New Studio Album "Last Call" Due April 6, 2010
Stony Plain Records announces an April 6 release date in the U.S. and Canada for Jeff Healey's final jazz studio album, Last Call, which showcases the beloved legendary musician performing the music that was his true passion in life: the classic jazz, swing and pop sounds of the 1920s-1940s.
Released with the participation and support of Jeff Healey's widow, Cristie, Last Call is a 14-track collection on which Healey plays multi-tracked guitar parts, trumpet and sings. On several of the songs, he's accompanied by Ross Wooldridge on piano and clarinet and Drew Jurecka on violin.
Concurrent with this CD in Canada, Stony Plain will also release, Beautiful Noise, a concert DVD featuring Jeff Healey and The Jazz Wizards, his regular jazz performance band, originally recorded for the Toronto-based TV show, "A Beautiful Noise," in January, 2006. In the U.S., the Beautiful Noise DVDwill be released on March 23 and distributed by MVD Entertainment Group.
Last Call was Jeff's last jazz/swing recording before his death in March, 2008 of cancer. Mess of Blues, an album of his fan-favorite blues and roots songs released shortly after he passed away, won the Blues Award for "Best Rock/Blues Release" in 2009; and the Songs from the Road live CD,released in September of 2009, won the "Recording of the Year" at the 2010 Maple Blues Awards.
Last Call was recorded and mixed by long-time Healey friend and bandmate, Alec Fraser, and the package includes extensive liner notes by Colin Bray. The album features swing guitar instrumentals first recorded by Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, to interpretations of songs originally done by Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet and Hoagy Carmichael. The material ranges from such standards as "Deep Purple," "Pennies from Heaven" and "Autumn in New York," to more obscure songs from the past, including "I'm Holding My Honey's Hand" and "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes."
Jeff Healey even covers some tunes originally heard during the golden age of cinema, including "Hong Kong Blues" and the haunting them from the motion picture, "Laura."
The new CD also includes a bonus video of "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" that is playable on most computers, recorded live at Healey's Roadhouse in Toronto on July 21, 2007.
The Beautiful Noise concert DVD features 11 tracks with the Jazz Wizards complete six-piece lineup, none of which are included on Last Call, plus an additional interview and musical footage. Beautiful Noise was directed by Daniel K. Berman and produced by Daniel K. Berman and Paul McNulty.
Available from See of Sound
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