Bridget Kelly Band is an electric blues band that rocks the house with
their unique blend of hot smokin' blues. Their NEW CD “Forever in Blues”
was released this summer! (June of 2014). Forever in Blues was picked
by Hit-Tracks Top l00 - 26 TIPS FOR HIT-TRACKS TOP 100! Charlie Boyer
from JazzandBlues Magazine says, "The CD Gods have been very, very good
to us lately! The Bridget Kelly Band are going to put themselves on the
map with this one. Great tunes, production, and delivery - on every
single cut! And, no doubt about it... they are ALL the blues. See you at
the release party..." http://www.reverbnation.com/bridgetkellyband
Their CD “Back in the Blues”, released in March of 2013 (Alpha SunRecords),contained all original blues songs couched in styles that range
from Chicago and Memphis blues to Texas Blues. In live shows Bridget
Kelly Band plays originals, they also perform music of B.B. King, T.
Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Etta James, and Bonnie Raitt. The band’s
original compositions have been featured on WXJZ Smooth Jazz in
Gainesville ,FL(on Q-quincy’s Blues Show) as well as radio shows
throughout the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Italy, Germany, and France.
The group performs at a wide variety of music venues -- clubs, concerts,
and festivals across Florida; and has shared the stage with numerous
recording and touring blues artists including Albert Castiglia, Willie
Green, Jeff Jensen, Brandon Santini, Biscuit Miller, & Victor
Wainwright. Bridget Kelly – vocals, Tim Fik – guitar & vocals, Mike
Hamm – bass, Michael Barady – drums. Members of the band hail from
Gainesville, Florida and Palatka, Florida. Based out of North Florida,
the Bridget Kelly Band are members of the North-Central Florida Blues
Society.Bridget Kelly Band was chosen top 4 by the IBBA for August 2014.
The band’s music has been gaining International recognition, and is
regularly featured on Kevin Black's "Women in the Blues“ and "Black on
Blues" show (U.K.), Tony T.C. Corner’s “Blues Corner” radio show (U.K.),
and earned Best of 2013 CDs on John Hammer’s “Hammered by the Blues”
show. The group continues to perform at festivals and live entertainment
clubs/venues throughout the Southeast. The Bridget Kelly Band was
invited to perform at the Women in Blues Showcase for the International
Blues Competition last year and will perform this year in January, 2015.
Recent dates have included performances at the Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta
IBC,Vetfest and Bikefest (Thunder Music Park,Hampton, FL), St. John's
River Blues Festival, Florida's Azalea Festival, The High Dive
(Gainesville, FL) with Albert “The Kid” Castiglia, The Dirty Martini Bar
(Gainesville,FL), The Thomas Center (Gainesville, FL), Billy's Downtown
Blues Bar (Palatka, FL)with Victor Wainwright, Roberts Hall (Lynn
Haven, FL), Skipper's Smokehouse (Tampa, FL), Topsail Hill State Park's
"Red, White & Blues" Concert (Santa Rosa Beach, FL), Ellie Ray's
(Branford, FL), Bradfordville Blues Club (Tallahassee, FL), Florida Folk
Festival and Florida's Blue Crab Festival... just to name a few.
Bridget Kelly Band's "Back in the Blues" CD (2013) won the North Central
Florida Blues Society’s regional entrant into the IBC's Best
Independently Produced CD for 2013. Bridget Kelly was also featured in
the Women in the Blues Showcase at the IBC in Memphis, closing the show
at the fabled Center for Southern Folklore. Bridget Kelly and guitarist
Tim Fik were invited to sit in with Brandon Santini and Jeff Jensen and
his band at W.C. Handy's Blues Hall (Memphis, TN) the weekend of the IBC
(Jan. 2014). While attending the BMA’s (May 2014),Bridget performed at
Beale Street’s famous Rum Boogie Night Club, sitting in with Sonny Rock
and Tas Cru. BRIDGET KELLY BAND
Selected as Blues Harmonica Player of the Year by the Bay Blues Society
in 2004, Birdlegg has been blowing the blues in the Bay Area for over
20 years.Based on his deep belief in preserving the blues, one of the highlights
of Birdlegg's career was a project he did with Willie Dixon in bringing
teaching of blues to Oakland schools. Birdlegg continues to give
lessons in blues harmonica and mentors many young players.Birdlegg has appeared in many major venues, including the San Francisco
Blues Festival, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park and tours of
Europe.Birdlegg learned about music on his grandpop's back porch. The blues
grabbed hold of Bird then, and never let go. "All other forms of music, I
had to learn to love, but with the blues, there was no trying at all. I
just love it," he said.
