2 posts tagged “jazz”

Edgar Gabriel's StringFusion - Blue 7 Edgar Gabriel's Stringfusion Tour Dates 05/21/08 Loyola Academy Wilmette 06/04/08 Plum Grove Rolling Meadws, IL 06/13/08 Alexian Field Schaumburg 06/21/08 Custer Street Fair Evanston, IL 08/10/08 Performing Arts Center, IL 08/18/08 Lake Park Milwaukee, WI 09/13/08 Harper College Palatine, IL

Their album name, Not Radio Material, couldn't be more approriate. Edward Gabriel's StringFusion music is a very interesting (and rare) blend of classical instrumentals, primarily violin string arrangements, blended with mellow light jazz piano and saxophone riffs.

A sultry vocal is offered on track three, "Would You Be My Valentine" along with a very smooth keyboard solo. The percussion driven samba of track 4, "Mobile", suggests more Latin swing influences, very contemporary and cool. The saxophone on track 5, "I Knew That" really soars to some impressive heights. Down and dirty blues guitar can be heard on the urban slynish of track 6, "Blue 7", probably my favorite composition on this CD.

The fusion of all the musical elements of this band maybe best on display on track 8's "Train Blues". You get the feeling this song was born out of frustration of dealing with Chicago's L-Train, the north Chicago area apparently being this band's home origins.

It's very difficult to put any exacting tag on what this band's sound really, all I know is it makes for some very nice/late night mellow down easy music, a real treat for any jazz enthusiasts.

Links: edgargabriel.com myspace.com

Josiah Wordsworth - My Catholic Darling

Josiah Wordsworth

3 comments

I wanted to mention Josiah Wordsworth's debut album, Wordsworth!, was released March 18th. I found out that his name is actually Jordan Slominski and he's based in St Paul, Minnesota.

I'll have to point out that I don't actually have his album or debut EP called Blue State, which was released in 2007, but based on the few songs I listened to, it sounds like a lot of piano with a rock n roll sensibility. The two songs I've heard on Wordsworth! are instrumentals, so I am assuming the rest of the album have no lyrics. It's still enjoyable.

"My Catholic Darling" feels like a frantic piano-driven song. Although I say frantic, I feel Slominski is very much in control of the song.

It would be interesting to see him perform live, especially on that particular song - and good news, I just checked and he's playing a few dates Gustavus Adolfus - Courtyard Cafe, St. Peter (23 Apr 2008) and Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (24 Apr 2008).

Once again, Wordsworth! is out now and you can purchase the album directly on his website.

Incidentally, I got this tip via Limerick Records, who's operating on donations - offering all their music available for download for free. I'm definitely going to mention Limerick Records on W♥M at a later time.

In the absence of CD sales, our artist's livelihoods depend on their live performances, merchandising, publishing, and other assorted sources of revenue. Our ultimate goal is that fans will learn about one of our artists, download that artist's music free of charge, and then, later, pay for a concert ticket, a t-shirt, or a DVD. We want to build a lifelong relationship with each fan, and always strive to give back much more than we take.

 03/22/2008 15:20:52  vu my♥posts josiahwordsworth.com myspace.com virb.com