Oct 31, 2018
Vinny Pagano replaces Marty Richards on drums
Debra Mann Quintet
Record release concert
Full Circle
The Music of Joni Mitchell
celebrating Joni Mitchell’s 75 birthday
November 16, 2018
8p Chan’s, 267 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI
401.765.1900
featuring Debra Mann, keys and vocals; Dino Govoni, saxophone; Jay Azzolina, guitar; Dave Zinno, acoustic bass; Vinny Pagano, drums
Oct 27, 2018
PLEASE CONSIDER THESE ARTISTS IF AND WHEN YOU VOTE.
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DAVE ZINNO
River of January
- Improvised Jazz Solo
- Instrumental Composition
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ERIC WYATT
Look to the Sky
- Improvised Jazz Solo
- Jazz Instrumental Album
- Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
- Instrumental Composition
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DORI RUBBICCO, JOHN HARRISON QUINTET
Stage Door Live!
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BENITO GONZALEZ, GERRY GIBBS, ESSIET OKON ESSET
Passion Reverence Transcendence
- Improvised Jazz Solo
- Jazz Instrumental Album
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JAY RODRIGUEZ
Your Sound
- Instrumental Composition
- Contemporary Instrumental Album
- Jazz Instrumental Album
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DINO GOVONI
The Circle Game
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FRED FARELL, DAVE LIEBMAN, RICHIE BEIRACH
Distant Song
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MONIKA HERZIG
SHEROES
- Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
- Jazz Instrumental Album
- Instrumental Composition
- Improvised Jazz Solo
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DANNY BACHER
Still Happy
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Oct 25, 2018
Whaling City Sound has had at least one release on the JazzWeek chart for over 52 consecutive weeks.
#30 Monika Herzig SHEROES, peaked at 6, 25 weeks
#46 Benito Gonzalez, Gerry Gibbs, Essiet Essiet Passion Reverence Transcendence, peaked at 8, 23 weeks
#69 Jay Rodriguez, Your Sound, peaked at 9, 25 weeks
#74 Eric Wyatt, Look to the Sky, peaked at 16, 24 weeks
October 26: watch for new CLASSICAL release, Telemann Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord Dorian Komanoff Bandy, Paul Cienniwa. Telemann (1681-1767) was one of music’s great mavericks: an aesthete with a restless mind and cosmopolitan tastes. During his nearly seven-decade career, he sampled every conceivable genre, idiom, and national style, and incorporated a dizzying number of them into his music. The violin sonatas on this disc are so wide-ranging in both idiom and expression that, heard together, they constitute a microcosm of Telemann’s art. Where many performances of these works include cello, Dorian Komanoff Bandy and Paul Cienniwa perform them in their original form, as duos that highlight the textural and expressive capacities of each instrument. The disc also includes the first-ever recording of one of Telemann’s early violin sonatas, a work he never published and whose manuscript is signed George Melante (a nearly anagrammatic pseudonym). These seven works are among the most adventurous, daring, and extraordinary in Telemann’s entire output.
Danny Bacher/Still Happy It’s evident from the get-go that Danny Bacher is an ascendant star. His humor, his delivery, his talent, his joie de vivre appear instantly and plentifully on his new album Still Happy, a rather odd title, considering he’s just arrived on the scene and that he’s, well, pretty happy already, it seems. Bacher honed his chops in the New York City jazz world, and he brings with him the confidence of someone who’s weathered the storm and is now better for it. His performance on the new album is seasoned and all-pro, a mix of youthful vigor and finger-popping vet. He bounces from oldies and goodies to classic takes on the Great American Songbook, all the while infusing them with dazzle and style. Produced by Jeff Levenson, the session features top talent, including Allen Farnham on piano, Dean Johnson on bass, Alvester Garnett on drums, Rolando Morales-Matos on percussion, and horn players Charles Caranicas and Harry Allen. Surrounded by quality, Bacher’s voice and soprano sax truly rise to the occasion, especially on the predominantly upbeat material, like “Laughing at Life,” Bernstein’s “Lucky to Be Me,” “Hooray for Hollywood” and the title track. Bacher is always at home on the stage and presents his case with elegance and class, not to mention a little laughter.
#46 JazzWeek Debra Mann/Full Circle; The music of Joni Mitchell Watching Joni Mitchell morph from acoustic chanteuse to sophisticated interpreter of jazz, accompanied by geniuses like Pastorius, Shorter, Metheny and Brecker, among others, truly floored Debra Mann. The piano/voice teacher (Brown University and Wheaton College), and Berklee grad seized on the idea of taking Mitchell’s material further into jazz and began trying it out at clubs. It captivated her audiences in the same way it did Mann herself. “Joni’s lyrics, combined with her gorgeous melodies, carried on the wind of her unique voice, struck deep chords of feeling within me, and helped to frame that world with colors and sounds and meaning that I could understand and relate to.” “Full Circle” reflects on a lifetime of admiration for an artist who has been uncompromising in her approach to music and in writing, and this on the occasion of Mitchell turning 75 years old this year. “Not only is it really incredible material to work from,” says Mann, “it amazes me how universal Joni’s music is and how so many people respond to it.” On Full Circle, Mann and her sidemen — saxophonist Dino Govoni, guitarist Jay Azzolina, bassist Dave Zinno and drummer Marty Richards — reimagine some of Mitchell’s most popular tunes, holding onto the timeless melodies while overlaying it with an irrepressible swing feel, especially on songs like “Black Crow,” “Big Yellow Taxi” (from 1970’s Ladies of the Canyon) and the haunting “Blue,” the title track from her epic 1971 disc rendered in bossa nova style. “I’ve tried to keep it very recognizable by not changing it up so much, but still putting a jazz lens on it.” For Mann, that’s mission accomplished.
Oct 11, 2018
For 50 years, Fred Farell has made a name for himself singing jazz in traditional styles. His latest album, “Distant Song” is an example of one man using his well-tuned instrument for expressive purposes.
Farell’s career has included work as a soloist and ensemble singer. He has performed in places such as Avery Fisher Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Museum of Modern Art. Farell’s career has been built on the strength of his ability to interpret songs and to imbue them with his heartfelt lyricism.
Listening to Farell is like stepping back in time, to mid-20th century America, when jazz and romance were popular. His soundscapes are like odes to love with a side of urbanity. With a total running time of almost one hour spread out among 10 songs, Farell’s “Distant Song” provides enough soothing sounds for listeners to lose themselves and to ponder the human condition as told through the songs the singer crafts.
Farell is joined by Dave Liebman on soprano and tenor saxophones, and Richie Beirach on acoustic piano.
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