MIDEM Report #1

MIDEM 2010 Report #1 (written Jan. 24, 2010):

Our meetings started early Sunday morning. The Palais (convention center where all the meetings are held) was not as crowded as in previous years, but we anticipate that Monday will be jammed.

What struck us first was the optimistic atmosphere! It seems that everyone is glad that 2009 was behind us. People are actually excited about the possibilities rather than scared about the industry. The changes in the industry have elevated creativity and the folks here are genuinely positive. The indie labels are shinning now and their passion for music is as heightened as it ever has been.

We had a total of 10 meetings on Sunday - some planned, some spontaneous. The feedback about our releases has been solid especially in the area of sync placement for our artists (commercials, TV and film music usage).  The level of musicianship and the diversity of our artists has been very well received!

It's always so good to be here - to see old friends and colleagues - not to mention to eat the amazing food!!!

Monday holds 10 more meetings for us and a couple of seminars. More later.....

MIDEM 2010

We know we are still just getting going with the online stuff, but we are going to have to take a break for the next few weeks. Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings is taking off tomorrow to Cannes, France for the 2010 MIDEM Conference. Unfortunately due to time, internet reliability, and luggage limitations, we will not be able to do any blogging/tweeting/Facebooking while we are there. But please enjoy the videos, samples, and information we have posted already!

If you don't know what MIDEM is, click to learn more!

Some cool Mermen Videos

We just thought we'd share some cool videos of The Mermen we came across recently.

Steven Santoro Video

Just thought we would share this:



Click for more album information

Another Steven Santoro Review

Check out this raving quote about Steven Santoro from the "Cadence" journal:

Steven Santoro is a skilled, appealing Jazz singer-songwriter. He possesses maybe the most important quality for someone trying to extend that tradition of the Great American Songbook—a sense of humor. While he takes on romance and discontents as well as a few more serious subjects, he maintains a wry slant on things...I particularly liked “Waiting for Grace,” a soulful gospel flavored slow rocker that looks at the gloomy side. His lyrics tend to be straightforward without any convoluted wordplay or complex rhyme schemes. He tells stories...The music supporting these tales is assured and, in the case of “Hey ThereSunshine,” quite beautiful.
-David Dupont

Whisper My Name (Steven Santoro) Review Quotes

Here are a couple of review quotes regarding the Mesa/Bluemoon release "Whisper My Name" featuring Steven Santoro—

From "All about Jazz":

Steven Santoro - has listened to a great manysingers, it seems, given the diversity of his output. He’s got a great voice and a great new CD - Whisper My Name (s/r), acompelling combination of romance and brio. As is often the case with young jazz singers, his is not an unadulterated art form. But when it comes to the hybridization of Pop, R&B and Jazz, Santoro gives a convincing argument for its viability as a legitimate child of the Jazz genre.
- Suzanne Lorge

From "ejazz news":

...Whether you know this vocalist as Steven Kowalczyk or Santoro, you should know that "Whisper My Name" is indeed one elegant piece of jazz vocals performed by a talented songwriter with a gifted voice, highly recommneded.
- Ed Blanco

Lalah Hathaway Outrun the Sky Review

Check out this great review of our 2004 release Outrun the Sky with Lalah Hathaway from soulexpress.net:

LALAH HATHAWAY: – Outrun The Sky
(US Mesa / Bluemoon, 2004)
How Many Times - Back Then - Your Favourite Song - Forever, For Always, For Love - Better And Better - Outrun The Sky - If U Ever - In The End - Admit It - Stronger - We Were 2 - More - Boston

This beautiful Lady has been off the scene for far too long in my opinion, and I therefore review this with great pleasure. She is a shining star in my humble opinion and a daughter that her dear, late father would be supremely proud of. Although it is a pleasure to receive a new CD from this Lady it is possibly the patchiest album that we have yet had delivered to us. Saying this, though, I am certain that this set sees her produce her best work EVER, and if you have both previous efforts then that is saying something.

This really is a varied album, plying itself in a few unusual directions and appealing to more than one taste of music. This is handled far better than the effort of Adriana Evans earlier this year, and holds more water as a result. There are very good, if not extraordinary, R&B orientated cuts such as "How Many Times", "Your Favorite Song" and "Better And Better" which are produced by Mike City - he of Sunshine Anderson fame, if you remember. Perhaps not!

However the first song really is a grower and should not be disregarded lightly. Chris Parks adds a few songs and these are OK, I think "Back Then" is the best on here, and its funky guitar and lively shuffling gait has some promise. "Back Then" would be great but is spoiled by some daft keyboard affects that detract from the general funkiness, and "Admit It" is just too rocky for my particular taste and a bit too much to the left. But that's just me.

Those of you who purchased the compilation "For Ever, For Always, For Luther" will own the competent cover of "Forever, For Always, For Love " so I will not elaborate here. What I do want to do, though, is shout from the rooftops about four songs, starting with Lalah's own composition, "Outrun The Sky". This is very tasty indeed, and what Lalah creates here is a song that marks her out as a serious artist and writer as well as sensuous singer. This has a beautiful acoustic feel and slight AOR leanings but is essential. The lyrics are very intricate and show other lackaday writers about how a song should be crafted.

Very warm and satisfying that may be, but I was absolutely flabbergasted by the ENORMOUS ballad, "If U Ever". Now, I am still reeling over Gary J's "Completely" (and others!) and to have this blasting out really was too much! I immediately had the shivers and the spine had the old chills going up it. I give parity to this sublime song as the same vein as George Benson's "I'm Calling You" or Womack & Womack's "Long Time". This song is just amazing but the surprise is the choice of instruments. Now, I am not partial at all to Country & Western steel guitar but this underpins the squeezebox and is so haunting that I am doubly taken aback. I feel that this constitutes one of the most beautiful records Lalah Hathaway has plied us to date.

I would recommend buying this for "If U Ever" alone, but imagine my joy to discover the KILLER "More". This is jazzy soul heaven at its very best. I defy anyone to not adore this track; real instrumentation is the order of the day and again this constitutes Lalah's own writing of paramouncy above all other contributors. I would certainly like to see more of this in the future. Again, the CD price is worth it for THIS track alone, too, and if this is not enough Lalah leaves the last song to drop the real killer on us. "Boston" is a spine tingler and then some. This is equal to the superb material on Brenda Russell's "Paris Rain" effort and as such the haunting melody and melancholy simply overpower you. Oh, what a song, and showcases how much sheer talent this beautiful Lady has.

Why oh why do artists such as these release albums that slip quietly away unnoticed by the moronic R&B press when the likes of Missy Elliott get all the attention. Criminal and unbelievable. This Lady has given me a lot of emotion from this album and I cannot recommend it enough, rocky influences aside. Another worthwhile track is the Vivienne McKone / Brenda Russell-ish "Stronger", which is slightly AOR but completely and utterly a must-have! A mandatory purchase for any of the five aforementioned songs.
- Barry Towler