May 2022 MBR The Library CD Shelf

[Midwest Book Review]

The Library CD Shelf

Unraveling
Pam Asberry
www.pamasberry.com
Optimistic Flamingo Music
$15.09 CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Unraveling-Pam-Asberry/dp/B09Z2G489Z

Unraveling is a new age solo piano album that expresses composer and performer Pam Asberry's personal experiences relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The skillfully woven music expresses moments of sadness, solitude, hope, and the aspiration to transform. Unraveling is poignant, powerful, and highly recommended especially for solo piano connoisseurs. The tracks are Storm Clouds Gather, Unraveling, Bluebird, Tattered Lace, Dark Places, Labyrinth, Saudade, Polaris, This Time with You, and Metamorphosis.

Pilgrimage
Meg Bowles
megbowlesmusic.com
Privately Published
$15.00 CD / $9.00 digital

https://megbowlesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/pilgrimage

Pilgrimage is a new age, ambient-orchestral album created to evoke impressions of dreams, aspirations, and seeking the path of life's journey. Extraordinarily beautiful, inquisitive, and yearning, Pilgrimage is ideal for meditation, reflection, and emotional support while undertaking creative endeavors. Pilgrimage is highly recommended for public library collections, and also makes an excellent gift for fanciers of instrumental new age music. The tracks are Ancient Paths, Cave of Secrets, Cloudburst Over a Parched Land, Mountains Reaching for Stars, Luminous Garden of Repose, and Source of Enduring Light.

Blues Cafe
Putumayo
www.putumayo.com
$14.98 CD with download card

https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Cafe-Putumayo-Presents/dp/B09WKNKC35

Created in collaboration with the Music Maker Foundation, Blues Cafe is a music CD compilation of classic blues songs, each performed by a different music artist. The physical CD also includes a digital download card and short biographical portrayals of each musician showcased. Blues Cafe lives up to its title as a treasury of unforgettable blues performances, and is highly recommended for both personal and public library music CD collections. The tracks are Found My Baby Crying, Good Morning Love, Walk On, In The Wee Hours, Blues In My Soul, Somebody Got To Go, Comin' Home To You, The Blues Never Die, and Going Down The Road Feeling Bad.

The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul's Scene
Ricky Ford
Whaling City Sound
www.whalingcitysound.com
c/o Naxos of America (dist.)
www.naxosusa.com
$16.99 CD / $8.99 MP3

The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul's Scene is an album showcasing tenor sax virtuoso Ricky Ford (with contributions by Jerome Harris on La Bella strings and Tom Ribbecke on Bobby Vega model bass guitar) in recordings ranging from bebop to traditional jazz. Some of the songs and all of the arrangements are the creation of Ricky Ford himself, in this captivating recording from the summer of 2021. The Wailing Sounds of Ricky Ford: Paul's Scene is a "must" for jazz connoisseurs, highly recommended. The tracks are Ricky's Bossa, Fer, The Wonder, That Red Clay, The Essence of You, The Stockholm Stomp, Angel Face, Paris Fringe, I Can't Wait to See You, Paul's Scene, Frustration, and Mabulala.

Click Right Here
Ori Dagan
www.oridagan.com
Privately Published
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B09RQ6DW6D

Toronto-based vocalist and jazz singer-songwriter Ori Dagan presents Click Right Here, an album of wry, witty music touching on the ironic sensibilities of life in the digital age. An extraordinary array of talented musicians on tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, piano, bass, drums, and performing additional vocals enrich this multilayered reflection of online life in the twenty-first century. Click Right Here is a superbly crafted tour de force, and also makes an excellent gift! Highly recommended. The tracks are Viruses, Clicked on Romance, My Finger Slipped, Would You Swing My Way, The Social Media Tango, Hashtag World, Going That Counts, Rebirth of the Cool, 21st Century Blues, Googleable, and Video Killed the Radio Star.

