Others may point to their kick-ass rock and roll sound and solid musicianship, but what stands out for me when I listen to Drive By Truckers are the songs. Stylistically the Truckers weave a little bit of punk along with old time country, pop, and R&B into their rock sound, but whichever muse they happen to follow, "they let the songwriting speak for itself" aas Rolling Stone wrote, " and it sings loud and clear". As founding member Patterson Hood says, "Inter-connected themes explored by three different writers in the band ( with three very different points of view ) has always been a hallmark of what sets our band apart".
Terry Lichona
Longtime friends Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood) and Mike Cooley first came together in 1985 to form a punk inspired band called Adam’s House Cat. The group disbanded several years later, and Cooley and Patterson formed several follow-up projects before moving to different cities. They eventually reconvened in Athens, GA where the duo formed the Drive-By Truckers circa 1996. The band debuted Gangstabilly in 1998, followed closely by Pizza Deliverence. DBT showed its force as a live act with the release of Alabama Ass Whoopin’ in 2000, a live concert recording taken from a show in Athens, GA. Then the band really took a step forward with the double-disc concept album Southern Rock Opera, released in 2002 by Lost Highway and recorded during a heat wave in Birmingham, AL. In 2003 the Drive-By Truckers were picked up by New West Records and released Decoration Day, which featured songs from newcomer guitarist/singer Jason Isbell (also from Muscle Shoals). Hood, Cooley and Isbell all three served as songwriters and front men for their following two critically acclaimed releases, 2004’s The Dirty South and 2006’s A Blessing and a Curse.
2007 was a year of transition and reinvention for the band, who had been on the road almost constantly since the fall of 2001. After a break to recharge, and the amicable and mutual departure of Jason Isbell from the group, the band was forced to move on and rethink things. This “led us to strip everything down to the essential elements of song and rebuild it from scratch. This led to us booking and playing a semi-acoustic tour we named The Dirt Underneath where we would go out without all of the trappings and decorations of “The Big Rock Show” and put the emphasis on the songs and stories. It also gave us a chance to acquaint everyone with our dear friend John Neff. Neff was a founding member of our band who continued to play on our albums from time to time and he became a full-time part of the touring band a couple of years ago,” said Hood. The new DBT, along with Muscle Shoals legend Spooner Oldham, were called upon to back up Betty LaVette on her 2007 release The Scene of the Crime. This led to Oldham joining the band for The Dirt Underneath Tour, and eventually recording with DBT for their excellent January 2008 release Brighter Than Creations Dark.
Drive By Truckers - Live From Austin ( New West Rec )
Tommy Castro - Hard Believer ( Alligator Rec. )
Ever since he first picked up a guitar and started making music, Tommy Castro believed. He believed he would not only be able to make a living playing music, but could develop his own signature sound and style. From his start playing in local Bay Area cover bands to joining the much-loved Dynatones to touring the world with his own band, Castro’s belief in himself has been rewarded. Today he is famed not only for his hard-hitting, impassioned vocals and his blues-infused, rocking R&B sound, but also for his striking, original songwriting and exhilarating stage show. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, “Castro navigates seriously funky Southern soul, gritty big city blues and scorching rock…his silvery guitar licks simultaneously sound familiar and fresh.” Castro (winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award as Entertainer Of The Year) is recognized as one of the absolute best blues and R&B players, singers and live performers in the world. With his Alligator Records debut, Hard Believer, Castro takes another major step forward in a career that never looks back.
Hard Believer was produced by John Porter (B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Keb Mo, The Smiths, Otis Rush, Billy Bragg, Roxy Music) and recorded in Castro’s hometown of San Rafael, California. The album is anchored by Castro’s soul-baring songs, filled with profound emotion and fueled by Castro’s powerful vocals and propulsive rhythms. “If there’s no groove there,” Castro told Guitar Player, “I can’t sink my teeth into it.” On Hard Believer, there are plenty of satisfying grooves to bite down on. But what really drives the songs home is Castro’s telepathic interaction with his band. The group operates as a single engine, firing on all cylinders, sometimes pushing the pedal to the floor, other times slowing things down for a simmering ballad.
Joining Alligator Records is a new high point in Castro’s career. “I feel that in signing with Alligator I’m making a major step forward. I’m excited about the new release and grateful for the opportunity to record for a label with such a rich history in blues and American roots music.”
Alligator president Bruce Iglauer is equally thrilled to have Castro in the Alligator fold, saying, “Tommy Castro has earned his huge and devoted fan following the old-fashioned way—by delivering thousands of totally knockout live performances, coast to coast. His energy level is unbelievable. He’s certainly a guitar hero, but even more than that, Tommy is simply a great singer, very soulful and very intense.
”Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He came under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Mike Bloomfield and other blues rock players early on. As he got older, Castro moved forward by investigating the past, falling in love with the blues guitar work of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and singers like Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. By his late 20s he was playing in a variety of San Francisco-area blues and soul bands.
Castro joined Warner Brothers artists The Dynatones in the late 1980s. The much-loved rocking soul band had a huge fan base and toured the U.S. constantly. He honed his chops with the band on the road for two years, performing live all across the country and backing major artists like Carla Thomas and Albert King. He formed The Tommy Castro Band in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in both 1993 and 1994. With his local fan base quickly expanding, he released his debut album, Exception To The Rule, in 1996 on Blind Pig. He began touring nationally with his band, picking up new fans everywhere he went. The album won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album, and Castro also took the award for Outstanding Blues Musician that same year.
In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label. In 2001 and 2002 the legendary B.B. King asked Castro to open his summer concert tours. Castro received an open invitation to join the King Of The Blues on stage for the nightly finale.
Castro’s most recent releases, 2007’s Painkiller (Blind Pig) and 2008’s Command Performance: Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue (Delta Groove) were immediate favorites with fans and critics alike. Both albums featured appearances by a number of guests, including Coco Montoya, Angela Strehli, Marcia Ball, Elvin Bishop, Magic Dick, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Curtis Salgado and Deanna Bogart. Painkiller won the 2008 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year.
