CD Review: Kenny Lavender's "Conscious Journey Part 1 & 2"

                                                                         

There is a great, new big band in town put together under the leadership of multi-talented Trumpet player, Kenny Lavender.  He has built a 17 piece band using some of the finest players on the New York scene. Kenny produced and arranged the 11 songs on this double CD and composed 8 of the songs. The sounds from this band are "hip", and, yet the ties to the great big bands of the past are very visible. As I listened to the cuts, the sounds evoked memories of the great Maynard Ferguson band, Woody Herman and Jack Sheldon bands. The sounds are crisp, new and, yet, comfortably familiar all at the same time. The arrangements are superb! This CD is a wonderful showcase for not only Kenny Lavender but also for the sparkling solos from the major league supporting musicians.

Lavender named the CD "Conscious Journey" because the songs he wrote reflect the different stages of life he has traveled, "from falling in love with my wife to dealing with addiction and a lot in between". Because the solos on the album are so remarkably good, I listed the soloists for each song below. I thought you would want to know because I did.

Those of us who love the big band sound will be delighted to listen to this CD. We don't get too many opportunities to hear new big bands these days, and if you only listen to one this year, this is the one to get.

                         "Conscious Journey Part I"

1. "Velocity": Solos by Nathan Childers and Kenny Lavender
2. "As I Close My Eyes": Solos by Rick Germanson and Scott Wendholt
3. "Beauty In A Kiss": Solo Kenny Lavender
4. "Down In NOLA": Solos Kurt Bacher and Alan Ferber
5. "9th Ave Song": Solos Jason Rigby and Rick Germanson
6. "Flow Through Me": Solos Phil Palombi and Kurt Bacher

                        "Conscious Journey Part II"

1. "Caravan": Solos Kenny Lavender and Alejandro Aviles
2. "I Could Write A Book": Solos Kenny Lavender
3. "Happiness": Solos Rick Germanson and Kenny Lavender
4. "Clark's Bark": Solo Kenny Lavender
5. "Una Mas": Solos Kenny Lavender and Jason Rigby

                     I have attached  5  minute YouTube video previewing the songs from this CD. 

 

CD Review: "The Loudermilks"

When I received my review copy of "The Loudermilks", I played it once and then lost it in another pile of reviews.  Several weeks later, this CD was still in my mind. So I played it again and loved their music more than the first time I heard it.  The 10 original songs on this CD were written by Alan and Chad Edwards, "The Edwards Brothers". This CD is country soft rock at its best! The song writing is terrific and fresh. The melodies are honest and straight forward.  Alan and Chad both play guitar on this CD and Alan also plays mandolin on cuts 4 & !0.  But in my opinion, the real magic on this CD is produced by the vocal harmonies of Alan and Chad.  The harmonies from these two brothers are seldom heard in music today. Every time I hear them sing, it brings back warm and positive memories of Don and Phil Everly.

If you like country pop, you will love the songs, the music, the harmonies and the strong melodies of this "winner" CD.

        "The Loudermilks"
Alan Edwards: Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin
Chad Edwards: Vocals, Guitar
Jason Atkins: Piano, Organ
Mike Kenerley: Drums, Percussion
Shawn Lynch: Bass, Vocals

I have attached a video from "YouTube" of Alan and Chad Edwards and The Loudermilks" playing the first cut from the new CD, "Watch 'Em Fall".

                                  "Listen To "Watch 'Em Fall" From "The Loudermilks"

Music Industry Revenue Continues to Decline Making It More Difficult for Musicians Make a Living

The decline in CD sales continued during the first six months of 2014 falling to 19.6%. The future of CDs, or perhaps I should say the end of commercially successful CDs, may be close. CD sales have been in a down-spin for several years and were it not for the sales of a few blockbuster super-stars, the numbers would have been far worse.

The decline in sales of CDs is understandable due to the effect of the vast availability of music streaming, on-demand audio and video streams.

On the other hand, these new venues are a positive opportunity for the music industry. However, the amount of royalties finding its way back to artists is small. Only truly super-star performers receive substantial financially return.

For most professional musicians, the only bright spot is in the low-cost and ease available today to self-publish their music. The growth in self-published CDs has been increasing due to serious reductions in costs and ease of production.  Artists can be financial successful with  a limited number of sales of self-published CDs. The key element is the need to get the CD noticed by the public. Live performances, of course, are a great way to sell these CDs. But how can artists get their CDs noticed by the music loving audience that can't hear them live? One answer would be to use public relations firms that do promotions for self-published CDs. Another avenue is to send their CDs to music blogs like "Music Man Blog" and try to get them reviewed. A review from a music blog would expose the artist to a totally new audience.

A positive for the first six months of 2014 was a 40% increase in sales of vinyl LPs. Total sales came in at 4 million units. Small in terms of units but very profitable for the artists that published them. If vinyl LP's can rise from the dead, maybe CDs can do the same in the near future.

  

CD Review: "Absinthe" The Music of Billy Strayhorn From Joe LoCascio and Woody Witt

Billy Strayhorn is well known to any lover of Classic American music. He is remembered by many for his collaborations with Duke Ellington which at times tend to put him in the shadow of "The Duke".  However, many music historians credit Strayhorn for much of the inspiration that Ellington turned into some of the greatest American songs ever recorded. Joe LoCascio, a marvelously talented Pianist, did extensive research into some of the lesser known songs in the Billy Strayhorn songbook and selected 9 of his gems! There is genius in song writing and Billy Strayhorn is certainly in that class. Even the lesser known songs stand up perfectly to the test of time. They are brilliantly written and sound new even more than 50 years after Strayhorn wrote them.

