Thursday, July 23, 2015

NEW RELEASES: AMY WINEHOUSE - INSIDE AND OUT; JOHN BASILE - PENNY LANE; LARRY NEWCOMB QUARTET - LIVE INTENTIONALLY!;

AMY WINEHOUSE - INSIDE AND OUT (DVD+CD BOX SET] 

The life and music of Amy Winehouse uncovered across a 2-disc set. In the four years since the tragic, premature death of Amy Winehouse - the finest British vocalist since Dusty Springfield - this remarkable woman has become an international icon of rare proportions. Having already charmed most parts of the world with her sublime, emotional songs and the astonishing way she delivered them, she has gone on to become more than a sum of her parts and is today as relevant as ever she was. This boxed set celebrates the life and music of Amy Winehouse and features a DVD telling the full story of her life and career, and a second disc featuring rare interviews with Amy given across her short life and during which she discusses all manner of topics that were close to her heart. Completed in deluxe packaging, this attractive and tasteful collection will delight this maverick performer s legions of fans still holding a flame for the finest musical performer of a generation. ~ Amazon

JOHN BASILE - PENNY LANE

The pop standard has been the jumping off point for jazz artists since jazz s birth. The formula is simple, but not easy. You stay true to the melody and you go where it takes you. But the Beatles? Yes, especially the Beatles. In John Basile s Penny Lane, the guitarist is honest to both of his project s masters. The iconic melodies of Lennon and McCartney and Harrison are given homage, not just simply run through as a starting point for some string gymnastics. They are there and they are honest. Yet, at the same time it is Basile s jazz guitar that let the classics breathe new air and come to life in this form. You hear it; actually you experience it, in the subtle and smooth Eleanor Rigby with its rich tones and lines that recall the original but with a fresh feel. In Norwegian Wood, Basile casts aside any doubt that he is first and foremost a jazz man, as he strays from the melody s path to where he lives. Where he goes, we can follow and the trip is rich and filled with the surprises that his art form promises. This is Basile s show from beginning to end. His guitar does what a jazz guitar has always done, but it also does all the things that today s technology allows for the instrument to do. Sure, the guitar playing is artful but so is the use of the instrument as a MIDI interface to create every sound on this project. Listen and try to remember that every note on this project has come through the guitar. You ll be lost in the music before you can ponder the wonders of digital potential and that s exactly how it should be. More interpretation than tribute, Penny Lane gives us a jazz project that does what the original American art form is supposed to do: it takes where we ve been and brings us someplace new all at the same time. ~ Amazon

LARRY NEWCOMB QUARTET - LIVE INTENTIONALLY!

Guitarist Larry Newcomb performs classic and original jazz and blues both as a soloist and in duo, trio and quartet ensembles. Larry has contributed a wealth of electric and acoustic guitar stylings in performances and on recordings with Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack Wilkins, Seleno Clarke, Billy Kaye, Jon Weiss, Mike Camoia, Larry Newcomb Trio, his duo Jonaitis & Newcomb, the band Wolfgang's Revenge and with Babs Winn & the Kickin' Boogie Band. Newcomb has studied with guitar masters Bucky Pizzarelli, Mark Elf, Pat Martino, Howard Roberts and Randy Johnston. His affable performing style is informed by a PhD in Music History and a seasoned master's understanding of the jazz idiom. "The path to jazz mastery is long, challenging, rewarding and never-ending. I started out transcribing then quoting great blues guitarists including B. B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. In my early 20s, I heard Jim Hall, George Benson, Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis and Kenny Burrell. My direction was established. I slowly developed a repertoire of standard tunes; and, by transposing the work of the masters, I learned to address each harmonic element of a tune in its own rite--especially the creation and resolution of tension from each dominant chord to the temporary or permanent tonic. Throughout my musical journey, I've strived to play what I hear, and to make each note ring with colorful, clear and heartfelt beauty." - Larry Newcomb


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