new music sound that might be a new experience for a lot of music lovers here in the Coachella Valley.  Bill calls the music "JazzGrass" and it consists of a blend of Jazz and Blue Grass.  The result is a rather infectious sound that is guaranteed to get your feet moving and your spirits soaring!

The night opened with a trio of Bob Hamilton on Guitar, Jeremie Levi Samson on Violin and Bill Saitta on Bass.  Bill's trio set the tempo for the evening and introduced for the first time to many in the audience French Violinist, Jeremie who was nothing short of fantastic.  In my opinion, Jeremy is one of the best Jazz violinists I have ever heard.  His dexterity and tone were perfect and after hearing him tonight, I have no doubt he is ready for prime time performances.  Don't miss any chance to see him.  You may be able to catch him at Backstreet Bistro on Tuesday nights where he like to sit in with Bill.

The next group of outstanding musicians led by Barnaby Finch took the stage after Bill's Trio finished.  This group consisted of Barnaby Finch on Piano and Conducting,  the great Don Reed on Guitar, Mandolin and Dobro, Lily McCabe on Fiddle,  Jeff Olsen on Drums, Sean Longstreet on Guitar and Bill Saitta on Electric Bass.  The sounds of this group were new, fresh and explosive.   As I looked around the sold-out audience of 200+, I could not see anyone sitting still.  This music makes you want to clap your hands and stomp your feet.  It was a great evening of music, excellent food and good old fun.  I particularly enjoyed the solos from Barnaby that were outstanding riffs enjoyed by both Jazz and Blue Grass fans.

 

The Music Industry Loses A Giant: Ron Kalina

The music industry and especially the Coachella Valley music community was recently faced with the sad news that one of our music giants had passed. We lost the incomparable and mega-talented Ron Kalina.  Ron was considered one of the finest Jazz harmonica players in the world.  And when it came to playing standards, Ron was simply the best that I have ever heard.  He often told me "My sweet spot is playing and singing the beautiful ballads of the"Great American Songbook".  I think it was far more than a sweet spot for Ron.  For me, he was one of those rare instrumentalists that could bring a beautiful lyric to life without a word being spoken.  Ron spoke with his Harmonica and everyone who ever heard him was touched by his musical brilliance.  The other sweet spot for Ron was playing in a supportive role for vocalists who understood the beauty of some of the greatest American songs ever written.  There was no one better at filling behind singers than Ron.  In my years listening to great music here in the Desert, I was fortunate to hear Ron playing for every great singer performing and he was always asked to sit in whenever he entered a music venue.

Ron's talents were not just limited to his Harmonica, he was a wonderful Singer, Pianist, Composer and Arranger.  He also was a talented Tap dancer but I never got to see him dance. As a pianist, Ron accompanied hundreds of performers including lovers of the "Great American Songbook" like Linda Ronstadt, Joe Williams, Gloria Lynne and the great Johnny Hartman.

I will always be thankful that I had the chance to hear and know Ron Kalina, a true American musical genius!  I loved everything he ever played, but his recording of "The Nearness of You" is unforgettable for me.  You can hear Ron playing this song by going to iTunes and look up Ron's Cd's.

Ron Kalina, rest in peace,  the joy and brilliance of your music will be with us for the rest of our lives!

The Jeff Stover Big Band All Stars featuring Yve Evans: Tribute to Count Basie

I want to wish all my Jazz brothers and sisters a happy and healthy New Year!  I am sure that a lot of California Valley Jazz fans are either back in the Desert or on their way back for the winter season.  I know you will enjoy kicking off the winter Jazz scene by reading and listening to the CD review below.

I just received a review copy of Multi-talented Jeff Stover's new CD, "Big Band All Stars, A Tribute to Count Basie Featuring Yve Evans" that will thrill any Basie fan.  This CD was produced and conducted by Jeff using the original Basie charts that still sound terrific today!  The band covers many of the classic Basie favorites including my particular Basie favorites: "Shiny Stocking", "Corner Pocket" and "Cute".  The always wonderful Yve Evans fits in this band like fingers moving into a favorite glove. Yve treats us to some great renditions including "Satin Doll", "Well Alright, OK, You Win" and "Sweet Georgia Brown"  This CD is about the history and sounds of one of the greatest American Bands, The Count Basie Orchestra.  Sorry to say that I could not find a cut from the album on "YouTube" from this great CD but I did find a cut by The Big Band All Stars playing "American Patrol" for you to enjoy.  I also attached a YouTube of Yve Evans singing   the great American standard, "But Beautiful".  The Big Band All Stars plays at a lot of different live venues in Southern California.  Don't miss a chance to see them including the wonderfully talented Yve Evans.

