WASHINGTON CITY PAPER REVIEW: Saltman Knowles, Yesterday's Man

Review by Michal J. West
January 27,2010


LINK: http://tinyurl.com/yd2lqgz

Yesterday’s Man is the third album by D.C.’s Saltman Knowles,the latest stop on the group’s neverending quest for melody and hooks. This time, pianist William Knowles and bassist Mark Saltman lead an unusual octet that features a steel pan drummer (Victor Provost). Adventures in instrumentation aside, Yesterday’s Man is the slickest Saltman Knowles production yet. More importantly, though, it’s a tour de force for singer Lori Williams-Chisholm, the band’s only constant besides its namesakes. As always, her joy in singing is unshakable, even on less-than-joyful tunes like “They Don’t Really Care for Us,” but her silken delivery and exceptional timing make up a lot of that ground and help convey the darker moods. Better still are her scatting and improvisations on “Blues for Sale” and “08 Bossa,” among others, where a remarkable talent for rhythmic sounds and melodic variation come through. Yesterday’s Man is a worthy document of one of the District’s most consistently high-quality ensembles.

Also: Nothing official yet, but if history is an indicator, you can expect a CD release gig or two at HR-57 in the very near future.

BLOGCRITICS REVIEW OF YESTERDAY'S MAN - SALTMAN KNOWLES

REVIEW - Saltman Knowles
Yesterday's Man
Release date - January 26, 2010

Reviewed by Kit O'Toole
Blogcritics.com

Saltman Knowles review is published and can be found at http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-saltman-knowles-yesterdays-man/


Jazz combo Saltman Knowles has proven themselves a sophisticated, cohesive group that straddles the line between traditional and contemporary jazz. Their sixth release, Yesterday’s Man, further blends these genres by adding a seemingly unlikely jazz instrument: the steel drum. The result is an immensely likeable album combining world influences, vocals, and elements of traditional and modern jazz styles.

To Read the Entire Review Go To: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-saltman-knowles-yesterdays-man/

"BRASIL BRAZIL 3" CD IN TOP 20 ON GLOBAL VILLAGE

GLOBAL VILLAGE
KMUW FM 89.1, Wichita
Chris Heim - Host/Producer
www.kmuw.org

Ranked #21 nationally AQH Share/Top 30 Cume Rating



Monday – Friday, 9pm
Weekdays midnight, 9am, 2pm, 7pm - KMUW HD2
Global Village new releases show Fridays - KMUW HD2

TOP 30 – June 2009
1. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Honest Jon’s)
2. Various – Panama! 2 (Soundway)
3. Eva Ayllon – Kimba Fa (Four Quarters/Times Square)
4. Aggrolites – The Aggrolites IV (Hellcat)
5. Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks – Tangled Tales (Surfdog)
6. Various - Gozalo! Vol. 2 (Vampisoul)
7. Tiempo Libre – Bach in Havana (Sony Classical)
8. Various – Twenty First Century Twenty First Year (Luaka Bop)
9. Novalima – Coba Coba (Cumbancha)
10. Ersatzmusika – Songs Unrecantable (Asphalt Tango)
11. Occidental Brothers Dance Band International – Odo Sanbra (Occidental Brothers)
12. Grant Geissman – Cool Man Cool (Futurism)
13. Orquestra Imperial - Carnaval Só Ano Que Vem (Totolo)
14. Scotty Barnhart – Say It Plain (Unity Music)
15. Playing for Change – Songs Around the World (Hear Music)
16. Various – Salsa (Putumayo)
17. Brasil Brasil – Brasil Brasil 3 (Yellow Green)
18. Cecilia Noel – A Gozar! (Compass)
19. Marianne Faithfull - Easy Come Easy Go (Decca)
20. Bela Fleck - Throw Down Your Heart (Rounder)
21. Chicago Afrobeat Project – Off the Grid (CAbP)
22. Los Straitjackets - The Further Adventures of Los Straitjackets (Yep Roc)
23. Easy Star All-Stars – Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (Easy Star)
24. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - La Luz del Ritmo (Nacional)
25. Geoffrey Keezer – Aurea (Artist Share)
26. Fareed Haque + the Flat Earth Ensemble - Flat Planet (Owl)
27. Omar Sosa - Across the Divide (Half Note)
28. Roger Davidson and Raul Juarena - Pasion Por La Vida (Soundbrush)
29. King Sunny Ade – Seven Degrees North (Mesa)
30. Oumou Sangare – Seya (Nonesuch)

CARNAVAL WITH BRASIL BRAZIL

Sonidos y Mas: Carnaval with Brasil Brazil

By Ernest Barteldes in Miles-tones, Sonidos y Mas
Houston Press

Tuesday, Feb. 24 2009 @ 11:52AM

www.brasilbrazilshow.com

Formed by veteran Brazilian singers Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos, Los Angeles-based band Brasil Brazil celebrates the music of their native country with an elaborate show that includes several standards and original songs - a formula they devised when they first started the project over a decade ago as the U.S. hosted the 1994 soccer World Cup.

