Label: Palmetto Records
Album: Woods & Mays
Artist: Phil Woods & Bill Mays
Genre: Jazz
Oooohhhh nothing eases the soul like that smooth, smooth jazz. Whether you associate jazz music with your local book store coffee shop, the romantic ambiance of your favorite candle-lit dinner spot or the feeling you get when you're walking city streets on a winter evening, this album is sure to make you feel so reminiscent and so... just good. Woods & Mays serves up nine tracks of rich, decadent alto sax poured beautifully over a bed of sweet jazz piano melodies. The result: sinfully delicious. Alas, an indulgence that doesn't come with calories.
Woods & Mays is the audio documentation of Phil Woods' (sax) and Bill Mays' (piano) collaboration at Maggie's Farm, an 18th century stone barn turned serene recording studio in Buck's County, Pennsylvania. Many jazz musicians have recorded at Maggie's Farm, but these two may be the most legendary. Most of us are familiar with Phil Wood's infamous sax solo on Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" but he's also worked with popular artists Carly Simon, Steely Dan and Paul Simon among others. Bill Mays was lucky enough to have worked with the one and only Frank Sinatra as well as Al Jarreau, Peggy Lee and Anita O'Day to name a few.
Label: Trippin 'n Rhythm
Album: Feel the Heat
Artist: Nick Colionne
Genre: Jazz, R&B
Do yourself a favor—help Nick’s smooth vocals, funky R&B and bluesy jazz find its way to your playlist around 2:30 pm. Gliding you into his album, he starts off with “Some Funky” and “The Windy Dance,” two fast moving instrumentals that bring you the afternoon energy that you’ve been craving since lunch. Then, dream with his lyrics in “Let’s Spend Some Time” and switch your settings to a candle light dinner…well, at the office. Now, back to reality—bopping your head with his irresistible R&B hit “The Connection,” followed by a happy-go-lucky reminder of Nick’s talented guitarist tunes. “Midnight and You” is his soft vocal reminiscent of the lonely romance that rummages its way through everyone once in a while. While we’re there, think of the 80’s and listen to “It’s Gonna Be Alright” and since nobody’s watching, just shake it a little. In “Wessin,” take it slower and enjoy Nick’s jazz guitar and light keyboard and in “Can’t Let Go,” take it even slower and sway to his amorous vocals. Finally, since New Orleans has always been such a talked about destination known for its cultivation of the roots of blues music, bring your imagination to the land of jazz and blues, and listen to stories about life with a pocket o’ coins in his final track, “Po’House.” Nick was honored with the prestigious 2007 International Instrumental Artist of the Year Award at the Wave Jazz Awards and he is known for his unique take on guitar that compliments his deep, nourishing voice.
Label: Galapagos 4
Album: Style be the King
Artist: Qwazaar & Batsauce
Genre: Hip Hop
We can all get a little sluggish during the week--especially after a long celebratory weekend. Need a boost? Turn up Qwazaar & Batsauce’s new album Style Be The King and bop your head to the strong beats of “I Remember.” Can’t get enough of his heavy soul and striking melody? Switch to “Mind Murder” and give yourself a musical addiction of his MC techniques and catchy melody. Smooth it out with “Rule” featuring Chefket for a slash of intense rap and “Run It” for a blast of his powerful voice. As you'll soon notice, the best part of this album is its flawless packaging of a variety of moods, topic and style. Make a U-turn and turn up “Shake” for a hip-twisting/hands in the air beat. Break! “Still Hurts” stops you before you get too carried away and tells a story of memories and pain. Back it up with heavy bass and rhythmic vocals in “Summer Fly By” and funky beats with skillful rap in “To The Death”. Then, finish with final hit for some truthful lyrics and mesmerizing instrumentals in “Style Be The King.” Look how time flies when good music's on your mind!
Label: La Folia Recordings
Album: Pinwheel Mix
Artist: An On Bast
Genre: Dance, Tech-house
Every one needs a pick-me-up after a party-filled weekend. Shhh…we won’t tell! So, treat yourself to some deep tech-house with head-bopping beats to bring you back to sanity. Start off with “O Wanderer” and cruise with some light techno. Follow with “Dum Dum” with its added sonic interest to its traditional electronic beats. An On Bast brings you “Trusting My Path” with a little cowboys versus aliens mix and investigates the electronic bliss that her listeners crave. Continue with “Tu Veux” with a twist of the French and experience the splattering of bitcrushed dub stabs with its micro-granule percussive bits. Move on to “Hator”, for an isolated ring and experience “Enter and Flow” to find the medium that moves your mental music. Now, blast “Cat the King” for some light humored beats that plays with volume and allow its rhythm to move you towards the enthusiastic clapping of “Saxhopper”. Whoa. Now, take a breath when it comes to “Dance Deconstruction”. Talk about an interesting ride!
An On Bast is the pseudonym of Anna Suda, a Polish electronic producer. This is her third release on La Folia Recordings. She was first discovered in 2006 by the Red Bull Music Academy and went on to participate in the academy's Melbourne edition.
