Jim Schmidt

Spanning the years 1993 – 2004 this collection features remastered versions of the albums ‘Living On the Outside’ and ‘Poor Boy Blue’, and also includes a further 35 additional tracks drawn from demos, studio out-takes and previously unreleased live recordings from Jim’s personal archive. The album ‘Living On the Outside’ was first released in 2001 and featured guest appearances by such notable musicians as George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Paul Weller, Ian Paice and Gary Moore. ‘Poor Boy Blue’ would be Jim’s final album and was issued in 2004.

About Schmidt is a 2002 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Alexander Payne, produced by Michael Besman, Harry Gittes and Rachael Horovitz, co-written by Jim Taylor with music by Rolfe Kent and starring Jack Nicholson in the title role. The film also stars Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney and Kathy Bates.

It was distinctly ironic: at the very zenith of America's postwar space-age love affair with TV, 3-D, and rock & roll (and other disposable cultural ephemera), a grassroots movement set out to recapture the country's lost musical heritage. These curious minds not only found it in a wealth of seemingly forgotten protest songs, spiritual blues, and country laments, but also forged new songs in its image. That this crusade sprang from lower Manhattan's Washington Square and the doorstep of New York University made the paradox all the sweeter. Ted Myers, the producer of this triple-disc anthology, grew up just blocks from the epicenter of that folk-quake, and his generous sense of place and time permeates this rich collection. Generally misunderstood and historically pigeonholed, the era finally gets its due, chronicled here by 72 tracks that extend far beyond the roots-conscious work of Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Pete Seeger on one hand, and the more popular material by the Kingston Trio, Limeliters, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan on the other. Culturally, the Folk movement was the alt-rock of its day–if eminently more conscious of history and politically committed. Musically, it encompassed an ethos that enthusiastically blurred the boundaries between blues, Appalachian ballads, jug music, pure country, honky-tonk, work songs, and even unbridled novelty; this set explores them all, often with a palpable sense of discovery. Historically, the movement championed preservation at the same time it gleefully tweaked old sensibilities in pursuit of new inspiration. Listen and you'll hear music that became touchstones for artists as diverse as the Byrds, Roberta Flack, Rod Stewart, and–wittingly or not–every passionate coffeehouse minstrel who's strode on stage with a guitar ever since. –Jerry McCulley

If the music of Mr. Smith & The Jazz Police were a closet, there would probably be only one big drawer, which looks pretty untidy. Someone took out the whole genre-fan and threw everything into a mess … but music is not a piece of furniture …
Bandleader and guitarist Martin Schmidt likes the octaves of Wes Montgomery and bluesy licks by Kenny Burrell as much as the twang of Jim Campilongo and Brian Setzer. In the trio with Ingo Deul on drums and Mr. X on bass he plays his own compositions, but also misses songs by Duke Ellington, Elvis, Rodgers & Hart, The Cure, Santo & Farina and obscure Americana finds from the 30s a new one Painting.

A variety of different systems for beating the Caro-Kann defence with amazing tactics, tricks, traps, and quick zaps