STAR DUST-SPRINKLES JAZZ FAVORITES
author: ERIC SEAGER
COMMENTS : REVIEWED BY ERIC SEAGER ( independent music reviewer...
The Catz in the Hatz "Take One" (Catz in the Hatz Records)
Stardust-sprinkled jazz favorites played by genial weekend warriors for the Arthur Murray set. The marketing sound-bite for this SoCal-based quintet is "Jazz with an attitude" but with such foxtrot favorites as "I've Got You Under My Skin," "It Was a Very Good Year" and a baritone re-do of Peggy Lee's "Fever," the attitude (and sound) is pure Tony Bennett. Steve Johnson's (place pleasant adjective here) renderings bottle every puff of smoky piano and expel a record that will please everyone from great-granny to the most recent reality-TV-inspired ballroom converts. Shirley Jones and Dawn Wells of Gilligan's Island fame are among their converts, for what it's worth.
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the makings of great music
author: arrisa owen turner
Big Bear Grizzly
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
By ARRISSIA OWEN TURNER
The Mike Wiens Dream Band might be a better name for The Catz in the Hatz, jokes the band's vocalist Steve Johnson. But Big Bear Lake's best-known jazz band didn't start out so dreamy. When Larry Cummings, owner of The Mandoline Bistro, called Johnson looking for a jazz band, Johnson was in dream land when he said he had one. The rock musician had nothing close to a jazz band, but he did know an experienced jazz guitarist from Big Bear who spent most of his time playing Palm Springs' jazz clubs: Mike Wiens.
For Wiens, a steady gig in Big Bear sounded great. What he had to do to get it was closer to a nightmare. His two original bend co-members, Johnson and bassist Terry Copley, had no jazz experience, having played solely in rock bands since high school. But they did have an ear for it, and Johnson's baritone croon was suited to the style. Wiens saw potential.
That was more than a year ago. Now, thanks to the gig at The Mandoline, the band has fine tuned its chops, added two experienced jazz musicians-keyboardist Mike Cross and drummer Steve Boggio-and a record label. Rhombus Record picked up the band and hopes to cash in on jazz music's resurgence thanks to the likes of Nora Jones, Steve Tyrell, and Diana Krall, who helped jazz creep back into mainstream music, onto play lists of radio stations, and into a younger generation's iPods.
Johnson says "Rock is a tenor man's music." he says. "At our age, every one of us has arrived at where we are supposed to be. We do not have to conform to a salary. Everyone is on the right instrument and in the right position." Especially Johnson, who started out holding the drum sticks and the microphone. Now with Boggio on sticks, Johnson concentrates on working the crowd from the front. "That has opened so much more to me on stage," he says.
"I fell in love with the great American Songbook," Johnson says, lauding the greats like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra he now pays tribute to. "I fell in love with the melodies." No more nights singing "Smoke on the Water" at dive bars for Wiens, Johnson or any of the other band members. And the audience couldn't be happier.
"What I love is that when someone does a great solo, people start applauding without me having to prod them necessarily," Johnson says. "I will be standing in the back and can see people watching Wiens' fingerwork." That sort of attention span is a big change from 30 years of chatter and clatter from beyond the stage.
"Playing with rock hands gets to be a drag after awhile," Wiens says, appreciative of leaving the rock scene behind. "People are there to get drunk and find someone to go home with." The band doesn't take its steady gig at The Mandoline lightly. The lounge's supper club feel helps create a relaxed atmosphere where the Catz in the Hatz perform best. "This is the perfect room for this," Johnson says. Cummings allows the band to use the space to rehearse, as well, which keeps them in their comfort zone.
Now with 150 songs in their repertoire, the band members chose 12 songs, which they recorded with their own arrangements. They kept in mind which songs are Mandoline audience favorites, like Sinatra's "Angel Eyes," "It Was a Very Good Year," "Under My Skin," "World on a String" and "One for My Baby," along with Cole's "Nature Boy" and Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine." The latter was arranged by Wiens who added a daring bass solo for Copley. "I wanted to go in a different direction chord-wise," Wiens says. His vision worked.
The band also added the Peggy Lee favorite, "Fever," along with Mel Torme's "Comin' home," Duke Ellington's "Lucky So and So," and label mate Freddy hubbard's "Little Sunflower." Johnson has big plans for when the CD breaks. "My mom always said to think big," Johnson says. "I think big. When we make it, I'm going to buy The Mandoline and give it back to Larry."
