Thank you!

Hi there it's Karim, I just want to thank you for reading the Jazz Essentials blog. As you may have noticed there have not been regular posts in awhile, this is because I've been working to deliver the Nu Jazz and related content in one central place, the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page. If you enjoy listening to interviews with Nu Jazz artists, new music, and thought-provoking articles about music, culture and more then I strongly encourage you to stay with me by liking the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page and following me on Twitter.

This blog will remain as a resource for the previously profiled Nu Jazz artists, encourage friends and family who you feel may be interested in discovering Nu Jazz to visit and interact with the blog.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you will stay in touch via the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page and on Twitter.

Diana Krall at Hamilton Place: A Quiet Night to Remember

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The hardest part was restraining myself from singing aloud last night, at the posh Hamilton Place as Diana Krall performed songs from her latest album Wallflower which features familiar pop hits of the '60s, '70s and 80s, including California Dreamin' by The Mamas and Papas, Operator by Jim Croce and Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House.

Krall also drew material from previous albums, including the electrified Tom Waits song, Temptation to the long-time fan pleasers Let's Fall In Love and a special emphasis on her Bossa nova release "Quiet Nights", especially complimented by the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.  

Having caught her on the 2013 "Glad Rag Doll" tour, the incorporation of vintage film yet again was amusing, but at times distracted from the music. A particular highlight was when the film and lights went out for a special tribute to Joni Mitchell, it was Krall performing solo, illuminated only by the flickering light of the stage candles as she performed Mitchell's A Case Of You  

While Krall did reminisce about returning home to British Columbia and re-discovering her vinyl, I was a little disappointed that the stories were briefer than her previous tour. As a jazz radio host, I've always been a fan of artists' telling the stories you can't hear by just listening to a CD.  Krall did loosen up the mood a little with some unplanned chatter, and improvising on the piano. It's those little things; the interaction with fans, the orchestra and the presentation that made it a quiet night to remember!

Diana Krall will be performing this Wednesday May 27 at the Centre in The Square in Kitchener, the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Saturday May 30, and many more dates!

International Jazz Day Part 2

Today is International Jazz Day, and the celebration continues! What are your favourite nu jazz tracks, jazz compositions, standards and albums? Post links in the comment section or on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page (Please like the page). Here's a little Adam Dorn (a.k.a. Mocean Worker):  "Chick A Boom Boom"

More tracks will be posted on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page

Post your favourites in the comment section below and on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page.

Thanks! Happy Jazz Day!

International Jazz Day

Today is International Jazz Day, so let's celebrate! What are your favourite nu jazz tracks, jazz compositions, standards and albums? Post links in the comment section or on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page (Please like the page). I'll pick the first track. This week's spotlight artist is Sven Van Hees, an artist who helped spur the lounge, chill-out of the 2000's, a futuristic, ambient nu jazz. 





Click here for "Breakfast with Abductees" by Sven Van Hees. 

More tracks will be posted on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page

Post your favourites below and on the Jazz Essentials Facebook Page.

Thanks! Happy Jazz Day!

This will take a second

Hi! Thanks for reading the Jazz Essentials blog. If you have a second, could you Like the Jazz Essentials Facebook page.  There's a lot more great nu jazz news and music that I am sharing via Facebook. Thanks so much. Enjoy! 

Sven Van Hees

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This week we spotlight an artist who in the mid 1980s was a DJ on pirate radio as a teenager. Yes at age 15 he was producing and mixing the first Radio-Dance show in Belgium. He would start producing his own records in his twenties.

His 1999 album Gemini has received a lot of praise and is regarded as an important influence on the chill-out/lounge/downtempo movement. He would start his own label, called YOUR LIPS in 2005.


LINKS:
All from Gemini
"Ocean Jive"
Love the bass in this one, "Matrass Mambo"
"Breakfast With Abductees"



REFERENCES:
"Sven Van Hees." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Sven+van+Hees

Kyoto Jazz Massive

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Which artist/group do you want spotlighted? Let me know on Facebook or Twitter

This week we're Japan-bound spotlighting brothers Okino Shuya and Okino Yoshihiro. In Japan, the first name is the family name, that's why Okino came first. The brothers have been DJing since the 80s. They formed the group, Kyoto Jazz Massive in the early 90s. They have helped build the Jazz Crossover Scene in Japan and have attracted a following not only domestically, but internationally. In 2000, the single "Eclipse" reached number 1 on the BBC Radio One chart and their 2002 album Spirit of The Sun has been well received globally. 

LINKS:
"Eclipse"
"The Brightness of These Days"
"Substream"
"A Calamaria"
Kyoto Jazz Massive's take on the legendary bossa nova tune, "Mas Que Nada"




REFERENCES:
"Kyoto Jazz Massive." last.fm Retrieved from: http://www.last.fm/music/Kyoto+Jazz+Massive