Chasing Light
Voyagers
Lion Songs Records
$20.52 CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Light-Voyagers/dp/B09WLJW45D

The debut album of acoustic trio Voyagers, Chasing Light is an album that blends traditional African music with original compositions inspired by both jazz and African-themed improvisations. Kora maestro Yacouba Sissoko from Mali, Austrian saxophonist Edith Lettner, and American guitarist Banning Eyre combine their skills into a resonant, vibrant whole. Chasing Light is a choice pick for connoisseurs of international music, highly recommended. The tracks are Today is a New Day, Solole, Waiting for Spring, Raise Your Voice, Madagascar, Danama, Kinkiliba, Lamban, Yaa Amponsah, Fouta, and Cheri.

New Dreams, Old Stories
Way North
waynorthband.com
Roots2Boot Recordings
https://roots2boot.com
$TBA

https://roots2boot.com/way-north-new-dreams-old-stories

Available both as a physical CD and a digital download, New Dreams, Old Stories is the latest original creation of avant-folk-jazz quartet Way North: Rebecca Hennessy on trumpet, Petr Cancura on Tenor Saxophone, Michael herring on bass, Richie Barshay on drums, and all four on vocals. An extraordinary medley drawing upon not only jazz elements, but also the folk music of both South America and the American South, New Dreams, Old Stories is a standout album highly recommended. The tracks are Play, I'm Here to Stay, New Dreams Old Stories, Chateau Gonflable, Pajarillo Verde, If Charlie Haden Couldn't Write a Song to Bring World Peace, Dr. Good, Lonely Hearts, New Way Through, Come Over to Our House, Dig, and When You Say Goodnight to Me

Narrow Line
Mama's Broke
Privately Published
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Narrow-Line-Mamas-Broke/dp/B09S3N3B65

Canadian folk duo Mama's Broke presents Narrow Line, an album showcasing elements of Americana and Eastern European fiddle tunes, balanced with a cappella ballad singing. The result is an extraordinary, harmonious, and memorable concert of songs themed about the cycles of life itself. Narrow Line is a standout listening experience, highly recommended. The tracks are Just Pick One, Oh Sun / Pale Night / Forgetting Reel, Between the Briar & the Rose, How It Ends, Narrow Line, October's Lament, Pick the Raisins from the Paska, God's Little Boy, The Wreckage Done, The Ones That I Love, and Windows.

The Alberta Lounge
Deanne Matley
deannematley.com
Barbette Records
$TBA CD / $9.49 MP3

https://www.deannematley.com/music/the-alberta-lounge

The Alberta Lounge is a sultry smooth jazz album showcasing talented vocalist Deanne Matley. Two songs ("Alberta Lounge" and "If You Were Here Today") are Matley's creations; two are originals by Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson; and the rest are selections from Peterson's jazz catalogue. Most song lyrics are in English; one song has original French lyrics, and another is sung in Portuguese. The Alberta Lounge is a treasury highly recommended especially for aficionados of Canadian jazz. The tracks are The Alberta Lounge, Mas Que Nada, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You, Merci Pour Ca!, The Land Was White (When Summer Comes), How Come You Do Me Like You Do?, If You Were Here Today, Tristeza, and Hymn to Freedom.

Hard Times and a Woman
Justin Golden
Privately Published
$14.98 CD / $8.99 MP3

https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Times-Woman-Justin-Golden/dp/B09QH2RGFV

Guitarist and songwriter Justin Golden presents Hard Times and a Woman, an original blues album with lyrics that reflect love and loss, the difficulties of being a black person in America, the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more. A modern-day creation grounded in timeless blues tradition, Hard Times and a Woman is a choice pick for connoisseurs of the genre, and highly recommended. The tracks are Can't Get Right, Ain't Just Luck, Lightning When She Smiles, The Gator, Must Be Honey, Moon Far Away, Why the Sun Goes Down, Call Me When the Bed Gets Cold, No Riches, Pulling Weight, If I Keep It Together, and Oh Lord, Oh Lord.

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review