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Stories for April 22, 2021



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    Art of Time Ensemble - Ain't Got Long is a wondrous, honest and deeply respectful undertaking / THE ALTERNATE ROOT
     
    Posted At : April 22, 2021 7:09 AM

    THE ALTERNATE ROOT's Chris Wheatley writes.....Something a little special to brighten up your Spring here. It's fair to say that, when it comes to Classical outfits covering Popular music, fans from both sides approach with caution. The results, when they work, can be brilliant (see Trevor Horn's ‘Trevor Horn Reimagines the Eighties'). Caution, however, is warranted. Such projects can all too easily come off as condescending, and all too often leave the resultant songs stranded deep in no-man's land, stripped of the spirit which inhabited the originals and devoid of the sublime feelings aroused by the best Chamber Music. I can assure you that Canada's celebrated Art of Time Ensemble are far too earnest to fall into that trap. If the worth of an album can be told by the talents of its contributors, then Ain't Got Long fully measures up. The gifted musicians who make up the Art of Time Ensemble, led by pianist Andrew Burashko, with arrangements by Jonathan Goldsmith, are joined here by an impressive cast of guest singers comprising of Madeleine Peyroux, Gregory Hoskins, Jessica Mitchell and Sarah Slean. The impetus behind the album was a desire to reinterpret a wide variety of songs which ‘qualify as standards in anyone's 21st-century appreciation of music'. With entries ranging from Robert Johnson to Radiohead, it's a bold ambition indeed. Ain't Got Long is a wondrous, honest and deeply respectful undertaking, which celebrates some of the best which "popular" music has to offer. READ THE FULL ALTERNATE ROOT REVIEW

  • Todd Mosby discusses 'Aerial Views' with Harmonious World Podcast
     
    Posted At : April 21, 2021 4:00 PM

    Acclaimed guitarist Todd Mosby joins me for the latest episode of Harmonious World. We all need perspective right now, and there's a lot of that in Todd's latest album - Aerial Views . Todd's comment about creating music that musicians will love to perform on is very apt and I finish with Aether, one of my favourite tracks of 2021. Harmonious World Podcast gives many thanks to Todd for allowing me to feature clips from Aerial Views  alongside our conversation. LISTEN

  • Shabaka Hutchings is cover feature on DOWNBEAT - May issue
     
    Posted At : April 21, 2021 12:00 AM

    Over the last half decade, Shabaka Hutchings has established himself as a central figure in the London jazz scene, which is enjoying its greatest creative renaissance since the breakthroughs of Joe Harriott and Evan Parker in the 1960s. Hutchings has a restlessly creative and refreshingly open-minded spirit, playing in a variety of groups-most notably, Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and Shabaka & the Ancestors-and embracing influences from the sounds of London's diverse club culture, including house, grime, jungle, and dub. "The common theme in my career as a jazz musician has been wondering if what I'm doing is the thing that I should be doing," says Hutchings, who studied classical clarinet at college at London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama. "Me learning about jazz, how to play and interpret, was always a case of just trial and error. I think where I've come to recently is I've stopped trying to think ‘Is what I'm doing valid? or ‘Is what I'm doing part of the jazz tradition?' and just see myself as a musician." Hutchings is featured on the cover of the May issue of Downbeat. SEE COVER IMAGE

  • Whatever Art Of Time Ensemble's 'Ain't Got Long' is, Skope Magazine can't get enough
     
    Posted At : April 18, 2021 12:00 AM

    Skope's Sasha Lauryn writes....."A world in which people seek the uncertainties, and possibilities, of art" is the vision of one of the most innovative ensembles to be gracing the popular music landscape right now. With the recent release of their latest album, it's undeniable that Art Of Time Ensemble is bringing that vision to life. Led by the artistic direction and vision of Andrew Burashko together with arrangements by Jonathan Goldsmith who reinterpreted a wide array of songs that qualify as standards. Goldsmith stays faithful to the original melodies and form and then pushes the boundaries as far as possible in every conceivable way. After immersing myself in the deeply sensory sonic landscapes, mesmerizing motifs and hypnotic storytelling that their recent album ‘Ain't Got Long' boasts, I can say with certainty they do just that. The Canada based collective have been breaking archaic genre boundaries since 1998, as their eclectic mix of musicians has attracted captivated crowds on multiple tours. Honestly, I'm just waiting for them to announce their next road trip. This album features the phenomenal pipes of Madeleine Peyroux, Gregory Hoskins, Jessica Mitchell and Sarah Slean. Perhaps it's Andrew's perfect pairings of soundscape with singer or the astounding arrangements of the songs themselves that sets this album apart from anything I've experienced.

