The Safari explores Doug Webb’s West Coast Jazz at Another Scene!

  Saxophonist Doug Webb was born in Chicago and raised from the age of three in California. He is a well-known West Coast jazz musician. Webb has appeared on over 500 recordings for a myriad of artists including:Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Sal Marquez, Stanley Clarke, Brian Bromberg, Quincy Jones, Mat Marucci, Bobby Caldwell, Kyle Eastwood, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Art Garfunkel, Queen Latifah, Cher and Vikki Carr.He played for fifteen years with the Doc Severinsen Tonight Show Big Band.. with whom he still tours. He also played with the house band for the Dennis Miller TV show, and the Jimmy Cleveland orchestra   Webb…

Continue reading

The Safari Explores the Chromatic Harmonica of Enrico Granafei (He lives in New Jersey!)

 So this evening I was reviewing the JazzWeek Chart for this week, and I saw a name that looked interesting at No 20, Enrico Granafei  His current release Alone (and) Together rose from No 46 last week to that No 2o spot. So I found the album at Spotify, and put it on while I was doing some other stuff on the computer. As I was listening, I was struck by how much the music sounded like the French Gypsy music of Django Reinhardt.What I couldn’t decide was whether or not the instrument Enrico was playing was a harmonica or not. It sure…

Continue reading

This Day in Music – Jan 10, 1978 – Happy Birthday, Jazz Pianist Kekko Fornarelli!!

So on this date in 1978….I was married for three years and was a year  away from the start of several turbulent years, and jazz pianist Kekko Fornarelli was born……from Wikipedia: Kekko Fornarelli is a pianist and a composer. He was born in Bari, Italy in 1978. He began learning classical piano at the age of three, first through private tuition and later at the Conservatorio Piccinni in Bari. Fornarelli’s interest in jazz music began at the age of 18. From there on, he has immersed himself in jazz, which has led him to travel worldwide. He has recorded three albums, Circular Thought in 2005, A French Man in…

Continue reading

Evening Distractions lead to Oliver Wakeman and Steve Howe and some great jazz guitar!!

So I came home tonight from being outside all day doing a percolation test in Howell Township, all ready to write about the albums that I listened to on the way to, and from the site, and then…… I was researching the album  Ravens & Lullabies from Gordon Giltrap and Oliver Wakeman. As part of the research,  I went to Oliver’s page on Spotify and found a great album The 3 Ages of Magick-  wait Oliver Wakeman and Steve Howe?? The light bulb goes off over the dim old man’s head…….and at AllMusic I read this about the album…… It seems…

Continue reading

This Day in Music – Jan 1, 1923 – The Great Milt Jackson was born!!

Today among all out celebrations of the start of a New Year we also celebrate the birthday of one of my favorites jazz artists vibraphonist Milt Jackson.  (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999) From All About Jazz…..we read that Milt Jackson was….. born Jan. 1, 1923, in Detroit, Jackson’s musical beginnings were in the neighborhood gospel churches as a pianist, guitarist, violinist percussionist and singer. He took up the vibraphone in high school. He moved to New York, played with Earl Hines and in 1945, joined Dizzy Gillespie’s big band rhythm section, which also included pianist John Lewis, bassist Ray…

Continue reading

The Safari Explores the Music of Woody Shaw (Dec 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989)

  Christmas Eve was the birthday of one of the best, least famous trumpet players, Woody Shaw.  Shaw was born  December 24, 1944 in Laurinburg, North Carolina. and raised in Newark, New Jersey from the age of one year old.  His parents  were Rosalie Pegues and Woody Shaw, Sr. His father was a member of the African American gospel group known as the ‘Diamond Jubilee Singers’ and both his parents attended the same secondary private school as Dizzy Gillespie: Laurinburg Institute. Shaw’s mother was from the same town as Gillespie: Cheraw, South Carolina.   NPR says that Shaw was :  “the last great trumpet innovator” Miles…

Continue reading

The Safari finds Breather by Shlomi Cohen – a breathe of fresh world fusion!!

Yesterday, as I was reviewing the Jazz birthdays, I noticed one of the showcased albums on the sidebar. The album was Breather and the artist was Shlomi Cohen.Since the name sounded, and the album looked, interesting I thought I’d give it a listen. What I found was a very, very talented new musician.  Who has been nominated for a Grammy as part of the nominated album “Frutero Moderno” by Gonzalo Grau & La Clave Secreta. He is also collaborates with Colombian Harpist Edmar Castaneda, bringing his incredible and unique form of music to the world. Shlomi is also a member of the…

Continue reading

This Date in Music – Dec 23, 1929 – Chet Baker was born!!

  Early this year May 13th marked  the 25th anniversary of the death of Chet Baker, today we celebrate his life, because on this date in 1929 Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker, Jr. Well,  back in the day I was not a Chet Baker fan. But through the years I would be listening to jazz radio and one would come this great trumpet or flugelhorn and I usually know that I was listening to the horn of Chet Baker. As I started to collect more and more jazz over the last ten years more of Chet’s music has made its way into my library. Looking…

Continue reading

The Safari goes up the NJ Turnpike to find Jazz Guitarist – Bob DeVos’ – Shadow Box

So this week on the JazzWeek Radio Chart ar No 30 is Bob DeVos and his current release Shadow Box. As usual the Safari asks the questions – Who is this Bob Devos, What does he play?? Where is he from??  Turns out the answer to the last question is, just northeast of me in Patterson, New Jersey! What and Who is Bob?  Bob is as the title of his website reads a “Jazz Guitarist. His biography at Wikipedia says that his playing style is similar to the playing of Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery-( DeVos  moves the ball to the…

Continue reading

2013 Blues – Kim Wempe – Coalition – leads to a night with East Coast Canadian Music and Musicians!

So premiering at number 46 this week on the Roots Music Report is the new album from Kim Wempe Coalition. After giving the album the thirty-second test the fresh voice of Kim sounded like an artist that I’d like to get to know! I downloaded the album on to the iPhone and my initial assessment was correct she is a great sounding new talent!! So let’s find out a little more about Kim, From her website…… A powerful performer with smoky vocals and an undeniable stage presence, Kim Wempe has been tearing up highways and stomping her way across every stage…

Continue reading