Thursday, November 25, 2021

Louis Winsberg - Temps Réel et 3 Concerts Parisiens !

Nous sommes heureux de vous annoncer la sortie du nouvel album de Louis Winsberg « Temps Réel », un trio « hors format » alliant le vocal, le rythme , les sons inédits, la guitare dans tous ces états, par le biais de l’écoute et de l’improvisation… Avec deux phénomènes de la scène européenne, deux chanteurs et rythmiciens hors paires: Jean Luc Difraya et Patrice Héral (Label Gemini). Avec les 20 ans de Jaleo, la sortie du film « Musica »  et ce nouveau trio, c’est une actualité exaltante et foisonnante que nous vous proposons de découvrir sur 3 soirées parisiennes exceptionnelles:


Louis Winsberg tournera avec le projet "Jaleo 20 ans" et le trio "Temps Réel" sur l'été 2022, et la saison 22/23 (Backstage Productions travaille en collaboration amicale avec Nemo Music)

Rodrigo Amado Northern Liberties - We Are Electric (November 2021)

First ever album by this quartet, featuring a much anticipated collaboration with three of the most prominent Norwegian improvisers. Recorded live at legendary ZDB club in Lisbon.

1. Spark 17:18
2. Ignition 12:18
3. Activity 12:30
4. Response 05:24

Rodrigo Amado – tenor saxophone
Thomas Johansson – trumpet
Jon Rune Strøm – double bass
Gard Nilssen – drums

All compositions by Amado / Johansson / Strøm / Nilssen

Recorded by Cristiano Nunes at ZDB, Lisbon, July 11th, 2017
Mixed by Joaquim Monte and Rodrigo Amado
Mastered by David Zuchowski
Produced by Rodrigo Amado
Executive production by Marek Winiarski
Cover photo by Rodrigo Amado
Inlay photo by Rui Silva
Design by Rodrigo Amado and Travassos

Doug MacDonald - Serenade To Highland Park (November 2021)

Guitarist Doug MacDonald is definitely keeping himself busy this year.  The well-known and respected musician/composer is scheduled to release his third (yes, third) record of the year Friday in the form of Serenade to Highland Park.  As with the other two records that he has released this year – Live in Hawaii and Toluca Lake Jazz – this latest offering will release through MacDonald’s own label, DMAC Music/Doug MacDonald Music.  That is all that it has in common with its counterparts.  The music that makes up the record’s body stands out because for the most part, the songs are covers of more well-known works.  MacDonald even points this out in the record’s brief liner notes.  There are two originals from MacDonald featured as part of the record’s body alongside those covers, and each is well worth examining in its own right.  Among the most notable of the covers featured in this record is that of Irving Berlin’s timeless classic, ‘They Say It’s Wonderful.’  This song will also be discussed as part of the record’s examination.  When it and the record’s two original songs are considered together with the rest of the featured works, the whole makes the record another fun new offering from Doug MacDonald that his fans and more casual jazz fans alike will appreciate.

Doug MacDonald’s forthcoming covers collection, Serenade to Highland Park, is an enjoyable new offering from the veteran jazz guitarist/composer.  It is a work that MacDonald’s established audiences will find just as appealing as any casual jazz fan.  That is proven in part through the record’s two originals, one of which is the record’s title track.  The song is a light, enjoyable composition, led by MacDonald’s work on guitar.  Drummer Paul Kreibich’s gentle brush work on the snare and equally soft time keeping on the hi hat pairs with MacDonald’s simple guitar arrangement to make the song even richer.  The addition of Mike Flick’s even more subtle bass line to the mix adds even more to the arrangement’s appeal.  That is because it is such a barely there performance in his part.  It is just audible enough that audiences can hear its subtle approach.  Flick and Kreibich’s collective rhythm section make for such a nice compliment to MacDonald’s performance on guitar.  The whole of the musicians’ work gives the song overall a great modern jazz feel along with such a rich, slow dance stylistic approach.  It is certain to fully engage and entertain any listener noted here.  Much the same can be said of ‘Hortense,’ MacDonald’s other original composition featured in this record.