Publications across the country, from The Washington Post to The San Francisco Examiner, have sung his praises. Guitar Player called Castro “the hardest working bluesman on the scene today.” The Philadelphia Inquirer declared, “Castro plays infectious, roaring roadhouse romps with incendiary licks and a touch of New Orleans soul.” Carlos Santana, with whom Castro has performed, said, “Tommy Castro has the voice and the sound to touch everybody’s heart.” With Hard Believer and plenty of high-profile tour dates to follow, believing in the prodigious talent and unbridled energy of Tommy Castro is anything but hard.
Roberta Gambarini Andrea Donati - Under Italian Skies
Roberta Gambarini is one of the finest jazz singers in the world, perhaps the finest interpreter of “scat” since Ella Fitzgerald. She headlines the major jazz festivals the world over and is a “rising star” in reader’s polls in Downbeat and Jazz Times.
Andrea Donati is a musician, composer and arranger, highly rated by maestro Ennio Morricone. He has also produced albums by the Nuttree Quartet,
Marco Pereira, Tony Scott and the Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble among others.
These 2 CDs were recorded in Italy in the late nineties and re-mixed and re-mastered in 2009. They are Roberta’s and Andrea’s tribute to Italy. Absolutely noteworthy is Roberta’s use of her voice as an “instrument”, creating a tone poem of timeless beauty.
Jesper Thilo - Remembering Those Who Were
It has always been the (secret) ambition of most jazz saxophonists to play with strings. Standing on your own in front of a string section is an enormous challenge – usually in a romantic vein. Charlie Parker did it, Stan Getz did it, and naturally Ben Webster did it. Finally Denmark’s most popular jazz musician has accepted the challenge. It was a long time coming, but the result is extraordinary. Ole Kock Hansen’s arrangements are the perfect foundation for Thilo’s mature and balanced performance. This is different. Very different. If you expect the straightforward, high class swing music that has made Jesper Thilo a household name for decades, REMEMBERING THOSE WHO WERE will come as a surprise. We all think we know the concept of sax and strings inside out – something moody “for lovers”. But no: this release is different, and it would be a good idea to leave your preconceived opinions behind and allow yourself to surrender to this music. REMEMBERING THOSE WHO WERE sets new standards in a sensuous sax and strings summit featuring a mature musician who knows his métier, in collaboration with an extremely competent jazz trio and strings - in arrangements written with just the right modern edge.
- The idea was mine, but at least half the credit goes to Ole Kock Hansen, who wrote the arrangements for me, says Thilo. I produced it, and together we reached a result that makes me very proud. This is the concept that I want to present to people, and hopefully they will enjoy being surprised – listening to music, that they didn’t even realize they liked. I dug into a lot of strings and sax recordings from the sixties, when it was really big. But I wanted a modern sound of today instead of Nelson Riddle’s or Mantovani’s sound. What interests me is music, not clichés. I gave Ole a free rein with the arrangements. He is also a fine composer, and I wanted to include a couple of his originals in addition to the lovely standards. The title REMEBERING THOSE WHO WERE, is an unsentimental tribute to all the great Danish and American musicians Thilo has had the pleasure of playing with since his youth: Ben Webster, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Harry Sweets Edison, J.C. Higginbotham, Arnvid Meyer, Kenny Drew, NHØP, Benny Carter, Johnny Griffin, etc. etc… You name them – Thilo has played with them. Over the years it has been said of Thilo, that he was somewhat the copyist, and it is true that his enormous technical facility enables him to more or less emulate whomever he chooses. He himself has never felt inhibited by this gift. He feels that a good copy often surpasses a mediocre original. However, the large audiences who follow Thilo at home and abroad will know that he found his own sound a long time ago. Naturally he is still influenced by those who were, but being an exceptional musician, he has incorporated these influences into his own unique expression. Perhaps this ambitious project was Thilo’s way of challenging himself. He
alone knows if he found the challenge he was looking for, but there is no doubt that this CD will be a surprise to anyone who thought they knew all there was to know about Denmark’s most popular jazz musician. Those who are not quite as familiar with the 67-year old saxophonist and his extraordinary career will be pleasantly surprised at his instrumental dexterity and his enormous interpretive powers. Jesper Thilo was born in Copenhagen in 1941. He comes from a musical family, graduated from the Royal Conservatory where he studied the clarinet, and at the age of nineteen joined Arnvid Meyer’s orchestra, with whom he toured all over Scandinavia backing Benny Carter, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and many others from the starriest firmament of jazz. From his early years, he was the leading Danish sax-player in orchestras under the leadership of Thad Jones, Ernie Wilkins, Palle Mikkelborg and Niels Jørgen Steen. In 1977 he was the first recipient of the Ben Webster Award. For 24 years he worked with the Danish Radio Big Band, and has led his own quartets since 1990. He is a great entertainer on stage and the author of a cheerful and anecdotal autobiography. A tall pile of releases documents his musical development through the years.
Lucinda Williams - Happy Woman Blues
Unparalleled originality and passion have earned Williams due recognition as a writer and singer. This extraordinary album, recorded in 1978, deserves its status as a singer/songwriter classic. Songs include Lafayette, I Lost It, and Happy Woman Blues. "...
"...merely wonderful..."
Rolling Stones
Stefano Bollani - Jesper Bodilsen - Morten Lund : Mi Ritorni In Mente
The Italian virtuoso, pianist Stefano Bollani, began his collaboration with bassist Jesper Bodilsen and drummer Morten Lund in 2003. The chemistry between the 3 musicians has from the start been exceptional and their albums have been praised by critics and have sold several thousand copies.
The first album MI RITORNI IN MENTE that was released in 2003 was among the 10 best selling records in Italy that year. Following Danish and Italian tours, it became clear that this constellation was destined to be of a more permanent nature. They have been invited to play at clubs and festivals all over the world - their debut in New York was a successful concert at the legendary Birdland Club.
You need not be a musician to understand what bassist Jesper Bodilsen means when he says, “The fascinating thing about playing with Stefano is his brilliant musicality. You never know what’s going to happen; all you know is that it is so very inspiring. His playing combines playfulness and humor with something very deep.”
