Video: "Ice Skates" - Jazzy Ash feat. Jennifer Gasoi (World Premiere!)

Maybe some of you don't need another reminder that it's still winter, but since it reached 90 degrees this week here in Phoenix -- that is waaaaaay too early (it set a record for the earliest the thermometer reached that point) -- I could use a few more reminders of winter.

So that's one reason why I'm happy to be premiering this brand new video from Jazzy Ash. It's for the song "Ice Skates" off her fine album Bon Voyage and features lots of shots of Jazzy Ash and Jennifer Gasoi walking around the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal and skating on natural pond ice. Ahhhh... cold weather! (and Canada!)

Another reason is that they have two of the loveliest voices in kids music and it's a treat to hear them trading verses and singing together on this simple, jazzy ode to ice skating. It might be more seasonlly appropriate now, but you might want to have this in your back pocket when the temperature reaches 85 and the humidity is even higher.

Jazzy Ash - "Ice Skates" (feat. Jennifer Gasoi) [YouTube]

56th Grammy Nominations for Best Children's Album

It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans.
- Lt. Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad

Well, here they are, the kids music nominees for the 56th Grammys:

Blue Clouds - Elizabeth Mitchell & You Are My Flower (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) (review)

The Mighty Sky - Beth Nielsen Chapman (BNC Records)

Recess - Justin Roberts (Carpet Square Records) (review)

Singing Our Way Through: Songs For The World's Bravest Kids - Alastair Moock & Friends (Moockshake Music) (review)

Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well - Jennifer Gasoi (Sparkling Productions) (review)

Yes, it's (almost) time once again for the Grammys, the annual hill of beans recognizing the music industry's best and favorite albums of the year. The list of the five kids' music albums is a solid, solid list. Some quick thoughts:

I'd sort of forgotten about Blue Clouds, thinking that Mitchell's collaboration with Dan Zanes (Turn Turn Turn) might have more oomph. (Edit: Turn Turn Turn was actually placed by NARAS on the folk music slate, from which it didn't get nominated.) But the Folkways connection of the album could not have hurt, promotionally, either. (That, and it's a great album.)
I can't say I'm as big a fan of The Mighty Sky as of the other nominees, but it's decent and certainly not a "where in the world did that come from?" choice.
I should probably actually publish my year-end "best of" lists (it's coming, I promise!) before saying this, but Recess was one of my two favorite albums of the past (Grammy) year.
In addition to having a great story, Singing Our Way Through is also a reeeeeallly good album.
While probably the least familiar name to American audiences, Jennifer Gasoi has been nominated for this award before. Or, at least, the Canadian equivalent. Most recently for this very album. (And, yes, Throw A Penny in the Wishing Well is really good, too.)

Picking a winner -- and who you want to win -- will be especially tough this year. But any of those nominees would make a fine winner.

Reminder: Sign Up for the Newsletter!

I hope I'm not too pushy when it comes to encouraging you to sign up for the Zooglobble newsletter. But I'm prepping the next edition of Z7, and once again I think it's going to be a great way for you to get seven exclusive free downloads from seven artists' new and upcoming albums, albums worth exploring further. (Hence the prominence of the "7." I never said I was subtle.)

Last month I featured the following awesome tracks:

Tumble Down Library - "Bartholomew"

Boxtop Jenkins - "Wag More"

Jennifer Gasoi - "Happy!"

Justin Roberts - "A Wild One"

Helen Austin - "Five Little Things"

SteveSongs - "Song Without a Rhyme"

fleaBITE - "Dogs' Day Out"

I'm busy assembling the January edition now, and it's just as cool, featuring artists new and old. So if you haven't yet signed up for the newsletter, I encourage you to do so. Like, soon.

Review: Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well - Jennifer Gasoi

I'm glad Canada is back.

Not that they ever left, mind you -- they've always been our cozy yet expansive neighbor to the north -- but in a kids music sense, there's been a resurgence of new artists from the Land of Raffi. Yes, Sharon, Lois & Bram may have a new iOS app, but I'm talking about a generation of musicians who may have grown up listening to them and Raffi, folks like Charlie Hope, Bobs and LoLo, and Splash 'n' Boots, not to mention some even more independent-minded artists like Duplex.

In onse sense, I'm not sure whether to add Jennifer Gasoi to that list, because she started making kids music before any of those newcomers started recording. Her debut album Songs For You came out way back in early 2004. But it took her more than 8 years to release the follow-up, Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well. That might hold the record for the largest delay in the modern kindie era.

Well, eight years is an awfully long time to wait, but... it's a pretty fun album. In an era when a lot of kindie music is more rock (and alterna-rock) than pop, Throw a Penny... is a throwback, a pop album in the old sense of the word. The album shows off Gasoi's singing chops, a crystal-clear voice with just enough warmth to be inviting. From the very start, with songs like "Little Blue Car," "Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well," and "I'm a Bubble," Gasoi writes happy songs for happy kids. In her orchestration and target audience, she's like a jazzier Laurie Berkner (though without the pure hook-writing genius Berkner possesses). Sometimes it all comes off a little too happy -- I would have liked a few more tracks like the atmospheric album closer "Red Balloon" -- but your tastes in that regard may vary.