Hortense’ is light in its own way, but a little bit more upbeat than ‘Serenade to Highland Park.  MacDonald once again leads the way here, though Kriebich takes a more active role in this arrangement.  Flick meanwhile is ever so slightly more involved in this arrangement, too, but not by much.  Kriebich’s light ghost notes and accents work with his solid time keeping on the ride cymbal to give his performance its own appeal.  He really becomes just as much the star of this arrangement as MacDonald.  There are moments in which Flick gets some of the spotlight, too.  He uses those moments to best of his ability, too as he takes on a nice counterpoint to MacDonald’s melody while also enhancing the trio’s rhythm section.  The control that all three men display here is so accurate, and at the same time, makes the song so pleasant because of that item.  It makes the song in whole another wonderful modern jazz style composition that blurs the line between modern and easy listening jazz in the best way possible.  Together with ‘the album’s title track, the two songs collective do more than enough to show what makes them (and the record in whole) so enjoyable.  Sure, it would have been nice to have had some background on the songs in order to more fully appreciate each work, but alas, beggars cannot be choosers.
Moving from the originals to the record’s covers, the most notable of the covers (at least to this critic’ is that of Irving Berlin’s timeless tune, ‘They Say It’s Wonderful.’  Originally composed by Berlin for the 1946 musical, Annie Get Your Gun, the song gets a whole new identity in its presentation here.  Though, it does still pay some homage to its source material.  Instead of the orchestral version originally performed by Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton for the musical’s original 1946 cast recording, MacDonald and company have instead opted to give the song a more updated presentation.  Where the original runs just over three minutes in length (three minutes, 37 seconds to be exact), the cover featured here runs more than a minute longer, coming in at four minutes, 50 seconds.  Right from the song’s outset here, the trio gives the song an interesting modern swing touch, with all three musicians collectively getting their own moment in the limelight.  MacDonald once again leads the way, but Flick and Kriebich each add their own flare to the work to enhance the song even more.  It is those added solos from those two that add to the song’s nearly minute and a half extra time.  Flick’s solo is a great accent to the mix while MacDonald every now and then kicks back to the original vocal lines and balances that with his own noted modern touch.  The fills that Kriebich adds in his solos are just as engaging and entertaining in their own right.  Between his work, that of Flick and of MacDonald, the trio’s full presentation here makes this updated take on such a timeless standard unique but unique in a good way.  When it is considered along with the album’s other featured covers and its two examined originals, the whole makes the album overall another enjoyable offering from MacDonald and his fellow musicians. 

Doug MacDonald’s latest record, Serenade to Highland Park, — his third studio offering this year – is a work that his established audiences and casual jazz fans alike will agree is another enjoyable offering from the veteran jazz guitarist.  Every one of its 12 total songs does its own share to make that clear, including each of its two featured originals.  Those two songs are unique of one another and from the covers.  They do plenty to keep audiences engaged and entertained.  In the way of the covers, MacDonald and company’s cover of ‘They Say It’s Wonderful’ is among the most notable of those entries.  When it and the two noted originals are considered along with the rest of the record’s featured works, the whole makes Serenade to Highland Park a presentation that will appeal to a wide range of jazz fans. 

Serenade to Highland Park is scheduled for release Friday through MacDonald’s own label, DMAC Music. More information on the record is available along with all of MacDonald’s latest news at:

Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet - Fools for Yule (November 2021)

Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet (“UVJQ”) is back just in time for the holidays! The singing  oursome and their supporting musicians have put their creative stamp on the timeless art of sizzling, swinging 4-part harmony vocal jazz over the years with their original songbook recordings and celebrated collaboration album with the late saxophonist Richie Cole, who declared the group “my new discovery, the whole package.” Now UVJQ has released a long awaited holiday album which dishes up a smorgasbord of original holiday songs destined to become seasonal classics by the group’s principal songwriter and arranger Ginny Carr Goldberg (“Fool for Yule,” “Whisper,” “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas” and more), along with their delightfully fresh takes on beloved holiday classics. Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet’s celebrated songwriting, hip arrangements, joyful delivery and eclectic performance range are on full display with this very special seasonal album.
photo Michael-G. Stewart

1. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Irving Berlin, arr. Ginny Carr Goldberg) (3:24)
2. Fool for Yule (Ginny Carr Goldberg) (5:06)
3. Christmas Time is Here (Vince Guaraldi/Lee Mendelson, arr. Ginny Carr Goldberg) (4:08)
4. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard/Richard B. Smith, arr. Ginny Carr Goldberg) (3:30)
5. Whisper (Ginny Carr Goldberg) (3:32)
6. L’Amour Nous Entoure Ce Soir (Ginny Carr Goldberg) (5:18)
7. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé/Robert Wells, arr. Ginny Carr Goldberg) (2:25)
8. Santa Dear, Where’s Mine? (Marilyn Shockey, arr. Ginny Carr Goldberg) (4:36)
9. St. Ita’s Vision (Samuel Barber, arr. Robert McBride) (2:37)
10. It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas (Ginny Carr Goldberg) (4:29)
11. Silent Night (Traditional, arr. David Nokes) (3:58)

Ginny Carr Goldberg, Robert McBride, Holly Shockey, Lane Stowe (vocals)

Backed by:
Frank Russo (drums)
Alan Blackman (piano)
Max Murray (bass)
Donato Soviero (guitar)
Chuck Redd (vibes)
Keith Carr (Irish bouzouki on “Silent Night”)
Ginny Carr Goldberg (piano on “St. Ita’s Vision”)


Fella Cederbaum - Truth And Destiny (November 2021)

Renaissance woman FELLA CEDERBAUM releases album of poetry and original music: TRUTH AND DESTINY.

