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Steve Sano Steve Sano
Songs from the Taro Patch
(Daniel Ho Creations)
Steve Sano is an accomplished guitarist who came to Hawaiian slack key guitar later in life. After studying with the genre's masters, he became one if its leading practitioners. "Songs from the Taro Patch" has wonderful versions of newly arranged traditional Hawaiian songs and Sano originals. It is a must for acoustic guitar enthusiasts.

1. "Songs from the Taro Patch" - Steve Sano describes how he started studying slack key 15 years ago.
2. "Ku'u Pua I Paoakalini" - Steve Sano praises Hawai'i's last native Queen, a renowned musician.
3. "Birdie's Slack Shake Key" - Steve Sano says how Hawai'i's natural environment shaped its music.
4. "Two Favorites" - Steve Sano describes two personal favorites on the recording.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.stanford.edu/~sano/guitar/index.htm


© Copyright 2007, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Ticklah Ticklah
Ticklah vs. Axelrod
(Easy Star Records)
Victor Axelrod has many musical identities. In the reggae world, the keyboardist, arranger and engineer is known as Ticklah. His latest CD, "Ticklah vs. Axelrod," is a modern dub recording, where the instruments and occasional vocals are mixed in and out followed by echoes and reverb. The recording is filled with alluring grooves, unexpected dynamics and notable guest vocalists.

1. "Ticklah vs. Axelrod" - Victor Axelrod says his latest Ticklah CD evolved over time.
2. "Two Face" - Ticklah describes the mysterious texture and scale in this instrumental.
3. "Delays in Dub" - Ticklah says he and other dub artists use echoes to fill time.
4. "Rescue Me" - The inside story of how singer Mikey General rescued this track.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.myspace.com/ticklah


© Copyright 2007, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Trevor Menear Trevor Menear
Trevor Menear
Trevor Menear is a Chicago-based guitarist-singer-songwriter who studied jazz but is drawn to blues-inflected rock and soul. He writes energetic songs whose lyrics ponder the world while his guitar is makes strong statements about it. Menear has a flair for writing musically strong songs, even as he is working to create his own style.

1. "Trevor Menear" - The singer-songwriter-guitarist's songs came from a year of big change.
2. "Blues and Roots" - Trevor Menear has been drawn to blues and roots since his earliest days.
3. "The Cloud" - Trevor Menear's soulful track about floating above the world's troubles.
4. "Arms of Your Love" - A more reflective song about a woman whose questions won't go away.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.trevormenear.com


© Copyright 2007, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Corey Harris Corey Harris
Zion Crossroads
(Heads Up)
Corey Harris' "Zion Crossroads" is a terrific roots-reggae album from an artist known for a variety of African diaspora musical styles. Harris's recent trip to Ethiopia influenced a CD that ranges from gospel reggae to politically conscious reggae rock. Harris was inspired. The music was written and recorded quickly. The result is enthusiastic, serious, refreshing.

1. "Zion Crossroads" - Corey Harris says his recent trip to Ethiopia inspired this roots-reggae recording.
2. "Reggae and Blues" - The former bluesman describes what makes reggae special for him.
3. "Walter Rodney" - A tribute to a notable author, teacher and revolutionary.
4. "Sweat Shop" - Corey Harris says he can't help but notice economic injustice.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.coreyharrismusic.com


© Copyright 2007, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Daniel Ho Daniel Ho
Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Life From Maui
(Daniel Ho Creations)
"Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live From Maui" features energetic and passionate performances by the genre's best-known players, innovators and other renowned acoustic Hawaiian artists. Recorded at the Ritz-Carlton by guitarist and producer Daniel Ho, the CD is the 2007 Grammy winner for Best Hawaiian Music Album. The appeal and depth of Hawaiian music is perfectly displayed.

1. "Legends Live" - Guitarist and co-producer Daniel Ho says the tracks come from a year of live performances.
2. "Kumu Mele" - Daniel Ho describes his contemporary slack-key piece, whose title means "Simple As A Sunrise."
3. "Richard Hoopii" - Richard Hoopii's falsetto voice and ukelele playing are both striking.
4. "Hula Blues" - Bobby Ingano's lap-steel guitar shows the influence of many musical styles.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.danielho.com


© Copyright 2007, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Nathan Maxwell Nathan Maxwell
Happiness in Time
(Hoodoo Music)
Singer-songwriter Nathan Maxwell's first full-length CD, "Happiness in Time," is a heartfelt country-soul recording that showcases a talented young artist. The mostly live-in-the-studio recording - with a great band - has a timeless, easy-grooving quality that updates the classics that inspired them.

1. "Happiness in Time" - Nathan Maxwell says he wanted to make a country and R&B recording with true emotion and an easy natural feel.
2. "It's You Who I've Come Back to Find" - Nathan Maxwell says this country-gospel song might be the CD's best track.
3. "The Title Track" - "Happiness in Time" is a classic R&B number about a classic problem.
4. "Bank Robber" - Nathan Maxwell describes the quirkiest song on the recording.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.hoodoomusic.com


© Copyright 2006, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Daniel Ho Daniel Ho
Simple as a Sunrise
(Daniel Ho Creations)
Daniel Ho is a multi-instrumentalist composer and record producer who is best-known as a Hawaiian slack key guitarist. Two of his songs were on "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar," which won the 2006 Grammy Award for best Hawaiian music album (which he also produced). Ho started as a classical guitarist, studied jazz, turned to slack key - and is now exploring singing. Throughout he's had a style that's melodically rich, warm and played with distinction.

