Dave Stryker "Eight Track Christmas"
(Strikezone Records) Street Date: November 1, 2019
Dave Stryker-guitar, Stefon Harris-vibes, Jared Gold-organ,
McClenty Hunter-drums
UPC Code: 888295920889
http://www.davestryker.com/wp/
Track listing, track times:
1 This Christmas (Donny Hathaway/Nadine McKinnor) 4:58
2 Greensleeves (Traditional) 5:11
3 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Traditional) 5:09
4 Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon/Yoko Ono) 4:08
5 Soulful Frosty (Eugene Record/Sonny Sanders, Walter Rollins/Steve Nelson) 4:11
6 Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi) 5:27
7 Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson) 3:46
8 Blue Christmas (Jay W. Johnson/Billy Hayes) 6:08
9 We Three Kings (John Henry Hopkins Jr.) 6:35
10 O Tannenbaum (Traditional) 5:25
Dave Stryker guitar
Stefon Harris vibraphone
Jared Gold organ
McClenty Hunter drums and percussion
(Steve Nelson vibraphone #10)
Produced by Dave Stryker
Music Arranged by Dave Stryker
Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Chris Sulit at Trading 8’s Studio,
Paramus NJ / June 11, 2019
Photography and Graphic Design by Christopher Drukker
For more information please visit
www.davestryker.com – strikezonerecords.com
Fresh off the success of Eight Track III (6 Weeks at #1 on the JazzWeek Radio Chart), Dave Stryker and his Eight Track Band decided to make a Christmas album for all the listeners who have enjoyed and supported the music. Dave says: “It’s crazy to be arranging and recording Christmas music in the middle of summer, but I think I was able to put my stamp on this batch of holiday favorites and make a pretty hip record along with the always-groovin’ Stefon Harris, Jared Gold, and McClenty Hunter.
We put our ‘Eight Track’ vibe on these tunes!” Stryker and the band do indeed put their stamp on Christmas songs old and new including more recent tunes such as Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)," Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” and a bluesy take on “Blue Christmas." They also put a new jazz spin on Christmas classics “What Child is This,” “God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen,” “Sleigh Ride,” “We Three Kings,” and “O Tannenbaum” (featuring Eight Track II’s Steve Nelson). Perhaps the most fun is “Soulful Frosty,” Stryker’s mash-up of Young-Holt Unlimited’s classic “Soulful Strut” and “Frosty the Snowman”! So enjoy Dave Stryker’s Eight Track Christmas, a hip and swingin’ update on these holiday classics.
AVAILABLE FROM: http://davestryker.com / CDBaby / Amazon / iTunes
Rebecca Angel Santa Baby
(Timeless Grooves Records) Street Date: November 15, 2019
CD Single Rebecca Angel -Vocals, Dennis Angel-Trumpet
http://rebeccaangel.net
REBECCA ANGEL FEATURING DENNIS ANGEL “SANTA BABY” CD SINGLE
Label: TIMELESS GROOVES RECORDS
Release Date: NOVEMBER 15, 2019
UPC Code: 888295962193
Track listing
1. Santa Baby Music and lyrics by Joan Javits (Tamir Music ASCAP), Philip Springer (Tamir Music ASCAP) and Anthony Springer (SOCAN)
Musicians: Rebecca Angel – vocals
Dennis Angel – Flugelhorn
Jason Miles – Electric Piano, Hammond 83
Jonah Prendergast – guitar
Reggie Washington -bass
Brian Dunne – drums
Produced by Jason Miles
Mixed by Jimmy Bralower
Mastered by Mike Fosenkemper @Turtle Tone Mastering Cover art by Karin Haslinger
Tis the season to celebrate with one of Jazz’s great emerging singers, Rebecca Angel, with a fresh re-imagining of the classic “SANTA BABY”
New York based singer, songwriter and performer Rebecca Angel spins a sultry jazz twist on “Santa Baby,” a playful yet sophisticated Christmas perennial first recorded by Eartha Kitt in 1953.
