Tag Archives: Jazz

09.21.22
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Celia Berk’s ‘Now That I Have Everything’ is truly EVERYTHING

Celia Berk by Helane Blumfield

Celia Berk is an award-winning vocalist whose recordings have attracted listeners around the world. She has made memorable appearances at Carnegie Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center, Birdland Theater, The Town Hall and the National Arts Club. Celia has been praised by some of the most prominent champions of The Great American Songbook.

She just released of her widely anticipated third album, Now That I Have Everything. Arranger/pianist Tedd Firth brings a Nat King Cole Trio feel to the recording, which explores the ways we try – successfully and unsuccessfully – to connect our heart to someone else’s. Co-Produced by Tony and Grammy Award-winning sound designer Scott Lehrer, it features the kinds of hidden gems by great songwriters that are Celia’s trademark. Many of those songs were featured in COMES LOVE, a 2019 show Celia created with pianist Sean Gough.

In his Liner Notes, author and journalist Will Friedwald writes, “Celia Berk makes us realize, in a way few singers can, that love is, in fact, never ever the same.”

When asked about the album, Celia says, “The story of this album really begins and ends with my friend Debbi Bush Whiting, daughter of Margaret Whiting and granddaughter of Richard Whiting. She had given me recordings of her mother’s appearances on a radio show, including Irving Berlin’s NOW IT CAN BE TOLD. The premise of that song is that the real story of a great romance has yet to be written. As I listened, I asked myself, ‘So what exactly can now be told?’ And then I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to do an album about love!’ So I set out to find songs about the ways we try – successfully and unsuccessfully – to connect our heart to someone else’s.”

The songs cascade from a jazz silhouette of toe tapping to rain on a rooftop. This album is like sipping a nice cup of tea on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It encompasses the Broadway jazz element all the way down to songs reminiscent of Moon River. “Boum!” Is a fun loving dance number that incorporates feelings from your head to your heart and personifies the emotions. “Right as the Rain” brings a melancholy and somber feeling that captivates the whole body. The title track “Now That I Have Everything” dances on the piano keys and takes the center stage of the whole album in this show stopping number. 

Listen here:

Celia debuted her new cabaret show, ON MY WAY TO YOU: Improbable Stories That Inspired An Unlikely Path, directed by Mark Nadler with music direction by Tedd Firth. Marilyn Lester of Theater Pizzazz called it “An enchanting show, executed with abundant smarts, humor and grace, and terrific choices of music known and unknown.”

Celia’s accolades include the album MANHATTAN SERENADE in which she received the 2017 LaMott Friedman Award. It was arranged and conducted by Alex Rybeck and co-produced by Scott Lehrer, the team behind her debut album YOU CAN’T RUSH SPRING. Lyricist David Zippel (whose “The Broadway Song” written with Cy Coleman received its first commercial recording) wrote in the album notes, “A tribute to her hometown, this collection is anything but renditions of the obvious New York songs. MANHATTAN SERENADE is curated: a connoisseur’s compilation of one exquisite, undiscovered musical gem after another.” YOU CAN’T RUSH SPRING and Celia’s solo cabaret debut, directed by Jeff Harnar, earned Celia a 2015 Bistro Award: Vocalist; 2015 MAC Award: New York Debut – Female; 2015 BroadwayWorld Award for Best New York Cabaret Debut; and The 2015 Margaret Whiting Award.

We have no doubt that “Now That I Have Everything” will follow suit brining about awards and notoriety to the ever so talented soul that is Celia Berk.

Connect with Celia Berk via:
Website / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Spotify

06.28.22
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Joanna Ramirez’s Latest Album Keeps Us on Our Feet

A soulful voice, lyrical depth, infectious music, everything you want in an artist Joanna Ramirez has. The Dallas native Austin-based neo-soul, jazz, and R&B artist has been making music for some time now. Starting in the 1990’s, Joanna launched her career with her funk/blues band called Soul Providers. When she moved to Austin in 1998, she joined the blues/R&B band Shake ‘Em On Down formed by guitarist J.P. Lilliston.