He played his first gig with Massalah, then a blues icon in
Berkeley. He played with the much beloved Cool Poppa for 13 years. He
formed the first Tight Fit Blues Band in 1980, but it was another decade
before he felt he'd earned his rightful place next the bluesmen elders."Everything I am is wrapped up in music," he said. "I'm so fortunate to
have something no one can take from you. They can take your money, your
wife, your kids. But they still can't take the music. It's yours."ecently, Birdlegg moved to Texas. There he is fronting a new group of great musicians, known as the Texas Tightfit Bluesband.
Birdlegg continues to win over new fans every day by keeping the blues alive. BIRDLEGG
Deak Harp has been playing harmonica since he was 12 years old. His
biggest early inspiration came when his brother introduced him to the
music of James Cotton.Deak followed Cotton's band along the east coast for close to five years
before Cotton offered Deak a job driving his van. For the next six
years, Deak toured with the James Cotton blues band, eventually opening
acts and playing along with "Superharp" himself.Deak has since played with multiple bands and has shown his flexibility
as a musician in the varying styles of his performances. From the
classic blues standards, to Chicago blues, all the way to Mississippi
Hill Country blues, Deak's repertoire continues to grow.
Deak has spent time with the Deak Harp Band in its various forms
throughout the years, the Kilborn Alley Blues Band (including a tour of
London), and has played in states across the country.Deak
has traveled in recent years with Big City Rhythm and Blues magazine,
performing his innovative one-man show at festivals and events,
including the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise in the Caribbean and the
2013 SPAH convention, where Deak played in front of hundreds of fellow
harmonica players and was given a standing ovation by his audience.Deak gets his unique sound by playing an amplified harmonica while
simultaneously playing electric guitar or diddley bow, keeping rhythm
with a snare drum and a stomp box, and singing his own vocals. DEAK HARP
Ever
since bursting on the scene with his 1993
release The Nutcracker Suite,
Tim Sparks has captivated guitar fans with
some of the finest fingerstyle guitar
playing around. An artist who can be
difficult to categorize, Sparks’
albums and live performances have featured
classical, blues, jazz, folk, klezmer, and
other styles, and yet they all have a
common thread that makes them immediately
identifiable.Clearly, for Sparks the music
itself is more important than the genre it
may have originated in, and
Chasin’ the Boogie continues
this approach. Whether completely
re-imagining the Beatles’
“Blackbird,” creating a complex
guitar arrangement of Joni Mitchell’s
“Both Sides Now,” playing the
folk standards “Wayfaring
Stranger” and “I’ll Fly
Away,” or getting gritty on the
“Mississippi Blues,” Sparks
creates solo steel-string guitar magic
like only he can. Put simply,
Chasin’ the Boogie is guitar
music at its best. Even on songs that you
thought you knew, you’ll find
yourself hitting the “repeat”
button to make sure that what you just
heard really happened. Whether you’re
already a fan of solo guitar music or not,
give Chasin’ the Boogie a spin
and allow yourself to be taken along! TIM SPARKS
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Blues and Rock have met at many different crossroads since its inception
in the mid-60s. From Cream and Johnny Winter to Stevie Ray Vaughan and
Gov't Mule, these Blues Rock recipes are often boiled down to a simple
trio. Such is the melting pot of influences and presentation of Eclecto
Groove recording artists the Alastair Greene Band. Alastair formed his
first Blues Rock trio with former members of the legendary Southern
California band The Pontiax in 1997. The Alastair Greene Band (AGB) has
gone through several incarnations and line-ups over the years and has
included alumni of The Steve Miller Band, Paul Butterfield Band, and
Junior Wells Band. The AGB has also backed many blues artists in the
studio and on stage, including Delta Groove recording artists Mitch
Kashmar, Franck Goldwasser, as well as the incomparable James Harman.