Debut recording from internationally recognized poet, composer, filmmaker and artist drops November 12, 2021.

On Truth And Destiny, psychotherapist-turned-poet Fella Cederbaum, a.k.a. MahnoDahno, shares a lifetime of insights on how to transcend disruption—and thrive.

Isolation and lockdown led to the creation of Truth And Destiny, the debut recording of artistic polymath Fella Cederbaum. On the brand-new album, set for November 12 release, the multi-talented author recites a dozen of her poems while performing her original compositions on piano and keyboards.

Coming to terms with the past, cherishing the present and facing the future with lifted spirits are among the themes Cederbaum explores on Truth And Destiny, the first recording from the popular poet who has authored three books: the well-reviewed Of Life And Other Such Matters, Volumes 1 and 2, which came out in 2018 and 2019, and That’s Why, set for 2022 publication.

Cederbaum has built an enthusiastic global following for her poetry as a regular guest on WABC radio, broadcast in the New York tri-state area. She has been featured regularly on the station’s weekly Poetry Corner segment, as well as on international streams and widely-available podcasts, creating a burgeoning social media presence and earning kudos from the likes of coaching guru Tony J. Selimi.

With Truth And Destiny Cederbaum offers her poetry as a welcome guide in navigating the current difficult times, and finding opportunities for self-discovery in the Covid era, challenging us to look at ourselves with acceptance and kindness. Her musings on truth, love, loyalty and friendship are often soothing though always thought-provoking, replete with words of wisdom that encourage and reassure like a spa visit for the mind and soul. Besides writing and performing the music and poetry, Cederbaum is also the producer of Truth And Destiny.
Cederbaum’s exquisitely distinct music has won her numerous international film score awards. While the raw power of her music provides an emotional backbone for her poetry, her calm, measured tones invite the listener on a guided meditation along the pathway to introspection and reflection, celebrating the essence of the human spirit. The poetry reveals deep empathy for the universality of life’s experiences, as the poet considers ways of navigating the world, both micro and macro, addressing what dwells in the heart as well as in the halls of power.

This is not Cederbaum’s first endeavor in finding a unique and personal showcase for her poetry, music and art. She is also the writer and director of 21 short films featuring her alter-egos, the characters MahnoDahno and MahniDahni. The shorts have been screened—and garnered coveted awards—at numerous festivals around the globe, including 13 appearances at NYC’s Independent Film Festival, where she took home top honors in her category in 2021.

When you consider her background, perhaps it’s not surprising that with Truth And Destiny and her other poetry-fueled endeavors Cederbaum has proved herself so adept at sharing the wisdom gained in a lifetime of pondering life’s hard questions: What is the meaning of life; what is truth, what is destiny, what is happiness?

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Cederbaum was raised in post-World War II Germany. As a teen, she moved to England, and later to Israel where she revealed her broad spectrum of interests by not only earning a degree in psychology but also becoming deputy director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. After moving to Boston, where she’s still based, Cederbaum earned her graduate degree and enjoyed a successful career as psychotherapist. Her interest in art continued and her paintings have been shown at exhibitions at Germany’s Münchner Stadtmuseum, and at a Boston Holocaust Memorial event.

As far as the answers to those tough questions addressed by Truth And Destiny, Cederbaum summed up her worldview during an interview with WABC’s Yola Nash: “All questions lead to love, heart, our own compass,” the poet revealed.
1. When Thoughts Stick To Your Mind (5:23)
2. The Orchid And The Daisy (4:08)
3. No Gyroscope (6:10)
4. The Door (4:52)
5. Unlive The Lived (3:47)
6. Desires (2:51)
7. Truth (2:21)
8. Sprinkled Bubbles (3:44)
9. Eternally Tickled (1:26)
10. Dance With Me (2:12)
11. Will You Hold Me (3:43)
12. Destiny (2:17)

Poetry and Music written, performed, produced by Fella Cederbaum

Truth And Destiny is available November 12, 2021. Learn more about Fella Cederbaum and Truth And Destiny at: