Song Title |
Album Title |
Artist's
Website |
Richard Elliot
A
former girlfriend introduced me to Richard Elliot's fabulous sax magic,
and his concerts have long been a favorite for us both.
With a growing number of albums that provide a wealth of music to choose
from, my only regret when I've seen Richard
Elliot in concert has been that his performance was shorter than I'd have
liked. Nonetheless, this is one guy who really puts his heart and
soul into his performances, especially in classics like "When A Man
Loves A Woman"....always a crowd-pleaser and a wonderful song to
share with someone special at your side. My favorite, recurring
concert tour was "Guitars, Saxes, and More" at the now defunct
Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth, Texas; originally spearheaded by
Richard Elliot, Craig Chaquico, Peter White, and Warren Hill, each of whom
are terrific musicians by their own merits, these four artists together
defined a powerhouse performance.. |
Deep
Blue |
Soul Embrace |
Richard Elliot |
Embrace |
When A Man Loves A
Woman |
Take To The Skies |
Craig Chaquico
Although
known to some from his days with Jefferson Starship, I didn't become
familiar with Craig Chaquico (cha-key-so) until a friend told me of Higher
Octave Music and I browsed their catalog searching for albums that
might interest me. I knew nothing of Craig's music but his first
solo album, "Acoustic Highway", sounded like one I'd
enjoy. Sure enough, I loved the album and Craig Chaquico has come to
be one of my absolute favorite musicians. I've now had the
opportunity to see him in concert several times, and I've never been
disappointed by his performance. Any time that I discuss music with
someone and learn they aren't too familiar with any jazz or new age
artists, "Acoustic Highway" is an album I'm quick to loan them
for a listen. I've never heard anyone say they didn't enjoy it, even
if not exactly what they'd consider their style of music. |
Acoustic
Highway |
Acoustic Highway |
Craig
Chaquico |
Why
The Dolphin Smiles |
A
Thousand Pictures |
Autumn
Blue (with Richard Elliot) |
Rick Braun
A
clean, crisp-sounding trumpet player, Rick Braun is another artist I
learned of through one of the later iterations of the Guitars, Saxes, and More tour. Some of my
early jazz listening was focused more upon brass, with the likes of
Maynard Ferguson, Herb Alpert, Doc Severinson, and Chuck Mangione counting
among my favorites. My preferences began to give way in favor of the
saxophone, piano, and guitar and it was Rick Braun who largely reawakened
me to the sounds of brass. Rick is a very enjoyable performer to see
in concert and I look forward to any tours he makes through my local area. |
Cadillac
Slim |
Beat Street |
Rick
Braun |
Notorious |
Body and Soul |
Peter White
Consistently
excellent and always presenting a fun, friendly personality on stage,
Peter White rounds out the original four musicians that I first discovered
during the first Guitars, Saxes, and More tour at the Caravan of
Dreams. Now that Caravan of Dreams, one of the countries premiere
jazz venues, is closed, I am glad that we at least have Peter White's
tribute album "Caravan of Dreams" to help remember what will
long remain a very special place in my mind. Regardless of where he
performs though, I know any Peter White performance is worth attending. |
Promenade |
Reflections |
Peter White |
Caravan
Of Dreams |
Caravan
of Dreams |
Soul
Embrace |
Jesse Cook
As my musical interests expanded and came to include more and more
"world music", the sound and spirit of the Flamenco guitarist
quickly took hold of me. Discovering his music first from a Narada
Records sampler of Flamenco guitar music, Jesse Cook is one such guitarist
who plays with a passion that is both felt and heard.
|
Dance Of
Spring |
Tempest |
Jesse
Cook |
Tempest |
Shakira
From the time I first saw and heard this stunning Colombian siren
performing in a concert that I accidentally stumbled
across while flipping through the television channels, I have been a fan
of Shakira.
Although I don't understand any of the Latin vocals, I find her
Lebanese-influenced music to possess an energy and rhythm that I
can listen to over and over again. Admittedly, perhaps I
continue to visualize the image I first saw, as she was shaking her hips
in belly-dance fashion while performing her hit song Ojos Así.
Shakira is not just another pretty face though, but rather a talented
songstress deserving of the accolades she has received in the Latin music
industry. With the release of her debut English-language album,
"Laundry Service", in November
2001, she has demonstrated her talent is not
bound to one language. I was fortunate enough to see her perform at
her Dallas, Texas stop for her Tour de la Mangoste (Tour of the Mongoose),
and she is more beautiful in person than any print or video media reveals.
Her concert was fabulous and I hope "Shaki" continues to enjoy tremendous
success in her career!
|
Ojos
Así |
Dónde
Están los Ladrones? |
Shakira |
Donde estan los
ladrones |
Miscellaneous Songs |
Song Title |
Artist / Album |
Comments |
Oh Yeah |
Yello / One Second |
What can I say? This has always been a
fun song, ever since it became popular from the movie "Ferris
Bueller's Day Off". |
Once In A
Lifetime |
Frank Peterson / Gregorian |
A friend asked me about this song and I wasn't
familiar with it. I like the mix of Spanish and English vocals, as
well as the sound that is reminiscent of the various Enigma projects...no
wonder, given that Frank Peterson was involved with Enigma. |
Kernkraft
400 |
Zombie Nation
/ Club Delicious 2 |
During 6 weeks spent in Belgium and the
Netherlands, I frequently heard this song on the radios. Even though
it got old after a while, I enjoy listening to it and other club mixes now
that I'm back in the U.S.A. |
Blue - Album
Mix |
La Tour
/ Soundtrack to Basic Instinct |
This is that great trance/techno dance piece
from the movie "Basic Instinct" that pretty much just exudes a
sensual, sexy sort of rhythm. Or, was that just Sharon Stone's
effect on me? : ) |
Paris |
Various Artists
/ Voodoo Roux |
Voodoo Roux is just one of the many album
compilations from Waveform Records,
falling into the genre of electronic/ambient music. It's great music for
those times when you're feeling in a dreamy sort of mood or just want to
relax. "Paris" is performed by Trance Groove. |
|