Evangelize one artist here

[Vince Kargatis]

Stealing from a thread I started at emusic, and thought would work here just as well, pick an artist you love (any genre, jazz too, despite the forum) but you think might not be too well known here, and preach why you love them so.

For this thread, I choose:

Stew

Stew (Mark Stewart) is a singer-writer that simply charms the hell out of me, more than any other I can think of. Very melodic and tuneful songs, often quirky and even naive-sounding music. Lyrics range from celebratory to dark and introspective, but always worldly. Burt Bacharach is one musical touchpoint for me. He came to prominence leading the band The Negro Problem, and his three solo albums focus the songcraft even more, though it's best I think to consider the work of the two projects together.

Some streaming audio:
The Negro Problem (myspace fan site)
Passing Strange (myspace site for their recent musical)
Official site

Stew's solo albums are on emusic.

[Jazzooo]

The late Don Grolnick, without a doubt. A tasty piano player, part Monk and part funk, his unusual voicings--if you care about such things--are perfect, and perfectly twisted in just the coolest way. He could be sly and witty, and he could burn like he did on B3 on Bob Berg's Friday Night at the Cadillac Ranch. His playing graced everything from Michael Brecker's straight ahead explorations to James Taylor's best work (Grolnick was Taylor's musical director for 17 years).

But as much as I admire his playing, it's his compositions that make him an artist deserving wider recognition. The Cost of Living and Nothing Personal are only two songs of his that deserve to be standards of the future. There is great sadness in some of his writing, broken-hearted harmonies and melancholy grooves. He is still my favorite contemporary jazz composer.

I'd recommend his fusion outing Hearts and Numbers for those who can appreciate his spin on that kind of music, and for everyone else, any of his fine Blue Notes CDs or his Live in London CD on Fuzzy Music should make you a convert.

He has to be good in order for me to name my dog after him: Duffy Grolnick Robinson, seen here auditing one of my rehearsals for A Forest of Americas.

[Scott Dolan]

So what do you want me to say? Bruce Hornsby?

I've already gone down that road one too many times here.

But, why the fuck not? I'm nice and fucking angry tonight.

He is a well schooled musician who has actually written a few things since the simplistic The Way It Is. But, I wouldn't expect any of you fucking shitwipes to realize that. You should all base your opinion of him on that tune and Mandolin Rain, since that's all you know of him.

He writes dark lyrics (which most of you miss because of the "poppy" and "peppy" music it's put to), and he writes beautifully melodic lines which always sound very appealing to my ears.

Jay Farrar is another cat I'd ascribe these same qualities.

So what?

[Vince Kargatis]

Originally Posted by Jazzooo

I'd recommend his fusion outing Hearts and Numbers

I love that album. And worth noting a great feature album for Brecker too. Grolnick's discography is depressingly small, it seems.

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

So what?

Preach it, Scott!

[Jazzooo]

YOu're right, Vince--5 solo albums for a cat of Grolnick's stature is far too slim. I guess that's what happens why you die early. Still, for piano players at least, they can probably hear him on a dozen more (by early Steps Ahead--just called Steps, I think, as well as Brecker, Berg, Erskine and others). Brecker tended to feature at least one Grolnick composition on every album.

[Jazzooo]

By the way, Scott--didn't Hornsby do The Way It Is and Mandolin Rain?

[Vince Kargatis]

Originally Posted by Jazzooo

they can probably hear him on a dozen more (by early Steps Ahead--just called Steps, I think

Yeah, good records, they (rec. 1979-1981) remain in print from Mainieri's label: Smokin in the Pit & Step By Step / Paradox.

[Dr Dave]

You've heard the expression "Guitarist's guitarist," here he is:



Amos Garrett's playing usually sounds casual, offhand...until you try to duplicate what he's doing. Most people have heard him only once--he plays the solo on Maria Muldaur's "Midnight At The Oasis." But his work on the two Geoff & Maria albums is worth seeking out. In fact, he's often in the company of Geoff Muldaur. He was in Paul Butterfield's "Better Days" band, and was also featured on "The Return Of The Formerly Brothers" with Doug Sahm and Gene Taylor. He has a jazz trio, but his main project is "Amos Garrett and the Eh Team," possibly the most Canadian name imaginable...

[Brian Olewnick]

Vince, fwiw, what little I've heard of Stew has impressed me as well.

[David Gitin]

Laszlo is one of the best pianists playing today. His trio (with John Lockwood and Yoron Israel) has been together for six years. Their most recent album, DIG DEEP, has attracted almost no attention (!?) I'd encourage piano trio fans to check him out.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Bruce Hornsby

Williamsburg, VA's own. We used to see him buying ice cream at the Tiny Giant. He has bad hair. But his song, Mandolin Rain, made Pumpy cry.

