You really won't find an album quite like evelyn Rubio's "La Mujer Que Canta Blues," or the woman that sings blues. This album has it all: a wide array of musical talent, music of an orchestra, a blues style, and Evelyn Rubio adds a latin twist throughout the entire CD. Even though we really don't speak fluent Spanish,we still had a blast listening to this CD, showing that it really isn't that important to know how. Whther you are just looking for something to listen to for fun, or a great hit, this CD is the choice you should make.

Quentin Foster - RMR Staff Reviewer

   This Blues Orchestra masterpiece is an amazing treatto the ears and the mind. From the first note to the final, this album never slows. The wide array of instuments in this album shows musical talent beyond comprehension. Whether they are playing as individuals, or they are all playing as one, this is one album that is a must-have.

Quentin Foster - RMR Staff Reviewer

   Jacqui Naylor’s “The Color Five” CD is a masterful production of some great classics with some stellar originals thrown in for extra good measure. Among the classics are such favorites as Summertime, Love for Sale and Losing My Religion. When these songs come up, you are in for a real treat.
   It is not too unusual to find artist who transcend genres and skillfully move from style to style as they move from song to song. Naylor has this type of versatility to be sure, but she has added a fascinating twist to her versatility with her acoustic smashes. This daring and innovative technique involves singing a rock tune over the music of a jazz classic or vice versa. What you end up with is a superb fusion of genres in the same song and feeling of being awash in the sounds.
   Add to this creative song construction Naylor’s extreme talent as a singer /songwriter /storyteller and you have a CD that will give you many hours of listening pleasure. As a songwriter, Naylor again does some cool blending. Listen closely and you will be treated to her humor and her between-the-eyes lyrics.

         Naylor’s fifth CD is a sure winner.

Brenda Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   Attention jazz fans! Jim Pearce has done it again. He has put out another outstanding piece of jazz workmanship that will give you hours of rich listening entertainment. His newest CD, “Prairie Dog Ballet” gives you eleven original tunes and Pearce’s inimitable style supported by some other very talented musicians.
   Jim is an extraordinarily talented musician and those skills are matched by his songwriting abilities. It is easy to see why he has earned many songwriting awards during his illustrious career. His stories and their imaginative lyrics create vivid images that one does not soon forget, or want to. And his piano riffs continue to play in your head long after his music stops.
All in all this is a wonderful piece of work by Pearce. And since he appears to continue to out do himself each time he comes out with a new CD, it leaves one anxious for his next production and pushing the replay button in the meantime.

Brenda Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   �gLive At The Alley Café�h by Sixteen Strings is instrumental Jazz at its best. Mike Choman, Bud Hellner, Glen Isaacson and Rodger Vandivort join forces to produce a sound that is lilting and soothing.
   With Sixteen Strings, no vocals are necessary because they let the strings do the singing for them. The group is amazingly synchronized as they move buoyantly from note to note and then song to song. Each member of the group is an accomplished musician and they blend harmoniously and complement each other to the point of creating beautiful music indeed.  
   This is the kind of CD you can listen to over and over again and it compels you to sit back, close your eyes, relax and smile.

Herb Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   Live at Tula’s, Greta Matassa’s newest CD, is definitely one for the jazz aficionado. She sings many of the great jazz tunes on her newest release, but the presentation is distinctly hers. There is a reason why she was named Best Female Jazz Vocalist in the Pacific Northwest. After listening to her passionate renditions, you will wonder why that designation is limited to the Northwest.
   Matassa has a style all her own. Though you can hear Fitzgerald and Holiday influences, there is no mistaking that what you are listening to is pure Greta. Much of that has to do with her extremely versatile vocals. She has a special talent to match her voice with the demands of the song.
   Her backup trio of Randy Halberstadt, Clipper Anderson and Gary Hobbs do a masterful job providing the just-right blend of musical accomplishment. Oftentimes with live recordings, such a blend is difficult to achieve. They have done a remarkable job with the acoustics in this live setting. Close your eyes and you too will be Live at Tula’s.