It was only inevitable that Joanna would go into a career in music seeing as it’s in her blood. Her grandfather was a singer and guitarist of traditional Mexican music and recorded for the Bluebird and Victor labels in the 1930s. Her father was an R&B guitarist and harmonica player, and, along with his two brothers, Charles and Chick, played in various combos during the 1960s.

 “It is not easy to bare your soul through music, but I believe it is the only way to truly impact others and possibly inspire, comfort, heal, or just get people to dance,” she says. In her latest album, On My Way, she does just that, exposes her truest self. The album has 11 upbeat R&B, jazz, and neo-soul songs, each giving a glimpse into Joanna’s eyes and heart.

The title song, “On My Way” is a neo-soul song that chronicles her musical career, a narrative of overcoming and showing the world that she is not to be underestimated. “I think a lot of people can relate to the song’s narrative of wanting to give up on something, but knowing that they can’t ignore a voice inside telling them to keep going,” she says. “Happy” explores self love and a jazzy and bluesy sound lead by the keyboard. “This one was a bit scary to write, because I knew I had to get personal and tell my story through this song, starting with childhood, remembering the feeling of not measuring up to my parents expectations, the fearful environment of our home, then to my failed romantic relationships and now, still feeling that I’m not being fully myself as a musician and creator,” she says. “Seems it’s the universal experience of being human – always striving to just be happy.” “Whaddui” is a soul and R&B song with a hook and melody that truly makes you sing out loud. It’s an anthem-like song seemingly about the craziness that was 2020, with a global pandemic and the political drama that was unfolding. She sings “whaddui whaddui whaddui have to do to prove to you/that there’s no need for all your crying/oh I just want to help you/get through/this crazy dream.”

It can’t go without mentioning Joanna’s voice. There is no other singer out there who encompasses her strength, power, and self-confidence that Joanna does. You can hear every emotion and all her passion in her singing. It’s one of the most stunning things about her music, particularly On My Way.

Listen here:

Follow Joanna Ramirez:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

05.13.22
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Norine Braun’s New Album is an Artistic Masterpiece

Norine Braun, the award-winning singer/songwriter based in Vancouver, has been on the scene since 1996, with an impressive discography and stunning performative resume. She thrives on live performances and connecting with audiences around the world. Her creative has only grown with time and there’s no sign of slowing down.

She just released her 13th full length album, Songs For Trees, a groove filled jazz meets blues rock album, each song interconnecting to tell an important story about climate change. She wrote it during the pandemic to focus on the incredible healing power of trees and their necessity to our own survival. She was able to go into the forests of the coastal west and took a guided walk with a traditional wisdom keeper from the Squamish nation of the west coast. She read up on so many book and article on trees and climate change to find the right lyrics.

“I was both inspired and overwhelmed by the wealth of information and number of people from so many disciplines from around the world working hard to bring awareness to save the trees, planet and ourselves. This was a benefit as there was much to draw upon for writing.”

Much like the roots of trees, the songs on the album feed off each other and build each other up. Between each song is an ambient sound that guides us through the story she takes us on. She seamlessly blends the lyrics and music together to become one. They work off each other and converse in a way you won’t find in any other album.

Her voice is soft and hypnotic. The music is smooth and groovy. Her lyrics are poetic and thought provoking. Everything you want in an album is what you’ll find in Songs For Trees.

Listen here:

Find Norine Braun via:

Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

04.29.22
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Malcom-Jamal Warner and Dashill Smith 

to Perform Music By A Tribe Called Quest, Jazz Style

Streaming at Volume.com Saturday Apr 30, 2022

(Atlanta, GA) April 25, 2022 – On Saturday, April 30th, the legendary hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest’s music will be showcased at Venkman’s. In this dynamic show, Dashill Smith & Malcolm-Jamal Warner with their band recreate some of the original songs that were sampled by A Tribe Called Quest through the years while morphing into the ATCQ songs we all know and love. The shows are at 7 and 10 PM.

Malcom-Jamal Warner is most famously known as Theadore Huxtable from The Cosby Show and he currently stars as Dr. AJ Austin on FOX’s The Resident. Many, however, don’t know he is an accomplished musician. In 2015, he won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for his song “Jesus Children of America” with Robert Glasper Experiment featuring Lalah Hathaway.

The show also features Music Director/ bassist Khari Cabral Simmons, Landon Anderson, drums, David Whild, guitar, Mike Walton on saxophone and Rodney Edge on keyboards. Created & produced by Next Level Events. 

Both shows are sold-out but you can still  purchase tickets to the live streams which will be available on Volume.com here: 

7 PM Show  & 9 PM Show

About Venkman’s

Venkman’s features eclectic live music curated by Partners Peter Olson and Nicholas Niespodziani, the creative masterminds behind PleaseRock and the frontmen of the Yacht Rock Revue. Venkman’s custom stage, pristine sound system and variety of ticketed and free shows feature performers ranging from local upstarts to national stars. From rock and roll to bluegrass, soul to salsa, country swing to live performances of classic albums – the only music you won’t hear at Venkman’s is the same old, same old.

About Volume.com

At Volume.com, we understand that the live music experience is about more than just the music. It’s about the connection between artist and fan. That’s why we’ve created a unique platform that allows fans to connect with artists and other fans from all over the world. Whether you’re attending a huge music festival, watching a show from a club, or streaming one of our intimate live performances from our artist’s living room to your own, you’ll be able to connect with artists you love and engage with their music in real-time. 

Volume.com is more than just a streaming service; it’s a community of music lovers who are passionate about getting up close while supporting creators they love.  

Volume is available through the web and will be available soon for download on the Apple Store and Google Play Store. For more information visit www.volume.com and follow on Instagram at getonvolume.

Get Social With Volume Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Get Social With Venkman’s Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

01.18.22
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He is Storming Through the Barricades and Sending Us into a Euphoric State

Stormin’ Norman Zamcheck is a pianist and singer/songwriter. He has been writing songs since he was old enough to pick out a tune on the keyboard and write down the lyrics on his mother’s linen napkins. During the course of his four-decade career, Norm has penned over five hundred musical compositions.

A New York transplant, Norm hales from the Boston area. He has performed in venues up and down the East and West coasts as well as internationally. In the late 70’s his band, Stormin’ Norman & Suzy, was referred to by the New York Times as the “hottest act in town, ” unleashing a deluge of media attention. Since then, Norman has played Carnegie Hall (twice); recorded for the Polydor/Polygram label; written scores for several movies and off-Broadway shows, appeared on a Dick Clark TV Special and worked as composer and music director for Pilobolous Dance Theater. He also toured with the Andy Statman Klezmer Orchestra, playing to appreciative crowds in Poland, Israel and Brooklyn.

As a composer of songs, Norman Zamcheck has been praised in publications from Rolling Stone Magazine to The New York Times, which called him “exceptionally good and exceptionally original.” Early on, Norm drew writing inspiration from a rich tradition of folk music. Over the passing years he harkened to personal muses such as Mose Allison, Randy Newman and Tom Lehrer. Like them, he brilliantly fuses melody, wit, humor and irony. He sees songs in terms of “novellas” and populates his tunes with amusing characters, memorable stories and rich allusions to nature and humanity (see Music Tree page). Stormin’ Norman’s music rocks with a blues/New Orleans beat; his unique sound as a hard-driving pianist has been described as boogie woogie meets twelve tone. His primary pianistic influences include Fats Waller, Thelonious Monk and Dr. John.