This is probably in part due to the fact that Bollani has always expressed himself in a wide range of idioms. Although classically trained, he has played jazz and pop since childhood, and even once contemplated a vocalist career. The diversity and unbiased outlook are two traits he shares with bassist Jesper Bodilsen and drummer Morten Lund. After fifthteen years of collaboration on numerous projects, these two musicians are possibly the tightest bass/drum team of their generation on the Danish jazz scene.
The trio’s first album was dominated by Italian tunes and standard type material. On their second album GLEDA the trio finds a melodic and original tone in a music concentrated around Scandinavian songs. This album was nominated for an Australian Bell Award in the category – Best International Jazz Release in 2006.
The carefully picked material enables the music to flow from this trio in a steady current of intelligence, imagination and delight in playing. Bollani finds his phrases in a deep understanding of the harmonic structures, allowing him to display extreme boldness without ever betraying the melody. Bodilsen is a granite foundation, demonstrating a large and flexible tone and an undisputed authority, while Lund spurs them on, constantly varying his sound.
They have succeeded in creating a beautiful, refreshing and modern sound in a wonderfully well-defined recording. Hearing one of Europe’s great pianists interpret these tunes is pure pleasure and together this trio turns the songs into small miracles!
”Never before at Copenhagen JazzHouse have we heard pianissimo so intense - and seldom have we listened as breathlessly as we did to Bollani’s ballad-like interpretation of an Italian popular song. And yet we were never for one moment allowed to forget that it was a trio playing for us that night. A trio at the highest level.” Boris Rabinowitch in Danish National Newspaper“Politiken”.
Keep Your Soul - A Tribute To Doug Sahm
This album brings Doug Sahm's family and friends together to share his wonderfully crazy musical journey. It is a magical, soulful collection of some Sir Doug nuggets.
To celebrate his unique career and influential legacy, Vanguard Records will release Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm on March 24, 2009. This stunning collection includes exciting new renditions of Doug’s most indelible songs, performed by an incredible line-up of artists. Keep Your Soul will mark the tenth anniversary of Sahm’s death in 1999.
The songs on Keep Your Soul range over Sahm’s entire history, including his time with the Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados and many solo recordings. It features artists such as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Los Lobos, Dave Alvin, Shawn Sahm with Augie Meyers, Jimmie Vaughan, Alejandro Escovedo and others. See the list of contributors below.
Doug Sahm created a vast musical impact over a 50-year career. Starting in Texas and traveling far beyond, he is considered by many to be one of the most significant figures in blues, rock, R&B, country and other genres, as well as an originator of Tex-Mex rock & roll. “My dad is a vital link in the Texas musical food chain,” says son Shawn Sahm, “and this album will show that he belongs right next to all his peers when it comes to being a founding father of the state’s rich legacy.”
Born in San Antonio, Texas on November 6, 1941, Doug Sahm was a child prodigy in country music, starting his professional career singing and playing guitar, mandolin, pedal steel and fiddle as “Little Doug” when he was only nine years old. He went on to form the 1960s influential group the Sir Douglas Quintet, scoring a Top 10 single with “She’s About a Mover.” Later, with Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jimenez, Sahm founded the Grammy Award-winning Texas Tornados. He continued recording as a solo artist and won another Grammy Award for The Last Real Texas Blues Band, and recorded with a new formation of the Sir Douglas Quintet on SDQ ‘98. His last studio album, The Return of Wayne Douglas, was released posthumously after being made at a studio near his hometown of San Antonio, returning Sahm to his country roots and the area where he first began.
Keep Your Soul: A Tribute to Doug Sahm, produced by Bill Bentley, Stephen Brower, David Katznelson and Shawn Sahm, celebrates the life of a true American music visionary. Sahm was a master of every style he played, and is viewed as someone who helped shape the sound of modern music. He was also a sought-after session musician, appearing on other releases with Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead, Uncle Tupelo and many more. His 1973 Atlantic Records release, Doug Sahm & Band, included special guests Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Flaco Jimenez, David Bromberg, Andy Statman, David “Fathead” Newman and Wayne Jackson.
The late Atlantic Records executive and album producer Jerry Wexler inscribed his autobiography Rhythm and the Blues to Sahm in 1993: “To Doug, of all the musicians I’ve worked with, I have always felt closest to you. And of all of them, you are the most gifted, the most versatile, with a musical ability that never quits.” Keep Your Soul co-producer Bill Bentley adds, “These new recordings of Sahm’s songs by the musicians who loved him would no doubt have Doug proclaiming, ‘far out,’ and then grabbing his guitar to go find a place to play. He really was a Texas tornado, and there sure won’t be another Sir Doug.”
Track List
She's About A Mover (Little Willie G.)
And It Didn't Even Bring Me Down (Los Lobos)
Too Little Too Late (Alejandro Escovedo)
You Was For Real (Greg Dulli)
Dynamite Woman (Dave Alvin)
Ta Bueno Compadre (It's OK Friend) (Flaco Jimenez with the West Side Horns)
Texas Me (Delbert McClinton)
I'm Not That Kat Anymore (Terry Allen)
Why, Why, Why (Jimmie Vaughan)
You're Doin' It Too Hard (Charlie Sexton & The Mystic Knights of The Sea)
Nuevo Laredo (The Gourds)
Be Real (Freda & The Firedogs)
Adios Mexico (Joe "King" Carrasco & Texas Tornados
Mendocino (Shawn Sahm)
Carla Bley - The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu
"While trying to write new music for The Lost Chords, I kept hearing a trumpet. It wasn't the usual trumpet sound I hear when I write for Big Band. It was elegant and eloquent. Earthy yet ethereal. Suddenly I could hear this beautiful sound leaking out of Andy' Sheppard’s headphones. I realized it was Paolo Fresu." Carla Bley did the obvious thing, inviting the Italian trumpeter to join her group for a recording at Gérard de Haro’s Studios La Buisonne near Avignon, and on the European tour to mark its release.
Enzo Avitabile - Napoletana
The Conservatory of Music . Pop Music. Afro- American Rhythm. Pastellessa and Zeza ancient music. Sacred Chant: this is the real profile of Enzo Avitabile.
