jo jo Rabitt

Possessing a tone as clear as a bell, perfect diction and phrasing, and no shortage of personality, Jo Stafford was one of the greatest and best- selling female singers of the pre-rock and roll era and beyond; whether it’s her early sides with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and The Pied Pipers or her classic solo recordings for the Capitol and Columbia labels with arranger/conductor husband Paul Weston, there is no mistaking the sound of that magnificent voice. Now, we at Real Gone Music have a very special treat for fans of this superb, yet to some degree overlooked, vocalist: a treasure trove of 24 radio performances taken from The Carnation Contented Hour, which Jo co- hosted on the Columbia Broadcasting System. These previously unreleased 1950-1951 recordings come to us from the Tony Martin estate courtesy of Michael Feinstein and with the blessing of Jo’s son Tim Weston, and are taken from original master tapes, not transcription discs; remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision, these are studio quality sessions and thus a major, major find in the Jo Stafford discography. It is such a treat to hear Jo interpret songs like “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “I’ve Got the World on a String” that became big hits for other artists.

Myhre makes his solo debut with the release of the captivating and mysterious Unheimlich Manoeuvre. The title is an obvious play on the life-saving technique, though whether the added negation makes the threatening or simply subverted remains ambiguous. More to the point, the English translation of unheimlich is “uncanny” or “eerie” – an apt descriptor for the sounds that Myhre creates. To borrow a phrase from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, Myhre conjures aural landscapes that suggest “a place both wonderful and strange,” stunning in their beauty with something alluringly unsettling lurking just underneath.

After a first album « Departures » released in 1999 by Warner / Erato Disque and recognized by the press (“Listen. That has nothing to do with it. Listen, you won’t believe it” Jacques Denis) Jo Kaiat went to Tel Aviv to record his new album with long-time friend, bass player Avishai Cohen and three Israeli musicians: Noam David (drums), Gilad Abro (double bass) and Ilan Katchka (percussions). In this project, Jo Kaiat draws on the wealth of Hebrew music from the Middle East, West Africa and Arab-Andalusia. This hybrid form of jazz with multiple influences, makes it a mixed album that reflects with sensitivity the sum of the experiences of the pianist throughout the world.

Le toréador, ou L'accord parfait (The Toreador, or The Perfect Agreement) is an opéra comique in two acts by the French composer Adolphe Adam with a libretto by Thomas-Marie-François Sauvage. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique, Paris on May 18, 1849. It was a huge success and the work regularly appeared in the repertoire of the Opéra-Comique until 1869.

Linda Jo Rizzo is a German singer, songwriter and producer. Originally from the United States, she was a photo model and studied nourishing sciences in New York. There she met Bobby Orlando and participated in his group, The Flirts, from 1983 to 1984. In 1984, Rizzo moved to Germany and started her own music career there. Linda has released and produced over 20 records and CD’s with some known producers as Fancy (Slice Me Nice, Lady of Ice) Glen P. Stone (Mandy Winter’s “Julian”) Joe Kleindienst (Saragossa Band) Mino Siciliano (La Bouche) and La Bionda (Vamos a la Playa, One For You-One For Me).

Australian vocalist Jo Lawry has forged an impressive solo career with a global fan base, while earning deep respect as a ‘musician’s singer’ within and beyond jazz circles. She’s also spent nearly a decade performing and recording with Sting and has worked with Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. The two albums she released as a singer/songwriter/producer, Taking Picture (2015) and The Bathtub and the Sea (2017) garnered critical acclaim. Now, more than 10 years since her last solo jazz album, Lawry presents Acrobats, unequivocally returning to the genre alongside globally in-demand bassist Linda May Han Oh and versatile drummer Allison Miller.