To support his growing family Norm stopped performing regularly in mid-career to become an inner-city teacher and principal . Once he retired from education, he has caught up for lost time and booked himself gigs from the Shenandoah Valley in the South to the piney woods of Maine; from the Berkshires in Massachusetts to Boston; New York to Los Angeles; and across the pond in Paris. His new release, “Euphoria” blends Latin jazz with boogie and rock and roll. 

The sounds of reminiscent past of smokey old piano bars laced with the happiness of yesterday we all wish we could feel again. The song “Queen of Rosebuds” really plays to a modern Broadway jazz sound that has edgy sensual notes. The song “Everything is Turning (On the Wings of Love) is a beautiful lulllaby-esque song filled with hopeful notes to create a beautiful melody. Norm does a fantastic job at creating a moving piece of music that is eclectic and yet still all speaks the same language. On this record, Norm has cultivated a pianistic style rooted in the jazz of New Orleans with shades of Latin influence. Simultaneously nostalgic, Euphoria is a totally unique sound. The album reflects the driving rhythms of the rock ensembles he toured with for years around the Northeast. Real Stormin’ Norman is an ensemble fronted by the thundering vocals of Genevieve Faivre and features a stellar group of sidemen, including rising jazz superstar Jonathan Saraga (trumpet and arrangements), Russian bass master Arthur Sadowsky and drummer Tobias Ralph, who is acclaimed as “one of the best drummers in America” by Drummers World. Real Stormin’ Norman calls New York City home and is currently touring Euphoria around the Big Apple.

Norm states “Euphoria is the perfection I’ve always wanted to do. The songs are beautiful. The singing is powerful. Tight, imaginative arrangements. This album is way more realized than the previous Real Stormin’ Norman records. We were able to perfect music that I had been working on for years.” 

Listen to Euphoria here:

Additionally, Norman found time to score a long-forgotten Nicholas Ray movie that has been locked in a vault for decades called We Can’t Go Home Again. And with the urging of Ray’s widow, Susan, Norm also scored a documentary about the legendary auteur film director. Both films were screened internationally and featured several times on the Turner Cable Classic network.

Find Real Stormin’ Norman via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

01.03.11
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Destroyer- “Kaputt”

Dan Bejar has been putting out music for over fifteen years under the name Destroyer; essentially, that means he has pumping out indie music ever since a little movie entitled Braveheart was released. That is a long time. This was a faraway time where Mel Gibson had not yet gone ape-shit and “social networking” meant hanging around the water-cooler. Let’s just say Destroyer is a mature band that has experimented with all types of sounds and if it was a smooth bachelor, it would know all the moves to get you in the sack.

The band’s lucky thirteenth release, Kaputt, starts off by seducing the listener. The opener “Chinatown” gives the listener exactly what they want to hear: a nice rhythmic guitar, polished vocals, and even accents of horns. Just when you think you are being sweet-talked, your suspicions are confirmed with the following fantastic single “Blue Eyes”. A song that was taken straight out of the 1950s via a weird Sammie Kaye time machine. The accompanying female vocals on the track are magnificent. “Savage Night of The Opera” and probably the best song on the album, “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker”, are pure delights and the first half of the album takes you to a time where music uplifted spirits and was amorous.

Unfortunately, the second half of the album aside from the fantastic closer “Bay of Pigs” shows a loss of steam and lyrics like “Wasting your days/Chasing some girls/Alright/Chasing cocaine to the back-rooms of the world all night” followed by the overuse of jazz horns is to the narrowest of margins pleasing. It is as though Destroyer made two albums; the first half of Kaputt is the correct way to make a reappraising of 1950s-esque music and the second half is littered with mediocre jazz.

All in all, it is okay because as the album closes, Destroyer has delivered the hits just like any crafty veteran manages to do in the time it is given. Kaputt is a blast; the musicianship for the most part is great, lyrics are interesting albeit a few eye-rolling moments, and there are a handful of catchy singles.