Enzo Avitabile has spent his life pursuing his musical quest in order to discover a new untrodden musical ground and a personal sound , somehow original, vital and essential. He has subverted the rules of the Show Business, looking beyond it and overcoming the limits of ideals and misleading labels.
Talented Singer , composer and multistrumentalist , Enzo Avitabile was born in 1955 and raised in Marianella – ( a poor area at the outskirts of the city of Naples ).
As a child he studied saxophone , then he performed at several clubs frequented by American people stationing in Naples. Later he earned his diploma in flute at “ S.Pietro a Majella “ Conservatory of Naples and he soon started collaborating with a great number of International pop , rock and soul artists, such as James Brown and Tina Turner, never losing sight of his own personal and unique style.
›› Between the years 1982 and 1994 he released a string of successful solo albums edited by EMI Production:
1982 – Avitabile – his debut record
1983 – Meglio soul – ( duet with Richie Havens)
1984 – Correte in fretta-
1986 – S.O.S Brothers-
1988 – Alta tensione - where the provocative cover image featured a picture of an electric chair . Fascinated by that project, Afrika Bambaataa ,one year later, participated in - Street Happiness- , Enzo’s sixth record.
1990 – Stella dissidente –
1991 – Enzo Avitabile -
1994 – Easy –( containing the track “ Leave me or Love me “ – vocal duet with Randy Crawford)
›› In 1996 he started the return to his roots enriching and using his native language with modern neologisms and its prosodic features thanks also to both evocative and digital arrangements . Addò and Aizeté ( whose title-track is “Incantesimo Napoletano” soundtrack) belong to this artistic moment that marks a clear dividing line between his past and present works.
›› In 1999 he was honoured to be appointed a goodwill UNICEF Ambassador and on that occasion he composed “Mane e Mane” ( a duet with Mory Kante) , a poignant and heartfelt song whose proceeds were donated for children school improvement in Benin.
The song , at present times , embodies the very spirit of dialogue among cultures in the Mediterranean area ;that experience paved the way to O-issa album release (1999).
In the meantime he went on composing for Theatre ( Decamerone) Film ( Beffa della vita e della Morte) and for several International women artists , such as Giorgia ( Italian singer) and Amal Murkus ( from Palestine).
His deep sense of identity and belonging, along with a full acceptance of his linguistic heritage eventually led him to “the Bottari” from Portico in Caserta .The ensemble is made up of barrel , vat and sickle- beaters who stress ancient processional rhythms directed by a “Capopattuglia” .The ancestral , primitive , energetic and obsessive beats pace genuine trance.
This intriguing project aimed at blending his truly personal sound with the Ancient Tradition of the Bottari whose origins date back to the 13th century.
“ It was time to turn away from evident American influence on my musical language “ - said Enzo –
He definitely did it!!
The resulting CD’s Salvamm o munn ( Let’s Save The World) received four nominations for BBC World Music Award (in 2004 -Best radiophonic audience- category and in 2005 - Best European-World band -category ). The album covers a wide spectrum of musical genres , from Liturgical Chants to the traditional Vesuvian a cappella singing “ a fronna “ and also avail itself of the highest profile world music artists’ collaboration such as Khaled , Manu Dibango, and Zi Giannino Del Sorbo , Miserere from Sessa Aurunca, Luigi Lai, Alphonsiana Poliphonic Vocal Quartet and Baba Sissoko as well .
In 2006 Enzo Avitabile dedicated himself to popular holy music giving rise to Sacro Sud , edited by Ethnosuoni/Musiche Migranti.
›› Since 2006 he has been teaching at the Suor Orsola di Benincasa University of Naples holding course/seminars in Ethnomusicolgy - “ Tradizione e Cemento” ( book is now available) - focused on the revival of the traditions in urban society.
›› In 2007 was released “ Festa Farina e Forca” ( double album with the Bottari ,Matthew Herbert, Bill Laswell, Banco De Gaia, Manu Dibango, Djivan Gasparian and Luigi Lai) . Through sacred and secular images, Enzo Avitabile wrote / composed , sang , played and told stories about the populations of the world , the modern colonial power that turn them into slaves and the icons that still survive.
Enzo’s versatile talent has recently emerged again. Indeed after measuring himself with several musical projects, he brushed up his strong liking for classical composition. The result is “ Symphony N°1 – La Lazzara” , first performed in Chieti under Sir Di Iorio’s direction ,an internationally renowned flutist, at the Marruccino Theatre; since that first performance , his classical music repertoire has grown.
He is currently at work on “Napoletana” , a project- research containing unreleased songs that reflect contemporary urban society ;at the same time, it inherits and echoes back to the work songs and old villanellas . New facets of music deriving from art of yesteryear , somewhat refined , meaningful and with innovative use of language .
Wayne Lavalle - Trail Of Tears
Wayne Lavallee is from the Métis Nation, born in Vancouver, B.C. He was the 2006 winner for “Best Aboriginal Songwriter” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. His album Green Dress was nominated for a 2005 Juno Award for Best Aboriginal Recording, and it won the 2004 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award for Album of the Year.
The fusion of Wayne's “Rock n' roll Indian cowboy” sound with stylized Native chanting has made this west coast performer a unique and innovative artist. His unique vocals are heart-felt with an aggressive cutting-edge acoustic sound that evokes pure emotion, his haunting melodies & lyrics create a world of mysticism.
Wayne recently completed a new album with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts. Produced by John Ellis (Barney Bentall, Jeremy Fisher, Ridley Bent, Be Good Tanya’s) it represents a bold new musical direction for the artist. As always, his compositions are steeped in the traditions of his ancestry, but the raw “unplugged” sonic palette created on these amazing new tracks, shows Wayne’s artistry in a wholly new and compelling light.
Himself from the Métis nation -a distinct culture of his mixed Cree aboriginal and European ancestry- Wayne Lavallee is beholden to the spirit of his Métis ancestors, a spirit that embraces freedom, and a fierce self-determination that is not dictated by government and boundaries.
Lavallee roams from Indian chants to blues to rock to reggae with a sense of artistic freedom that transcends classification, leaving you with the distinct sensation that you’ve just crossed paths with an unusual singer-songwriter, and a major one at that.