    Whatever it is, I can't get enough. READ THE FULL Skope Magazine REVIEW

  • The Catalyst Quartet Uncovers Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and is the 90.1WRTI: Classical Album of the Week
     
    Posted At : April 19, 2021 12:00 AM

    WRTI's SUSAN LEWIS writes......The Catalyst Quartet uncovers music and the stories of the people who wrote it in its new recording series UNCOVERED. The first volume focuses on music by late 19th-century English composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. The Catalyst Quartet, founded in 2010 by the Sphinx Organization, aims to "reimagine" the classical music experience. "Sometimes classical music is presented like a museum piece," says violist Paul Laraia. "We want to make sure everything we do has relevance to today," and so the ensemble's programs reach out to a diverse audience, with diverse repertoire. This new project, Uncovered, featuring music of composers who have been overlooked because of race or gender, begins with an album of music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black English composer born in the late 19th century, the child of an English mother and an African father from Sierra Leone. Ironically, Coleridge-Taylor, who was born in 1875 and died suddenly at the age of 37, was acclaimed during his short lifetime.  Raised in England, he started violin at 5, joined the Royal College of Music at 15, and at 23, had a triumphant premiere of his cantata, Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, set to the poetry of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He toured the U.S., where he visited The White House at the invitation of President Teddy Roosevelt. He was so successful, the story goes, that New York musicians in the early 1900s began referring to him as "The Black Mahler;" others are said to have called him "The Black Dvorak."  And while Hiawatha's Wedding Feast remains familiar to many choral ensembles and you may recognize his melodies such as Deep River, much of his over 80 compositions, including operas, ballet music, songs, a symphony, violin concerto and chamber music are unknown today.   Volume 1: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor includes one quartet, and two quintets, one featuring pianist Stewart Goodyear, and one with clarinetist Anthony McGill. LISTEN & WATCH THE 90.1WRTI: Philadelphia INTERVIEW

  • It's 'The Joe Lovano Show' on 'SOMETHING came from Baltimore'
     
    Posted At : April 18, 2021 12:00 AM

    'SOMETHING came from Baltimore's' Thom Gouker......Yeah!  This was a big thrill for me.  I was nervous interviewing one of my favorite artists of all time, Joe Lovano, so I decided to ask him 20 goofy questions to see how he handled them.  He easily accepted the challenge and spun junk questions into gold. It's very impressive and that it why I suggest that you check out the Youtube interview, we chatted for 1 1/2 and must of it make it to tape. "Garden of Expression" is the sent album with the trio Lovano/Crispell/Castaldi, the first was the 2018 release "Seeds of Change" Do we have to explain who Joe Lovano is?????  This is copied from Wiki. Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952) is an American jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. He has earned a Grammy Award and several mentions on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls. He is married to jazz singer Judi Silvano with whom he records and performs. Lovano was a longtime member of a trio led by drummer Paul Motian. LISTEN

  • Catalyst Quartet is on a mission with UNCOVERED Vol. 1 / LIMELIGHT Magazine - Recording of the Month
     
    Posted At : April 18, 2021 12:00 AM

    LIMELIGHT Magazine's Clive Paget writes......Superlative soloists and compelling chamber music from a quartet on a mission. One of the revolutions set in progress by last year's Black Lives Matter protests has been the refocusing of the classical music industry's attention of composers of colour, many of them historical figures formerly the preserve of the curious collector and rarely programmed live. New York-based Catalyst Quartet was founded in 2010 by the Sphinx Organization, an outstanding Detroit-based social justice organisation dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. The ensemble (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) build programs and projects accordingly and this excellent release of music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is the first in a projected series of "Uncovered" CDs focussing on composers overlooked because of race and/or gender (others releases will include music by Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, William Grant Still, Florence B. Price, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and George Walker). CLICK HERE FOR THE LIMELIGHT PAGE