Currently, the line-up has solidified with Alastair handling vocals and
guitar, Jim Rankin on bass and vocals, and Austin Beede on drums.
The AGB has opened shows and appeared on Blues festivals with artists
such as The Fabulous Thunderbirds, John Mayall & The Blues Breakers,
Tommy Castro, Lonnie Brooks, Michael Burks, Robin Trower, Jonny Lang,
and many more.
Alastair has released four studio records and one live record since
2002. His fifth studio record release, Trouble At Your Door (release
date June 17th, 2014 on Eclecto Groove Records) is sure to be his most
explosive recording thus far. The AGB combines a deep respect for
traditional forms and themes but adds a modern approach combined with a
classic rock sound.
Not only is Alastair a Blues Rock guitar slinging and singing front man,
but he has also served many years as a side man to some legendary
musicians. Currently, Alastair is the touring guitarist with Alan
Parsons and has been touring internationally with the English Pop
Progressive Rock veteran since 2010. After Alastair played on Parsons'
2004 release A Valid Path, Alan was quoted as saying, "Alastair should
be out playing guitar with the biggest bands in the world. I believe
it's just a matter of time." Heady praise indeed coming from the man who
engineered Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, served as second
engineer on the last two albums by The Beatles, and has also sold
millions of albums with his own Alan Parsons Project. When the guitar
slot for Parsons' band opened in 2010, Greene got the call. Alastair
has also appeared on albums by high profile artists such as drum legend
Aynsely Dunbar as well as Toad The Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips.
ALASTAIR GREENE BAND
Manchester trio GoGo Penguin are hotly tipped as the rising stars of
the UK Jazz scene. Featuring pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick
Blacka and drummer Rob Turner, GoGo Penguin are an exhilarating live
act, drawing on a heady brew of influences from Aphex Twin to Brian Eno,
Debussy to Shostakovich and Massive Attack to EST.
Their debut album Fanfares (Gondwana Records) has won rave reviews from the Guardian to BBC Music and support from the
likes of Mike Chadwick and Gilles Peterson and was nominated for best
jazz album at the World Wide Awards. It is the band’s unique ability to
synthesis and develop each others melodic and harmonic ideas while
drawing on music from classical to electronica that makes GoGo Penguin’s
music so enthralling and their debut album such a powerful opening
salvo from a powerful new voice in UK music. GOGO PENGUIN
Here’s what you ought to know about me. First off, I love songs. I love pop songs, folk songs, jazz, soul, and rock songs. I write whatever kind of song gets my point across most clearly. My point, usually, is about the miraculous, ridiculous, confusing joy of being alive.I love American pop music from every decade (Louis Armstrong to Beyonce), any folk music with guts (Nick Lowe, Patty Griffin), and just about anything that swings, grooves, or rocks (Billie Holiday, The Band, Donny Hathaway, Elvis Costello). Contenders for my favorite song of all time include "Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans?", "Suzanne", and "F**k You".I believe that music is magic, and everybody needs it. That’s why I give mine away.I live in a pink house in New Orleans. I’ve got two dogs and a studio out back called The Watermelon. I grew up on a defunct cattle farm in Luray, Virginia. At sixteen I fled the coop to Eugene, Oregon. I cut my musical teeth in Philadelphia. I’ve played shows in most of North America and Europe, and soon, Australia. I’ve toured with Paul Simon, The Wood Brothers, and The Weepies. I ran a crazy-successful Kickstarter campaign. I’m an unschooler, a sex blogger, and a Lindy Hopper. I find four-leaf-clovers.If I died, and somebody came up to me in the afterlife and said, “What were the best parts?”, I’d have to say songs, sex, creativity, raw oysters, bravery, small children, and the feeling you get when somebody is utterly in tune with you, like the same spirit is kissing both your faces. CARSIE BLANTON
Born in Ponferrada, northwest of Spain, studies Jazz Guitar at ESMAE
(Porto-Portugal) with teachers Nuno Ferreira, Michael Lauren, Abe
Rábade, Mario Santos, Carlos Azevedo among others. Previously he studies
with galician jazz guitarist Marcos Pin. Also with Paco CharlÃn for a
year and with teachers Manuel Gutiérrez, Javier Constenla and Suso
Atanes. Attends to several master classes and courses and have played in
festivals both in Spain and Portugal. Last year he toured with chilean
master, trumpeter Cristian Cuturrufo.When you have a big musical appetite and listen a lot, a gem like this
is immediately recognized. Highly original, great musicians and superb
recording.Favorite track: here´s the wheel that kills the will. GIO YANEZ
"Flautist Jef Kearns steps forward with a very appealing R&B/hip
hop/jazz release that packs a lot of intensity and soul-stirring
melodies throughout the album.