Yet what makes Lavallee so atypical is his outstanding ability to express his communion with the essence of nature in a progressive manner. Based on his haunting melodic approach, the 2006 winner of the “Best Aboriginal Songwriter” award of the Canadian Folk Music Society creates a contemporary take on Native mysticism without reneging his own political agenda.
Clearly, Lavallee’s music is that of a survivor. That he is able to turn it into a tool for global fraternity is proof that the old fighting spirit of his ancestors is still very much alive. His sheer poetic force is a lesson in artistry we are much to be thankful for.
Jan Garbarek - Ufficium
in occasione del concerto di Jan Garbarek a Milano
è possibile acquistare presso di noi il cd
Jan Garbarek Ufficium
ad Euro 15.00 comprensivo di spese di spedizione
Prova la nuova posta prioritaria di
Moonlight Records
e scopri sicurezza, puntualita' e convenienza.
Per ordinare è sufficiente rispondere a questa mail
Jan Garbarek (4 marzo 1947) è un sassofonista e compositore norvegese. Suona il sassofono tenore e soprano ed è attivo nei generi del jazz, della musica classica e della world music.
La musica di Garbarek costituisce una delle bandiere della casa discografica ECM, che praticamente ha pubblicato tutti i suoi dischi. A partire dalla fine degli anni settanta, Garbarek ha sviluppato uno stile di ispirazione lieve e lunare che utilizza toni acuti e lunghe note sostenute che ricordano gli inviti alla preghiera islamici nonché l'uso generoso del silenzio. Fece le sue prime incisioni alla fine degli anni sessanta. Seguace della prima ora del free jazz di Albert Ayler e Peter Brötzmann, nel 1973 voltò le spalle alle aspre dissonanze del jazz d'avanguardia.
In qualità di compositore, Garbarek si ispira profondamente alle melodie folk della Scandinavia, una eredità dell'influenza di Albert Ayler. È un pioniere delle composizioni di ambient jazz, degno di nota a questo proposito è l'album Dis del 1976. La sua trama, che rifiuta le notazioni tradizionali tematiche (come possono essere esemplificate da un Sonny Rollins), a favore di uno stile, descritto dai critici Richard Cook e Brian Morton come "di impatto scultoreo", ha diviso la critica (una minoranza della quale lo ha definito New Age).
Dopo aver registrato una serie inaspettata di album di avanguardia, Garbarek raggiunse le vette internazionali a metà degli anni settanta suonando jazz post-bop, sia come leader che come componente del famoso "European Quartet" di Keith Jarrett. Raggiunse un notevole successo commerciale in Europa con Dis, una collaborazione meditativa con il chitarrista Ralph Towner. Parti di Dis sono state frequentemente usate in parecchi film o documentari. Nel 1986 la musica di Garbarek cominciò ad incorporare sintetizzatori ed elementi di world music. Nel 1993 il disco Officium, realizzato in collaborazione con il gruppo vocale di musica antica Hilliard Ensemble, divenne uno dei dischi in assoluto più venduti dalla ECM, raggiungendo le vette delle classifiche in parecchi Paesi europei. Il seguito, Mnemosyne, fu registrato nel 1999. Nel 2005, l'album In Praise of Dreams ha ottenuto la nomina per il Grammy Award.
Tratto da wikipedia
Giovanni Guidi - The Unknown Rebel Band
Rebels of a different time, from different parts of the world.
A composition where the voices of anonymous women and men can emerge from silence,
defining them and, at the same time, uniting them in a chorus
for the same ideals that marked their lives.
"The Unknown rebel" suite represents them, and us and all of those peolple whose commitment to the future is a passion.
Giovanni Guidi
Giovanni Guidi presenta il suo ultimo lavoro discografico "The Unknown Rebel" CAM JAZZ alla testa di un tentetto, denominato The Unknown Rebel Band. Il giovane pianista umbro è al terzo album per l'etichetta romana, dopo "Indian Summer" e "The House Behind This One" incisi in quartetto.
Attualmente, oltre a suonare con i propri gruppi, collabora con ENRICO RAVA NEW QUINTET, ENRICO RAVA SPECIAL EDITION, FABRIZIO SFERRA TRIO, GIANLUCA PETRELLA COSMIC BAND, MAURO NEGRI QUARTET, LELLO PARETI BAND.
Il CD racconta in musica storie di straordinarie libertà, lo spirito di ribellione e giustizia che attraversa e muove i popoli.
E' un lungo viaggio dalla guerra di Liberazione (IL PARTIGIANO JOHNNY, PAISA', NAPOLI 27 - 30 SETTEMBRE 1943), alla Primavera di Praga (PRASKE' JARO), attraverso i desaparecidos argentini (GARAGE OLIMPO), alla legge Basaglia (180 -75), che sancì la fine della segregazione per migliaia di malati psichici, alle lotte anticolonialiste nel Sud del mondo (SONO SETU UBUMNYAMA, QUEIMADA), al genocidio dei pellirossa (WOUNDED KNEE), alla rivoluzione in Messico (TIERRA Y LIBERTAD), alla guerra civile spagnola del '39 (GUERNICA) alla rivolta di Piazza Tien an Men - da qui la denominazione "The Unknown Rebel" dalla foto di quel ribelle sconosciuto in camicia bianca davanti ai carri armati, entrata nell'immaginario collettivo con una delle immagini più note e potenti della storia moderna.
Con Giovanni al pianoforte ci saranno Mauro Ottolini (trombone), Mirko Rubegni, Fulvio Sigurtà (tromba), Dan Kinzelman (sax tenore), che ha curato anche gli arrangiamenti, Daniele Tittarelli (sax alto), David Brutti (sax basso), Francesco Ponticelli (contrabbasso), Joao Lobo (batteria), Michele Rabbia (percussioni).
