MUSIC -
Featured Musician and playlist*
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Karl Sterling - Drummer
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- Born in Ithaca, New York, grew up in Syracuse, NY. Both of Karl's parents attended the Ithaca College School of Music. Karl's father is a drummer, composer and arranger, and has been a leader of several successful bands in the Central New York area. His mother majored in vocal studies at Ithaca College and is pianist. Karl was 9 years old when he first saw legendary drummer Buddy Rich  perform. Karl KNEW the drums were his instrument and began seriously studying and practicing under his father. When he was 11 Karl met drummer Peter Erskine
and began a friendship that has lasted over 30 years. By the age of
13 he was playing gigs with his
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father's band. While in college Karl studied percusion with John Barker. Over the years he has studied drums with Peter Erskine, Danny D'Imperio, Joe Morello, Mike Melito, Wilby Fletcher adn Mike Lewander. Karl has played with many wonderful musicians and bands in the Syracuse, Rochester, and New York City area's. He has performed with Ronnie Leigh, Bob Dibaudo, Mala Waldron, Eye Level, Prime Time, Seaflight
to name a few, and more recently ESP, which has released a new CD "Time's Up!" (2009)
on CD Baby. Link:
MySpace and E.S.P.'s Website |
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Mariah Parker, composer and multi-instrumentalist |
  - From Southern California, a music graduate
of UC Santa Cruz. Mariah's music is described as blending "the driving rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz
with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East India." With the release of her first CD "Sangria", Mariah
touches on the musical sounds of many cultures, drawing special inspiration from Brazil, Cuba, Spain and
India. Her first instrument was the piano, but she "fell in love with the sound of  the Santur" when she "heard
it drifting across
the UCSC campus one day", and since has pursued the mastery of it.
Mariah has performed with numerous world music groups at festivals
around the globe. From these associations, |
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to accompany her on her debut 'Sangria" CD. Tracks from the
Sangria CD are available on iTunes and the Ancient-Future
website. Links to Mariah's
website,
MySpace Music, iTunes and DC Bebop |
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Cedric C. Givens - composer and multi-instrumentalist - |
  Originally
from St. Petersburg, Florida, Cedric's passion for music began when he
was a child. First with playing drums in the school band in elementary
and high school, later his interest evolving into playing both the
guitar and piano. While growing up, he says his most significant musical
development originated amidst his "garage band" experience when he and
his musical friends would gather at his house for jam sessions.
They played R&B, Rock, Fusion and Jazz. They tapped into the "essence of
the funk" and played the music of groups like the Parliament Funkadelic
and the Ohio Players. This is |
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the musical life force
that energized him and the other members of the band. After graduating from high school, Cedric
attended and graduated from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL
where he obtained a degree in Business.
Out of college,
he returned to St. Petersburg where he taught himself how to play the
piano. He says this instrument "became the foundation for much of
his songwriting and performing". He began collaborating with guitarist
Roberto Tyson to write songs together to record their first album
"Nemesis Bleu" (1997). Cedric says he went on hiatus for a few years,
but "got the spark again after having an opportunity to sit in on stage
with musical giant George Duke". Cedric and guitarist Roberto Tyson
reconnected on new material for a new group "N-GROOVE" which resulted in
the creation of the “It’s who we are” (2008) CD. This CD
features Senegalese bassist Cheikh Ndoye who collaborated on the
project. Cedric is working on the next N-GROOVE CD which he says
revisits his R&B and Funk roots.
Links - MySpace,
N-GROOVE website
and DC Bebop. |
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Cécile Corbel, Celtic harpist, composer and singer. |
Cécile was born in Brittany, the Celtic region in the north-west of France. While growing up, Cécile traveled all over Brittany with her
parents, who were puppeteers. She learned to play the guitar, but in her teens discovered the Celtic harp. At the age of 18 Cécile
went to Paris to study to become an archeologist. Instead, she found herself  performing at concerts, pubs and cafes and eventually
she self-produced her first album "Harpe celtique & Chants du monde" and
was then noticed and approached by Keltia Musique, which is Sinead O'Connor and
Loreena McKennitt's label. From a review in Musical Discoveries,
“Corbel's unique harp technique and her appealing young voice, sometimes
compared to Kate Bush's, |
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reveal a world encompassing ancient poems, original compositions, Celtic
tunes and Mediterranean melodies. It is said that
Cécile Corbel takes you for a trip out of a time. Following the path of prestigious musicians such as Alan Stivell, the young Breton composer and singer now performs her Celtic and world music with her musicians in France and all over the world.” Cécile's latest album is titled
"Songbook
2" (2009). Links: Website, MySpace Music and Albums page. |
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MUSIC Featured CD -
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Nils |
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Nils - Up Close and Personal (2009)
"'The album is the perfect combination of the familiar merged with the new and ‘Catalina’, a cut that is as magical as the island from which it takes its name, offers the same warm and comforting groove on which Nils has built his considerable reputation. ‘Happy To CU’ stays very much with his own west coast sound and ‘Getting Hooked’, despite having a similar feel, is right in the pocket and as catchy as they come. Nils notches down the tempo for ‘Until I See You Again’ and in doing so delivers a chilled out delight. It’s a tune that shows off a more sensitive side to his music and with the evocative ‘Winter Rain’ he conjures up a deconstructed masterpiece. The album’s only cover is his bluesy take on the Santana classic ‘Europa’ and while keeping it mellow for ‘East Bay’ he, true to type, makes it hugely infectious too."
CD Review - SmoothJazzTherapy.com, CD Discography,
MySpace page and
Website.
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Nils - Ready to Play (2007)
" is a pleasantly varied, mix of 12 tracks that are very
well written songs by this clearly talented artist. With many of the
songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really
great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are
from personal experiences. At different points touching on the most
real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can
certainly be heard." -
Clyde Lee Dennis - Article Alley |
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