What you will find most pleasant is how Kearns weaves his flute into the
fabric of this very focused album. It floats, it sings, and it pushes
the melodies forward with muscle and charm."
The Smooth Jazz Ride
"When in 2009 I reviewed ‘On The Level’ from flautist Jef Kearns I
described it as dispelling the myth that flute players can’t do urban
jazz. In fact it was a hip, up to the minute, collection that oozed
class and consequently it is pleasing to report that Jef is back with
the equally good ‘Soulfisticated’. In fact it finds Kearns displaying a
whole new musical maturity that is evidenced by the sophistication of
the production, the selection of guest vocalists and, above all, the
quality of the eleven songs that he either writes or co-writes."
Smooth Jazz Therapy JEF KEARNS
Waylon Speed was created by Noah Crowther, Reverend Chad Hammaker, Kelly
Ravin and Justin Crowther after playing together at a local honky-tonk
in Burlington, Vermont. Three days and one practice later, Waylon Speed
was born. While Waylon Speed is not influenced by mainstream music, they
integrate each members individual influences to achieve a truly unique
genre all of it’s own. They have won awards
from both the New England Music Awards for "Vermont's Best Band", and
Seven Days newspaper's annual Daisy Award for "Best Americana Band".They
write, release and distribute their music independently. Named after the guitarist Rev. Chad
Hammaker’s son, Waylon, the band has become a family owned and operated
enterprise. Waylon Speed released their second full-length record Kin on
April 29th, 2014, followed by a national tour. They have offered
support for large-name outfits, and are slated for a tour supporting
Lynyrd Skynyrd in November, 14'. WAYLON SPEED
Dubbed a "guitar-slinging poet" by Music News Nashville. A voice that
No Depression says "sounds like a '57 Chevy with glass mufflers..."
Lyrics that 3rd Coast Music Magazine deemed "unusually
literate...unusually honest." And a style that Peeples proclaims
Leftneck. “I'm a vegetarian that watches NASCAR, a tree-hugger that
keeps a gun under the seat," he says. His latest release, Punishing
the Myth, the third in a trilogy produced by Americana icon Gurf Morlix,
debuted at #1 on the Freeform American Roots Chart. Grant's gigs have
included a cross-country tour appearing as a feature performer slot at
The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okema, OK, and shows at The Blue Door
in Oklahoma City, The Living Room in NYC, Sam Bond's in Eugene, OR, and
The Triple Door in Seattle. He has toured both east and west coasts,
Texas, and every shore in his home state of Florida, playing at venues
that range from concert halls to biker bars to Unitarian church
services. The Americana Gazette says his songs are "real as hell, and
beautiful to boot…” GRANT PEEPLES
Jeff Cascaro und die hr-Bigband. Dieses Treffen der Spitzenklasse gilt
einem der bedeutendsten Komponisten des Great American Songbook: Harold
Arlen (1905-1986). Er schrieb Klassiker wie „Over The Rainbow“, „Stormy
Weather“, „It’s Only A Papermoon“, „Let’s Fall In Love“ oder “One For My
Baby“, zu denen Größen wie Johnny Mercer, Truman Capote, E.Y. Harburg
und Ted Koehler die Texte beisteuerten. Ella Fitzgerald, Nat ‚King’
Cole, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland und viele andere Stars
sangen einzigartige Interpretationen. Bis heute inspirieren Arlens
Kompositionen Musiker unterschiedlicher Stilrichtungen. Besonders
Jazzmusiker spricht die subtile Verknüpfung von Blues und amerikanischem
Folk immer wieder an. JEFF CASCARO....