Top 10 for Apr

  • Vijay Iyer :

    Uneasy

     Uneasy, with Tyshawn Sorey and Linda May Han Oh, is Vijay Iyer's second trio album on ECM and his seventh appearance as a leader on the label.
  • Sons of Kemet :

    'Hustle' from Black To The Future

     Saxophonist, composer, philosopher and writer Shabaka Hutchings returns with a brand-new album from his Mercury Prize nominated outfit Sons of Kemet.
  • Dustin O'Halloran :

    Silfur

     Dustin O'Halloran's debut Deutsche Grammophon album, Silfur, explores the shifting perspective of music through time and place in new pieces and reimagined earlier works.
  • Eydís Evensen :

    Bylur

     Icelandic pianist and post-classical composer Eydís Evensen has confirmed details of her debut album, BYLUR, which will be released on 23rd April, 2021 by XXIM Records, Sony's new imprint for innovative, post-genre instrumental music.
  • Moby :

    'Porcelain' from Reprise feat. Jim James

     Musical pioneer Moby announces his new album Reprise, out May 28th on Deutsche Grammophon.
  • Jacob Muhlrad :

    Time w/Swedish Radio Choir

     Those who peep through the window of Jacob Mühlrad's studio in Stockholm will see the composer busy behind his computer screen, perhaps blasting some Drake or FKA Twigs as he works on his own music.
  • Anoushka Shankar :

    'Sister Susannah' from Love Letters P.S.

     Seven-time Grammy® Award-nominated sitarist, composer and producer Anoushka Shankar announces a stunning new digital release Love Letters P.
  • Jon Batiste :

    We Are

     WE ARE represents a completely new sonic chapter for Jon Batiste.
  • Clark :

    Playground in a Lake

     On 26 March 2021 the ambitiously multifaceted musician/composer Clark presents his chillingly affecting ninth studio album Playground In A Lake, on which he broadens horizons and tries new things, with profound results.
  • Joey Alexander :

    SALT

     Three-time GRAMMY Award-nominated pianist Joey Alexander follows his major-label debut album, WARNA (Verve Records), with three new singles "SALT" (March 19: LINK), "Under the Sun" (April 23), and "Summer Rising" (May 28) set for global release on Verve.

'Straight No Chaser' podcast is talking ballads and love songs with Laila Biali

Posted: February 16, 2021 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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Straight No Chaser Podcast

Straight No Chaser's jeffrey Siegel writes......For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to do something different. Most year's I post an hour plus of music appropriate for the holiday, allowing you to download and enjoy the uninterrupted jazz as you celebrate with your valentine.  This year I asked myself - what if instead, I asked someone else to come up with a play list? In fact, what if I asked a jazz musician to make a list, and zero in on a singer with an instrumental background as well.  

Enter Laila Biali.

Singer-songwriter and pianist Laila Biali has performed on prestigious stages from New York City's Carnegie Hall to Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts. Known for a vocal sound that covers many different shadings and genres, Ms. Biali has recently received a 2020 SOCAN Music Songwriting Award plus the 2019 JUNO (Canada's GRAMMY) for Vocal Jazz Album. She has also toured with pop icon, Sting, and currently hosts a national radio show on CBC Music.

Her list shows just how eclectic is her taste in music. The tunes she picked are:

"A Case of You" - Joni Mitchell

"Brought to My Senses" and "When We Dance" - Sting

"I Know You By Heart" - Eva Cassidy

"I Loves You, Porgy" - Keith Jarrett (solo piano version)

"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" - Lauryn Hill

"If Love is Overrated" - Gregory Porter

"In Your Eyes" - Peter Gabriel

"Vous êtes Mon Coeur (You Are My Heart)" - Gungor

"More Than Words" - Extreme

"All Is Full of Love" - Björk
 

So in Podcast 797 we discuss her selections, particularly the jazz tunes. You'll hear some of the tunes in the podcast, most notably her intimate acoustic cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," captured live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios. This heartfelt interpretation, created with Valentine's Day in mind, features George Koller on upright bass and Laila's husband Ben Wittman on djembe. 