Joining Joe LoCascio on this CD is the very talented Saxophonist Woody Witt. Woody plays Tenor, Alto and Soprano Saxophones on this beautiful CD and the chemistry between Woody and Joe is remarkable. The level of improvisation from both of these world-class musicians is thrilling. Even better is that they improvise with a closeness you would only expect from brothers. The result is they have given life to the Strayhorn masterpieces they have chosen for this CD. The music is new, soft and sensitive. Exactly what you would expect from the brilliant song writing of Billy Strayhorn. The CD was mixed and mastered by Blue Bamboo Music. Chris Cortez was the executive producer and did wonderful job overseeing the recording and mix of this CD.

This CD is really good, and I highly recommend that you pick up a copy.

     Song List
1. My Little Brown Book
2. Charpoy
3. A Flower is a Lovesome Thing
4. Rain Check
5. Chelsea Bridge
6. Lotus Blossom
7. Isfahan
8. Absinthe
9. Daydream

I have attached a video from Facebook of Joe and Woody playing the first cut from the album, "My Little Brown Book".

 

Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Songs, Chapter 7: Judy Wolman

Judy Wolman

Judy Wolman is one of the most-well liked people in the music industry.  She is not only a caring person, she is also one of the best pianist playing today.  Judy is a women of remarkable talents and is the Founder and Artistic Director of  "Sing! Sing! Sing!", a non-profit organization that features a small group of rehearsed singers who joyfully ease the audience into singing "All the songs you love to sing".  Audiences love the experience!  Everyone is given lyric sheets and each song is introduced with a brief and entertaining commentary.  Judy is a classically trained pianist with a degree in Music from Washington University in St. Louis and has taught vocal music and music appreciation in public and private schools.  After she moved to Los Angeles, she joined the Gregg Smith Singers, a professional, classical choral group and spent 10 years touring and recording with them.  Judy has sung in films and television including "Empire of the Sun", "Jurassic Park" and "The Incredible Hulk". 

Judy has a deep love for the songs in the "Great American Songbook". She always plays them with complete love and inspiration.

                          Judy Wolman's Top 10 Favorite Songs....in no particular order

1.  "Here's That Rainy Day"
2.  "Where Or When"
3.  "Embraceable You"
4.  "All The Things You Are"
5.  "My Shining Hour"
6.  "Young and Foolish"
7.  "I Can't Get Started"
8.  "You Must Believe in Spring"
9.  "Someone To Watch Over Me'
10."Body and Soul"

CD Review: Adam Schroeder's "Lets"

I started playing Alto Sax when I was in 3rd grade, but it wasn't until 8th grade when I fell in love with the sound of the Baritone Sax. That's when I discovered Gerry Mulligan and the magic he was able to produce with his Baritone Sax. I never had much success in creating a pleasing tone from my Baritone Sax which only increased my desire to hear anyone that could make this giant Saxophone sing! Over the years, there have been few Jazz Bari Sax players that have caught my interest until I heard Adam Schroeder on his new CD, "Let's".  Adam Schroeder produces a remarkably rich tone when combined with his amazing dexterity (on this big horn) and brings the listener to musical heaven. His ability to produce rich lows and soar to exciting highs from his Bari Sax are so good that at times the listener might forget these sounds are coming out of a Baritone Sax!

In picking the songs for this album, Adam wrote 5 out of the 11 songs.  The remaining 6 songs were selected by Adam using Melodies as his criteria. "Each of the songs written by others had to have the great melodies first and foremost. These are tunes that make you smile when you first hear them, and then reveal their compositional and harmonic depth the more you listen to them. They also offer vast freedom of expression for everyone to improvise on."

Adam has been able to put together what I think is the "Dream Team" of supporting musicians for this CD. Starting with Anthony Wilson on Guitar, John Clayton on Bass and Jeff Hamilton on Drums.  I first discovered this group of fabulous Jazz players when they backed Diana Krall on her "Live in Paris" album. This album is still one of the best Jazz standards album I have ever heard. As they like to say on the PGA Tour, "These guys are good"! The solos from this trio of world-class musicians are wonderful. They all have a way of improvising that is new and refreshing. The listener can hear every single note they play and yet they are always part of the supporting group even though each one of them could take the lead any time.

This CD will be release on June 17 on Capri Records. Make the effort to get this CD; it will be a keeper for your Jazz collection for many years to come.

I found a cut from the CD on YouTube and would like to share it with you. Attached below is Adam Schroeder Playing his own composition from his new CD "Let's".  The song is titled: " A Hawkeye, A Hoosier and Two Cali Cats". Great Music!

                                         

Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Songs, Chapter 6 Gordon Camp

Gordon Camp Shares His Top 10 Favorite Songs

I am sure that many of my readers have heard Gordon Camp play. He sits in with many of the bands playing here in the Valley.  Gordon loves to play the Trumpet, and he is really good at it.  Gordon studied Trumpet with Jazz greats Doc Severinsen and Donald Byrd.  He has also toured with Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Barry White and Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Lou Rawls.  Gordon is a great addition to all the other world-class musicians who spend their winters in the California Desert.

                                                  Gordon Camp's Top 10 Songs....In No Particular Order:

1.  "Up Jumped Spring"

2.  " Lush Life"

3.  "There is No Greater Love"

4.  "Stardust"

5.  "Stella By Starlight"

6.  "The Scene Is Clean"

7.  "Hi-Fly"

8.  "Moon River"

9.  "Skylark"

10 "Bye Bye Blackbrid"