Enrico Rava - Stefano Bollani - New York Days
A new transatlantic quintet headed by Italian trumpeter Rava, recorded in New York in 2008 and a first ECM appearance for US tenorist Mark Turner, whose distilled, lean sound references Coltrane, Warne Marsh, Wayne Shorter and others. Turner’s searching, analytical tone is in marked contrast to Enrico’s lyrical flourishes, but the two make a fascinating pairing - especially with the resolutely musical pianist Stefano Bollani finding points of contact, and making his own statements. Add in the gifted bassist Larry Grenadier (last heard on ECM with Charles Lloyd) and that most unpredictable of all drummers, Paul Motian, and you have here a truly remarkable band.
Enrico Rava
New York Days
Enrico Rava trumpet
Stefano Bollani piano
Mark Turner tenor saxophone
Larry Grenadier double-bass
Paul Motian drums
Lulù
Improvisation I
Outsider
Certi Angoli Segreti
Interiors
Thank You, Come Again
Count Dracula
Luna Urbana
Improvisation II
Lady Orlando
Blancasnow
Ian Hunter ( Mott TheHoople ) - Man Overboard
With Mott the Hoople, Ian Hunter quickly established himself as an incredibly inventive songwriter with his gritty and thought provoking songs which paved the way for the original wave of punk rock. The 1972 David Bowie produced breakthrough album All The Young Dudes catapulted the band into the British Top 10 and the American Top 40. Additionally, the band was the first act to ever sell out a week of Broadway concerts in New York City. Ian Hunter’s autobiography, Diary Of A Rock and Roll Star, written during the band’s 1972 US Tour and published in 1974, was also acclaimed by Q Magazine as “the greatest music book ever written.” The original Mott The Hoople lineup of Ian Hunter, Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Dale Griffin and Overend Watts have announced five 40th anniversary reunion shows at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on October 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th.
As a solo artist, Mr. Hunter has been responsible for instantly recognizable classics as “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” “Cleveland Rocks” (which went on to be the theme song for ABC’s hit series The Drew Carey Show), and many, many more. Both Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople have been cited as major inspirations for numerous artists including The Clash, Kiss, R.E.M., Oasis, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Motley Crue, Blur and Primal Scream among others. Hunter’s influence on modern rock and roll music has been immeasurable, with over 150 different cover versions of his songs.
Man Overboard is Ian Hunter’s 13th solo album since his eponymous debut in 1975. Recorded in late 2008 in Pawling, NY, the 11-song set is a stunning follow up to the overwhelmingly critically acclaimed Shrunken Heads album. Man Overboard was produced by Andy York (veteran guitarist for John Mellencamp) and Ian Hunter and features a backing band of superstar talent comprised of Steve Holley on drums and percussion (Wings, Joe Cocker), Paul Page on bass (Dion), Jack Petruzzelli on electric guitar (Rufus Wainwright, Joan Osbourne), James Mastro on electric guitar (Patti Smith, John Cale), Andy Burton on piano and organ (The Db’s) and Producer Andy York on guitar and backing vocals. Many of the band members are returning from the Shrunken Heads sessions. Regarding Man Overboard, Ian Hunter stated, “When we did Shrunken Heads, I felt like we had a good thing going so I wanted to revisit the experience before anything changed, and that’s what we did.”
Ian Hunter has worked with many musical legends such as the members of Queen, David Bowie, Mick Jones of The Clash, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Mick Ronson and Ringo Starr’s All Star Band.
Rokia Traore' Tchamantche' cd and LP
It all started with a sound inside Rokia Traore's head. The most adventurous singer-songwriter in Africa knew that she wanted to create a new musical style that was "more modern, but still African, something more blues and rock than my folk guitar". Then she heard an old Gretsch, the classic electric guitar so beloved by American rockabilly bands back in the Fifties and Sixties, and played by everyone from Chet Atkins to George Harrison. That was the sound she had been looking for, and it has helped to bring a fresh and startling new dimension to her exquisite and adventurous songs.
This may be an African album, but it sounds nothing like most 'world music' records, and has little in common with work of Rokia's great Malian compatriots like Salif Keita or Oumou Sangare "who are amazing – but I'm not a Malian traditional singer". It will appeal to blues fans, though it's not just a blues album, and it will appeal to fans to sophisticated contemporary rock, though Rokia's always thoughtful and intriguing lyrics are mostly sung in Bambara, one of the Malian languages, with just two in French. "I can't say what style I am", she admitted. "But I just love music".
The result is an album that constantly surprises. The only track not written by Rokia is a startling re-working of the Billie Holiday classic The Man I Love, which starts as a slow, bluesy track in which Rokia demonstrates her delicately brooding, intimate vocals (in English), and then speeds up to develop into an extraordinary African scat work-out. The backing includes both Gretsch guitar and the n'goni, the tiny, harsh-edged West African lute that has always been an integral part of her sound.
Elsewhere, many of the songs are built around laid-back, sturdy and slinky grooves, and Rokia sings with a new maturity, range and quiet confidence. The backing is often sparse, but always original, with sections where another classic guitar, the Silvertone, is matched against subtle percussion effects provided by human beat box and hip hop star, Sly Johnson, or where the n'goni is played alongside the Western classical harp.
Rokia has made dramatic changes to her music, for she no longer uses the African xylophone, the balafon, and has brought in a Western rhythm section, as well as a European production team (the recordings were mixed by Phill Brown, who has worked with Robert Plant, Robert Palmer and Bob Marley). But Rokia insists this is still an African album "because music depends on the person making it, and I am an African. But I'm from a new generation, with a new way of seeing Africa and our music". Always known for her outspoken lyrics, she tackles the problem of illegal immigration from Africa to Europe in the compelling Tounka, and reminds Malians that they should be proud of the glories of their past, in the intimate but gloriously stirring, guitar-backed Dounia. Then, in complete contrast, there's the personal and rhythmic Zen, a song about having the courage to do nothing, the dark-edged, mature and thoughtful Dianfa, or the infectiously cheerful and rhythmic Yorodjan, written in praise of African street parties.