[Gentle Giant]

Well, I'm going to see Brian Wilson in concert next week in Northampton, and the best news is that he has a new album in the can, and it's an ambitious work inspired by the classic tune, That Lucky Old Sun. It's a suite, like Smile, with connective narratives written by Van Dyke Parks, and his band is astonishingly versatile both musically and vocally, making them the perfect soldiers to perform Gen. Wilson's timeless music. You can watch a very short clip showing some sessions for TLOS on his website.

Beach Boys (Mike Loveless' band) = nostalgia act
Brian Wilson - still-thriving genius

[Uli]

Originally Posted by Dolan

So what do you want me to say?

I want to see your best Sankt Olewnick emulation!

[Derek Taylor]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

So what do you want me to say? Bruce Hornsby?

Hey Scott, have you heard his jazz w/ McBride & DeJohnette? I think you’d dig it.

[Derek Taylor]

Sorry to break the cardinal rule right out of the gate, Vince, but I’ll pick two (one obvious, the other probably not so):

Stephen Riley: been trumpeting him for the past few years to anyone who will give me the time of day. Pretty much no discernable Trane influence and turns instead to the likes of Paul Gonsalves, Lucky Thompson & Don Byas for inspiration, but not slavishly so as he’s definitely got his own singular style of phrasing. Really interesting on soprano & clarinet too, though neither of those reeds have earned as much record time as his tenor.

Mainly mines standards w/ a keen melodic ear, but it’s his tone that really impresses, so breathy and granulated you can easily get lost in it. He also has a knack for picking stellar partners (Neal Caine, Jason Marsalis, etc.) I’ve written a lot more about him elsewhere, but the best disc to start w/ is EASY TO REMEMBER on Steeplechase. My dream is to set him up with a short Manhattan club run, say at the Kitano, & release the results as a box set. So far the lottery tickets haven’t paid off to make it so.

Pandelis Karayorgis: sort of slept on him for a few years, digging his free leaning piano on albums for Leo, but more of an out-of-sight-out-of-mind player for most of that stretch. His adoption of Fender Rhodes switched that. The trio MI3 w/ Nate McBride & Curt Newton is killer. So far one disc on Clean Feed that tips to Monk and a new one on Hat that refines things while expanding the repertoire. Again w/ some killer covers incl. tunes by Mengelberg, Ra, Hassan Ibn Ali, etc. His sound is retro & future rolled together & brings out all the sweaty, tonally messy fun of the instrument.

[Derek Taylor]

Looks like I broke another rule as those are both jazz artists

[tippy]

so far I don't feel saved.

[Jon Abbey]

well, sure, once you've seen Public Enemy in concert, what's the point of other music?

[Cem]

Violinist, composer, improviser, producer Jesse Zubot & his label drip audio
No misses!

[Vince Kargatis]

Originally Posted by Derek Taylor

Looks like I broke another rule as those are both jazz artists

No: "(any genre, jazz too, despite the forum)"

[Paul B]

Originally Posted by Jazzooo

The late Don Grolnick, without a doubt. A tasty piano player, part Monk and part funk, his unusual voicings--if you care about such things--are perfect, and perfectly twisted in just the coolest way...

Agree entirely. I just put "Weaver of Dreams" on, prompted by your comments. Hadn't listened to it in some time. Fantastic writing, top notch playing (Brecker isn't on auto pilot as he often was in his later years), great group interaction. As good as any mainstream jazz out there IMO. Now I know why I've kept it on the shelf all these years.

[Derek Taylor]

Thanks, Vince. I feel better. Now go download some Stephen Riley rekkids!

[Gary Sisco]

I'll pipe up, too, for Stephen Riley. He's very good -- as good as many others who get a lot more attention.

[Jazzooo]

Good to see a little love for Don Grolnick.

I think what Wayne Krantz is doing in the context of a guitar trio is exciting and original. While I still haven't heard anything else from him that I liked as much as his Two Drink Minimum, his approach is truly *his* approach. I'm content to wait for his next jazz + rock + ? masterpiece.

[Vince Kargatis]

Unfortunately, Stephen Riley recordings seem to occupy a premium marketplace position - no cheap/value options anywhere that I can find. Wouldn't be a big deal before with 2 incomes, but on one I have less to work with these days.

I hope to see more responses, focus on single unknown-to-me musicians from obsessed listeners carries a lot of weight with me.

[walto]

Vermeulen and Tournemire, of course!

[Brian Olewnick]

Walto, I thought you'd go with Ross Bolleter.

[Derek Taylor]

That collection of his on Emanem is pretty neat.

[Jason Bivins]

I think my friend Tomas Phillips' music demands a wider audience:

http://www.incursion.org/phillips/

[Jesse]

Seconded, Jason. Tell him he has a listener in Mpls.