Nancy’s live performances are legendary. She has earned many awards and enlisted
fans from around the globe. In a market place where wispy voices and shallow
emotions abound, Ms. Kelly is a breath of fresh air…or should we say, smoky air; she
takes us back to the time when jazz – and that includes vocal jazz -- was an authentic
expression of real emotion. Kelly’s refined stage presence, style, and the ability to quickly capture the emotions of
her audience isn’t the only thing that places Nancy in a league of her own--the lady
was “Born to Swing”, and she means business. Nancy Kelly’s vocal style is a study in phrasing, style and swing. She’s both old
school and new. She’s experienced, yet her delivery and ideas are fresh. She can take
a song and turn it up or down, and leave you believing that it was meant to be exactly
that way. It takes great jazz chops to do that, and Kelly’s are superb. Starting at age four in her hometown of Rochester, New York, Nancy studied piano,
clarinet, drama and dance with private instructors, and voice at the Eastman School of
Music. During her thirty-plus year career she has honed her trademark swing/bop take
no prisoner’s back-to-the-roots swinging style in front of audiences across the U.S.
and abroad--from Singapore to Switzerland, France, and Turkey to her 3 tours of
Japan. Nancy appears regularly in New York City including performances at The
Blue Note, Birdland and The Rainbow Room and Dizzy’s Jazz club, Lincoln Center.
She works frequently in Los Angeles and Miami, as well as countless jazz clubs,
festivals, and symphony orchestra engagements across the country. NANCY KELLY
How many active bluesmen today can claim to stock a homemade, single
string cigar box guitar in their arsenal and play it while wearing a
priest’s collar, all while being backed by a percussionist and washboard
player who prefers to use his hands over drumsticks and spoons? There’s
only one, and his name is Reverend K. M. Williams.Born in 1956 in Clarksville, Williams grew up in Red River County in
Northeast Texas, where he soaked in the sounds of blues and R&B
music broadcast from WLAC radio out of Nashville. Artists like John Lee
Hooker, Blind Willie Johnson, and R. L. Burnside all made strong
impressions on Williams as he was coming up, and one of his first
introductions to guitar came in the early sixties at the hands of an
itinerant blues player believed to be Elmore James. It would be almost
two decades before Williams’ career started to take off, but that long
journey has led him to open shows for legends like the Holmes Brothers,
Little Milton, and Robert Jr. Lockwood, and he shared a bill with Mavis
Staples in Europe, where he has returned three times and performed in
front of thousands.The Reverend is a bona fide ordained minister in the Holiness Church and
has been performing his unique brand of earthy gospel blues regularly
in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area since the nineties. He calls himself the
Texas Country Blues Preacher, and for good reason. I tell people all the
time that gospel music and blues are basically the same. I always said
that with the blues, you’re asking questions about life, or you’re just
expressing how you feel about what you’re going through. And gospel is
the answer to those questions. But it’s still the same feeling. I play
gospel music the same way I play blues—honest and funky, just real. REV.KM WILLIAMS
Michael is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, and great guitar
player first and foremost... He has been recording, performing and
perfecting his craft for 30 years plus... in addition to singing and
playing, writing great songs, and arrangements... he has 4 great CDs,
and many copyrighted works to his credit, and is on his own Indie
Label...Finally receiving notoriety and airplay worldwide in 2007 for the
release of his "Lost In the Blues" album... and the re-release of his
"Easy Money" album. Both of these CDs are on digital jukeboxes
everywhere... He continues to establish himself as a solo artist, though
he has played with many great musicians along the way... Tommy Bolin,
Toy Caldwell (Marshal Tucker Band), Johnny Lee, Charlie Musselwhite,
Mark Naftlin (Butterfield Blues Band), Katy Moffat and many other great
artists... some you have heard of and some you have not...The new CD "Why I Sing The Blues" is his absolute best ever... and a
must listen... it is already receiving great reviews, and airplay,
including regular rotation on internet, college, public and commercial
radio stations... known and respected worldwide you will no doubt hear
more of his music well into the future...MICHAEL HARRISON BLUES
When Tumi Mogorosi composed this suite for jazz musicians and opera
vocalists he had never heard the previous successful attempts by Donald
Byrd, Max Roach or Mary Lou Williams to combine these seemingly
'unfriendly'aesthetics. Tumi, born in 1987 and already an accomplished
drummer on the Jo'Burg scene, was at the time studying music at the
Tshwane University of Pretoria where he became close friends with opera
singers working on the same campus. So unlike some of his US peers
Tumi's beliefs are not 'religious'.