Brenda Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   For a taste of that jazz that is uniquely New Orleans, give a listen to Rhythm & Groove Club’s “Groove Approved.�EYou will hear some very well played Jazz classics. Songs that will have you imaging you are surrounded by the Big Easy. You will also be treated to some lesser-known tunes and they, too, will create visions of the Crescent City.
   The group can turn out a fine, funky beat that befits its name and each tune is full of that “jazz attitude.�EThe CD’s name says it all as the musicians will have you groovin�Eto their sounds and easily getting caught up in the lyrics by gifted vocals.

Brenda Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   If you are seeking some great listening that is far and away separate from the mainstream, you will love Janet Klein and her Parlor Boy’s new CD “Oh!�EAfter you listen to the CD, you will have a deeper appreciation of the title. This unique brand of music will have visions of speakeasies and flappers dancing in your head as she and her band whisk you away to the delightful era of the early 20th century.
   The tracks will wow you with vintage jazz, ragtime and blues from the pre-1940’s. Janet’s distinct, almost shrill voice is perfectly suited for her entertaining and at times provocative lyrics. As musicians, the group excels. Janet is a talented ukulele player (and by the way, her choice of instruments is a touch of genius) and her parlor boys comprise an impressive musical ensemble that completes this highly melodious sojourn.

Brenda Barbee - RMR Staff Reviewer

   Individualism in music is a goal for many musicians who enjoy the challenge of pushing their technical skills into realms of innovation and adventure. The impressively virtuosic Alison Brown has a broad base of experience to draw upon. Her travels have taken her from Connecticut to California to Tennessee. From her earliest bands (The Stringbenders, Gold Rush), the 1991 IBMA Banjo Player of the Year went on to play, record or tour with the likes of Northern Lights, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Michelle Shocked, New Grange, and others. She owns her own record company (Compass Records), and in 1996 formed her Alison Brown Quartet. A bit of trivia is that her tune, “Girl’s Breakdown�E (from her Grammy-nominated “Fair Weather�Ealbum) was used in early 2000 as the official wake up music for the crew of the U.S. Space Shuttle Destiny on their mission to the International Space Station. So what next for someone whose music has reached the depths of outer space?
   “Stolen Moments�Eis an astounding display of melodic invention that continues to characterize this one-of-a-kind player. Her expressive musicality incorporates elements of many genres from Celtic (her own “Carrowkeel�E to pop (Jimi Henrix’s “Angel�Eor Paul Simon’s “Homeward Bound�Eor Jim Rooney/Bill Keith’s “One Morning in May�E. These pop numbers include some superb vocals that make the album whole (courtesy of folks like Amy Ray, Emily Saliers, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Andrea Zonn). Mary Chapin Carpenter also appears. While credits aren’t clear, I assume that she’s one of the four singing “Boomchicks�E(Thighdalia, Aureola, Ovaria, and Fallopia) who appear on “Prayer Wheel.�EInstrumental new acoustic jazz is well represented in cuts like “The Sound of Summer Running�Eand “The Magnificent Seven�E(written with John Doyle) that has a seven-beat meter in the tune’s head.
   With the exception of “One Morning in May,�Earranged without banjo, the 5-string finds itself laying just right into the greater ensemble mix while piano, bass, guitar, fiddle, drums, and even a little mandolin create the kaleidoscope of sound. Some of the luminaries picking along include Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Sam Bush and Mike Marshall (mandolin). Mike seems right in his element on Brown’s playful “Musette for a Palindrome.�ESeamus Egan plays an emotive low whistle on one track, “Carrowkell,�E while the similarly Celtic-flavored �EI’m Naked and I’m) Going to Glasgow�Eincludes Solas guitarist John Doyle. John R. Burr gives us some superior, jaw-dropping piano accompaniment that evokes a more smooth jazz sound. As much as I dislike drums in acoustic music, Kenny Malone’s percussion is downright tasty in this particular context. Alison’s husband, Garry West, plays bass.
   Alison Brown is a confident musician who continues to make creative and courageous statements with her music. She’s a daring stalwart whose proficient and aqueous banjo playing leaves us with pleasurable aural experiences that know few borders. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)

rossjoe@hotmail.com