They have since been touring massively, appearing at various festivals around the globe with an upbeat, rhythm-filled show that narrates the history of Brazilian music through song. They have yet to make a stop in Houston, but told Rocks Off they would very much enjoy doing so.

The duo has recently released its third self-titled CD, which includes classics like "One Note Samba," and "A Felicidade" (from the soundtrack of Black Orpheus) alongside a bossa-nova take on Nirvana's "Come As You Are" and Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E." As on previous discs, the tracks blend into each other without interruption - pretty much as they do live.

Rocks Off recently caught up with Ana Gazzola via e-mail...

READ ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2009/02/sonidos_y_mas_carnaval_with_br.php

New Reviews from JazzReview.com

RAMANA VIEIRA
"Lagrimas De Rainha - Tears Of A Queen"
JazzReview.com Link to review: http://www.jazzreview.com/cd/review-20269.html
By Susan Frances

Vocalist Ramana Vieira is perched beautifully between torchlight blues and operatic fires. Her latest release Lagrimas de Rainha, which translated in English is Tears Of A Queen, has Spanish/ Portuguese overtones with Gypsy-tinged accents and smooth jazz pruning. Her songs are chin-deep in Fado imagery, a style of music that is melancholic and tells stories about heartache and disappointment similarly to the blues. Vieira’s vocals have a poetic resonance that makes the listener hang on every word and feel for the stories being told in the verses without possibly even understanding what is being said. Vieira’s songs transcend language barriers through her expressive style and smooth vocal textures. This is music that you can imagine being sung in the streets of Lisbon, the commercial hubs of Madrid, and the piazzas of Florence. The songs appeal to the masses and infiltrate the senses in a way that breathes warmth into the soul and supplies a healing salve over wounds. (CLICK LINK TO READ MORE)

BRASIL BRAZIL
"Brasil Brazil 3"

JazzReview.com Link to review: http://www.jazzreview.com/cd/review-20268.html
By Susan Frances

Harmony singers, Sonia Santos and Ana Gazzola live up to the idyllic expectations of Brazilian-jazz music on their third release appropriately titled Brasil Brazil 3. The two ladies front the samba-club group Brasil Brazil, which has in tow keyboardist Pablo Medina, bassists Antonio Santana, Paulo Gustavo and Fernando Raio, drummers Cristiano Bertotucci and Sandro Feliciano, and guitarists Grecco Buratto, Angelo Metz, Ze Nogueira de Sa. Their repertoire is feathered with the sounds of special guests like harmonica player Ron Kalina, requinto artist Rafael Chato Rios, and congas musician Lula Aftro-Brasil.

The band wraps Brazilian-jazz in foils of Latin-scat vocals, Afro-Cuban rhythms, Caribbean-soul bling, club jazz grooves, and spicy swing. (CLICK LINK TO READ MORE)

Meet Sound Visions Media & Pacific Coast Jazz

I'm busy, as usual at SV Media Relations, spreading the word about all the great musicians at Sound Visions Media (http://www.SoundVisionsMedia.com).
I also want to introduce you to another wonderful label, Pacific Coast Jazz (http://www.PacificCoastJazz.com).

Both of these companies have amazing artists in the genres of jazz, world music, improvised music, smooth jazz, inspirational and anything they think is quality music in those areas.

Some of the new releases and events for both of these companies that we are helping to promote includes:

Danny Green, "With You In Mind" (Pacific Coast Jazz)
Don Braden, "Gentle Storm"
Judi Silvano, "Cleome: Live Takes"
Sheila Jordan's 80th Birthday Celebration at Dizzy's in New York
Educational releases: "You Sing Jazz" and "Modern Chord Melody" by John Stowell

We''ll be updating you on all of these projects in the days to come.
If you have already heard some of these releases let us know what you think.
If you are a journalist and would like to receive a review copy please contact me and I'll be happy to be your errand girl for jazz.