Washington, DC-based jazz artist, James Bell, has been playing guitar since the age of 13, after playing the viola in the DC Youth Orchestra. Since then, James has toured the country, and performed as a street musician in Central Park and the subway system of New York City. In 1998, Bell returned to DC and, while performing with the DC-area band Chemistry, started composing his own original jazz songs.
Bell describes his music as R&B, with blends of Smooth, Cool and Soul jazz influenced by artists such as George Benson, Norman Brown, BB King, Miles Davis, Santana, and Joe Pass. His current album, "Urban Impressions," was recorded in his digital home studio and features today's featured song, "Silhouette."
I was introduced to Byron Zanos by previously featured artist, Julia Ilowiecki. Byron is an award-winning singer/songwriterperformer, including recognition from Berklee College of Music, American Idol, and the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest. He has released two albums, "Somewhere In The Middle" and "Still In A Fight," but for his new music, Byron has come up with the Information Theory (iTheory) method of music distribution. Through iTheory, Byron records and releases a new song each month. According to Zanos, "It’s a more exciting, and with the proper social networking integration, a far more interactive experience."
Today's featured song, "Hide and Seek," is described as "baby-making music." It's about making babies and can be used to set the mood during baby making. In fact, if you want a spot in the liner notes of a future Byron Zanos album, just send him a picture of yourself while participating in the baby-making process. With that said, the song comes with the following disclaimer, "Byron Zanos and Miera One Music do not actually support human procreation. 'Hide and Seek' should only be listened to during ‘simulated’ baby making. Byron Zanos and Miera One Music DO NOT take any moral or financial responsibilities for any baby actually made while listening to or handling “Hide and Seek."
If you're in the New York area, and ever attended a concert at the Jones Beach Theatre, you've probably seen Byron open for artists such as Aerosmith, Steve Miller, The Police, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews Band, and The Killers. You can see him live in Philly (5/20 World Cafe Live), Trenton (5/26 Katmandu), and New York (6/4 Rockwood Music Hall.)
Baltimore crooner, Tom Moore, grew up listening to the American standards that he sings today. In fact, he began studying music at age 8 while singing in the Church choir. While living in New York, he often visited some of the great jazz clubs, such as Birdland, Village Vanguard, and Blue Note. It was in these clubs that he developed his taste for the music that he sings.
Produced by Marcus Dagan, Tom's debut album "Restless Journey" features a mix of covers and originals. The album is being submitted for Grammy consideration in the categories of Best Jazz Album, Best Male Pop Vocal, and Best Traditional Pop Album.
The Tom Moore Band features Oliver Fairley (sax), Todd Simon (piano, keyboards), Eric Wheeler (bass,) Warren "Trae" Crudup (drums), plus "Restless Journey" features Jimmy Wilson (trumpet), Bill Watson (drums), Troy Atkins (sax), Raili Haimila (viola), and Lisa Kang (cello). For live shows, keep in touch with Tom on Facebook, MySpace or through his weekly radio show... and if it's legal advice you want, Tom Moore is also a practicing attorney.
The Black Marks are a very new band. In fact, there isn't much information to share about the band. The Black Marks consist of six members, Mandi DeWitt (Vocals), Michael Getzlaff (Guitar), Sam Wylie (Guitar), Carole Menetrez (Bass), Ben Jancewicz (Keyboard), and Christopher Lerch (Drums). So far, they have only released a few songs as demos, and are just focusing on writing new music and playing out live. Their next gig is Saturday, May 15th at Mum's (1132 South Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD).
The New Orleans five-piece known as The Morning Life is full of seasoned musicians, but their sound is something that can't be measured by combined talent. Friends long before forming The Morning Life, the members [Bobby Hoerner (vocals), Jack Miele (guitar), David Philastre (guitar), Graham Robinson (bass) and Woody Dantagnan (drums)] have all had their share of success playing in other bands. Their debut release "Old Hymns of a New Age" is getting rave reviews from members of G. Love & Special Sauce, The Subdudes, Marc Broussard, Cowboy Mouth, and The Vettes. Buy this album, and if you're in or around New Orleans, be sure to check them out live, May 28th at The Howlin' Wolf.
