Michael Thomas - The Illusion of Choice - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Natural Habitat is a collection of music composed over the last decade, much of it written around the time I moved from Boston to New York City. During my first few years living here, I would frequently travel back and forth to perform, and the excitement and energy I felt at that time is expressed in these songs. The title track is the oldest tune we recorded - when it was composed in 2009, the manuscript simply said InchUntitled SwingInch. For a while, that title stuck and became somewhat of a joke when I would play it on gigs, but in 2018, I was back in Boston and found myself performing it again at the same venue (and with some of the same musicians) as when I had composed it nearly a decade before. The title Natural Habitat came to me, as it suddenly felt like I knew where that tune belonged. // The other music on this recording was written while I was settling into life in New York City - which now feels like my natural habitat, both physically and musically. I chose material for this project that represents how I feel living and working in this environment. The variety of meters, forms, and intensities heard in these songs mirrors the unpredictability of daily life here, but the excitement and energy I feel when performing in this city is unparalleled. -Michael Thomas

Cecil Johnson Lyde Holden aka InchHome BoyInch (born 1948) is an artist whose musical talent has been unmistakable since his days as a young boy. Growing up listening to his parents 78 RPM Doo-wop, Blues, Jazz and Gospel records, he started signing in church when he was 6 years old. At the age of 10, his mother took him to the famous Club DeLisa (Chicago's celebrated night spot) and entered him in a talent contest where he won first price singing InchOnly YouInch by The Platters. This key-event had sparked a burning desire and a love for music in Cecil that would never leave him... it created an opportunity for him to become an entertainer and recording artist. Flash forward to the 1960's when he met Mr. Otis Leavill who was one of the leading figures in the Chicago Soul scene. Leavill was already a well-established recording artist, producer, recording studio co-owner and talent scout (he discovered Yvette Stevens aka 'Chaka Khan'). Guided by his now mentor, Cecil was exposed to professional studio recording work and productions. He began to work with Otis' roster of artists, developing his own songwriting skills and musical style in the process. Later he started working with many of Chicago's great musical talents of the time Curtis Mayfield, The Chi-Lites, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Barbara Acklin... and countless others. Cecil Lyde helped recording songs for Chess, Brunswick and St. Lawrence Records. Sadly, by the early 1970's Chicago's famous InchRecord RowInch (the area where all the independent record companies were located) started to close down and as a result many bands broke up. Not discouraged by the closing of InchRecord RowInch, Cecil and some of his childhood singing buddies (under the name of Experience II) landed a production deal and found themselves signed to Capitol Records in 1973. The single 'Bout Time I Told You Baby' was well received and bec

The debut CD of young guitarist Philip Czarnecki showcases a great mixture of influences. Ofcourse jazz is there, with all the influential figureheads from Wes Montgomery to John Coltrane.But Czarnecki has also obviously listened intensively to contemporary jazz guitarists, such as PatMetheny and John Scofield.