Wiens is more humble. "I thought we'd be gone by now," he says. "Larry gets a lot of credit for sticking it out with us. We owe this to him. It was his suggestion, and he gave us this job and let us perfect ourselves." And no one is pinching themselves harder than Wiens, who hopes he never has to play "Smoke on the Water" the catz 20+ year vetrens of classic rock and made the change to jazz.
Read more...
the makings of great music
author: arrisa owen turner
Big Bear Grizzly
Wednesday, March 9, 2005
By ARRISSIA OWEN TURNER
The Mike Wiens Dream Band might be a better name for The Catz in the Hatz, jokes the band's vocalist Steve Johnson. But Big Bear Lake's best-known jazz band didn't start out so dreamy. When Larry Cummings, owner of The Mandoline Bistro, called Johnson looking for a jazz band, Johnson was in dream land when he said he had one. The rock musician had nothing close to a jazz band, but he did know an experienced jazz guitarist from Big Bear who spent most of his time playing Palm Springs' jazz clubs: Mike Wiens.
For Wiens, a steady gig in Big Bear sounded great. What he had to do to get it was closer to a nightmare. His two original bend co-members, Johnson and bassist Terry Copley, had no jazz experience, having played solely in rock bands since high school. But they did have an ear for it, and Johnson's baritone croon was suited to the style. Wiens saw potential.
That was more than a year ago. Now, thanks to the gig at The Mandoline, the band has fine tuned its chops, added two experienced jazz musicians-keyboardist Mike Cross and drummer Steve Boggio-and a record label. Rhombus Record picked up the band and hopes to cash in on jazz music's resurgence thanks to the likes of Nora Jones, Steve Tyrell, and Diana Krall, who helped jazz creep back into mainstream music, onto play lists of radio stations, and into a younger generation's iPods.
Johnson says "Rock is a tenor man's music." he says. "At our age, every one of us has arrived at where we are supposed to be. We do not have to conform to a salary. Everyone is on the right instrument and in the right position." Especially Johnson, who started out holding the drum sticks and the microphone. Now with Boggio on sticks, Johnson concentrates on working the crowd from the front. "That has opened so much more to me on stage," he says.
"I fell in love with the great American Songbook," Johnson says, lauding the greats like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra he now pays tribute to. "I fell in love with the melodies." No more nights singing "Smoke on the Water" at dive bars for Wiens, Johnson or any of the other band members. And the audience couldn't be happier.
"What I love is that when someone does a great solo, people start applauding without me having to prod them necessarily," Johnson says. "I will be standing in the back and can see people watching Wiens' fingerwork." That sort of attention span is a big change from 30 years of chatter and clatter from beyond the stage.
"Playing with rock hands gets to be a drag after awhile," Wiens says, appreciative of leaving the rock scene behind. "People are there to get drunk and find someone to go home with." The band doesn't take its steady gig at The Mandoline lightly. The lounge's supper club feel helps create a relaxed atmosphere where the Catz in the Hatz perform best. "This is the perfect room for this," Johnson says. Cummings allows the band to use the space to rehearse, as well, which keeps them in their comfort zone.
Now with 150 songs in their repertoire, the band members chose 12 songs, which they recorded with their own arrangements. They kept in mind which songs are Mandoline audience favorites, like Sinatra's "Angel Eyes," "It Was a Very Good Year," "Under My Skin," "World on a String" and "One for My Baby," along with Cole's "Nature Boy" and Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine." The latter was arranged by Wiens who added a daring bass solo for Copley. "I wanted to go in a different direction chord-wise," Wiens says. His vision worked.
The band also added the Peggy Lee favorite, "Fever," along with Mel Torme's "Comin' home," Duke Ellington's "Lucky So and So," and label mate Freddy hubbard's "Little Sunflower." Johnson has big plans for when the CD breaks. "My mom always said to think big," Johnson says. "I think big. When we make it, I'm going to buy The Mandoline and give it back to Larry."
Wiens is more humble. "I thought we'd be gone by now," he says. "Larry gets a lot of credit for sticking it out with us. We owe this to him. It was his suggestion, and he gave us this job and let us perfect ourselves." And no one is pinching themselves harder than Wiens, who hopes he never has to play "Smoke on the Water" the catz 20+ year vetrens of classic rock and made the change to jazz.
Read more...