1. "Daniel Ho" - Daniel Ho says he brings many influences to his slack key guitar playing.
2. "Lia" - Daniel Ho describes the musical elements in this distinctive piece.
3. "Slack Tides" - One of two songs on the CD that won a 2006 Grammy award.
4. "Simple as a Sunrise" - An instrumental became a popular song with lyrics.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.DanielHo.com


© Copyright 2006, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Jeffrey Foucault Jeffrey Foucault
Stripping Cane
(Signature Sounds)
Folk singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault says he's always been drawn to dark moods and topics. His latest CD, "Stripping Cane," is a series of musical snapshots ranging from the existential to the inexplicable. Foucault doesn't ponder the exact meaning of his songs; he revels in their moodiness, frozen moments and sense of suspended time.

1. "Stripping Cane" - Jeffrey Foucault says his latest songs were sparked by the road and life's contradictions.
2. "The Dark Side" - Jeffrey Foucault says he doesn't know why playing dark music makes him so happy.
3. "Northbound" - The most personal song on the CD recalls a lonely drive.
4. "Doubletree" - Jeffrey Foucault's contribution to the murder ballad genre.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com


© Copyright 2004, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Jay McShann Jay McShann
Goin' to Kansas City
(Stony Plain Records)
Kansas City blues and jazz legend Jay McShann is still making records, well into his 80s. On Grammy-nominated "Goin' to Kansas City," McShann is joined by Duke Robillard, Maria Muldaur, Johnnie Johnson and others. These profiles, produced from interviews by Stony Plains Records' Holger Petersen, find the famous band leader and innovator talking about his music and the scene in pre-war Kansas City.

1. "Kansas City" - Jay McShann says liquor-hunting sheriffs pushed him to come to Kansas City.
2. "Blues Came Last" - Jay McShann recalls how he used different singers and arranged the music in his sets.
3. "Confessin' The Blues" - Jay McShann recalls recording his first hit - this version features Maria Muldaur.
4. "ParkerTheSleuth" - Jay McShann says a young Charlie Parker was always looking for good players.
5. "Bird" - The "official" and true story of how Charlie Parker became known as "Bird."

Visit artist's web site: http://stonyplainrecords.com


© Copyright 2004, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
James Blood Ulmer James Blood Ulmer
No Escape From The Blues
(Hyena Records)
For decades, James Blood Ulmer has been known for intense, distinctive guitar playing and singing on the cutting edge of jazz and funk. That changed when Vernon Reid convinced him to make a blues CD, which was nominated for a Grammy last year. His second blues CD is even better: more personal, evocative and filled with Ulmer's quiet, earthy soulfulness.

1. "No Escape" - James Blood Ulmer says he never thought he'd make a blues record, until Vernon Reid convinced him.
2. "More Than A Song" - James Blood Ulmer says he knows the realities behind the songs on this CD.
3. "Goin' To New York" - Blood says he never expected to go to New York, but the blues brought him there.
4. "Blues" - James Blood Ulmer's thoughts on what artists who play blues must remember.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.hyenarecords.com


© Copyright 2003, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Jerry and Howard Jerry Ragovoy and Howard Tate
Howard Tate Rediscovered
(Private Music)
When it comes to great soul albums of the 1960s, the music of vocalist Howard Tate and writer-arranger Jerry Ragovoy is among the very best. Today, 30 years after Tate left the music business, the pair have returned with a magnificent and acclaimed new CD, "Howard Tate Rediscovered," written, arranged and produced by Ragovoy.

1. "Howard Tate" - Jerry Ragovoy recounts how Howard Tate left the music business in the 1970s and how he found him.
2. "That Voice" - Jerry Ragovoy says Howard Tate's voice never left his head - even after decades.
3. "Songwriting" - Jerry Ragovoy says his only goal is to write a good song.
4. "Arranging" - Ragovoy says all good arrangers share one thing in common.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.privatemusic.com


© Copyright 2003, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
Ray Wylie Hubbard Ray Wylie Hubbard
Growl
(Philo)
Texas roots musician Ray Wylie Hubbard's latest recording, "Growl," is a notable gut-level exploration of what Hubbard describes as "rural people with their own agenda." Crafted with roots producer-extraordinaire Gurf Morlix, Hubbard's bottleneck and steel guitars provide the perfect setting for his hearty voice and poetic lyrics.

1. "Growl" - Ray Wylie Hubbard says his return to fingerstyle guitar opened up the rootsy mood and primal vibe of "Growl."
2. "Gurf Morlix" - Ray Wylie Hubbard says producer Gurf Morlix gave the CD its "grit, groove and confidence."
3. "Knives Of Spain" - Ray Wylie Hubbard describes the humble, historical spark behind this ode to the muse and creative process.
4. "Purgatory Road" - A Texas backroad prompted this song about the three types of people in the world.
5. "That Texas Thing" - Ray Wylie Hubbard said "the weirdest" song he's ever written was a tip of the hat to Texas musicians.

Visit artist's web site: http://www.raywylie.com


© Copyright 2003, BEHINDtheBEAT, Inc.
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