Archives for February 2016

As winner of the 2015 JUNO Award for Best Vocal Jazz Recording for her album, RED, along with a multitude of other accolades, Diana Panton is accustomed to the praise that comes with being recognized as one of Canada’s leading jazz vocalists.  With her first album for children and families, I Believe in Little Things,Diana Panton is ready to bring her special brand of sweet and sincere swinging elegance straight to the hearts of the young and old alike.

I Believe in Little Things is at once a carefully curated anthology of under-appreciated gems and a collection of classic children’s masterpieces from DIsney, Sesame Street, Willy Wonka, and more.

While the string that perfectly ties the album together is the authentic jazz sound and style of Diana Panton’s exquisite voice, the players all have stellar credentials of their own, starting with Order of Canada recipient Don Thompson’s splendid command of the piano, his tasteful mastery of the vibraphone, and his big, beautiful acoustic bass lines, not to mention the outstanding contribution of his musical arrangements.

In addition, the listener is treated to delightful cello artistry from internationally recognized Coenraad Bloemendal and superb playing from award-winning jazz guitarist Reg Schwager. This altogether extraordinary album should be part of every contemporary child’s experience.  Its polished delivery of wisely chosen lyrics and opulent creativity offer a respite of calm in an often-turbulent world.  The artistry of the performers is truly world class.

I Believe in Little Things establishes its tone with the beautiful, warm sound of “In a World of My Own” from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, as sung by Diana Panton in both English and French.  Coenraad Bloemendal’s lovely cello solo introduces the song “Alice in Wonderland,” also sung in English and French by Diana Panton, with wonderfully inventive jazz improvisation by pianist Don Thompson, who also contributes some solid bass playing to support guitarist Reg Schwager and cellist Coenraad Bloemendal.  Thompson and Schwager were members of The George Shearing Quartet, and Thompson’s arrangement of “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka is straight out of the George Shearing playbook.

Since her debut release in 2005, Diana Panton’s career has predictably gathered incredible momentum. With seven critically acclaimed albums, Diana’s impressive catalog has garnered numerous honors, including the JUNO win for RED, two Silver Disc Awards in Japan, three prior JUNO nominations, eight Hamilton Music Awards, and a host of National Jazz Awards and Canadian and US Indie nominations.  She was a first place jury selection to perform at theJazz à Juan Révélations in France, where she was voted Premiere Dauphine by the Juan public.  Her albums have had Top 10 jazz chart success in Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan.  Recently she was named one of Canada’s Top 5 Jazz Vocalists by CBC radio host Tim Tamashiro.

I received a copy of this CD and the words that come to mind…are just simply beautiful music that young children will enjoy. Don’t miss this one!

I Believe in Little Things will be available in the U.S. from Amazon.com, Eastwind Imports, and iTunes.  In Canada, the album is available from Amazon.ca, iTunes.ca, and at retail locations such as HMV, Atelier Grigorian, and Archambault in Quebec.

Self Disclosure: I received a free CD to facilitate this post.

With a twelve-year track record of glowing critical acclaim, having picked up fifteen national awards along the way, the beloved “free-range, organic” duo Hullabaloo brings a fresh, spontaneous approach to their 12th album for kids and families, I Chew, set for release on February 26.

February 1, 2015 went down in history as the day Steve Denyes vowed to himself and his musical partner, Brendan Kremer, that he would write, record, and post a song a day for 21 days.  On I Chew, kids and families will hear the best tunes harvested from that 21-day period, plus a few more stellar Hullabaloo originals.  The result is a collection of “pocket songs” with a solid country feel, each filled with good spirits and based on one succinct idea.

Explains Steve Denyes, “In many ways this album is about not over-thinking the creative process.  It’s about capturing creative moments and trusting them.”

I Chew’s brief, aphoristic gems, replete with sidesplitting humor and underlying messages that focus on love, life, and community, reflect only the very best in all of us.  With the rapidity of a grand fireworks finale, these songs keep the listener slightly off balance with a surprise around every corner.

Hullabaloo has made a career of creating “a foot-stomping, wing-flapping celebration of song that both honors and entertains kids and families.”  Noteworthy on I Chew is the song “I Wear Pink,” which is all about allowing children the freedom to be themselves.  “I Wear Pink” is based on Steve Denyes’ real-life experience as a boy who mostly learned about life playing with his older sisters and other kids in his neighborhood who happened to be girls.  Predictably, he wound up wearing a lot of pink and playing with dolls, that is, when he wasn’t surfing, skateboarding, and playing soccer and basketball with one of his best friends, Eileen, the neighborhood tomboy.  Guest artists heard on “I Wear Pink” include kindie music luminaries Peter Alsop, Jim Cosgrove, Papa Crow, Laura Doherty, Dean Jones, The Singing Lizard, Red Yarn, Randy Kaplan, Pointed Man Band, and Mista Cookie Jar.

Steve Denyes and Brendan Kremer met in kindergarten and have been friends ever since.  Together they started playing music in the 5th grade band, where they vigorously exhibited their burgeoning talents on “Old MacDonald” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”  Little did they suspect that, decades later, these songs would still be among their biggest hits!

Steve grew up to be an elementary school music teacher, folksinger, and songwriter, while Brendan became a rock ‘n’ roll drummer.  The maiden voyage of Hullabaloo took place when Steve and Brendan teamed up to play a few songs at Brendan’s twin daughters’ first birthday party.  Fast forward a dozen years to find that Hullabaloo has performed more than 3,000 shows throughout the country at venues ranging from birthday parties to fancy concert stages like the Austin City Limits Festival, Philadelphia’s World Café Live, and LEGOLAND.  Along the way they’ve released eleven award-winning albums (at last count, with more than 30,000 sold) and developed a loyal following nationwide.

Young children will love this fun Country-Pop music! It is quite refreshing!

I Chew will be available at hullabalooband.com, CDbaby.com, and iTunes.

Self Disclosure: I received a free CD to facilitate this post.