Jazz CD:
Lou Pomanti & Friends
(Lou Pomanti/Vesuvius Music)

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A producer, composer, musician and musical director, Lou Pomanti adds a Canadian Screen Award to a distinguished resume. He's worked with a who's who of Canadian music artists, and he's brought many of them on board for his latest project, a CD of jazz music released this summer. 

Lou Pomanti & Friends is an effective tribute to Canadian jazz, full of stellar performances and lush arrangements. It's a milestone in a storied career.

After studying music at Humber College in Toronto in the Jazz Program, where he received the Duke Ellington Scholarship Award for Arranging, Pomanti got a call to join Blood, Sweat and Tears in 1980. It began a long association with David Clayton-Thomas, one that included producing his Soul Ballads album for Universal.

From there, Pomanti became a highly sought after session pianist/keyboard player in Toronto, playing, arranging and touring with icons of Canadian music like Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray, Kim Mitchell and Triumph. He's written music for TV and movies, and produced music by David Clayton-Thomas and many others. 

This is an album of jazz recorded with a long list of his contacts and friends in the industry. The variety and calibre of talent results in a fresh sound and approach for a familiar genre. 

Among the classic jazz tracks like Windmills of Your Mind, given a haunting treatment by vocalist June Garber, there are surprises like a jazzed out arrangement of the Beatles' classic Come Together, with vocalists Robyn Black and Marc Jordan.

2001: A Space Odyssey is another cool surprise on the album, combining the groove of jazz in a spacey mode. Amarte Duele is another standout track, a Latin burner featuring vocalists Irene Torres and flutist Bill McBirnie. 

It's an appealing collection of tracks with a wide flavour range that keeps it interesting. 

FEATURING
Emilie-Claire Barlow, Randy Brecker, David Clayton-Thomas, Matt Dusk, Marc Jordan, Oakland Stroke, John Finley, Dione Taylor, Robyn Black, Larnell Lewis, Irene Torres, June Garber, Sam Pomanti

PLAYERS
Justin Abedin, Scott Alexander, Lou Bartolomucci, Tony Carlucci, William Carn, Steve Heathcote, Chris Howells, John Johnson, Drew Jurecka, Jake Langley, Blair Lofgren, Jason Logue, Steve MacDonald, Bill McBirnie, John Panchyshyn, Prague Smecky Orchestra, Marc Rogers, Kathryn Rose, William Sperandei, George St. Kitts, Simon Wallis