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Barefoot On The Beach
''Barefoot on the Beach'' is a smooth jazz album by American singer-songwriter Michael Franks, released in 1999 by Windham Hill Records. Background Franks' relationship with Warner Bros. Records (and its subsidiary Reprise Records) which began with the 1976 album '' The Art of Tea'' ended with ''Barefoot on the Beach''. The album was his first and only release by Windham Hill, a Sony Music label; subsequent albums would be released by Koch (E1 Music) and Shanachie Records. His compilation albums continued to be released by Warner Bros. The album includes Valerie Simpson, who sings a duet in "Now Love Has No End", Joe Sample, and Jimmy Haslip of The Yellowjackets. Although the album evokes summer, it also contains biting commentary on Broadcast Architecture's dominance of American smooth jazz radio at the time with "Mr. Smooth". Lyrics such as "some of us remember how much choice there was, before he took the throne" and "his verdict we must wait" lament the dominance and perceive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Franks (musician)
Michael Franks (born September 18, 1944) is an American singer and songwriter, considered a leader of the quiet storm movement. He has recorded with a variety of well-known artists, such as Patti Austin, Art Garfunkel, Brenda Russell, Claus Ogerman, Joe Sample, and David Sanborn. His songs have been recorded by Gordon Haskell, Shirley Bassey, The Carpenters, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall, Patti LaBelle, Lyle Lovett, The Manhattan Transfer, Leo Sidran, Veronica Nunn, Carmen McRae, Ringo Starr and Natalie Cole. Biography Franks grew up in southern California with his father Thurman, his mother Vera, and two younger sisters. Although no one in his family was a musician, his parents loved swing music, and his early influences included Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Franks bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included; those lessons were the only music education that he received. At Univ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Blenzig
Charles Blenzig (born August 12, 1958) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator. In the mid 1980s Blenzig joined the Gil Evans Monday Night Orchestra that performed weekly at Sweet basil Jazz Club. Blenzig has performed with Michael Brecker, Marcus Miller, Bill Evans, Hiram Bullock, Lew Soloff, Kenwood Dennard, Eddie Gómez, Dave Weckl, Joe Locke, Harvey Mason, Joe Beck, and Italian rapper Jovanotti He has been musical director for singer-songwriter Michael Franks since 1990 and for Latin jazz saxophonist Gato Barbieri. He has toured extensively throughout the world as a leader and sideman, including South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Georgia, Europe, and Korea. He is a member of the Purchase Conservatory Jazz Department faculty with Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, and Todd Coolman. Discography As leader * ''Charles Blenzig'' (Chase Music Group, 1989) * ''Say What You Mean'' (Big World Music, 1993) * ''Certain Standards'' (Truspace R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wolfgang Haffner
Wolfgang Haffner (born 7 December 1965) is a German jazz drummer with an extensive discography.Discographyat Allmusic Discography * 2020 - Kind of Tango * 2019 – ''4WD'' (with Nils Landgren) * 2019 – ''The East End'' (with Bill Evans) * 2017 – ''Kind of Spain'' (with Jan Lundgren, Sebastian Studnitzky, Daniel Stelter, Christopher Dell & Lars Danielsson) * 2015 – ''Kind of Cool'' * 2012 – ''Heart of the Matter'' (with Dominic Miller, Eythor Gunnarsson, Sebastian Studnitzky) * 2011 – ''Gravity'' (with Lars Danielsson, Julian Wasserfuhr & Roman Wasserfuhr) * 2010 – ''Wolfgang Haffner Edition'' * 2009 – ''Round Silence'' * 2008 – ''Acoustic Shapes'' * 2007 – ''Express'' (with Metro) * 2006 – ''Abracadabra: Celebrating Klaus Doldinger'' (with Roberto di Gioia & Dieter Ilg) * 2006 – ''Shapes'' (Produced with Nils Landgren) * 2004 – ''ZOOMING'' * 2004 – ''Funky Abba'' (with Nils Landgren) * 2003 – ''Music For Jazz Orchestra'' (with Albert Mangelsdorff an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shawn Pelton
Shawn Pelton is an American drummer and percussionist. He has recorded with a wide range of artists and has been a first call player since moving to New York in the late 1980s. Shawn has recorded with artists such as Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Ingrid Michaelson, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Pink, Shakira, Kelly Clarkson, Five For Fighting, Michelle Branch, Regina Spektor, Tears for Fears, Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Jonatha Brooke, David Byrne, Edie Brickell, Marc Cohn, Richie Havens, Joan Osborne, Hall and Oates, Odetta, Pavarotti, Phillip Phillips, George Michael, Carly Simon, Dixie Chicks, Chris Botti and Buddy Guy, and has played on several Grammy winning albums for artists including Ray Charles, The Brecker Brothers, Shawn Colvin, Les Paul and the Hank Williams tribute album with Bob Dylan. Shawn is also the longtime drummer in the house band for the NBC TV network's sketch comedy and music program ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Samuels
David Alan Samuels (October 9, 1948 – April 22, 2019) was an American vibraphone and marimba player who spent many years with the contemporary jazz group Spyro Gyra. His recordings and live performances during that period also reflect his prowess on the steelpan, a tuned percussion instrument of Trinidadian origin. Biography Samuels was born in Waukegan, Illinois, United States. At the age of six he started playing drums and piano. He learned vibes and marimba while a student at Boston University. He continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music, also in Boston, and studied with vibraphonist Gary Burton. He taught percussion at Berklee before moving to New York City in 1974. Soon he was recording and performing with Gerry Mulligan, Carla Bley, and Gerry Niewood. He played in a vibes/marimba duo with David Friedman, who had been his teacher at Boston, releasing albums under the name Double Image. In 1979 he began recording with Spyro Gyra, eventually becoming a memb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Patitucci