Produced by Jason Miles, who adds retro and bluesy touches via electric piano and Hammond B-3, the track features musicians who have been on many of Rebecca’s previous recordings, including electric guitarist Jonah Prendergast, acoustic bassist Reggie Washington and drummer Brian Dunne. The tune begins with her sensual scatting paired with Washington’s warm, intimate bass line and later features a lush flugelhorn solo by Rebecca’s father, popular jazz recording artist Dennis Angel.
Rebecca’s holiday-themed track provides a fresh, lighthearted balance following a year which began with her making great impact on contemporary jazz radio stations with “Thoughts and Prayers,” her socially conscious recording. She followed that with her self-reflective, breezy and bossa nova flavored single “Summer Song.” The videos for those tracks collectively received thousands of views on YouTube.
A vocal jazz graduate from Ithaca College, Rebecca has been performing regularly since her mid-teens at venues like the Watercolor Cafe in Larchmont, NY, My Father’s Place in Roslyn, NY and NYC hotspots Pangea, The Iridium, The Metropolitan Room and The Cutting Room. Rebecca released her critically acclaimed debut EP What We Had in 2018.
JOHN BASILE SILENT NIGHT
(StringTime Jazz Productions) Street Date: November 1, 2019
John Basile-Guitar
https://www.johnbasile.net
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/johnbasile5
“Silent Night” Is An Inspired Collection Of Holiday Favorites Featuring
Guitarist John Basile Interpreting Timeless Melodies.
Utilizing His Electric And Nylon Guitars Combined With Digital MIDI Technology
Basile Has Created A Set That Will Be Sure To Become A Yuletide Favorite.
Throughout his career, John Basile has been greatly in-demand as a tasteful and melodic guitarist who has performed with many top singers and in intimate settings with major jazz artists. “Silent Night” is a bit different. Basile uses MIDI guitar technology to create colorful textures against “live” jazz guitar improvisations to create an engagingly fresh set of treatments of these holiday classics.
“It’s the best of both worlds as you combine the craft element of arranging and recording a predetermined digital accompaniment with true jazz guitar improvisation”.
But more important than how the music was performed is that the results provide an eclectic mix of melodic guitar improvisations destined to please. The guitarist picked out a dozen classic holiday themes and gave them treatments that explore a variety of moods, tempos and rhythms while paying respect to these classic themes.
Among the highlights are a fast waltz version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” the lush backing and thoughtful playing on a moody “Lulladay” (Basile’s original) that is a little reminiscent of Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece,” a joyful “Silver Bells,” the dreamlike and quietly emotional “Silent Night,” and the boppish guitar solo on “Toyland.”
“Baby Its Cold Outside” has two guitars interacting with each other as if they were taking a vocal duet, “What Child Is This” gets a fairly adventurous improvisation, and “Christmas Time Is Here” reflects the happiness and optimism of the holiday season. The subtle Latin rhythms on many of the selections casts a fresh light on these beloved songs.
“Silent Night” is just the latest accomplishment in John Basile’s productive career. Born in Boston, Basile began playing guitar when he was 12. He gained experience with R&B show bands and organ groups and then a three-month stint with vibraphonist Red Norvo led him into a career in straight ahead jazz. After studying at Berklee and the New England Conservatory of Music, he toured with an octet led by Count Basie and worked with such singers as Peggy Lee, Kay Starr, Nancy Harrow, Anita Gravine, Rosemary Clooney, Mark Murphy, and Tony Bennett, also performing with instrumentalists John Abercrombie, George Mraz, Tom Harrell, Jim Hall, Michael Brecker and Red Mitchell. All of those artists appreciated that John Basile had his own sound, he always swung, and he uplifted their music.
John Basile, who has had parallel careers as a radiology administrator, a professional boxing judge, and a music educator and clinician, keeps busy. He also runs the String Time Jazz label and the Stringtime Production Studio creating cues for television and films.
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