LISTEN

Crossover Media Projects with Laila Biali

  • Laila Biali

    A Case of You - LIVE

    JUNO Award-winning artist, Laila Biali, graces us with her stunning Joni Michell cover of the classic love song, A Case Of You, just in time for Valentine's Day! Accompanying the track is a captivating video of the live performance captured live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios – inviting any listener into the moment with Biali. Watch the full video here.

    Arranged by Biali, and her husband, Ben Wittman, on djembe, alongside George Koller on upright bass, this heartfelt interpretation was created with Valentine's Day in mind. A Case Of You was featured earlier this week on CBC Metro Morning, giving listeners an exclusive first preview of the track ahead of its release today.

    "My first experience hearing Joni Mitchell's music was when I was still a music student at Humber College," shares Biali. "Hejira and Mingus were the obvious starting point for a Jazz novice as equally interested in the musicians accompanying Joni as in Joni herself. But then along came Blue. That was the one, the album that triggered a lifelong fascination with Joni and her songwriting. She made my heart ache with every feeling, love and loss in the same breath. No song captures that more for me than A Case of You. I think it's the ultimate Valentine's song because it can reach you no matter where you're at – whether you're in love, longing for it, or mourning it."

  • Laila Biali

    Silent Night

    JUNO-winning artist Laila Biali offers a stirring gospel-infused arrangement of Silent Night, featuring John Ellis on tenor sax. Biali grew up singing the classic carol in harmony with her sisters at candlelit Christmas Eve services year after year, and you can feel the emotion and nostalgia in her powerful delivery.

    Laila Biali – vocals, piano, arrangement
    John Ellis – tenor saxophone
    Glenn Patscha – B3 organ
    George Koller – bass
    Ben Wittman – drums

    Mixed and mastered by Ben Wittman
    Artwork by Halla Creative

  • Laila Biali

    Both Sides Now

    JUNO and SOCAN Music Award winner Laila Biali celebrates Canadian icon Joni Mitchell's birthday with an intimate cover of Mitchell's beloved song, "Both Sides Now." Biali's stripped down approach illuminates poignant lyrics that speak to the heart.

    Multi-award winning singer-songwriter and pianist Laila Biali has performed on prestigious stages from New York City's Carnegie Hall to Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts. Known for her signature sound that "masterfully mixes jazz and pop" (Washington Post), Biali has received top honors including a 2020 SOCAN Music Songwriting Award plus the 2019 JUNO (Canada's GRAMMY) for Vocal Jazz Album. She has also toured with pop icon, Sting, and hosts a national radio show on CBC Music.

  • Laila Biali

    Anthem

    Laila Biali is at it again, cooking up some fall/winter content including the release of Anthem by Leonard Cohen on Friday, Sept 18, just before Leonard's birthday Sept 21. Biali will record a special 'Quarantunes performance video' for the release.

    The 2019 JUNO-Award winner covers fellow Canadian and music icon; Leonard Cohen in 'Anthem,' a relevant song with a salient message for the times we find ourselves in: "Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that's where the light gets in." Leonard would have turned 86 on September 21, 2020.

    This single releases on the heels of Laila's highly-anticipated 2020 album release, Out of Dust, which came out on March 27 and features an expansive ensemble of instrumentalists and singers including GRAMMY Award winners and nominees Lisa Fischer, John Ellis, Larnell Lewis, and others.

  • Laila Biali

    Out Of Dust

    For nearly every major triumph-a highly acclaimed return to jazz, winning the JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, touring the world-the singer-songwriter has faced private debilitating crises. In just a few short years, Biali lost a close friend to cancer, mourned a family member's suicide, and was diagnosed with two auto-immune disorders that threatened to upend her career. It was a period of change and heartache-but it was also a season of great inspiration and hope. The result is Biali's deeply personal new album, Out of Dust.

    ALL PRESS SECURED BY LYDIA LIEBMAN