Please Release Me: August 2006 Edition

I skipped July, didn't I? Slacker. Well, it would've been a short list (at the time, anyway). But August? August is shaping up as a little more crowded... August 1: Go Baby Go - Baby Loves Jazz (Various Artists) August 1: If I Could Be... - Meredith Brooks August 8: A World of Music - Toucan Jam August 8: What's Eatin' Yosi? - Yosi (national release) August 22: Marvelous Day - Stevesongs (re-release on Rounder Records -- say that three times fast) August 29: You Are My Little Bird - Elizabeth Mitchell (on Smithsonian Folkways) But wait, there's more! September will see the release of new stuff from Trout Fishing in America and ScribbleMonster (maybe). And then there's October, October 3rd in particular, which is shaping up to be a very crowded release date. The third album from Milkshake, Play. [Edit: I've been told the album may come out just a leeeetle bit later.] The third album from The Sippy Cups, which has, hands-down, the best kids' music album name of the year, Electric Storyland. And the DVD/CD release from Ralph's World, Welcome to Ralph's World. Actually, I've seen that listed on various e-tailers' sites as both 10/3 and 10/10, so it could be either. We shall see...

Interview: Charity Kahn (Charity and the JAMband)

Our kids are a huge part of everything we do with the band. We took all the JAMband kids on tour (9 total) with us down to LA and they were exposed to all the pieces of what it means to have a band. There’s a Behind the Music series waiting to happen here. I’ll say no more.
Charity Kahn, founder and leader of the Bay Area-based funk/soul/whatever kids' group Charity and the JAMband, is a mother, musician, and mathematician. Or, at least, she has a mathematics degree. Charity took the time recently to answer a few questions of mine with her typical enthusiasm. Read on to find out about obsession with a certain '80s hair-metal band, her band's newest song, and the relationship of math to her music. What music did you listen to growing up? My folks are classically trained, and ran a piano studio forever. They also directed choirs, musicals, taught music in schools, and my dad’s been a church organist since he was 13. So the early years were filled with classical and sacred music and opera, a little jazz, show tunes, and my mom’s favorite, Johnny Mathis. And, of course, Free to Be, You and Me, John Denver and the Muppets, and all of Hap Palmer’s stuff. Next came the Carpenters, Chicago, the Jackson 5, Manhattan Transfer, until I finally discovered classic rock’n’roll. Led Zeppelin took me over for a few years (hasn’t let go, actually). And living in a small Midwestern town water skiing on summer lakes and partying in the woods and cornfields, I also had a Def Leppard obsession (still do, actually). The Grateful Dead came into the picture some time during teen-age hood. I was also performing a lot of classical, jazz, and swing music at the time (vocal and ensemble), so I loved listening to that stuff, too. Was kids' music something you went into deliberately, or was it something you sort of stumbled into? ("Stumbled into" not meant pejoratively...)

Review in Brief: Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times

JimGillSingsModern.jpgIt took several months and several listenings to Jim Gill's 2006 album Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times before I fully appreciated the disk's strengths. In the meantime I'd listened to scores of CDs lacking some of the qualities Gill brings. To begin with, Gill's good humor shines through, not so much in wacky lyrics or zany vocals, but in simple vocal expressions. Listen to Gill's humorous interplay between him and guitar player Don Stiernberg on "Delay on the Freeway," which digresses into discussing catalytic converters, and you can see how he'd be great in front of a crowd of kids (or adults, for that matter). Gill and his crack group of backing musicians serve well his often jazzy melodies (notably "Jim Gill's Groove" and "Tromboning"). And, hey, any album that works in a bit of Gershwin ("Rhythm in my Fingers") is OK by me. The album title itself could be the Library of Congress description for the CD -- there are lots of rhymes and lots of description and encouragement of physical motion, sometimes large ("Swing Your Partner") and sometimes small (the aforementioned "Rhythm in my Fingers"). Best for kids ages 3 through 7. You can hear full song selections from all of Gill's albums at his new website. The album is probably best for a classroom setting or at least at home; I can see how the album would be less compelling if you're in the car and your range of motion is (hopefully) limited. But if you're looking for an album to interact with ("music play," as Gill describes it), Jim Gill Sings Moving Rhymes for Modern Times is an excellent choice.

Yes, But Will He Get His Own Funky Dancing Shadow?

Did you know you can get every Dan Zanes family album at the iTunes Music Store? Including audio for his All Around the Kitchen DVD? Even a bonus track from Parades and Panoramas? And that now he's just the second kids' artist to get their own "Essentials" list, which is an iTunes Music Store-endorsed collection of, well, essential tracks from an artist's catalog? The Wiggles, meet Dan Zanes. Dan Zanes, meet the Wiggles. I mention this for two reasons: 1) It's a recognition of the changing nature of kids' music (Ralph's World is featured on the sidebar; Justin Roberts is featured on the page, too). 2) I compiled the list. (And, yes, there are more coming. If it takes a while, there are good reasons for that having nothing to do with my opinion of the artist.)