Gasoi produced the album herself, and despite the presence of more than 20 musicians (including kids), the music is all done with a very light touch -- I would describe it as brushed, not polished, nickel. It's a lot like what I might expect to hear how Dean Jones would produce such an album (that's a compliment). Which isn't to say that it's simple production -- I can't imagine how many musical tracks and loops were in the song "Purple Man," about some dance lessons (don't ask) -- but it never sounds labored.

The 46-minute album will be most appropriate for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear 3 songs from the album here.

Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well is about as happy and sunny as you'd expect from the title. Unless your family strongly prefers their music with more of a rock edge, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy here. (Fans of Laurie Berkner, Charlie Hope, and Laura Doherty, should especially take note.) The album reflects well on Gasoi's efforts in putting the album together, to the extent that I strongly hope we're not waiting 'til Fall 2021 for her next album. Definitely recommended.

My Favorite (Best?) Kids Music of 2012

While the posting date on this says 2012, I have to tell you the truth. I am totally back-dating this thing. I am writing this at the end of October 2013 in preparation of writing my Top 10 lists for 2013.

You see, my secret shame is that I never published my list(s) of my favorite kids music of 2012.

Oh, the shame, it burns...

Now, it's not like I didn't seriously think about this subject last year. Besides co-coordinating the 2012 Fids and Kamily Awards, I also voted in them, and the top 10 albums below reflect my vote in the awards. But I do receive far more great kids music than I can fit into my ten-slot F&K ballot, so this is my opportunity to give some shout-outs to some artists. Looking at this list, there are easily 6 or 7 of those albums on the list from #s 11 through 25 that could easily be swapped into the Top 10 list.

So in order not to make this already more embarrassing or major-movie-romantic-comedy-like, without further ado (or, frankly, comment), here are my lists of the best (or at least favorite) in kids music, circa 2012. (If you define, as I do, 2012 as being Nov. 1, 2011 through Oct. 31, 2012.)

Top Kids Music Albums

1. The Okee Dokee Brothers - Can You Canoe?

2. Elizabeth Mitchell - Blue Clouds

3. The Board of Education - Binary

4. Dog on Fleas - Invisible Friends

5. Johnny Bregar - My Neighborhood

6. Lunch Money - Spicy Kid

7. Recess Monkey - In Tents

8. Various Artists - Science Fair

9. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo - Make Believers

10. Various Artists (Matt Wilson) - WeBop: A Family Jazz Party

Albums 11-25 (unranked, shown in alphabetical order)

Caspar Babypants - Hot Dog!

Coal Train Railroad - Swings!

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band - A Potluck

Duke Otherwise - Creepy Crawly Love

Elska - Middle of Nowhere

Jennifer Gasoi - Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well

Jumping Through Hoops - Rockin' to the Fiddle

Randy Kaplan - Mr. Diddie Wah Diddie

Kori Pop - Songs for Little Bean

Elizabeth Mitchell - Little Seed

Elena Moon Park - Rabbit Days & Dumplings

The Pop Ups - Radio Jungle

Renee & Jeremy - A Little Love

They Might Be Giants - No! (Deluxe Reissue)

Laura Veirs - Tumble Bee

A special shout-out here to Adventures of Chicken Weebus , which isn't really kids music so I didn't really consider it for this list, but based on pure entertainment value definitely ranks in our Top 25.

Top Kids Music Debut Albums (listed alphabetically)

Duke Otherwise - Creepy Crawly Love

Elska - Middle of Nowhere

Kepi Ghoulie - Kepi for Kids

Jumping Through Hoops - Rockin' to the Fiddle

Kori Pop - Songs for Little Bean

Alison Faith Levy - World of Wonder (I know, not quite fair given her history with the Sippy Cups, but still...)

Elena Moon Park - Rabbit Days & Dumplings

Play Date - Imagination

Laura Veirs - Tumble Bee

Various Artists (Matt Wilson) - WeBop: A Family Jazz Party

Radio Playlist: New Music November 2012

Time to post another Spotify update for new music (see October's playlist here). It's limited, of course, in that if an artist hasn't chosen to post a song on Spotify, I can't put it on the list, nor can I feature songs from as-yet-unreleased albums. But, hey, there's always next month.

Check out the list here or go right here if you're in Spotify.

**** New Music November 2012 (November Kindie Playlist) ****

Todd McHatton – Fuzzy & Orange
Doctor Noize – Welcome to Grammaropolis
The Harmonica Pocket – Turkey in the Straw
Big Bang Boom – Bicycle
David Tobocman – Run Run, Race Car
Boxtop Jenkins – Wag More (feat. Indigo Girls)
Vered – At 63
Jennifer Gasoi – Little Blue Car
Elizabeth Mitchell – May This Be Love
Randy Kaplan & Kristin Mooney – John the Rabbit (feat. Jack Saxenmeyer) (from PLAY Music Vol. 2)
Helen Austin – Five Little Things
The Tumble Down Library – Bartholomew
Jonathan Grossman & the Nerdz – Who I Am
Beth Nielsen Chapman – The Big Bang Boom
Zak Morgan – Nancy Jane