WFHB FireHouse Broadcasting

Review
Date: 6/13/2008

Artist: Various (Verve)

Album: Verve Remixed 4

Genre: Jazz, Electronica

Grade: A+++++

Review: It’s been too long
since Verve released another collection of songs in their superb Remixed
series! With each successive release Verve moves away from all jazz vocals to
include more funk, soul, and R&B tracks. The album opens with a striking
remix of Dinah Washington singing “Cry Me a River” and quickly transitions into
a head-bopping update of Nina Simone’s “Gimme Some.” James Brown makes his
first appearance in the series with a standout remix of “There Was a Time.”
Diplo’s reworking of Marlena Shaw’s “California Soul” elevates the entire album
above the other CDs in the series – it totally rocks! You won’t recognize what
Psapp does to Astrud Gilberto’s “Bim Bom” but that’s fine, because it sounds
absolutely fresh. Upbeat remixes of tracks from Patato & Totico and Will
Bobo will have you up and dancing in a flash, but the album includes subdued
ballads from Anita O’Day and Roy Ayers. Ella Fitzgerald’s “I Get a Kick Out of
You” is all but unrecognizable; Cinematic Orchestra manages to transform a
gleeful song into an acoustic guitar-driven emo number. Billie Holiday is
notably missing from this release, but James Brown and Marlena Shaw more than
make up for the omission!

Recommended
Tracks: Play
anything!

FCC: None

Reviewer: Catie Kosinski

Review
Date: 6/10/2008

Artist: Lionel Loueke (Blue Note)

Album: Karibu

Genre: Jazz

Grade: A-

Review: Karibu is West African guitarist and
vocalist Lionel Loueke's debut album for Blue Note, and his fourth overall.
Fans of Richard Bona's breezy blend of
high string bass and wordless vocalizing will have a frame of reference at
least in feel for Loueke's music, though the men are very different. On Karibu (Swahili for
"welcome"), Loueke is joined by his longtime bandmates Ferenc Nemeth (drums/percussion)
and Massimo Biolcati (bass), and by his
former and future boss Hancock, and another
musical mentor, Wayne Shorter, on a pair of cuts
each, with one of them in common. Loueke's guitar playing comes off as sounding
completely acoustic sometimes, as on the reading of John Coltrane's "Naima,"
like a griot's kora. The simple truth, however, is that he puts his instrument
through a load of effects to get this sound. Loueke's wordless vocals and
tongue-clicking are as much a part of his sound as his guitar playing and
compositions. They add to the music a percussive effect and are often in
counterpart to the rhythmic intent of Nemeth. On "Seven
Teens," Hancock adds knotty,
forceful, and percussive left-hand runs and accents the counterpoint in
Loueke's melody. On "Naima," it's the hand drums and spatial effects
-- and Loueke's mouth effects -- on the pronounced yet utterly subtle intro
with the beautiful and haunting strings under the guitar's bridge that offer a
few moments of dislocation to the tune. Hancock and Shorter play together on
the album's highlight, "Light and Dark." This is followed by a
funkier, more groove-conscious number, "Agbannon Blues," where Nemeth gets a chance to
lay in his breakbeat chops, and the bass and drum strut offer Loueke the
opportunity to use everyone from Wes Montgomery to Pat Metheny as signposts in
both composition and solo.

Recommended
Tracks: 8, 2, 5, 3, 6
(but you can play anything!)

FCC: None

Reviewer: Thom Jurek (allmusic.com)

Review
Date: 6/10/2008

Artist: Nicholas Payton (Nonesuch)

Album: Into the Blue

Genre: Jazz

Grade: B

Review: Into the Blue is the Nonesuch debut from
Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton and his first as bandleader since
the 2003 Warner Bros CD, Sonic Trance
and his first album recorded in New Orleans. Though celebrated for his
interpretations of the New Orleans jazz canon, especially for material
associated with Louis Armstrong, Payton focuses here on original compositions
that are soulful, pensive and romantic. He also gamely steps out as a vocalist,
for the first time on disc, on an elegant, self-penned slow dance called
“Blue.” Along with eight original tracks, Payton interprets film-scoring giant
Jerry Goldsmith s title theme from “Chinatown” as well as “Nida,” composed by
his father, the bassist Walter Payton. It was inspired by and named after Nick s
mother, who was also a singer and pianist. Accompanying Payton is his touring
band: keyboardist Kevin Hays, bassist Vicente Archer, percussionist Daniel
Sadownick and drummer Marcus Gilmore (who happens to be the grandson of Roy
Haynes). Into the Blue was produced
by Bob Belden, the musician-arranger with whom Payton collaborated on the 2006
album, Mysterious Shorter.

Recommended
Tracks: 1,
4, 5 (Play anything!)

FCC: None

Review
Date: 6/9/2008

Artist:
Rockamovya (Young Tree Records)

Album:
Rockamovya

Genre:
Reggae, Jazz

Grade:
A-

Review:
Rockamovya is a collective of five musicians spanning the roots of Jamaican
reggae and American jazz. Rockamovya
brings together long time Jazz-heavyweight, Grammy nominated Will Bernard
(Motherbug, Stanton Moore trio, Dr. Lonnie Smith), Leroy "Horsemouth"
Wallace (Burning Spear, The Abyssinians, the cult film classic
"Rockers") and Ryan Newman (bass), Marcus Urani (organ/keys/piano)
and Harrison Stafford (rhythm guitar/ vocals) of the acclaimed Cali-based
Reggae-Fusion group Groundation. The
sound is primarily reggae; the only track with a predominantly jazz vibe is
“Brown Stew Fish.” Wallace provides
vocals on the album closer “Horse Dance.”
“Take the Night” is probably the best example of genre-crossing between
jazz and reggae. “Battling Within” and
“Ya Better Rally” highlight the group’s more genuine reggae sound.

Recommended
Tracks: 1, 8, 5, 4, 10 (but you can play anything)

FCC:
None

Reviewer:
Catie Kosinski

djcatiewithac@gmail.com

http://catiewithac.blogspot.com/