Saturday November 24, 2007
                  Laura Crema - Gods & Godesses

All great jazz singers have at least three qualities in common.  The first is that unique timbre that sets their voice apart.  The second is the material they choose to sing.  And the third is the fresh ideas and insights they bring to those songs.  Laura Crema has all three in spades.  Her third CD, Spring Is Here, includes music by Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer, Lennon & McCartney and Crema herself.  She works with some of the best musicians around, including pianist George McFetridge, guitarist Bill Coon, bassist Paul Rushka and drummer Paul Townsend.   We've invited Laura to bring in recordings by her musical Gods and Godesses, the people who she listens to and learns from.

                     Saturday December 1, 2007
                 Bill Coon takes the Blindfold Test

Guitarist and composer Bill Coon is equally at home backing up singers such as Laura Crema, Denzal Sinclaire and Karin Plato as he is playing with Jill Townsend's Big Band or the 23-piece Bill Coon Orchestra or hip hop artist K-os.   He's got big ears for any kind of jazz guitar, which is why we've asked him to take the blindfold test.  We'll play tracks by an assortment of jazz guitarists from the past 50 years or so, and ask him to identify them and talk about their style and their influence on his playing.

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