It's an album that will win Rokia yet more supporters, and raise a few eyebrows, but this dramatic change in musical direction is quite in keeping with her always adventurous career. The daughter of a Malian diplomat who was posted to the USA, Europe and the Middle East, she studied in Brussels and worked in a rap band, before deciding to go back to Mali to create the music she wanted, which was to be "not pop, not jazz, not classical but something contemporary with traditional instruments". It wasn't easy. She survived by washing dishes, cooking in a restaurant and working as a housekeeper, as she tried to find musicians who would go along with her ideas of writing new songs that would be backed by her own acoustic guitar, the n'goni and the balafon. When she did become a success, it was not in Mali but back in Europe, where she was hailed as the 'African Discovery of 1997' after performing at the Anglouleme Festival in France. Recording contracts and international tours would follow, as Rokia continued to develop her musical ideas, delight audiences around the world and upset the more conservative world music devotees.
Her last album Bowmboi, released in 2003, included experimental collaborations with the American string ensemble, the Kronos Quartet, while in 2005 she was invited to join a star cast that included Fontella Bass and Dianne Reeves in touring the US with the Billie and Me project, celebrating the life of Billie Holiday. It was here that she first sang The Man I Love, in a powerful duet with Reeves.
That song would be revived once again last year, when Rokia was involved in another experimental project, writing and performing a new work for the New Crowned Hope festival that was staged by the maverick director Peter Sellars, with shows in both Vienna and London to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birthday. She responded, in typically brave fashion, by transforming the whole idea by presenting a work in which Mozart was born as a griot, a hereditary musician, back in the time of the great Thirteenth century ruler Soundiata Keita, whose Mande empire was centred in what is now Mali.
The music involved anything from West African instruments to guitar and bass, violin and clarinet.
Now, at last, there's a new album that marks the latest stage in a career that has transformed Western conceptions of African music. "I wanted a new beginning", Rokia explained. "As if I was someone just starting their career. I love new experiments and trying to do things differently. I wanted to take that Gretsch sound and do everything in a different way".
The result is surely one of the albums of the year.
Robin Denselow
London, February 2008
Duke Robillard - Stomp
“This project is a true trip back in time for me. Many of the tunes in this CD go back to my earliest day as the leader of Roomful of Blues. It was this music that inspired me to add horns to the band and try and reproduce the authentic sound of the early Rhythm and Blues of the mid to late 1940s and 50s. Musicians and singers like Louis Jordan, T-Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Roy Milton and Charles Brown were at the forefront of a new music that fused the blues with the rhythm and horn sound of the swing era with the infectious beat of boogie woogie. It is this decade, 1945 to 1955 that made such an impression on me as a young man and inspired me to form the horn driven version of Roomful of Blues in the early 1970s. A group that is still touring and recording today after 40 some years! I have been fortunate to have a wealth of great players over the years in my bands and on my recordings. Some Duke Robillard Band alumni and some Roomful alumni also. So this CD is really a reunion of sorts between players and tunes.” DUKE ROBILLARD
Anyone who's listened to Robillard over the years knows he's at home with this material -- where blues and R&B gave birth to early rock 'n' roll. On Stomp! the guitarist gives the horns plenty of solo time but dishes out plenty of licks himself. Stomp the Blues Tonight! is Duke's Blues masterpiece featuring 16 tracks of rockin', jumpin' and swinging blues featuring Duke with Doug James, Sunny Crownover, Bruce Bears, Rich Lataille, Al Basile,Carl Querfurth, Marty Ballou, Jon Ross and Mark Teixeira.
Resonance Big Band Plays Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson's 60-year career has spawned an enormous fan base, but this is the first significant tribute to this jazz giant. Features new arrangements of many classic recordings, and introduces piano sensation Marian Petrescu with an all-star "Dream Team" 18-piece big band. Includes "behind the scenes" minidocumentary on DVD.
Piano: Marian Petrescu
Guitar: Andreas Öberg
Bass: David Stone
Drums: Joe La Barbera
Reeds/Flutes: Bob Sheppard, Steve Wilkerson, Brian Scanlon, Keith Fiddmont, Tom Peterson
Trumpets/Flugelhorns: Willie Murillo, Larry Lunetta, Bob Summers, Larry Hall
Trombones: Andy Martin, Bob McChesney, Wendell Kelly, Bill Reichenbach
Tuba: Bill Reichenbach
Cabasa on "Sally's Tomato": Pierre Paul
Arranger/Conductors: Bill Cunliffe, Kuno Schmid, Claus Ogerman
String Quartet (Little Girl Blue, Greensleeves): Peter Kent, Giovanna Clayton, Belinda Broughton, Jessica Van Velzen
Piano: Fazioli Grand F-212
Cyril Neville - Brand New Blues
“Brand New Blues” marks the first Cyril’s Neville release in eight years. Half the songs on Brand New Blues are original material co-written by Cyril. The new release churns up a lifetime of musical influences & passions; blues, funk and soul. Producer/musician Brian J of The Pimps of Joytime is at the helm of most production chores by playing most of the instruments to recording and writing with Cyril. A barrage of support appears on the record from family and friends who help Cyril achieve his vision of what is “Brand New Blues.” Guest appearances include brother and fellow Meter Art Neville (Organ) Ivan Neville (Organ), Ian Neville (Guitar), Tab Benoit (Guitar), Waylon Thibodeaux (Washboard) and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone on harmonica The sessions were recorded in Brooklyn NY, Austin TX, Houma LA & New Orleans LA.
