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Upcoming Live Performances
The next Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival may still be months away, but it doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of opportunities to enjoy exceptional live blues and jazz music in the Orangeville area.
Here is a listing of some great upcoming live performances:
You are also invited to visit the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival's Facebook Profile page to stay up to date with the latest Festival-related news and events. |
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More Jazzy Holiday Gift Ideas by: Ryan Grist
Christmas is almost upon us! Yikes!! It seems so early this year somehow. Isn't it just amazing how much needs to be done, and how demanding all these tasks can sometimes be? Thankfully we have music as a secret weapon to battle the holiday stresses.
The title says it all. If you haven't got Tony Bennett in your collection this album will be a terrific start. These selections draw from his 1968 Christmas Album "Snowfall" and the 2002 recording with the Count Basie Big Band. (Oh....get that one too!)
Bennett's voice has stood the test of time now for over 40 years, and it's easy to see why. Infused with warmth and gratitude his voice is the perfect choice to deliver a touch of class to the festive mood.
 This one is for the Jazz lover you're stuck to surprise. The SF Jazz collective is an ensemble consisting of some of the best improvisers on the planet. Interpreting some of Stevie Wonder's classics gives them great vehicles for stretching out with strong and familiar melodies to keep the listener guessing as to when they'll next appear or return. I recently played "Superstition" for a group of high school students - first the original and then the Collective's take on the same tune and they were just blown away. Some of them actually preferred the latter!
Personal fav's on this one are "Sir Duke" and "Superstition". There are also original works by the members of the band and the tune "Visions" is a stand out for me. The album is full of unique, original compositions and arrangements. The musicians on every instrument are virtuosic, delivering dynamic ensemble playing and expressive soloing.
Hope this Christmas finds you with some new music to share with the ones you love!
Merry Christmas and we'll "chat" more in the New Year!
~ Ryan Grist |
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Larry's Top International Blues Picks
As promised in the November issue of The Groove, this month I am pleased to share a list of my favourite international Blues releases, which I would place on the Christmas list of anyone who appreciates exceptional Blues music.  See the links below for more info on each album.
And, I would be remiss to not mention a favourite album of Gord McWilliams - the man who has played a major role in keeping the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival together:
PFC 2: Songs Around the World ~ Playing for Change
I would also like to take this opportunity to extend a sincere Thank-you for your continued support of the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival.
2012 will mark its 10th anniversary and preparations are well underway to make it another incredible event.
So, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year... and stay tuned for Festival events and announcements.
~ Larry Kurtz |
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Blues Collectables by: Garth Stiebel
With nearly everyone preoccupied with the "festivities" that come with this time of year, there is a veritable feeding frenzy when it comes to holiday shopping as we hurriedly attempt to cross more names off their gift shopping lists.
What follows isn't intended to be a list of gift suggestions, however if you are struggling to find the ideal gift for the music lover in your life, it is difficult to go wrong with any of these classic Blues works.
 Alan Lomax: Blues Songbook (Rounder CD 82161-2 2003 Rounder Records Corp.)Anyone who delves into the Blues long enough will discover the name Lomax. Between the early 1930's and the mid-1980's, the Lomax's, father John and Alan, toured the U.S. hinterland and recorded African-American song forms that originated in the 19th century and prospered in the 20th, evolving, as they had, from African and European influences, coloured by work songs, religious and martial music and the unfolding of the American experience in the Deep South. This compilation spans the Lomax career and includes the first recording of Muddy Waters in 1941 and seminal influences like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Son House, Jelly Roll Morton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Lead Belly and others too numerous to mention. It's a 2 CD set and every song is a distillation of the poverty and hard knocks that went into its making. For me, it was a revelation to hear a rawness of feeling that many of today's Blues artists cannot hope to match. A necessary addition to any collection.
 Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen - Live in Dallas (2007 The Blue Shoe Project)They are all gone now; Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, David "Honeyboy" Edwards and that direct connection to Robert Johnson, Robert Lockwood, Jr. But one magical evening in Dallas, Texas brought them all together for one last time, in a once-in-a-lifetime concert, filled with deep emotion and heartfelt music. From Boogie to Delta, this album gives the listener a taste of all that made the Blues the treasured art form it has become and a too-brief taste of the masters that created it. The Blue Shoe Project is an initiative whose mission is to educate students on the rich history of the Blues and to preserve its heritage. Get it now because they ain't making any more of it! The internationally acclaimed Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free Blues music festival in the world and, in the 1960's, the midst of the so-called Blues revival, it was in its prime. The eighteen tracks on this album were recorded in 1964 and 1967 and the headliners, who had been reshaping the sound of popular music since the mid-1950's, were very familiar to the audiences of the time.
Urban Blues stemmed from the demands of the marketplace to evolve itself from the country Blues whose practitioners had migrated from rural poverty towards the possibility of prosperity in the cities. Many of the large cities in America had developed their own styles, including Memphis, Dallas and New Orleans, but Chicago Blues stood almost alone in producing emblematic musicians including those on this CD, that spanned generations even then, inspiring British rockers like Eric Burdon, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, whose "Satisfaction" is performed creditably here by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
Like another link in the chain, a greater appreciation for today's music comes from knowing yesterday's.
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Follow us on Facebook & YouTube If you are not already aware, the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival is on Facebook, and you are invited to join us and stay up to date with the latest photos, videos and upcoming events.
 And now you can also find us on our YouTube Channel, where you can enjoy dozens of performance videos from past festivals. You may even see yourself in the vids. In the meantime, we would like to thank you for your interest in (and support of) our Festival. Stay tuned for more... |
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Harmonica Hank
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Dec. 23, 2011 - 
Tony Bennett - The Classic Christmas Album
Alligator Records 40th Anniversary