I just want to be true to what I really hear and who I am. I don’t want to be an actress singing a song. I don’t want to be a singer trying to be a Jazz singer. I want to find myself in the songs that I sing and be musical first and foremost.”-- Janice Friedman

Janice Friedman

With her new release, Swingin’ for the Ride (Janika Muzik), pianist/vocalist Janice Friedman finds herself –first and foremost—as a jazz musician with plenty to say, both with the keyboard and now with her voice, as an interpreter and composer. Her third recording has been gathering accolades since its release, bringing Friedman some well-deserved attention beyond her usual New Jersey beat.

Meet Janice

George Gee

The first few bars of “All the Cats Join In” rolled out featuring Dan Block’s clarinet and I oooed to nobody in particular, ‘This is going to be a good CD.’ George Gee and the Jump, Jivin’ Wailers Swinger Orchestra’s If Dreams Come True lives up to the CD cover billing of “classic big band jazz for listen’ & dancin’.”

If you are a fan of having your jazz with a lot of horns, you will enjoy this album. Musical director Walt Szymanski’s trumpet solo on Count Basie and Harry Edison’s “Shorty George” is masterful. The tune honors Shorty George Snowden, a barely five foot tall dancer at the Savoy Ballroom during the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, and considered to be the innovator of the lindy hop dance step. Throughout the CD Brian Bonvissuto (trombone), Mark Gross (alto sax/clarinet), Michael Hashim (tenor sax) and Alex Harding (baritone sax) are at the top of their game.

Stanley Clarke © Michael Kurgansky

As the concert opens on October 24, 2002, we are treated to Clarke playing the double bass in pizzacato fashion, backed by a very good orchestra.

The first song after the beautiful introduction features Clarke and Armand Sabbal-Lecco serenading each other on bass guitar during George Duke and Clarke’s composition “Wild Dog”. There is some great footage of Clarke fingering his fretboard.

Alex Clements

Alex Clements’ new CD entitled, Emily’s Song, is an intimate solo piano performance that indubitably sets this talented Pianist/Composer as one to watch for great things.   The success of Keith Jarrett’s solo improvisation master piece, The Koln Concert has opened a whole new era for solo piano explorations.  However, very few can really pull off a solo performance that is flowing and musical live, much less on CD.  Alex Clements’ CD, Emily’s Song rises to the occasion with a strong flowing musical journey that will entertain and leave you wondering if possibly some pianist are evolving a third appendage with five more fingers!  
 
Clements’ lets the listener know from the first note where the pulse of the music is and then builds the musical story line upon its solid foundation throughout the eight solo piano selections.  A gentle waltz entitled, “A Song for Ethan,” opens the CD; the melody is developed through multiple key centers, giving the song harmonic interest as well as a deep reservoir for drawing creative ideas for improvisation. “Inspired By…” is definitely a nod in the Jarrett direction with a driving pulse that showcases Clements’ mastery of contrapuntal lines and developing musical layers.