Surprisingly, Tumi's suite wasn't influenced by these great elders'
masterpieces, but anyone who listens to this album will agree that the
suite encaptures the soaring spirituality that made these experiments of
the '60s the beloved classics that they are today. Tumi does not belong
to any religious group.
This album is neither a jazz mass like Mary Lou William's Black Christ
of the Andes, nor a compilation of devotional pieces like Donald Byrd's
Christo Redentor. Project Elo stands for Project Elohim, the angelic
entities of the spiritual scriptures which are in the drummer's
philosophy, a symbol for accomplished human beings.
The spirituality the album conveys is attuned to a 21st century
syncretic, non dogmatic vision infused with esotericism. Recorded live
with no overdubs in two days by a group of friends, this album captures a
moment of Eternity and will defy any idea you may have of what South
African jazz is. Tumi's music transcends labels and styles. When
composing or playing he is only concerned with being true to the
primodial source of life, which cannot be confined to any genre.TUMI MOGOROSI
If there’s a performer today that embodies the oft-applied moniker of
“songwriter’s songwriter” it’s Houston favorite, Matt Harlan. A
troubadour of the first degree, Matt has been bringing his songs of
bus-stops, coffee-shops and lives overlooked to stages across his
home-state of Texas, the USA and Europe.Born and raised in Texas, Harlan soaked up the richness of the state and
its song-smiths while bouncing between its big cities and small towns.
With three studio albums to his name, Harlan exposes a range of
influences, to interpret a generation steeped in plastic yet filtered
through the Hill Country limestone. His expressive vocals recall Chris
Smither and Chris Knight, shading his poignant songs with soaring heart
and aching grit.Matt has just released his third album, "Raven Hotel," which was
recorded in Austin, TX with producer, Rich Brotherton. The collection
features tunes in a variety of moods and is being well received by
national and international Americana radio, earning a #1 debut on the
Euro Americana Charts.Harlan is a winner of multiple songwriting accolades, from outfits like
American Songwriter and Billboard. Most recently he was awarded the 2013
Singer-Songwriter of the Year at the Texas Music Awards and was
featured alongside a stellar cast of characters (Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark)
in the documentary, “For the Sake of the Song.” MATT HARLAN
Joe Camilleri, writer of milestone Australian songs such as So Young,
Hit And Run, Shape I’m In, Hold On To Me, Harley and Rose, Chained To
The Wheel and Never Let Me Go, has given his life to making music in
this country. Leader of two of Australia’s most successful bands, Jo Jo
Zep and The Falcons and The Black Sorrows, Joe’s music has become part
of Australian music culture. Joe was inducted along with other members
of the Falcons, into the Australian Recording Industry (ARIA Hall of
Fame) in 2007.In 1975 Joe, a self taught musician from Melbourne’s western suburbs,
formed Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons, a band who swung from R’n’B to reggae,
power pop and ska. Over a period of 8 years The Falcons amassed
enviable sales and radio airplay and ultimately epitomised the era. Jo
Jo Zep and The Falcons toured the country relentlessly and became one of
Australia’s finest live outfits. The band also toured the USA.In the early ‘80s Camilleri and friends started up a new band, The Black
Sorrows. Originally a ‘just for the fun of it’ outfit, The Sorrows have
released 12 albums over the past fifteen years and sold well over a
million albums world-wide. The Black Sorrows has always been an elastic
band and over its life has been home to some 32 of Australia’s finest
musical talents. Vika and Linda Bull, Jen Anderson, Stephen Hadley,
Michael Barker, Peter Luscombe, Nick Smith, Ross Hannaford and James
Black (just to name a few) have all been part of the fertile Joe
Camilleri/Black Sorrows fold and all have gone on to play with the best