One of the four Neville Brothers, Cyril Neville was the youngest, born on January 10, 1948, in New Orleans, LA. Cyril picked up his love of music from his parents and his older brothers at an early age, but it wasn't until 1967 (at the age of 19) that Cyril began singing professionally, as he united with brothers Art and Aaron in the outfit Art Neville and the Neville Sounds, playing the New Orleans club circuit on a regular basis. Cyril and Aaron eventually left the group, forming another outfit, Soul Machine, shortly thereafter. 1970 saw the release of Cyril's debut solo single, "Gossip" b/w "Tell Me What's On Your Mind," which included backing music by brother Art's new outfit, the Meters. Soul Machine relocated to Nashville, then New York, but both moves failed to help put the group over the top. It just so happened at this time that the Meters were looking to expand their lineup, and asked Cyril to join in on vocals and congas — contributing to such albums as 1972's Cabbage Alley and 1975's Fire on the Bayou, In 74, the Rolling Stones offered The Meters a support slot on the bands sold out tour if they would hire Cyril Neville to sing and front the band. His work as a human rights advocate does not stray far from his art. The joys as well as the complications and frustrations of growing up in the oppressed South can be heard through-out his catalog as a solo Artist as well as his work with his brothers – The Neville Brothers
Just as the Meters splintered in 1976, Cyril became enraptured with reggae music (thanks to Bob Marley's landmark Natty Dread album), as all four Neville siblings formed the Neville Brothers group, issuing numerous subsequent recordings. In addition to his work with the Neville Brothers, Cyril has formed other bands over the years, including the Endangered Species Band in 1983 and the Uptown Allstars Band, while he also found time to launch his own record label, Endangered Species. Cyril also founded the New Orleans Musicians Organized (NOMO), which helps musicians who need business advice with their careers. Cyril Neville has issued several solo albums on his own over the years, including 1995's The Fire This Time, and a pair in 2000, New Orleans Cookin' and Soulo. Plus he has guested on various other artist's recordings over the years, including albums by Edie Brickell, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson, Tab Benoit, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux among others.
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - Monday Night Live At Village Vanguad
On February 12, 1966, John Wilson wrote in The New York Times:
One band that is not likely to leave New York is The Jazz Band, an 18-piece group led by Thad Jones, a former Count Basie trumpeter, and Mel Lewis, a drummer who has served with Woody Herman, Stan (Kenton) and Benny Goodman…This all-star band (it includes Bob Brookmeyer, Hank Jones, Richard Davis, Snooky Young and Jerome Richardson, among others) ripped through Thad Jones’ provocative, down-to-earth arrangements with the surging joy that one remembers in the early Basie band or Woody Herman’s first Herd. Those were young bands whose skills sometimes could not keep up with their desires. But these are old pros, having a wonderful time and rising to each other’s challenges, even to such adventures as three-part improvisation…
What was obvious to everyone present at the Vanguard on the night of February 7, 1966 was that an exceptional ensemble had been born. What no one could have predicted was that the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra would become one of the most acclaimed and innovative big bands in jazz history, that it would tour extensively throughout three continents, and that its offspring, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, would still be in residence on Monday nights twenty-eight years later.
Bill Kirchner - February, 1994
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For over four decades the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra has been committed to engaging audiences in jazz and related American music experiences. The orchestra serves as a creative outlet for some of the nation's foremost performers, composers, and arrangers. One of the driving forces behind the longevity and artistic excellence of this ensemble is a commitment to the original Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra precepts of sound and the nurturing and encouragement of creativity and experimentation in the creators, performers and listeners of jazz.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sixteen as One Music Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), was created by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra to promote the development and growth of jazz music through education and community outreach programs. The goals of this endeavor are: To provide world-wide performances, workshops, lectures and symposia about jazz and related musical genres; To commission new arrangements and original compositions for jazz orchestra; To document historical and innovative projects through audio and video recordings; To initiate partnerships and collaborations with cultural, education and corporate institutions; To help build and sustain an international jazz audience; To foster and promote jazz education in schools and under-served communities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
History of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is the current title for a band that began life as the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966 and has performed continuously ever since.
The story is familiar but bears repeating that in 1966 cornetist, composer, arranger, Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis founded a band in New York. Having settled in New York after leaving their respective touring jobs with Basie and Kenton, Thad and Mel along with many of their colleagues needed an outlet for their creative energies and relief from the tedium of the studio work. With a handful of arrangements they approached legendary club owner Max Gordon and were booked at the Village Vanguard for 3 Mondays in February. Critical acclaim, awards and international success followed but in 1979, tired of frequent traveling and the economic uncertainty that even great jazz musicians endure in America, Thad left the band to accept leadership of the Danish Radio Orchestra in Copenhagen.
Mel decided to continue the band now billed as Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra and enlisted the talents of his old friend and former band member Bob Brookmeyer who, miraculously was just returning to active playing and composing in New York. The band not only survived but with Brookmeyer’s writing continued the innovation and influence that Thad and Mel had began. Bob moved on to other projects and ultimately also settled in Europe, the new material coming from within the band now. In 1990 the band would endure a terrible blow when Mel Lewis died after a 5 year battle with cancer. For the members, all of whom had been there 5 years and several over 10, losing Mel was a deep family tragedy, for great bands invariably become families. They are also teams; and in this spirit decided to continue the band as a cooperative effort. ( When asked who was "fronting" the band one of the veterans was heard snapping "...the music".)
So three weeks have become a permanent gig spanning over three decades and another name change to; the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Several of the current key members played for Thad, so the original precepts of sound and swinging are proudly held and displayed while the other original precepts of creativity and experimentation are nurtured and encouraged. The Village Vanguard is still a great place to be on a Monday night no matter which side of the bandstand you’re on.
Ricordiamo che il cd
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra - Monday Night Live
The Music
SET 1 – DISC 1 1. Mean What You Say: 8:49 2. Say It Softly: 6:51 3. St. Louis Blues: 15:50 4. Body and Soul: 7:09 5. Mornin’ Reverend: 5:00
SET 2 – DISC 2 1. Las Cucarachas Entran: 10:07 2. Willow Tree: 7:06 3. Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing: 4:08 4. Kids Are Pretty People: 8:57 5. The Waltz You Swang For Me: 5:57 6. Little Rascal on a Rock: 12:09
The Band
Trumpets: Nick Marchione (lead), Frank Greene (associate lead), Terell Stafford, Scott Wendholt Trombones: John Mosca (lead), Luis Bonilla, Jason Jackson, Douglas Purviance (bass trombone) Reeds: Dick Oatts (lead alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, piccolo), Billy Drewes (alto and soprano saxophones, flute, clarinet), Rich Perry (tenor saxophone, flute), Ralph LaLama (tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute), Gary Smulyan (baritone saxophone) Rhythm Section: Jim McNeely–piano, John Riley–drums, Phil Palombi–Bass Michael Weiss, piano on Mean What You Say, St. Louis Blues, Mornin’ Reverend, Kids Are Pretty People, The Waltz You Swang For Me John Clark, french horn on Las Cucarachas Entran