The players listed below represent some of the finest musicians in the country:

Jeff Stover- Bass, Producer, Conductor
Yve Evans-Vocals
Andy Fraga-Drums
Keith Droste- Piano
Bob Scarano-Guitar
Danny House-Sax
Rod Kokolj-Sax
Ken Dahleen-Sax
Don Rice-Sax
Colin Wenhardt-Sax
Gary Tole-Trombone
Brian Bergstrom-Trombone
Brian Betiger-Trumpet
Don Clarke-Trumpet
Stan Walkins-Trumpet
Jostien Aarflot-Trumpet

                                     The Big Band All Stars Playing :"American Patrol"

                             Yve Evans singing "But Beautiful" with Bob Drags and Friends

CD Review: Joan Ellison- "Retrophonic Gershwin"

This will be my last review of the year and I wanted to thank all my fellow Jazz lovers for your support during the past year.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!  The CD I have reviewed below is perfect for reflecting back on past years.

Just found a great new CD for anyone who loves Broadway and the Gershwins, and who doesn't?  The lead artist is singer Joan Ellison who Michael Feinstein called " A rare combination of artist, archivist, and arranger.  This album also features singer Mark Flanders and duo-pianists Jason Aquila and Jodie Ricci.  This talented group of musicians has created some authentic and unique arrangements based on original Gershwin recordings of the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's.  In order to make the sound historically correct, the CD was recorded on a RCA-44 reproduction microphone and a pair of 9-foot Steinways at Oberlin Conservatory's Clonick Hall and then mixed and mastered by Grammy-winning audio engineer Robert Friedrich of Five/Four Productions.

Joan Ellison has been praised for her vocal skills and her crystal-clear voice.  All well-deserved compliments as you will hear in the YouTube I have attached below.  Joan has an excellent musical resume including Symphonic appearances in  "Get Happy! Judy Garland In Hollywood" with the Wheaton Symphony,  "Songwriting Giants of Broadway" with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and "The music of Richard Rodgers" with the Erie Philharmonic.

Mark Flanders has had a remarkable career which includes tap-dancing in a production of  "The Boys From Syracuse" under choreographer Donald Saddler at the Ohio Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, the same stage on which Fred Astaire  and Adele Astaire performed, "Lady Be Good!" in 1925.  Mark has also played numerous roles in musical theatre including "A Little Night Music", Juan Peron in "Evita", Joey in "Pal Joey" and Dr. Carrasco in "Man of La Mancha".

Pianist Jason Aquila holds a master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano and Chamber Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He was recently appointed Opera Coach at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and was the assistant music director for Baldwin Wallace's production of La Boheme with conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos.

Pianist Jodie Ricci's experience includes music direction at Cain Park for "Sweeney Todd", "Harold and Maude","Oliver" and "Kiss Me Kate".  Her teaching experience includes instruction in piano and music theory at Baldwin Wallace.  Jodie is currently a member of the performing arts faculty at Hawken School in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

           Album Tracks
1. "Syncopated City Overture"
2. "I Got Rhythm"
3. "Where's the Boy? Here's The Girl"
4. "Who Cares?"
5. "Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!"
6. "Treat Me Rough"
7. "But Not For Me"
8. "Do-Do-Do"
9. "A Foggy Day"
10. "The Man I Love"
11. "They All Laughed"
12. "They Can't Take That Away From Me"

I attached a few wonderful songs from the CD I found on YouTube to share the beautiful sounds from this album.

                                                                  "I Got Rhythm"

                                                          "They All Laughed"


Hit the attached site below and you can hear and see how one of the Gershwin songs on this Cd was developed.


http://www.joanellison.com/blog/2015/4/23/howigotrhythm  

CD Review: Kim Nazarian "Some Morning"

As a music reviewer I have the privilege of being introduced to many great new singers.  Kim Nazarian is not a great singer.  She is a brilliantly talented singer with vocal chops and exceptional timing that every singer yearns for!  Some singers can do ballads, some singers can scat along with up tempo tunes but Kim can do it all.  Her voice is golden and her approach to lyrics is spot on perfect.  Kim has the ability to enhance lyrics without getting in the way.  The result captures the essence of emotion that the composer had in mind, together with fitting her own personality into each song making them her own.  Grammy Award-nominee Kim Nazarian gained fame as a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Jazz vocal group, "New York Voices".

Kim is joined on this CD by the five time Grammy Award-winning producer and Trombonist Jay Ashby.  All the tunes on this CD are arranged in whole or in part by Ashby with help from Kim on several.  The arrangements are Sinatra-perfect and fit both Kim and the talented musicians on this CD perfectly!   Jay Ashby's Trombone performances are pure magic on this CD. The list of contributing musicians is wonderful including special guests: Gary Burton, Paquito D'Rivera, Sean Jones, and John Pizzarelli.  

