Parov Stelar

Parov Stelar's music has appeared in a controversial 2013 Chevrolet commercial and in a Bacardi Commercial. He is called a pioneer in the sub-genre called  electro-swing; a genre that takes samples of recordings from the big band era, but is very fun and dance-able in a modern club setting. Parov Stelar is also the head of electro-swing and jazz house record label, Etage Noir Recordings ("Parov Stelar", 2014). 

To get a sense of electro-swing, listen to Lil Hardin Armstrong's "Oriental Swing" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMDBluSMUas

and now to Parov Stelar's "Booty Swing" which samples "Oriental Swing" ("Parov Stelar", 2014). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eco4z98nIQY

And further for your listening pleasure, check out the links:

LINKS:

"The Mojo Radio Gang", great tune and memorable music video too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BsAl6HVZ-Y

"Chambermaid Swing" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRtHYiWmsoA

SOURCES:

"Parov Stelar." (2014). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parov_Stelar

De-Phazz

Hey there! Hope you enjoyed the previous post about Germany's Club Des Belugas. For this post, we're still in Germany. A creation of Germain-Austrian producer Pit Baumgartner, De-Phazz's music is sample-driven with live instrumentation inspired by swing, soul, trip hop and more (Kellman, 2014).

The tunes I've linked for you below will likely make you want to hit the dance floor. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out why they don't have any hit singles, however you're likely to hear their music on jazz radio stations throughout Europe.





 LINKS:
"Heartfixer": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfBU6RsYxxc&feature=kp
"Mambo Craze": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsHY_4RW0_Y

SOURCES:
Kellman, A. (2014). De-Phazz Artist Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/de-phazz-mn0000238456/biography

Club Des Belugas

Do you like jazz that swings, is soul-filled with tasteful scatting? Then, you'll probably like Germany's Club Des Belugas. They're always a pleasure to feature on the show. They're actually quite popular in their home country with three singles reaching the top ten on the German club charts, two of them #1 hits!

LINKS:
The Top Ten Hit, "Wildcats Gotta Move" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8utH7pHeuE
"Take Three" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_e0KD-M_TU
"Some Like It Hot" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDqCxXmSRJo
Band's Website: http://club-des-belugas.com/

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to the Jazz Essentials Blog! I'm Karim Mosna. This blog is based off my Jazz Essentials show heard Sunday Mornings from 10 a.m. to Noon EST on Hamilton, Ontario's 101.5 the HAWK FM. http://www.1015thehawk.ca/

The show explores the vastness of the jazz genre, you'll hear Classic Jazz like: Herbie Hancock and Wes Montgomery and Vocal Jazz like: Diana Krall and Kevin Mahogany.

But, I like to especially focus on an exciting movement called Nu jazz. Tony Brewer, a music critic summed Nu Jazz up best, “Nu Jazz is to (traditional) Jazz what punk or grunge was to Rock, of course...The songs are the focus, not the individual prowess of the musicians. Nu Jazz instrumentation ranges from the traditional to the experimental, the melodies are fresh, and the rhythms new and alive. It makes Jazz fun again.”

Making jazz fun again, that's exactly what I attempt to do with Jazz Essentials. This blog will feature background on the artists you hear on the show as well as links to their music for your listening pleasure.  Thanks for listening!