John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer. Biography John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was 12, he bought his first bass and decided on his career. He listened to bass parts in R&B songs on the radio and on his grandfather's jazz records. He cites as influences Oscar Peterson's albums with Ray Brown and Wes Montgomery's with Ron Carter. For the development of rhythm, he points to the time he has spent with Danilo Pérez, a pianist from Panama. In the late 1970s he studied acoustic bass at San Francisco State University and Long Beach State University. He began his professional career when he moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and made connections with Henry Mancini, Dave Grusin, and Tom Scott. From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s he was a member of three Chick Corea groups: the Elektric Band, the Akoustic Band, and the quartet. As a leader he formed a trio with Joey Calderazzo and Peter Erskine, and a quartet with Vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Lee (bassist)
Will Lee is an American bassist known for his work on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' as part of the CBS Orchestra and before that " The World's Most Dangerous Band" when Letterman hosted the NBC " Late Night" show. Lee has recorded and toured with many artists. He appeared on the Mark & Clark Band's hit record '' Worn Down Piano''. He performs with his Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux, which he co-founded in 1998. Career Beginnings in music Lee was greatly influenced to pursue music because of his parents. His father, William Franklin Lee III played piano, trumpet and the upright bass professionally. Lee's mother Lois sang with big bands. Lee took up drums after seeing the Beatles on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', and by the time he was 12 had formed his first band in Miami. The band members each earned $9 a night playing the popular surfing tunes characteristic of the 60s. With the great numbers of drummers in Miami, Lee shifted to bass, an instrument that offered mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Khan
Steve Khan (born Steven Harris Cahn; April 28, 1947) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Steven Harris Cahn was born in Los Angeles. His father, lyricist Sammy Cahn, "loved to hear any and all versions of his songs". He took piano lessons as a child and played drums for the surf rock band the Chantays. The band's guitarist exposed him to the albums ''Tough Talk'' by The Crusaders and ''Movin' Wes'' by Wes Montgomery. In his late teens he quit the drums and started playing guitar. He was a member of the R&B band Friends of Distinction, recorded with keyboardist Phil Moore, then played on the album ''Bullitt'' by Wilton Felder ("one of my heroes"). Despite his father's advice to avoid a career in the music business, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in music composition and theory. In the early 1970s, he performed in an acoustic guitar duo with Larry Coryell and was a member of the Brecker Brothers band. As a session musician, he appeared on albums by Ashford & Simpson, Ruper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jay Azzolina
Jay Azzolina (born December 23, 1952) is a jazz-fusion guitarist known for his work with the Grammy-winning group Spyro Gyra. He has also performed and recorded with Carly Simon, Donna Summer, The Manhattan Transfer, Herbie Mann, Rickie Lee Jones, and Chuck Mangione. Overview Azzolina began his musical life playing trumpet and piano. At the age of eleven, he chose a guitar from his father's music store, and that became his primary interest. He spent a year studying classical guitar before attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied under Pat Metheny. He released his first album, ''Never Too Late'', in 1989. In 1995, Azzolina received his M.F.A. degree from the State University of New York at Purchase#Conservatory of Music, Conservatory of Music at Purchase, New York. He soon began teaching there as well. In 1997, he became a member of the John Patitucci Band and appeared on the albums, ''Past Tense'' (Double-Time Records, Double-Time, 2000), ''Live at One ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob James (musician)
Robert McElhiney James (born December 25, 1939) is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show ''Taxi.'' According to VICE (magazine), music from his first seven albums has often been sampled and believed to have contributed to the formation of hip hop. Among his most well known recordings are "Nautilus", "Westchester Lady", "Tappan Zee", and his version of "Take Me to The Mardi Gras". Early life and family James was born on Christmas Day of 1939 in Marshall, Missouri, United States. He started playing the piano at age four. His first piano teacher, Sister Mary Elizabeth, who taught at Mercy Academy, discovered that he had perfect pitch. At age seven, James began to study with R. T. Dufford, a teacher at Missouri Valley College. At age 15, James continued his studies with Franklin Launer, a teacher at Christian College in Columbia, Missouri, with more music instruction during high ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Mintzer
Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. Early life Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, Michigan from 1969 to 1970, then was at the Hartt School of Music, Hartford, Connecticut for two years, before attending the Manhattan School of Music from 1972 to 1974. Later life and career Early in his career, Mintzer played in various big bands, including those led by Buddy Rich (1975–77), Thad Jones and Mel Lewis (1977–79), and Sam Jones (1978–80). While with Rich, he began writing big band music, and has since composed and arranged hundreds of pieces. In 2008, Mintzer and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he joined the faculty of the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Grammy award-winning Yellowjackets and holds the Buzz McCoy endowed chair of jazz studies at the University of S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2004, and was inducted into the ''DownBeat'' Jazz Hall of Fame in 2007. Biography Early life and career Michael Brecker was born in Philadelphia and raised in Cheltenham Township, a local suburb. He was raised in a Jewish—and artistic—family: his father, Bob (Bobby), was a lawyer who played jazz piano and his mother, Sylvia, was a portrait artist. Michael Brecker was exposed to jazz at an early age by his father. He grew up as part of the generation of jazz musicians who saw rock music not as the enemy but as a viable musical option. Brecker began studying clarinet at age 6, then moved to alto saxophone in eighth grade, settling on the tenor saxophone as his primary instrument in his sophomore year. He graduated from Chelte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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