Kim Nazarian's "Some Morning" is a sensationally good CD.  And how do I know that?  I tried to select a cut from this CD that would give you a feel of Kim's great singing and the fine talents of the musicians with her.  It took me an hour to select the two cuts below that I found on "YouTube" because I couldn't decide which ones were the best.  I loved every cut on the CD!

The First cut below is called "Robbin's Nest Boneology"  and it's a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Trombonist JJ Johnson. It will show the extent of Kim's vocal skills and Ashby's mellow Trombone sounds that blend perfectly together.

The Second "YouTube"  presents the song "Tell Him I Said Hello" that is a tribute to Better Carter from her big band vocalist, taking on a Bossa Nova spin.  This cut also contains a terrific Clarinet Solo from the brilliant Paquito D'Rivera.

Cd Review: John Fedchock "Like It Is"

Trombonist and world-class arranger John Fedchock has enjoyed a 35-year career that has included being the chief arranger for the legendary Woody Herman during the 1980's.  This is the 5th album for the 16-piece band and Fedchock's eighth as leader.  "Like it is" features five Fedchock originals and five arrangements of Jazz and American classics.  I absolutely love his arrangements, they are fresh and new but remain true to the history of the great big bands.  His Trombone playing is superb, his tone is heavenly and his improvisation is what ever master Jazz player strives for.

Fed chock's idea for this album is his musical desire to mesh the old with the new.  "Even though many embrace the big band's evolution, there seem to be plenty of folks who'd prefer everything just remain like it was.  But truth be told, some of the best things in music have come from combining the 'Like it was' with the 'Like it is', melding the greatness of the past with a fresh perspective using today ears". 

The musicians on this album are all experienced New York City superstars and prove the point in eleven different outstanding solos.  Saxophonists Mark Vinci, Charles Pillow, Rich Perry, Walt Weiskopf, Gary Smulyan, and Scott Robinson.  Trumpeters Scott Wendholt and Barry Ries, Pianist Allen Farnham, Bassist Dick Sarpola and Drummer Dave Ratajczak.  Bobby Sanabria's Latin percussion joins the band on three tracks bringing the sound and Rhythm to perfection!

The playlist for the CD is what you would expect from John, some old, some new but all exceptional music.

           PLAYLIST:
1, "You and the Night and the Music"
2. "Like It Is"
3. "Never Let Me Go"
4. "Just Sayin"
5. "Ojos De Rojo"
6. " Hair of the Doag"
7. "Havana"
8. "Just Squeeze Me"
9. "For Heavens's Sake"
10. "Ten Thirty 30"

If you long for the big band sound and arrangement of the past re-mastered to today's musical world, you must pick up this CD.  This band captures the emotion of the songs and yet can run with the best of the best bands of yesterday, today and tomorrow.  I could listen to John Fedchock play Trombone forever and never get bored.  His feel for standards and sound are as good as it gets! Don't just take my word for it, listen to the "YouTube" link below of John playing "Never Let Me Go"!

Ok, now listen to the "Youtube" of John Fedchock's New York Big Band playing the Dietz and Schwartz gem "You and the Night and the Music".

CD Review: Fred Hersch "Solo"

I recently received a review copy of Fred Hersch's new CD, "Solo",  recorded live in a Catskill, NY church in 2014 as part of the Wyndham Chamber Music Festival.  This was my first experience listening to Fred Hersch, and I truly can say that his playing has had an emotional effect for me.  There are only 7 cuts on the CD but the songs Mr. Hersch has chosen to include are wonderful including two original compositions, cut# 3, "Pastorale" that Mr. Hersch wrote in honor of Robert Schumann and cut#4, "Whirl"written in honor of Ballet principal, Suzanne Farrell.

This CD is his 10th solo recording and according to Hersch "I firmly believe this may be the all-around best solo album I've ever done.  I liked the piano and the environment of playing in a small wooden church just big enough to get some reverberance".

Mr. Hersch has played with many Jazz greats like Phil Woods, George Shearing, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Billy Harper, Lee Konitz, Art Farmer, Gary Burton and Toots Thielemans.  He attributes his turn-on to Jazz to John Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, Miles Davis and Chick Corea.  At this stage in his career, he stands side by side with these greats.

There is nothing casual about Hersch's playing style and his Jazz composition.  It is studied and, yet, seems new and free and the construction of his solos capture the emotion of the songs he plays and puts new life into them.  If you love thoughtful, creative and new Jazz playing, Fred Hersch should be at the top of your favorites list.

          Playlist
1. "Olha Maria/O Grande Amor"- Jobim
2. "Caravan"- Tizol
3. "Pastorale- Hersch
4. "Whirl"- Hersch
5. "The Song Is You"- Kern
6. "In Walked Bud"- Monk
7. "Both Sides Now" Mitchell

I located a cut from the CD, Jerome Kern's magnificent classic, "The Song Is You" on "YouTube" that will let you experience the brilliance of Fred Hersch's Jazz Piano Style.