Richard Dawson - End Of The Middle - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Richard Dawson, the black-humoured bard of Newcastle, returns to his sixth solo album 2020, his first since the critically acclaimed Peasant. 2020 - out on 11th October 2019 - is an utterly contemporary state-of-the-nation study, that uncovers a tumultuous and bleak time. Here is an island country in a state of flux; a society on the edge of mental meltdown.

Though New York jazz and blues singer Andrée Pagès sings the standards of American jazz repertoire, she is not a 'cool jazz,' pop, or easy listening song stylist. Pagès traces her influences to three of the greats Billie Holiday, for her emotional connection to her material and rhythmic flair; Frank Sinatra, for his hard swing and clean delivery; and Sarah Vaughn for her virtuosity, innovative takes on tunes, and willingness to push the envelope. Though well-versed in the classics, Pagès's sound is all her own. Her unique gifts lie in the range of her voice and material, the freedom of her rhythmic play, the variety of timbres her voice displays, and the emotional intensity of her expression and strong connection she makes with audiences. What also sets Pagès apart is her creative interplay at all levels - rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic - with the top-shelf musicians she plays with. Pianist Tom Nelson, bassist and viola da gambist Jay Elfenbein, guitarist Dan Rothstein, and drummer Peter Grant are swinging ensemble players who all get a chance to shine as innovative soloists on this CD. As J Hunter of Albanyjazz writes in his review of 'Swings Both Ways' 'Pages let's the bitterness in the Gershwin's 'My Man's Gone Now' come through with no stops, and her cover of Monk's 'Round Midnight' sums up the weariness of it all...But it's not just the music or the musicians; Swings Both Ways is about the experience, the concept, and Pagès straddles both worlds - the slick and the seedy, the bright and the dark...' Pages has just released a second CD as part of a quintet led by Jay Elfenbein on electric and acoustic gamba, GambaDream. THE PLAYERS The elegant jazz of pianist Tom Nelson was a staple of the Intercontinental in New York for over ten years, and he now plays regularly at the Drake Hotel. Nelson has performed nationwide with such artists as Junior Cook, Billy Hart,

Pop in your earpiece, close your eyes and embrace the wonders (and horrors) of augmented reality and prepare to travel 500 years into the future as Richard Dawson returns with... The Ruby Cord. These seven tracks plunge us into an unreal, fantastical and at times sinister future where social mores have mutated, ethical and physical boundaries have evaporated; a place where you no longer need to engage with anyone but yourself and your own imagination. It's a leap into a future that is well within reach, in some cases already here.