of the best in this country. JOE CAMILLERI
Benjamin Herman (alto saxophone, C-melody saxophone, flute) began
playing saxophone at the age of twelve, and was soon active on the
professional club circuit. By the time he received the Wessel Ilcken Prize at 21, he had already performed all over the world.In 1991, the year he graduated with honours at Hilversum Conservatory, Herman was the only European selected for the Thelonious Monk Competition. Other candidates included Joshua Redman, Chris Potter and Eric Alexander.Back from studying with Dick Oatts at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, Benjamin Herman soon began initiating his own projects, including the pioneering New Cool Collective ensemble.As one of Holland’s most productive and prominent jazz musicians,
Benjamin Herman is a much sought-after soloist. He has played and
recorded with Rein de Graaf, Fra Fra Big Band, Michiel Borstlap, Candy
Dulfer, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Misha Mengelberg, Paul
Weller and Georgie Fame.He has also made a name as a composer at home
and abroad.Herman plays numerous concerts each year with New Cool Collective
and his quartet (Benjamin Herman: alto sax, Jesse van Ruller: guitar,
Carlo de Wijs: Hammond organ, Martijn Vink: drums) strongly inspired by
popular dance-floor jazz. New Cool Collective and the New Cool
Collective Big Band often perform at international pop venues and
festivals, resulting in a following far beyond the normal jazz concert
crowd. BENJAMIN HERMAN
The music combines all the different musical traditions Joe has been
involved in – years of Classical training (composing from an early age,
singing in choirs and playing in orchestras), whilst at the same time
playing in all manner of bands and ensembles, DJing and producing, and
performing live improvised experimental music.By tapping into the energy of virtuoso drum solos and adding the
elements of other music that are dark and beautiful, he creates
Electronic music made with acoustic instruments, drums, field recordings
and natural sounds – intense, beat-driven Classical textures with
layers of energy, emotion and atmosphere.Like all of Joe's mixtapes, there is a broad and multi-layered range
of music and sound from around the world, from contemporary releases
stretching back to the 1940's and something from every decade in-between
- including imagined collaborations such as Burial with vocals from
Argentinian folk legend Mercedes Sosa, or Linton Kwesi Johnson reciting
poetry over Tipper's immaculately-produced beats.There is also a
wealth of sound design and spoken word, taken from interviews with
composers, radio programmes (many recorded by Joe), and poetry recitals.Other
artists making appearances in this fast-paced mix include Four Tet,
King Tubby, Frank Sinatra, Junip, Kidkanevil and Daisuke Tanabe,
Squarepusher, The Four Tops, DJ Shadow, Floex, Finley Quaye, Clarinet
Factory, Origamibiro and many more…HIDDEN ORCHESTRA
Polish duo Skalpel channeled the influence of their homeland's rich jazz
traditions into their own contemporary electronic sound. DJs/producers
Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo first teamed in Wroclaw, Poland, in 1998.
Working in virtual anonymity, Skalpel soon began assembling the first of
their Eastern European fusion-inspired cut-and-paste mosaics by
sampling classic LPs from artists including Krzysztof
Komeda, Tomasz Stanko, and the Novi Sisters, spending months and even
years in search of the right sounds to complete each individual track.
In 2000 Pudlo interviewed Ninja Tune label artist DJ Vadim for the
Polish hip-hop magazine Klan. Soon after, Vadim invited Skalpel to tour
Poland with his Russian Percussion ensemble, and after returning to
Wroclaw the duo issued their debut CD-R, Polish Jazz. Despite limited
distribution, the release was the subject of rapturous acclaim and in
2001 Ninja Tune extended a record deal. Skalpel spent the next three
years working on its self-titled debut LP, earning comparison to jazz
icons Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock with the end result. Konfusion
followed in 2007. SKALPEL
